"FROM MY COLD DEAD HANDS"
The rationale used by those people who seek to disarm the American public has always puzzled me. Many years ago I thought they were just misinformed and didn't really know the true facts and statistics concerning firearm use and/or possession by the private citizen. The Second Amendment was ratified in 1791 and the National Rifle Association was founded in 1871. That pretty much sums up the timeline on guns in America until 1934. Brought about by the lawlessness and rise of gangster culture during prohibition, Congress passed the National Firearms Act. President Franklin Roosevelt hoped this act would eliminate automatic-fire weapons like machine guns from America's streets. To make his point, he slapped a $200 tax on all firearms. This was a significant amount in those days; equal to roughly $2,500 in today’s economy. After President John F. Kennedy was shot in November 1963, the public hue and cry was horrendous, although considering the gravity of the situation, not unwarranted. People were outraged that an individual with a history of mental illness could buy a gun (through the mail no less) and assassinate the President of the United States.
In 1968 the Gun Control Act was passed. The assassination of Robert Kennedy and the subsequent assassination of Martin Luther King fueled its quick acceleration into law. License requirements were expanded to include more dealers, and more detailed recordkeeping was expected of them; handgun sales over state lines were restricted; the list of persons dealers could not sell to grew to include those convicted of felonies (with some exceptions), those found mentally incompetent, drug users and more. The act also defined persons who were banned from possessing firearms.
I absolutely understand the public outcry. I am the first person to agree that there are people who should not be allowed to own a firearm of any kind and I strongly supported this legislation. When John Hinckley attempted to assassinate President Ronald Regan on March 30, 1981, and in the process shot press secretary James Brady and police officer Thomas K. Delehanty, the politicians in their haste to garner favor with their constituency, rapidly accelerated (as usual) their anti gun agenda to light speed. James Brady became the lightening rod for anti gun legislation. Sarah Brady was given unfettered access to the halls of government in order to push her anti gun agenda. Nobody in the government was about to stand in the way of her campaign against guns unless they were contemplating political suicide. In 1985 her campaign joined forces with an organization called Handgun Control, Inc. (HCI) of which she became the chair in 1989. As they say, the rest is history.
In retrospect, there has been some constructive legislation that was spawned by HCI and their splinter groups. However, the fear mongering, distortion of the truth and the outright lies perpetrated by these groups have been absolutely absurd. They (HCI) publish statistics that are baseless and unfounded at the very least and outright lies in their content. Suddenly every gun owner became a potential suspect and every gun a potential threat. Look no further than the Peoples’ Republic of California to see the result of anti gun hysteria gone wild. The current California gun control laws far outstrip any federal regulations in volume and scope. Yet the crime rate, with or without firearms for all intents and purposes; unchanged. The old shop worn saying; “when guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns” is without a doubt the most accurate truism (self evident truth) of the gun control controversy.
In 1994, a bill commonly referred to as; “The Assault Weapons Ban” was passed. This bill banned the manufacture, possession or importation of new semi-automatic (one bullet is fired for each pull of the trigger) assault weapons and large capacity magazines for civilian use. On the surface it seems like such a compassionate law sculpted with only the very best intentions of the political illuminati. In essence, it was just another “gun grabbing” piece of legislation aimed at that suspicious group of folks called; gun owners. No one should have any illusions about what was accomplished (by the ban). Assault weapons play a part in only a small percentage of crime. The provision is mainly symbolic and is all smoke and mirrors. The real virtue of this legislation is that it will be a stepping stone to broader gun control in the future. The cold hard facts are this: Less than one-half of one percent of gun crimes involves “assault weapons”.
A major point I want to make concerning this assault on our inalienable rights is that the framers of our Constitution were so adamant about the right of the people to keep and bear arms that they made it one of the first three provisions of the Bill of Rights: Freedom of religion, freedom of speech and the right to keep and bear arms. Anti gunners argue this amendment only refers to the militia and not the private citizen. In those days the people were the militia. The intention of this amendment is crystal clear. One last point I’d like to make concerning the Bill of Rights is this: We are guaranteed the freedom of religion, not the freedom from religion. So I say to rabble rousing, malcontent heretics like Michael Newdow and his ilk; why don’t you stick your atheistic rant where the sun doesn’t shine?
Gary Kleck (http://www.criminology.fsu.edu/p/faculty-gary-kleck.php) is a Professor in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Florida State University. He is a lifelong registered Democrat, a contributor to liberal Democratic candidates and his background reads like a who’s who and a what's what list of liberal causes: The ACLU, Amnesty International USA, Common Cause, Democrats 2000 and Independent Action just to name a few. Due to a lack of creditable data, Mr. Kleck did extensive research in an effort to determine the number of defensive gun uses (DFG) that occurred every year in America. Mr. Kleck found substantial supportive evidence that there were over 2 million DFG’s every year. Keep in mind that this figure does not include how many times criminals were dissuaded from their objective by an armed citizen who “brandished” a firearm (To wave or flourish a weapon menacingly). Mr. Kleck’s research proves beyond any reasonable doubt that the private ownership of guns is a major deterrent to criminal behavior.
Responsible gun ownership by private citizens is an integral part of the foundation upon which our country was founded. Any argument to the contrary is without merit and counter productive to the well being of our society. Due to the societal make up and the extensive population density in this country, depending on the police to protect us, our family and our property is an ideal we can ill afford to endorse. It’s time we faced the reality that there are a multitude of left wing, anti gun lunatics in our government who would like nothing better than to disarm the populace. We must stand up and be counted before it is to late. Look no further than our neighbors across the pond (England) to see what happens when apathy and ignorance replace truth and commitment:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTq2NEUlhDE
If this isn’t a wake up call then we are doomed as a society and will, beyond any doubt, reap what we have sown.
President-elect Obama’s Attorney General Appointee, Eric Holder, is going to get fast tracked right into office by our representatives’. Obama has said he will not interfere with our gun rights and with anti gun thugs like Holder he doesn’t have to. Holder will do it for him. Obama's Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, was Bill Clinton's "point man on gun control". When he ran for congress, Sarah Brady herself issued a statement saying; "Rahm Emanuel has stood side-by-side w/the Brady Campaign and the Million Mom March to fight the scourge of gun violence in America. We are facing the greatest challenge to our 2nd Amendment rights in history. Make no mistake my friends, the wolf is at the door and our time is at hand! It’s time to get involved. Write, call or phone your government representatives’. Isn’t your freedom worth five minutes of your time?
“Those who hammer their guns into plowshares will plow for those who do not”.
In 1968 the Gun Control Act was passed. The assassination of Robert Kennedy and the subsequent assassination of Martin Luther King fueled its quick acceleration into law. License requirements were expanded to include more dealers, and more detailed recordkeeping was expected of them; handgun sales over state lines were restricted; the list of persons dealers could not sell to grew to include those convicted of felonies (with some exceptions), those found mentally incompetent, drug users and more. The act also defined persons who were banned from possessing firearms.
I absolutely understand the public outcry. I am the first person to agree that there are people who should not be allowed to own a firearm of any kind and I strongly supported this legislation. When John Hinckley attempted to assassinate President Ronald Regan on March 30, 1981, and in the process shot press secretary James Brady and police officer Thomas K. Delehanty, the politicians in their haste to garner favor with their constituency, rapidly accelerated (as usual) their anti gun agenda to light speed. James Brady became the lightening rod for anti gun legislation. Sarah Brady was given unfettered access to the halls of government in order to push her anti gun agenda. Nobody in the government was about to stand in the way of her campaign against guns unless they were contemplating political suicide. In 1985 her campaign joined forces with an organization called Handgun Control, Inc. (HCI) of which she became the chair in 1989. As they say, the rest is history.
In retrospect, there has been some constructive legislation that was spawned by HCI and their splinter groups. However, the fear mongering, distortion of the truth and the outright lies perpetrated by these groups have been absolutely absurd. They (HCI) publish statistics that are baseless and unfounded at the very least and outright lies in their content. Suddenly every gun owner became a potential suspect and every gun a potential threat. Look no further than the Peoples’ Republic of California to see the result of anti gun hysteria gone wild. The current California gun control laws far outstrip any federal regulations in volume and scope. Yet the crime rate, with or without firearms for all intents and purposes; unchanged. The old shop worn saying; “when guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns” is without a doubt the most accurate truism (self evident truth) of the gun control controversy.
In 1994, a bill commonly referred to as; “The Assault Weapons Ban” was passed. This bill banned the manufacture, possession or importation of new semi-automatic (one bullet is fired for each pull of the trigger) assault weapons and large capacity magazines for civilian use. On the surface it seems like such a compassionate law sculpted with only the very best intentions of the political illuminati. In essence, it was just another “gun grabbing” piece of legislation aimed at that suspicious group of folks called; gun owners. No one should have any illusions about what was accomplished (by the ban). Assault weapons play a part in only a small percentage of crime. The provision is mainly symbolic and is all smoke and mirrors. The real virtue of this legislation is that it will be a stepping stone to broader gun control in the future. The cold hard facts are this: Less than one-half of one percent of gun crimes involves “assault weapons”.
A major point I want to make concerning this assault on our inalienable rights is that the framers of our Constitution were so adamant about the right of the people to keep and bear arms that they made it one of the first three provisions of the Bill of Rights: Freedom of religion, freedom of speech and the right to keep and bear arms. Anti gunners argue this amendment only refers to the militia and not the private citizen. In those days the people were the militia. The intention of this amendment is crystal clear. One last point I’d like to make concerning the Bill of Rights is this: We are guaranteed the freedom of religion, not the freedom from religion. So I say to rabble rousing, malcontent heretics like Michael Newdow and his ilk; why don’t you stick your atheistic rant where the sun doesn’t shine?
Gary Kleck (http://www.criminology.fsu.edu/p/faculty-gary-kleck.php) is a Professor in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Florida State University. He is a lifelong registered Democrat, a contributor to liberal Democratic candidates and his background reads like a who’s who and a what's what list of liberal causes: The ACLU, Amnesty International USA, Common Cause, Democrats 2000 and Independent Action just to name a few. Due to a lack of creditable data, Mr. Kleck did extensive research in an effort to determine the number of defensive gun uses (DFG) that occurred every year in America. Mr. Kleck found substantial supportive evidence that there were over 2 million DFG’s every year. Keep in mind that this figure does not include how many times criminals were dissuaded from their objective by an armed citizen who “brandished” a firearm (To wave or flourish a weapon menacingly). Mr. Kleck’s research proves beyond any reasonable doubt that the private ownership of guns is a major deterrent to criminal behavior.
Responsible gun ownership by private citizens is an integral part of the foundation upon which our country was founded. Any argument to the contrary is without merit and counter productive to the well being of our society. Due to the societal make up and the extensive population density in this country, depending on the police to protect us, our family and our property is an ideal we can ill afford to endorse. It’s time we faced the reality that there are a multitude of left wing, anti gun lunatics in our government who would like nothing better than to disarm the populace. We must stand up and be counted before it is to late. Look no further than our neighbors across the pond (England) to see what happens when apathy and ignorance replace truth and commitment:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTq2NEUlhDE
If this isn’t a wake up call then we are doomed as a society and will, beyond any doubt, reap what we have sown.
President-elect Obama’s Attorney General Appointee, Eric Holder, is going to get fast tracked right into office by our representatives’. Obama has said he will not interfere with our gun rights and with anti gun thugs like Holder he doesn’t have to. Holder will do it for him. Obama's Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, was Bill Clinton's "point man on gun control". When he ran for congress, Sarah Brady herself issued a statement saying; "Rahm Emanuel has stood side-by-side w/the Brady Campaign and the Million Mom March to fight the scourge of gun violence in America. We are facing the greatest challenge to our 2nd Amendment rights in history. Make no mistake my friends, the wolf is at the door and our time is at hand! It’s time to get involved. Write, call or phone your government representatives’. Isn’t your freedom worth five minutes of your time?
“Those who hammer their guns into plowshares will plow for those who do not”.
Thomas Jefferson
1 comment:
Well Said!!!!!! Now is the time to fight for our rights harder then ever. Join the NRA, get a friend to join. Hammer away at your elected baffoons to resist Obamintions efforts to suppress our second amendment rights.An excellent source book on the Second Amendment is The Founders Second Amendment by Stephen P. Halbrook. A must read for all gun owners
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