Arm America to the Teeth and Elect Me to Protect You (oops)
This short introduction has been extracted from Vox com:
America is an exceptional country when it comes to
guns. It's one of the few countries in which the
right to bear arms is constitutionally protected. But America's relationship
with guns is unique in another crucial way: Among developed nations, the U.S.
is far and away the most violent — in large part due to the easy access many
Americans have to firearms. (And I would
add strong gun lobby to head off any changes re: open carry or right to have a
gun anywhere, anytime, and basically for any reason).
Some stats:
- America has six times as many firearm homicides as Canada, and 15 times as many as Germany.
- America has 4.4 percent of the world's population, but almost half of the civilian-owned guns around the world.
- There have been at least 1,042 mass shootings since Sandy Hook (in 2012).
- On average, there is more than one mass shooting for each day in America (i.e., 336 days and 355 mass shootings).
- States with more guns have more gun deaths (see these states and numbers):
Conversely: States with tighter gun control laws have fewer gun-related deaths.
While stoking fearful hysteria that the federal
government is stealthily moving to confiscate firearms, gun-rights zealots have
responded with rhetoric that hints of violent resistance.
Most irresponsibly, Texas GOP Gov. Greg Abbott dared
President Obama to [quote] “COME AND TAKE IT,” [unquote] as he tweeted
opposition to Mr. Obama’s plans to tighten gun regulations by executive order.
Along the exact same threatening lines, a NRA publication
issued a call to action against proposed NY legislation that would limit
ammunition purchases to twice the capacity of a gun owner’s firearm during a
90-day period. That NRA report was accompanied by a frighteningly suggestive
image showing four bullets alongside photos of the bill sponsors, Dem State Sen. Roxanne Persaud and Dem Assemblywoman Jo
Anne Simon (both from Brooklyn).
My observation on those
two point: These two reactions: (1) Gov. Abbott and (2) the NRA) appear threatening and
thus possibly subject to criminal prosecution. Both need to be followed up
(which I’m pretty sure someone is), since threatening an elected official and
namely the president is a serious crime.
Also, Republican presidential candidates
quickly denounced
President Obama's gun announcement, saying his plans
undercut the Second Amendment and stretch the limits of executive power. Part
of what Mr. Obama said in his remarks:
1.
He totally supports the constitutional right to bear arms, (2) that Republicans
and candidates in concert with the NRA and members of the gun lobby have and
continue to distort his view, and that (3) his proposals do not represent
a slippery slope toward mass confiscation of firearms [that hype based on fear
to gain support] and (4) This is not a plot to take away everybody's guns.
GOP candidate expressions:
- Trump [one day before this announcement]: “I will ‘un-sign’ Obama’s mandates.”
- Rubio: “It's part of a broader narrative. And that is that this president is obsessed with undermining the Constitution in general, but the Second Amendment in particular.”
- JE Bush: “Obama's call for enhanced background checks and other new restrictions shows an utter disregard for the Second Amendment as well as the proper constitutional process for making laws in our nation.”
- Cruz [campaigning in Iowa]: “When you live by the pen, you die by the pen.” (Implying that he would rescind the orders).
- Huckabee: “This is a blatant, belligerent abuse of power and I will never bow down and surrender to Obama’s unconstitutional, radical, anti-gun agenda.”
- Carson [tweeted]: “Obama's actions have everything to do with advancing his political agenda & little to do with actually protecting American citizens.”
Electing a president on a single issue is
highly unlikely and especially regarding guns and that whole arena. Makes for
good news, huge gun producer profits and salary increases for Wayne LaPierre,
et al at the NRA, but they do little to stop, slow down or curtail the massive
gun violence in our country … that is the issue.
Finally, how any person; gun lover or not,
cannot see a pressing need for common sense gun rules or even want to discuss
what Mr. Obama proposes, is far beyond rational common sense and comprehension
on any level in my view.
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