What is gun control? Well, if you sit down and think about it, gun control is nothing more then a group of laws that hinder law abiding citizens from obtaining firearms. Anyone who has plans to use a firearm for nefarious purposes is not going to walk into a respectable gun shop and register the weapon in their name. They are going to obtain a firearm illegally so it can't be traced back to them. Less then 1% of all violent crimes involving firearms, are committed by the owners of registered guns. Let me put this in prospective for you: On average there are approximately 8 million violent crimes committed in American every year. Of those 8 million, approximately only 700,000 are committed with firearms. Of those 700,000 crimes less then 7000 of those were committed by people who legally obtained the firearm used. Only law abiding citizens would adhere to "rational gun control measures." Criminals don't care about the law; that's why they are called criminals.
There are multiple examples all over the world as to why banning firearms is a very bad idea. Let's start overseas: Both England and Australia have passed laws banning gun ownership. As a result armed robberies have increased by 44 % in Australia and according to The International Crime Victims Survey conducted by Leiden University in Holland, "England and Wales ranked second overall in violent crime among industrialized nations." (By the way, the US didn't even make the top ten) As for in the homeland: In 1976, Washington DC passed laws that made it illegal to own a handgun or have any assembled weapon in the home for personal defense. After that law was passed, murders and violent crimes skyrocketed by 200%, giving DC the highest murder rate in the country.
Thankfully for the citizens of DC, that law was just recently overturned as unconstitutional by the courts. Gun control laws do exactly the opposite of what they are supposed to. They restrict respectable citizens from being able to protect themselves, their families and society in general from violent predators.
As I mentioned earlier there is a lot of legislation concerning gun control currently making its way through congress. The one I would like to focus on is H.R. 45 the Blair Holt Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009. Before I go on let me set one thing straight, I believe that a background check should be done every time someone wishes to purchase a firearm but this bill is just ridiculous! The bill would make it illegal to own a firearm unless you are finger printed and can provide a current driver's license along with your Social Security number, these things I have no problem with but the bill would also require people to submit to a physical and mental evaluation each and every time a firearm is purchased. WHAT?!?!?!
In addition, Blair-Holt would require that guns must be locked away and inaccessible to any child under the age of 18. It would empower law enforcement officers to come into your home to inspect whether or not you are in compliance. Failure to comply includes a fine and incarceration of up to five years in prison. In a case of criminal home invasion this law renders the gun owner defenseless.
This proposed law would not only annul the Second Amendment, it will also dissolve the Fourth Amendment that says "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures" shall not be violated without a warrant.
H.R. 45 and other legislation like it are additive steps that are being taken to ultimately render the Second Amendment null and void. But apparently what the bleeding hearts aren't seeing is that if this actually occurs only the law abiding citizens will be hurt by it. Crime will rise and guns will still be around, probably more then ever, but instead of the guns being used to protect US citizens, they will be used to harm them.
If you oppose these efforts, there are a couple of different things that you can do. Contact your representatives and let them know how you feel. You can also make a donation to one of the following organizations that support gun ownership rights and lobby in Washington:
Second Amendment Foundation- http://www.saf.org/
The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms- http://www.ccrkba.org/
National Rifle Association- http://home.nra.org/#/home
As Americans it is our constitutional right to bear arms and that right shall not be infringed upon by anyone. Speak up and let your voice be heard on the issues of gun rights. Those in Washington who are pushing for government control of America know that an unarmed man is a subject who is easily controlled but an armed man is a citizen who has an opinion and is not afraid to voice it!
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Any factual evidence that shows that criminals always 100% bypass getting guns legally? I mean I am a member of the NRA but I also don't make decisions based on conjectures and what the organization sends me because I know it is a crock worked up by them to appeal to the lowest common denominator of their membership.
ReplyDeleteI think that your question about 100% of criminals getiing guns illegally is nit-picking. Any criminal will, if at all possible, obtain a gun illegally by stealing it or buying it on the black market.
ReplyDeleteI have been a gun owner since I was 5 years old. In my particular culture they are just a tool you keep around like a hammer or a shovel. Both of those tools can kill too.
There was one occasion during the past 64 years that my gun was used for self defense and even then I didn't need to pull the trigger. As the owner of a bar, a drunk who I had cut off started to come over the bar for me until he saw my gun aimed right between his eyes. He left peacefully and never came back. Just that one instance was worth having guns all of my life.