Posted on 04/27/2007 9:22:47 AM PDT by Mobile Vulgus
Since the VT shootings in Blacksburg, Virginia, we have seen all manner of wild-eyed, anti-gunners come out of the woodwork to cynically use this crime as a chance to beat their gun grabbing drums. But, proposing that we send government Stormtroopers to smash down the doors of every home with a gun in it to confiscate their Constitutionally legal firearms is a step I haven't seen in a purportedly responsible newspaper. That is, until the Toledo Blade published a proposal for taking away our right to self-protection that included "Special squads of police" with unlimited powers to confiscate all guns. A hit squad that would traipse about the country invading homes at will and accosting peaceful citizens everywhere.
The author of this tyrannical proposal is Dan Simpson, who is described as "a retired Ambassador" and a "member of the editorial boards of The Blade and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. " He is a former US Ambassador to various African states... which can easily be read to mean one who thinks government knows best, darn the citizen's rights, apparently.
The piece that oozes from his pen seems overly long, the first half being an attempt by this anti-gun advocate to make it seem as if he really loves guns. After all, he played Cowboys and Indians as a kid and also had a Red Ryder BB gun. Then, later in life, carried a .357 as a "diplomat". But after the hard to believe disclaimers are dispensed with, Simpson launches into his gun banning proposal.
Now, how would one disarm the American population? First of all, federal or state laws would need to make it a crime punishable by a $1,000 fine and one year in prison per weapon to possess a firearm. The population would then be given three months to turn in their guns, without penalty.There is a major problem legally with this supposed diplomat's plans. He never once mentions that the 2nd Amendment is a Constitutional right of the people to keep and bear arms. His proposal is completely illegal according to the Constitution of the USA unless a Constitutional Convention is called to consider amending the law of the land. One would think that an "Ambassador" would be interested in little things like following the law... but apparently not Mr. Simpson.
Worse, and as mentioned, he wants to form a veritable Stormtrooper army that will maraud throughout the country.
The disarmament process would begin after the initial three-month amnesty. Special squads of police would be formed and trained to carry out the work. Then, on a random basis to permit no advance warning, city blocks and stretches of suburban and rural areas would be cordoned off and searches carried out in every business, dwelling, and empty building. All firearms would be seized. The owners of weapons found in the searches would be prosecuted: $1,000 and one year in prison for each firearm.Perhaps Mr. Simpson became too used to the despotic, all powerful leaders in the failed African states to which he was sent as Ambassador and their style of autocratic government made him envious. But whatever the case, Simpson truly has no grasp of the country in which he lives because he doesn't mention any of it. No mention of the Constitution, our history, world history and the despots who ruled with an iron fist over an unarmed populace, or the principles upon which this country was founded make even a tiny appearance in his piece. Just his desire to hand all power to his hand picked goon squad who will roam about the country attacking law abiding citizens.
... On the streets it would be a question of stop-and-search of anyone, even grandma with her walker, with the same penalties for "carrying."
The hit squad Simpson envisions isn't his only anti-gun measure, of course.
He proposes gun dealers still be "allowed" to sell guns but only to museums. He thinks hunters should still be allowed their gun but he has created his own ideas of a classified "hunting weapon" that will have to be locked up with the police except during "hunting season" -- a vague notion in Simpson's mind obviously. After all, "hunting seasons" are different all over the place and allow for hunting different types of game all year long. Obviously Simpson has no clue of what "hunting season" really means. His idea would necessitate a Federal Hunting law, and would take more power from the various states.
Speaking of hunters, Simpson appears to imagine that all hunters are mass murderers just waiting for their chance to kill all around them, too. But, that their murdering rampages might be a "lesser sort of issue."
There could conceivably also be a rash of score-settling during hunting season as people drew out their weapons, ostensibly to shoot squirrels and deer, and began eliminating various of their perceived two-footed enemies. Given the general nature of hunting weapons and the fact that such killings are frequently time-sensitive, that seems a lesser sort of issue.Simpson also seems to imagine that Mexico and Canada would rush into the gun selling business once we illegally outlaw them and send our Stormtrooping armies throughout the country to confiscate US citizen's firearms.
America's long land and sea borders present another kind of problem. It is easy to imagine mega-gun dealerships installing themselves in Mexico, and perhaps in more remote parts of the Canadian border area, to funnel guns into the United States. That would constitute a problem for American immigration authorities and the U.S. Coast Guard, but not an insurmountable one over time.Yet, both Mexico and Canada have stricter gun laws than do we, so how he imagines that they would suddenly both become the virtual WalMart of guns is hard to imagine.
All in all, Simpson has done nothing but reveal that he thinks he is smarter than everyone around him and that only HE should be allowed to make all the rules. He also imagines himself smarter than the Founders as well as more able than the Supreme Court to adjudicate what should be allowable under the US Constitution.
It is no wonder that this man doesn't understand America, he seems quite unlike one.
What would be unfortunate in a broad confiscation scenerio is that there are plenty of police officers (especially younger ones) who don't have the courage or wisdom borne by experience to recognize this would be a bad situation into which they were being manipulated.
Even worse that younger officers wouldn't recognize that Liberal policymakers would literally be home laughing at them while sitting around the dinnertable. If you're a police officer reading Free Republic for the first time, rest assured it is the Conservatives (who happen to own the guns) who are classically pro-police and have your best interests in mind.
~ Blue Jays ~
IMO, the Gramscian Left's been all too successful in Balkanizing this country. It's an open question as to whetehr we have the will to do what's necessary to save this nation from destruction. The cure will almost certainly be as bad as the disease itself. Almost, but not quite.
Fell deeds await.
The ones that survive, at any rate. Let them be few in number.
Gun Free Zone. Wow, now all the terrorists, gang members, organized crime will be free to attack whomever they choose, isn’t that real special.
hell in a hand basket?
Precisely.
Your letter to the editor was a good idea, although it was way, way too long. Letters must be limited to a single paragraph to be considered for print.
;>
Quite. Actually, the Democratic Party has done more to PROMOTE gun ownership, thru “reverse psychology”, than anything the right-wing and/or gun-lobby could do. They single-handedly turned “assault weapons” and “pocket rockets” into absolute must-have guns, when up until then they were viewed as underpowered novelties.
Today I was looking for an arts festival in the Atlanta area. The location wasn't well indicated, so I wandered a bit. Ended up at a park with a bunch of Code Pink types, doing their "impeach Bush / end the war" bizzareness. Anyway, I wasn't interested in taking them on, I just wanted to know which park it was. They had covered the park sign with their own, which I proceeded to remove so I could get the park's name and get my bearings accordingly. At least two descended on me, demanding to know why I was removing their sign and generally being offended at my actions. I told her I was just looking for the name of the park and their sign was covering it. She responded "well why didn't you just talk to us?" Uh-huh. I finished finding the name and left.
Upshot: it was yet another small, but accumulating, point where they (Code Pink) was behaving in a disruptive manner, yet when I (general public, not acting as opposition) tried to get past their disruption, they were all offended that I wasn't going by THEIR rules, expectations, and norms. They perceived my actions (moving blocking signage to find a name) as a threat, and utterly failed to realize that THEIR actions - both the protest and their hindering me - was a legal threat.
Its not very hard for me to imagine seeing a long line of liberals signing up to do this job at the local Democrat/Union offices.
What is your criteria for mentally incompetent? Who makes the call?
If you deny a former felon's Second Amendment Right, why is the Bill of Rights called unalienable?
Never in my life have I been aware of such a rabid and delusional anti-American individual as Dan Simpson. Thank you for reenforcing my decision to return to the Great State of Texas after residing less than one year in Ohio. In Mr Dan Simpson's anti-constitutional drivel referred to as an "editorial" ( The disarming of America ), it is clear that there are forms of mental illness that do in fact manifest as "liberalism." Thank GOD I realized my mistake as a rational freedom respecting American Citizen from Texas.... and got back to Texas just as fast as I could.
Pretty much. Another model is that of Peru, particularly during the Fernando Belaúnde days, approximately 1956 to 1968.
Yep, but they'll ca;l it something cute ... like a Writ of Assistance.
All yo things belong us!
This answers a question I’ve had for a while: What’s Baghdad Bob doing with himself these days?
Now I know.
That is, until the Toledo Blade published a proposal for taking away our right to self-protection that included “Special squads of police” with unlimited powers to confiscate all guns. A hit squad that would traipse about the country invading homes at will and accosting peaceful citizens everywhere.
Welcome to Red Dawn!
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