Posted on 07/26/2011 5:08:24 AM PDT by marktwain
The ATF’s website has an FAQ section. First up: “I want information on relief of federal firearm disability? (I am a felon but want to own a firearm, how do I get my privilege restored?)” According to dictionary.com, a “privilege” is “a right, immunity or benefit enjoyed only by a person beyond the advantages of most: the privileges of the very rich.” It behooves the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to remember that all Americans have the RIGHT to bear arms. And once again, I state my firmly held conviction that ANY American who has paid his or her debt to society should have their gun rights restored. Automatically. Especially in light of the fact that . . .
Hundreds of thousands of Americans [have been] charged and convicted in recent decades under federal criminal laws—as opposed to state or local laws—as the federal justice system has dramatically expanded its authority and reach.
As federal criminal statutes have ballooned, it has become increasingly easy for Americans to end up on the wrong side of the law. Many of the new federal laws also set a lower bar for conviction than in the past: Prosecutors don’t necessarily need to show that the defendant had criminal intent.
The above’s an extract from an article in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal. The story revealed that there are now so many federal criminal statutes that . . .
Counting them is impossible. The Justice Department spent two years trying in the 1980s, but produced only an estimate: 3,000 federal criminal offenses.
The American Bar Association tried in the late 1990s, but concluded only that the number was likely much higher than 3,000. The ABA’s report said “the amount of individual citizen behavior now potentially subject to federal criminal control has increased in astonishing proportions in the last few decades.”
A Justice spokeswoman said there was no quantifiable number. Criminal statutes are sprinkled throughout some 27,000 pages of the federal code.
I’m not trying to weasel here. For sure there are hundreds of non-violent federal crimes for which any sensible person would not deprive a felon of his or her gun rights. I am equally adamant that we, as a society, should err on the side of caution and restore the gun rights of anyone who has done their time.
If we believe an individual is not safe enough to exercise their right to keep and bear arms, we should not release them back into society. If we release them, they should have their Constitutional rights restored. Would we permanently deprive a felon of their right to free speech?
There ARE some things a hog WON’T eat, you know.
A great verse...
A great lesson...
And a great example of how important it is to have the right perspective on the issue of self-defense, and the use of deadly force to protect life, if need be...
Anyone can say, I’m a responsible gun owner and I carry a firearm knowing all I can about the law and the responsibility that it entailes to carry that weapon for lawful self-defensive purposes.”
You can be as responsible as anyone else, maybe even more...But you also need to be accountable, not only legally, but morally...You better be prepared to take the ride for a full 8 second after you pull that trigger...
A good friend of mine who happens to be a lawyer and he is on the NRA board of directors told me that you need to know that “...every bullet that leaves that gun, will have a lawyer on it...”
Morally...Well, that is a personal issue, and one that requires a personal gut-check to see how you’d really feel about taking a life, no matter what the circumstances are that forced the issue...And its not one to go tooting yer horn about either...
Those of us that carry have got to be cooler than school about the whole enchilada in the carrying of a firearm for lawful self defensive purposes...
I’ve only converted 4 people that used to be rabid anti-Second Amendment folks over the years...Matter of fact I did everything I could to discourage them in pursuing that course until they gae me a warm and fuzzy about “why” they wanted to change their tune...
I could write a chapter on each of them and the outcome of each person turned out really well, one of them became my wife...So it is important, in my opinion, to have the right frame of mind, a good moral compass, knowledge, and eventual training to understand the full scope of “why” do you want to arm yourself...
Once you get to that point, you better understand the absolute assinine position some peolpe in this country have that want to take away that “moral” right to keep and bear arms...
One of these days, I really want to have a conversation with God about my opinions, was I right??? And more important, did I do anything or say anything wrong, did I interpret something wrong, etc etc etc...I look forward to that very much...
Only if you were a murderous member of a drug cartel.
If you were an innocent Mexican national who happened to get killed by one of their guns, an ATF supervisor would laughingly tell his subordinates that you "can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs".
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