Libertarians: Repeal
all gun laws
Party calls firearms 'practical solution' to problem of terrorism
By Jon Dougherty
© 2001 WorldNetDaily.com
One result of the recent terrorist attacks in the U.S. has been a surge in gun sales, prompting the Libertarian Party to call on lawmakers to repeal a number of gun-control measures.
"More Americans are beginning to realize that the Second Amendment is not some fossilized remnant of a frontier nation, but a practical solution to the 21st century problem of terrorism," Steve Dasbach, the party's national director, said yesterday. "Now, it's time for politicians to acknowledge this change in attitude – as well as the new reality of the terrorism threat – and immediately start repealing laws that prohibit law-abiding Americans from buying and carrying firearms to protect themselves and their families."
The party quoted recent media reports denoting the rise in gun sales.
The Washington Post, on Oct. 2, reported "a surge in gun sales" following the Sept. 11 attacks against the U.S. The paper said that applications to buy handguns in Virginia doubled the week after the attack, and background checks for handguns, rifles and shotguns went up by 32 percent.
Forty-five percent more Americans "value Second Amendment rights" than before the terrorist attacks, according to an NRA poll reported by U.S. News & World Report in the magazine's Nov. 5 issue.
In Colorado, background checks for concealed-carry permits jumped 172 percent from August to October, according to the Rocky Mountain News' Oct. 30 edition.
In Connecticut, 41 percent more people bought guns in September 2001 than in the same month last year, according to an Oct. 2 Associated Press report.
Women across the country are signing up for gun safety courses in record numbers, according to the Oct. 10 "Today Show" on NBC, with sales of guns to women increasing by 60 percent.
CBS Morning News reported Oct. 2 that gun sales in California – arguably the most restrictive gun control state in the union – rose 42 percent since the attacks.
The reason for so much renewed interest in guns is obvious, Dasbach said.
"Americans have begun to realize, following the Sept. 11 tragedy, that government and police cannot keep them safe from every danger."
"There is simply no way the government can protect 280 million Americans from stealthy terrorists or even garden-variety criminals," the party leader said. "Americans have begun to understand that they must take personal responsibility for their own safety. That's why we're seeing such a surge in gun sales – especially to vulnerable demographic groups, like women."
Currently, the LP noted that about 21,000 federal, state and local laws limit or prohibit the carrying of concealed firearms or ban outright the carry or ownership of others. Such bans and restrictions are leaving Americans at risk, the party says.
"Sept. 11 was a wake-up call to America that we are vulnerable to terrorists," noted Dasbach. "Now, politicians need to wake up and start repealing the 21,000 gun-control laws they passed over the last few decades."
He added, "It is unconscionable that old-fashioned gun laws and anti-gun politicians can prevent Americans from protecting themselves and their families from murderous terrorists."
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