Posted on 02/26/2008 8:22:55 AM PST by kiriath_jearim
By putting guns into the hands of terrorists, criminals and the mentally ill, the NRA helped create a society where defense by guns becomes mandatory.
LET'S GET THIS out of the way. I am a gun owner and a staunch supporter of the Second Amendment. What I do not support is extending the rights embedded in the Second Amendment to terrorists, criminals and children.
In the wake of a horrific campus shooting at Northern Illinois University, where 21 students were shot, we're reminded again that national gun laws must be strengthened.
Sadly, gun laws have only been weakened since the massacres at Columbine High School and Virginia Tech. To be sure, these headline-grabbing mass shootings may not have been preventable. But beyond the headlines, consider this news: 83 Americans die each and every day from gun violence. And much of that violence is very preventable.
Current federal law allows an unlimited number of easily concealable handguns and military-style weapons to be sold privately in 32 states without a criminal background check or an ID. Why do we take such a hands-off approach to these dangerous weapons? The National Rifle Association and the gun industry lobby are a big part of the answer.
You have to show ID to purchase alcohol or cigarettes. But if you want a Barrett .50-caliber sniper rifle (capable of penetrating steel and taking out an armored vehicle from more than a mile) you need only to show up at one of 5,000 legal gun shows and fork over the cash -- no ID or background check required! It is well documented that al-Qaida, Hezbollah and IRA terrorists have exploited this loophole in U.S. gun laws to purchase military-style weapons from "private sellers" at gun shows.
In a recent radio debate with me, an NRA official confirmed that the organization is opposed to uniform criminal background checks for fear they will "shut down gun shows." The NRA says that not even people on the suspected terrorist watch list should be barred from purchasing guns because -- are you ready for this? -- "we do not know how people are put on the list" and "many times people are victims of mistaken identity."
Eighty-nine percent of Americans said they wanted mandatory background checks for anyone buying a gun, according to a 2007 Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research and The Tarrance Group survey. But the NRA has continually blocked such common-sense legislation as mandatory background checks and five-day waiting periods to buy a handgun. NRA policies handcuff national law enforcement's ability to effectively regulate private gun sales, gun shows, and even the sharing of crime-gun trace data within the law enforcement community.
By putting guns into the hands of terrorists, criminals and the mentally ill, the NRA helped create a society where defense by guns becomes mandatory. Meanwhile, the bank accounts of the NRA leaders and lobbyists are enriched and congressional coffers are replenished. Gun manufacturers reinforce this cycle by investing in the NRA.
$22 million to influence candidates
According to Federal Elections Commission reports, the NRA has spent more than $22 million on congressional candidates in order to support its agenda during the past four election cycles. In 2004, the NRA spent nearly $4 million to reelect George W. Bush.
Immunity from lawsuits and freedom from consumer protection regulations and manufacturing standards are just a few of the benefits delivered by the NRA and provided by a complicit president and Congress.
Massachusetts stands out as an example of a state that has successful gun violence prevention legislation. Along with 17 other states, it has enacted background checks for all gun sales. Only Hawaii has a firearms fatality rate lower than that of Massachusetts. Hawaii is fortunate; bordered by water, it is less accessible to gun traffickers than Massachusetts, where more than 60 percent of guns traced to crime come from out of state.
Bay State neighbors New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine are three of the top four crime-gun source states for Massachusetts, where guns are easily purchased by prohibited buyers without a background check or an ID.
Most law-abiding citizens like me buy guns from federally licensed dealers required to perform background checks. Incredibly, federal law allows criminals and terrorists who can't pass background checks to easily buy guns from private individuals in 32 states without detection.
The bloodshed in our communities and schools is largely preventable. Of course, no law is going to stop violence completely, but shouldn't we help prevent the tragedies we can by weeding out the criminals? It is time for reasonable people to insist that Congress enact sensible and consistent federal laws that require criminal background checks for all gun sales in the United States.
[John E. Rosenthal is cofounder of Stop Handgun Violence, the American Hunters and Shooters Association, and Common Sense About Kids and Guns.]
I guess my question is why would NOT having a gun prevent someone from taking their own life? People commit suicide in a variety of ways....why would the presence/absence of a gun make that big a difference?
Gee. Which of those four states has the highest rate of gun crime, I wonder.
You have to show ID to purchase alcohol or cigarettes.
“Card” me, don’t database me.
And if anyone insists on collecting data on my purchases, I know they are truly intent to confiscate my guns, and throw me in jail for not giving them up one day.
ROSENTHAL.....nice Irish name...
My Jewish in-laws are damn serious about protecting their firearms rights. As is Aaron Zellman, founder of the Jews for Preservation of Firearm Ownership.
IMHO, Suicides should not be included with gun deaths...although, I'm sure that others would disagree. If someone wants to find a way out, they will. Gun or no gun.
In reading a previous post....I'd be curious to know the breakout for criminals - gang violence and so forth.
I enjoyed reading a recent thread on FR that deconstucted deaths of children due to gun violence. Some Anti- quoted a ridiculous figure for kids being killed "accidentally" by guns every year. As if guns load and fire themselves by accident. "Negligent" would be a better term, but I digress.
I don't remember all of the specifics, but the quoted number was in the thousands per year. Once FR got ahold of it, and threw out all of the specious stats - gang violence, drug violence, "Children" aged 18 to 24, etc etc etc.... The real number was something like 37. Still horrific, but "One child every couple of weeks or so" doesn't get the press that "Dozens of kids EVERY DAY!!" does.
I'll dig around and see if I can find the thread. There were some great stats on it, too.
This is all BS. I don’t need an ID for alcohol or cigarettes, and I damned sure do need one for a firearm.
The left is so pathological it’s scary.
“..“Card” me, don’t database me....”
I agree with the above.
I’ve known of two Rosenthals in Publishing. Abe Rosenthal of the NY Times is the predictable liberal. Mario Rosenthal in El Salvador is as anti-communist as one can get and a very brave publisher.
I just wish that humble Mario Rosenthal was the one with the giant influence instead of it being the other way around.
That is only one person in 10,000. If you subtract out gang related killings and lawful homicides, it’s probably closer to one in 50,000-100,000. Most gun-related murder victims know their killers, so if you don’t associate with scum or nutty people, you are pretty safe.
Try http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/deaths.htm
More people die in car accidents (http://www-fars.nhtsa.dot.gov/Main/index.aspx), but no one has suggested outlawing cars.
bump
I like the idea of a card system as well.
We should identify individuals that can be trusted to responsibly own and carry fire-arms. Any citizen over the age of 18 that has completed the appropriate safety training and is not taking medication to ensure a stable mental state. The card should be subject to renewal, just like any form of ID, to re-evaluate qualification of the individual.
Cards should be revoked for felonies (convictions only) or changes in the mental competency of the card holder.
Once established, ALL fire-arms should be made available for purchase, without restriction. Vendors may simply accept the card as proof of qualification (could be a chip/pin combo to avoid fraud). This would allow individuals to buy fire-arms and avoid any record of ownership even at gun-shows.
Since the card is available to all citizens I do not see where 2nd amendment rights are violated.
***But beyond the headlines, consider this news: 83 Americans die each and every day from gun violence.***
BS!
And I'm hot for Rosie O'Donnel.
And for anyone who didn’t already know it, the American Hunter and Shooter Association is strictly a cover for gun control:
http://www.huntersandshooters.com/
If this moron could not make a circular argument he would have nothing to say. Our rights can be taken away when we meet a predetermined standard of guilt or incapacity. This guy wants our rights removed because of some vague undefined suspicions based on a secret standard. That’s what this is all about. No member of the NRA want to see guns in the hands of criminals, children, or terrorists but we are not willing to let big brother strip of us our rights just because some one has a belief that they won’t even tell us about. His circular argument is nothing more than a manipulation of truth and facts that quickly becomes BOLD FACED LIES!!!!!
The author only wishes we were stupid enough not to see and clearly understand his detachment from reality.
I'm pretty sure every gun purchase at a gun store is approved by the FBI database. A National requirement.
Handgun purchases get registered.
This guy is a bloody idiot. Replace bloody with any number of profanities and you have what I said before typing.
The ability to penetrate an armored limo is always one of the first things they are concerned about.
That's when I know that they're not really concerned about my safety, but someone else's.
Quick and easy
That’s a form of registration. We need as few databases as possible.
No thanks
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