Full Disclosure: I'm not a believer in the concept of taking guns away from responsible people who own them, regardless of their motivation. If someone really believes they need a gun for security, I think they should be able to have a gun. Just like I believe that folks who want to take a puff of Marijuana should be able to do it. But like marriage licenses, construction permits, drivers tests and sanitary regulations for restaurants, I think that sensible regulation of guns is also necessary.
I heard a comment on one TV interview that might help put this in perspective. The comment was made about regulating automatic weapons. The statement was, "You can own a stock car if you can afford one, but you can't drive it on the highway just because you have a drivers license'.
The point here is that people that actually drive stock cars have been vetted by their peers as competent. People that produce a drivers license can buy an AR-15. They have not demonstrated that they know what to do with it. I won't question why they think they need one. But I will question, why we allow the sale of a weapon that was designed for only one thing, killing people to someone, who may or may not know how to safely handle such a weapon.
I think that if we can regulate the ownership of exotic animals and birds, if we zone property to affect what is built on it, and if we can write regulation defining how many peanuts are in a spread before it can be called peanut butter, we can write a law that says that individuals can not own automatic weapon nor can they accessorize any weapon that alters it, in such a way that it acts as an automatic weapon.
I think that if I have to take off my shoes, submit to a pat-down search and produce identification before I get on an airplane, I should have to submit to a background check every time I attempt to purchase a gun.
I think if I can have my drivers and pilots license taken from me for health reasons, I understand why people with demonstrable mental health issues should be denied a gun purchase.
I'm going to share this for what it is worth. Last week I had to re-register to vote because we've moved from one district to another. Voter registration in Wisconsin is more difficult because of voter ID laws recently passed in our state. When I mentioned that it seemed ridiculous that I couldn't prove my new address with a letter from my bank regarding a loan issue, the kindly clerk explained that only a statement from my bank would suffice and wasn't sad that the actions of a few caused all of this.
Now everyone who has looked deeply into voter fraud knows that voter ID laws are basically written to suppress votes. It is and always has been a solution looking for a problem. But let's just say that it was a legitimate argument to eliminate voter fraud. Does it not then seem that for the public good to restrict automatic weapons sales. After all, it is the few that misuse them that is causing pain for the rest of us.
Of course, if Congress wants to outlaw all regulations like the ones above, I might, in the words of Senator Rubio, revisit my position on these issues.
Another personal confession here.
I have taken to following on twitter many of the students from Parkland school that was recently visited by a tortured soul, with a gun he had legally purchased, who subsequently killed seventeen people.
These young people now have the celebrity of the latest Boy Band. Yet what they have shown me is they have integrity, critical thinking skills, mature communication ability, and grit that is beyond admirable. It's enviable.
Many adults have had trouble when they are thrust into the spotlight for unknown and unplanned reasons. I understand people who are thinking to themselves, who do these young punks think they are? Well, to paraphrase a recent defender of Donald Trump's frequent rants on Twitter, "They are just saying what a lot of us are thinking."
The vast difference is that they are from the frontline. They were there when the bullets started to fly. During the attack, they had to contemplate their own deaths. Now, they are living with the survivor's guilt that always comes from these things. And yes, some of them will suffer long-term mental distress for their experience.
But while the rest of us were predicting that this event like all of the others will soon slide into the collective history of these horrid events, these kids said no. Hell No! Like the third guy to raise his hand to volunteer, we all have an easier time writing and speaking out because these kids stood up first.
I heard a comment on one TV interview that might help put this in perspective. The comment was made about regulating automatic weapons. The statement was, "You can own a stock car if you can afford one, but you can't drive it on the highway just because you have a drivers license'.
The point here is that people that actually drive stock cars have been vetted by their peers as competent. People that produce a drivers license can buy an AR-15. They have not demonstrated that they know what to do with it. I won't question why they think they need one. But I will question, why we allow the sale of a weapon that was designed for only one thing, killing people to someone, who may or may not know how to safely handle such a weapon.
I think that if we can regulate the ownership of exotic animals and birds, if we zone property to affect what is built on it, and if we can write regulation defining how many peanuts are in a spread before it can be called peanut butter, we can write a law that says that individuals can not own automatic weapon nor can they accessorize any weapon that alters it, in such a way that it acts as an automatic weapon.
I think that if I have to take off my shoes, submit to a pat-down search and produce identification before I get on an airplane, I should have to submit to a background check every time I attempt to purchase a gun.
I think if I can have my drivers and pilots license taken from me for health reasons, I understand why people with demonstrable mental health issues should be denied a gun purchase.
I'm going to share this for what it is worth. Last week I had to re-register to vote because we've moved from one district to another. Voter registration in Wisconsin is more difficult because of voter ID laws recently passed in our state. When I mentioned that it seemed ridiculous that I couldn't prove my new address with a letter from my bank regarding a loan issue, the kindly clerk explained that only a statement from my bank would suffice and wasn't sad that the actions of a few caused all of this.
Now everyone who has looked deeply into voter fraud knows that voter ID laws are basically written to suppress votes. It is and always has been a solution looking for a problem. But let's just say that it was a legitimate argument to eliminate voter fraud. Does it not then seem that for the public good to restrict automatic weapons sales. After all, it is the few that misuse them that is causing pain for the rest of us.
Of course, if Congress wants to outlaw all regulations like the ones above, I might, in the words of Senator Rubio, revisit my position on these issues.
Another personal confession here.
I have taken to following on twitter many of the students from Parkland school that was recently visited by a tortured soul, with a gun he had legally purchased, who subsequently killed seventeen people.
These young people now have the celebrity of the latest Boy Band. Yet what they have shown me is they have integrity, critical thinking skills, mature communication ability, and grit that is beyond admirable. It's enviable.
Many adults have had trouble when they are thrust into the spotlight for unknown and unplanned reasons. I understand people who are thinking to themselves, who do these young punks think they are? Well, to paraphrase a recent defender of Donald Trump's frequent rants on Twitter, "They are just saying what a lot of us are thinking."
The vast difference is that they are from the frontline. They were there when the bullets started to fly. During the attack, they had to contemplate their own deaths. Now, they are living with the survivor's guilt that always comes from these things. And yes, some of them will suffer long-term mental distress for their experience.
But while the rest of us were predicting that this event like all of the others will soon slide into the collective history of these horrid events, these kids said no. Hell No! Like the third guy to raise his hand to volunteer, we all have an easier time writing and speaking out because these kids stood up first.
Not one of the above mentioned is a constitutional right. That being said Constitutional rights over the years have been altered by the electorate. Never eliminated though. If there is an overwhelming desire of the people to severely limit guns, i'm quite sure the proper congressmen and Senators can be put in place. I'm guessing that the overwhelming majority either isn't there, not motivated or thinks Facebook Likes are actual votes.
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