Gun Control legislation in all forms are being cast upon the desks of politicians to vote on. Some are just plain alarming to me, and others could be painted in such a way to seem quite harmless to the law abiding citizen.
Of those, the "Universal Background Check" comes to mind. So the question may be, "Why would anyone oppose a 'universal background check' for anyone buying a firearm in a private transaction?"
On the face of it, it is a perfectly reasonable suggestion. Speaking ONLY for myself, I could see such a plan, if written and implemented properly. In a perfect world of firearms purchasing, what could be the harm? If we had such a reasonable plan, where all firearms purchasers, even from neighbor to neighbor, would require an Instant-check, what could be wrong with that? Nothing ... on its own.
But we don't have a perfect world, or more to the point, perfect politicians and others of authority. So what could go wrong? Why could it be a problem? The abuse of power is my fear, and that of most people I know!
To start with, we have an abundance of gun laws already. Speaking as an Ex-Cop, I can tell you that a good many of felony crimes committed with firearms, do NOT receive the prescribed minimum punishment they should get just for the firearm part of their crime. In fact, just recently one of the "straw purchasers" of all those guns bought/sold/delivered to drug cartels in our government's Fast and Furious fiasco, plead guilty and received "52 months" prison. 52 months, for the "52 guns" the guy bought for the cartel. ONLY "52 months"! That isn't even a 5 year minimum for just one gun! That's nothing, in the big scheme of things. And other criminals in various plea deals, also receive lighter sentences for gun crimes and avoid the minimums on the gun crime itself, in exchange for speeding up trials.
Secondly, I believe we are at a point where ANY slight impediment of individual freedoms, will be the proverbial "nose under the tent" for increasing to the next steps in curtailing our freedoms. It seems to me that a seemingly simple law, once enacted, can be too easily amended later, and/or enhanced, or just abused. Or, get the public to accept one restriction, and the next one will be less of a fight. (I've written before with the question, "Are we the frog in the pan?" http://american1st.blogspot.com/2012/12/are-we-frog-in-pan.html )
Lastly, I don't know of a time where the government enacted controls, restricting freedoms, where they were relaxed and/or give back later. One new law, just opens the door to the next one. And THAT is why I oppose ANY new gun laws. Enforce what we have ... FULLY. Make the violation of gun felonies be so costly to those criminals who use a gun in the commission of person felonies (*), that the "risk" is greater than any perceived "reward". But giving "the government" more authority over law abiding citizens, is a sure way to lose more freedoms, and potentially subject us to the tyranny (see 1938 Germany!) most of us vigilantly protect against.
(*) "person felonies", refers to a crime of intended or enacted violence to a person(s), and does not intend to include such crimes as damage to property or the like.
So yes, I AM opposed to any such law. That said, as a responsible gun owner, I never buy or sell to anyone I do not know or identify for myself, and always document that transaction date and to whom. I do this, not to report them, but to have available should a firearm I own/bought/sold is found to have been involved in a crime. If law enforcement comes to me abut a gun that was traced to me, I will cooperate as a responsible citizen, and point them to the next person in line of such ownership. THAT is what I would encourage every gun owner to do. THAT, I believe is being a responsible citizen. Law enforcement is NOT just the job of police. We are all part of that enforcement, by being responsible and cooperating in a constitutional way.
Add to that, a more complete data bank of those persons legally/medically found to be incompetent be part of the background check system, and I believe we have all the laws needed to take care of all but the insanely evil and heat-of-passion crimes. In the end, there are NO protections against EVIL.
Enforcement is the key! NO NEW GUN LAWS.
Friday, March 29, 2013
Thursday, March 21, 2013
ENOUGH - We have RIGHTS!
In the news on 3/20/2013, another story of over-reaction about a feared "gun" was highlighted. This time, a father, who is a NRA Hunter Safety Instructor, had taught his 10 year old son to safely shoot and get his Hunter Safety certification. With that, the boy was given a new rifle for his birthday. A photo was posted on facebook with the boy and his new rifle (AR look-alike, in .22 caliber).
Reportedly, someone, upon seeing the facebook entry, called the child abuse hot line and reported a possible child abuse. The New Jersey authorities, the local Police and the New Jersey Department of Children and Families personnel, showed up at the family's door. The dad was told that a call had been made to the NJDC&F about a possible child abuse, and they were there to look into the report.
Point - I'll make something clear on this. In all the states I know of, any call to report a possible child abuse is mandated by law to be investigated. And "hot lines" that people can call anonymously are a critical part of that. And I fully support that!
I ask, what part of that facebook picture, supported possible "child abuse"? A child, legally of age to hunt, having a gun? MILLIONS of kids hunt and shoot. I have taught 4-H Shooting Sports (Air Rifle marksmanship) to children 10-18! Have we conditioned people to fear the mere sight of a gun? Yes, we have. And that is an irrational fear, as MILLIONS of lawful gun owners, and MILLIONS of legal guns, cause NO deaths and pose NO threat.
But here is where this incident went wrong, VERY wrong in my view - The Police, and the NJDC&F, attempted to intimidate the family into letting them in, and to allow the authorities to search the home and family's gun safe for unsafe/illegal weapons without a warrant.
As an ex-Cop, I know about going confronting someone and asking permission to conduct a search of their person, car, or home. But in this case, they threatened to take the children away if the family failed to comply. That, they CAN NOT do. They also said to the father that he was "being unreasonable" and that he was "acting suspicious", because he wouldn’t open his safe. So ... IF we choose to not allow authorities unwarranted searches of our home, we're "acting suspicious"? Seriously? And another ploy that was used, "If you have nothing to hide, then you'll let us look into your safe to check out your guns." (This is classic "interdiction" ploy to get permission to search.) If this were a valid concept, then we wouldn't even need the 4th amendment!
Pay attention! THIS is the ploy to come to more gun owners. And ANYONE can make an anonymous call and have to authorities visit YOU! KNOW YOUR RIGHTS! Unless the immediate safety of someone inside is believed to be in jeopardy, no entry may be made without a warrant. DO NOT be intimidated into giving up YOUR rights. If someone does have something to hide, then the authorities can investigate further, and get a warrant. I did that MANY times in my career.
Another part of this fear of guns, or even the word "gun", is exampled by the many cases of schools suspending children for such things as pictures of guns, paper cut-outs of guns, fingers held like a gun, etc. In this case, someone viewing the facebook photo, had an irrational fear of even seeing a gun, and reported a possible child abuse.
Our society is moving more and more toward teaching kids a fear of things, such as guns, and creating phobias, and I suggest, a weakness. Instead of using such moments as teaching moments, let alone not being practical with how kids (more boys than girls) play and imagine, a disservice is done by teaching fear. We don't teach safety about guns, which is a greater disservice, because children who get overly inquisitive can get themselves into more dangerous trouble out of curiosity. The NRA has an Eddie Eagle Child Safe program, but schools run from anything NRA. And it's a better program than the NOTHING about gun safety the schools teach!
The anti-gun people have schools and citizens running in fear of anything "gun". While tragic deaths with guns are worthy of a discussion, teaching FEAR is not a solution. Neither are gun bans and confiscation from lawful citizens, when we have an abundance of guns laws now, that aren't being fully enforced.
But after school suspensions for such stupid things as toys and pictures, and now unlawful attempts to violate our civil rights, it's time to say ENOUGH! ENOUGH abuse by over-zealous law enforcement, politicians, school officials, etc. STAND UP FOR YOUR RIGHTS. And DO NOT let more of our RIGHTS be whittled away by laws that only restrict freedoms, or violated in the false name of safety.
Say - ENOUGH!
Reportedly, someone, upon seeing the facebook entry, called the child abuse hot line and reported a possible child abuse. The New Jersey authorities, the local Police and the New Jersey Department of Children and Families personnel, showed up at the family's door. The dad was told that a call had been made to the NJDC&F about a possible child abuse, and they were there to look into the report.
Point - I'll make something clear on this. In all the states I know of, any call to report a possible child abuse is mandated by law to be investigated. And "hot lines" that people can call anonymously are a critical part of that. And I fully support that!
I ask, what part of that facebook picture, supported possible "child abuse"? A child, legally of age to hunt, having a gun? MILLIONS of kids hunt and shoot. I have taught 4-H Shooting Sports (Air Rifle marksmanship) to children 10-18! Have we conditioned people to fear the mere sight of a gun? Yes, we have. And that is an irrational fear, as MILLIONS of lawful gun owners, and MILLIONS of legal guns, cause NO deaths and pose NO threat.
But here is where this incident went wrong, VERY wrong in my view - The Police, and the NJDC&F, attempted to intimidate the family into letting them in, and to allow the authorities to search the home and family's gun safe for unsafe/illegal weapons without a warrant.
As an ex-Cop, I know about going confronting someone and asking permission to conduct a search of their person, car, or home. But in this case, they threatened to take the children away if the family failed to comply. That, they CAN NOT do. They also said to the father that he was "being unreasonable" and that he was "acting suspicious", because he wouldn’t open his safe. So ... IF we choose to not allow authorities unwarranted searches of our home, we're "acting suspicious"? Seriously? And another ploy that was used, "If you have nothing to hide, then you'll let us look into your safe to check out your guns." (This is classic "interdiction" ploy to get permission to search.) If this were a valid concept, then we wouldn't even need the 4th amendment!
Pay attention! THIS is the ploy to come to more gun owners. And ANYONE can make an anonymous call and have to authorities visit YOU! KNOW YOUR RIGHTS! Unless the immediate safety of someone inside is believed to be in jeopardy, no entry may be made without a warrant. DO NOT be intimidated into giving up YOUR rights. If someone does have something to hide, then the authorities can investigate further, and get a warrant. I did that MANY times in my career.
Another part of this fear of guns, or even the word "gun", is exampled by the many cases of schools suspending children for such things as pictures of guns, paper cut-outs of guns, fingers held like a gun, etc. In this case, someone viewing the facebook photo, had an irrational fear of even seeing a gun, and reported a possible child abuse.
Our society is moving more and more toward teaching kids a fear of things, such as guns, and creating phobias, and I suggest, a weakness. Instead of using such moments as teaching moments, let alone not being practical with how kids (more boys than girls) play and imagine, a disservice is done by teaching fear. We don't teach safety about guns, which is a greater disservice, because children who get overly inquisitive can get themselves into more dangerous trouble out of curiosity. The NRA has an Eddie Eagle Child Safe program, but schools run from anything NRA. And it's a better program than the NOTHING about gun safety the schools teach!
The anti-gun people have schools and citizens running in fear of anything "gun". While tragic deaths with guns are worthy of a discussion, teaching FEAR is not a solution. Neither are gun bans and confiscation from lawful citizens, when we have an abundance of guns laws now, that aren't being fully enforced.
But after school suspensions for such stupid things as toys and pictures, and now unlawful attempts to violate our civil rights, it's time to say ENOUGH! ENOUGH abuse by over-zealous law enforcement, politicians, school officials, etc. STAND UP FOR YOUR RIGHTS. And DO NOT let more of our RIGHTS be whittled away by laws that only restrict freedoms, or violated in the false name of safety.
Say - ENOUGH!
Monday, March 11, 2013
Patriots, or Hate Groups?
I am a self-professed "Patriot", as well as a "conservative", a "Christian", a "Vietnam Veteran", a Caucasian male ("white" man), supporter of "capitalism", a Tea Party member, a believer and supporter of the foundation of the 2nd amendment, am a Life Member of the NRA, and I am an absolute believer that we need to be following the "constitution".
I am against much of what President Obama stands for, and believe he wants our nation to mirror a Socialist/Marxist society, and I am vocal in my opinions of Obama, the left, and other people/things I see as anti-American.
There are some, who would suggest people like me are liken to some "hate group". Or maybe, I'd could be labeled as "anti-government", and therefore should be watched, because they (the left, or some in government) think I could be a "domestic terrorist" threat. Others would have me branded as part of the growing "militia" groups (to say, paramilitary anti-government types).
Well, I don't believe I am any of those feared sort. To start with, I am NOT "anti-government". What I am, is pro-limited-government. I believe that the powers of the government, are spelled out in the constitution, and all powers not granted to the federal government, either rest with the states, or with "the people". Government, limited as it should be in "power", IS essential for maintaining a strong defense, and providing essential services the states alone can not do.
I do NOT belong to any militia. But I stand at the ready to join other "Patriots", should a rapid need arise for armed citizens to come to the defense of our nation, or even our local neighborhood. Such citizens did group together, armed, during Katrina. I also know of some who guarded, with arms, their neighborhoods during the Texas wildfires a few years back. (I have personal knowledge of such, and they turned back likely looters.)
I believe our Constitution and Bill of Rights lay out the framework for living together, and the rules we live by, come from the foundation of those documents. I also take Obama at his word, when he says he wants to "fundamentally change America", and I will NOT stand silent while any such person attempts to do that. If anything, it is the "fundamentals" we need to more closely adhere to!
I also support the 2nd Amendment, and fully believe that article in our Bill of Rights was written NOT for hunting, or even personal protection, so much as it was to help deter any government from trying to "rule" us again. Yes, that means the taking up of arms against such a government. And I stand ready to do just that. I do not wish for such an event, and pray we don't have that happen. But we should forever stand vigilant to protect against such a thing. While many think that could never happen in America, we are NOT immune to such a thing. All we have to do, is stand by and not restrain powerful people, and we will end up with those who want to rule us.
That also leads me to the so-called "assault weapons", and the extended magazine bans some want to levy against us. I am AGAINST such measures. We already have plenty of gun laws to follow, but many of those are NOT being enforced! It has been proven, that most all gun purchase applicants who fail the background check, are NOT prosecuted for lying on their applications. And I KNOW of cases where violators do NOT get the minimum sentences they should have gotten, and serve far less than the time they should have, for a firearms related crime. While some states have "5 year minimums" for just the gun crimes, that were to be added to their primary crime, those sentences are not seen near as often as they should be. Otherwise, I stand on the concept that IF "we, the people" should have to take up arms to protect our country from a tyrannical take-over, limiting us any further on choice of weapons and attachments/accessories, would only hinder us in matching the force of our enemies.
While I am a Life Member of the NRA, to anyone suggesting the NRA, and the membership, want unlimited guns on the streets, knows NOTHING about the NRA, or me! The NRA has been one of the strongest supporters of heavy sentences for people who use firearms in the commission of felonies.
The NRA has helped obtain congressional funding for state programs, like Project Exile in Virginia, to more fully prosecute gun offenders. (as an example - http://cnsnews.com/news/article/virginia-attorney-general-wants-project-exile-expanded-nationwide ) Add to that, NRA's long standing support of Law Enforcement, LE training and competitions and Armorer programs, and the NRA has a long proven record of being PRO-law enforcement. In fact, I am a NRA member with many years of prior law enforcement experience, as are many of my friends!
I love my country. I still keep my Flag out every day, always stand in respect of its passing, and at the singing of our National Anthem. I own several firearms, some of which could fall into some description by some, as "assault weapons". I blog, write my representatives, and am open in disagreeing with my government. Those are my RIGHTS, and in no way should the exercise of my RIGHTS label me as some type of threat to a lawful and constitutional government. I also am NOT a racist, and don't care one tiny bit what Obama's skin color is, nor anyone else's for that matter. I DO judge a man (or woman) by their deeds, and NOT by their color (any color).
But I AM a threat. I AM a threat to any intrusion upon my RIGHTS, or the rights of my neighbors, by any government or groups of people. That does not make me an anarchist or anti-government, or part of a some hate group. That, makes me a Patriot!
I am against much of what President Obama stands for, and believe he wants our nation to mirror a Socialist/Marxist society, and I am vocal in my opinions of Obama, the left, and other people/things I see as anti-American.
There are some, who would suggest people like me are liken to some "hate group". Or maybe, I'd could be labeled as "anti-government", and therefore should be watched, because they (the left, or some in government) think I could be a "domestic terrorist" threat. Others would have me branded as part of the growing "militia" groups (to say, paramilitary anti-government types).
Well, I don't believe I am any of those feared sort. To start with, I am NOT "anti-government". What I am, is pro-limited-government. I believe that the powers of the government, are spelled out in the constitution, and all powers not granted to the federal government, either rest with the states, or with "the people". Government, limited as it should be in "power", IS essential for maintaining a strong defense, and providing essential services the states alone can not do.
I do NOT belong to any militia. But I stand at the ready to join other "Patriots", should a rapid need arise for armed citizens to come to the defense of our nation, or even our local neighborhood. Such citizens did group together, armed, during Katrina. I also know of some who guarded, with arms, their neighborhoods during the Texas wildfires a few years back. (I have personal knowledge of such, and they turned back likely looters.)
I believe our Constitution and Bill of Rights lay out the framework for living together, and the rules we live by, come from the foundation of those documents. I also take Obama at his word, when he says he wants to "fundamentally change America", and I will NOT stand silent while any such person attempts to do that. If anything, it is the "fundamentals" we need to more closely adhere to!
I also support the 2nd Amendment, and fully believe that article in our Bill of Rights was written NOT for hunting, or even personal protection, so much as it was to help deter any government from trying to "rule" us again. Yes, that means the taking up of arms against such a government. And I stand ready to do just that. I do not wish for such an event, and pray we don't have that happen. But we should forever stand vigilant to protect against such a thing. While many think that could never happen in America, we are NOT immune to such a thing. All we have to do, is stand by and not restrain powerful people, and we will end up with those who want to rule us.
That also leads me to the so-called "assault weapons", and the extended magazine bans some want to levy against us. I am AGAINST such measures. We already have plenty of gun laws to follow, but many of those are NOT being enforced! It has been proven, that most all gun purchase applicants who fail the background check, are NOT prosecuted for lying on their applications. And I KNOW of cases where violators do NOT get the minimum sentences they should have gotten, and serve far less than the time they should have, for a firearms related crime. While some states have "5 year minimums" for just the gun crimes, that were to be added to their primary crime, those sentences are not seen near as often as they should be. Otherwise, I stand on the concept that IF "we, the people" should have to take up arms to protect our country from a tyrannical take-over, limiting us any further on choice of weapons and attachments/accessories, would only hinder us in matching the force of our enemies.
While I am a Life Member of the NRA, to anyone suggesting the NRA, and the membership, want unlimited guns on the streets, knows NOTHING about the NRA, or me! The NRA has been one of the strongest supporters of heavy sentences for people who use firearms in the commission of felonies.
The NRA has helped obtain congressional funding for state programs, like Project Exile in Virginia, to more fully prosecute gun offenders. (as an example - http://cnsnews.com/news/article/virginia-attorney-general-wants-project-exile-expanded-nationwide ) Add to that, NRA's long standing support of Law Enforcement, LE training and competitions and Armorer programs, and the NRA has a long proven record of being PRO-law enforcement. In fact, I am a NRA member with many years of prior law enforcement experience, as are many of my friends!
I love my country. I still keep my Flag out every day, always stand in respect of its passing, and at the singing of our National Anthem. I own several firearms, some of which could fall into some description by some, as "assault weapons". I blog, write my representatives, and am open in disagreeing with my government. Those are my RIGHTS, and in no way should the exercise of my RIGHTS label me as some type of threat to a lawful and constitutional government. I also am NOT a racist, and don't care one tiny bit what Obama's skin color is, nor anyone else's for that matter. I DO judge a man (or woman) by their deeds, and NOT by their color (any color).
But I AM a threat. I AM a threat to any intrusion upon my RIGHTS, or the rights of my neighbors, by any government or groups of people. That does not make me an anarchist or anti-government, or part of a some hate group. That, makes me a Patriot!
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