1/16/13
There was a sense of sincerity in Obama’s speech today. A sense of urgency to get something done, and yet a surprising respect for American gun owners and their Second Amendment right to own and bear arms. I will reserve my judgment of today’s speech once we see what his Excecutive Orders will be. As for legislation it is unlikely that the Republican Congress will legislate against the National Rifle Association or arms manufacturers.
Of all Obama’s rhetoric only two areas of American arms control seem feasible. First is the reduction of ammo magazines to 10 round clips. Second is a major focus on the mentally ill in America. The assault rifle was banned in 1994 and the ban was allowed to expire. It seemed more of an act of carelessness on Congress’s part neglecting to reinstate the ban, than the will of the American people to discontinue it. I have to consider all of this from a personal viewpoint. I personally can not see the need of my owning a Bush Master Assault Rifle with a hundred round Ammo Clip, or any automatic rifle. I have to wonder why anyone else but a soldier in the frontlines would need an assault rifle.
Most murders in the United States are done with pistols, or knives. The few mass murders we hear about are those done with machine guns or assault rifles and many of those who use them don’t own them, like Adam Lanza, the (supposed) shooter at Sandy Hook. The guns he used were legally owned by his mother, who taught her mentally impaired son to use them. How could a background check have prevented her from owning a gun if she had no criminal record or history of mental illness? Will these new background checks now include all family members of the gun buyer and isn’t that a serious invasion of privacy?
The shooters at Columbine were high school kids who couldn’t legally buy a gun. The Shooter at Aurora Colorado was under psychiatric care, why was he allowed to buy assault weapons without a background check? The law already states a background check is necessary to purchase a firearm, if this current law had been enforced the Aurora shooter could not have legally owned his weapons, but that wouldn’t have stopped him from buying them illegally. It is the same with most violent criminals, the vast majority of them have unregistered guns. Will this new gun control law stop street gangs from getting illegal guns, or will it stop gun trafficking throughout the country? The entire idea of gun control will affect the honest gun owner and have little or no effect on the criminal or criminally insane to get a gun.
America has one of the lowest crime rates in the industrialized world in ratio with its population primarily because so many people own guns and are willing and able to protect themselves. The American society is a gun owning society. My father owned 10 guns, his father owned 15 guns. My grandfather taught my father to use guns and my father taught his kids to use guns and how to hunt or target practice responsibly. Self defense to an American is always understood as our right, as is our right to own guns to defend ourselves. Guns in the hands of private citizens is the only deterent to tyranny, and the best form of self defense against criminals. Trusting our police force to save you will only get you killed if you or someone else are being assaulted or your home is being burglarized or if you are forced to defend yourself or resist military occupation by outside or domestic forces. The writers of the Constitution understood that to keep a country from tyranny the people must have the right to free speech and assembly, and the right to bear arms.
The greatest fear any invading country would have if they invaded the U.S is knowing there are over 255 million registered guns and billions of rounds of ammunition owned by U.S citizens and millions of unregistered guns, that would be used against any invading nation. Americans must demand their right to arms be continually preserved, however anyone’s need for an assault rifle with a hundred hollowpoint bullet clip has to be questioned for the real reason they want to own one. Concern for mental illness in America is a growing concern, especially with the economy in a down turn and so many people losing their jobs and homes. Stresses on our society are causing vast numbers of suicides and disabilities. Child poverty is at an all time high in America and has not been properly addressed by the government or media.
Obama’s gun speech was another rhetorical address that will fall on deaf ears. Ending the wars we are in and the poverty and economic decline of America is far more important than taking away our guns; unless leaving Americans defenseless, as so many other governments have done to their people prior to a complete tyrannical take over, is what Obama’s true intention is.
L.A. Steel
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