09 April 2013

Instead of Gun Control, which is really People Control, let's have enforceable laws to eliminate violence and illegal gun use


Monday, April 8, 2013 at 6:23pm

I was watching the news tonight doing my normal seething at the media and the reports of the legislature over this "gun thing." It ISN'T guns. My guns are hanging in my shop and haven't committed any crimes or killed anyone. They don't run around in lowriders, street racers, junkers or Escalades harassing anyone or intimidating and scaring people. They do not randomly discharge through walls or windows.

In Des Moines there are a lot of people WITHOUT GUNS who commit crimes and kill people. They are not particularly linked, guns and crime; but, Barry Soetoro wants to take advantage of a good crisis and make political points out of the tragedy and the deaths of children about whom I do not believe he really gives much of a hoot (yes, I realize that is an incredibly strong statement. It's my opinion and I'm sticking to it).

So, Mr. Obama says "do the right thing for the families in Newtown."  First, shouldn't he be concerned about doing the right thing for the country, for we the people? As I recall, we're the government and he just executes our laws. He does not proclaim them. He does not propose them in Congress. He enforces them once they are passed. So to meet the needs of "we the people" and respect the families of Newtown, I would think that we would pass laws that ensure that violence cannot occur again.

Instead, he wants to pass laws that would do nothing more to stop the illegal use of weapons, would do nothing to provide defensive capabilities for the school, and would have made no difference if they had been in effect for the last 10 years. Actually, they have been. Senator Grassley commented last week that he really was not looking forward to this week, because we would be talking about laws that criminals would still ignore and law-abiding citizens don't need to follow.

It's the behavior, not the tools. Here's a few things that would make sense to me:
1. Life in prison for anyone who commits a felony using a firearm.
2. 30 years, with at least 10 before parole, for anyone who commits a misdemeanor using a firearm.
3. Life in prison for anyone who participates in either selling or buying a firearm in a straw transaction.
4. Life for selling interstate without a license.
5. Life for selling to anyone unqualified to own a firearm. In Iowa, you need a permit to acquire OR a permit to carry weapons - it's easy to ask to see that before selling a firearm to someone. Out of state you have to ship to a dealer, anyway.
6. Size of magazines (they are not clips) is pretty insignificant. The world's fastest REVOLVER shooter shoots six rounds, empties the brass, reloads six round, shoots them, makes all bullseyes and does so in less than 3 seconds.
7. Kind of rifle doesn't matter. A trained former marine using an obsolete and antique cheap Italian rifle with obsolete ammunition pulled off 3 shots in two seconds at 200 yards, including a head shot and brought the USA to a standstill. The Mannlicher Carcano does not use a magazine. Another nutcase occupied a university tower with a good hunting rifle and an assortment of miscellaneous firearms, killed 17 and injured 32 before being "subdued", into pieces, by two rounds of 00 buckshot from a 12-gauge shotgun. Again, his Remington 700 does not use a magazine.

That would be a good start. It does not infringe on rights to keep and bear arms, either, just identifies appropriate punishments for certain crimes involving arms.

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