About the 2nd Amendment

Let's get one thing straight about the 2nd Amendment. It clearly states that the right to bear arms is for the purpose of "a well regulated militia". I'll spell it out for you; "WELL REGULATED".

Regulated as defined by Miriam-Webster; Control or supervise by means of rules and regulations. 

That regulation was re-affirmed in the 2008 Supreme court decision DC v Heller where it was stated, "the right [to bear arms] is not unlimited. It is not a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any manner whatsoever and for whatever purpose". 

The 2nd amendment was not intended to guarantee your right to stockpile obscene numbers of dangerous assault weapons and deadly ammunition. It's not there for you to satisfy your perverse need to wield power over your adversaries. It's not intended for you to fantasise about your Tea Party militia overthrowing "Tyrant" Obama. 

The more the NRA and pro-gun advocates try to bully the rest of us with their irrational arguments, while putting our society and our children at risk of death and injury, the more it becomes apparent that gun regulation is necessary.

NRA, Liars and Hypocrites

In press conferences and Sunday talk shows the NRA and supporters falsely claim that any laws limiting the sale of guns violates their second amendment rights. Instead, they self-righteously advocate for law enforcement to use existing laws to "keep guns out of the hands of criminals".

However, there is nothing in the NRA's actions to substantiate that they have any desire to do so. Their recent opposition to universal background checks or registration of firearms contradicts any sincere desire to help law enforcement accomplish that goal.

Even now, in the aftermath of the Newtown tragedy and increasing public sentiment in favor of passing gun safety legislation, the NRA has successfully lobbied congress to push through laws that will hinder law enforcement in tracking down weapons used to commit crimes. This was done as riders to the spending bill recently passed to keep the government funded.

As reported by Tamara Kieth from NPR,

"There was very little discussion," says Rep. Hal Rogers, R-Ky. Rogers is chairman of the House Appropriations Committee... "These are not new. These are general provisions that we've carried for a long time," Rogers says.

What is new is that the continuing resolution makes four of these riders permanent. One rider prevents the Department of Justice from requiring gun dealers to conduct an inventory to see if guns are lost or stolen. Another requires the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to make it clear that any data from criminal traces on guns can't be used to draw broad conclusions about firearms-related crime...

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., says the provisions "restrict inventorying, information gathering, other practices that combat gun violence." Blumenthal is pushing for new gun controls and changes to make it easier to enforce current laws. He's no fan of these riders. But he voted for the continuing resolution anyway. 

Democratic Rep. Carolyn McCarthy of New York has been fighting these provisions for years, but she, too, voted for the spending bill. "What's tough on this particular vote is do we shut the government down?" she says.

This shows the NRA to be liars and hypocrites. There is really no interest in keeping weapons away from criminals or the insane. Claims of "protecting second amendment rights" are disingenuous. The NRA has but one motivation. That is to lobby for the gun industry to sell more guns. They have been relentless (and successful) in that pursuit. The power of the NRA will continue as long as we have a system that lets Congress accept bribes in exchange for access and influence, even while putting our nation at risk for further tragedies like Newtown.

Tragedy in Newtown

Today tragedy struck in my home state of Connecticut. 26 people were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary school in Newtown, CT, about 60 miles from my home. Twenty of the deaths were elementary school students, 4th grade and under. This tragedy follows recent other incidents in a movie theater and another in a shopping mall. There is something wrong in a society where guns are so prevalent. Not only are they so easily obtained, but they are glorified in movies, television and video games.

If today's events don't provide the impetus for much tougher restrictions on gun ownership, I don't know what can. None of these tragedies would have happened if guns were not so ubiquitous in our society. I'm sure everyone of these perpetrators felt they had a constitutional right to own their firearms.

All I can say is shame on the NRA and the politicians that defend them. Many of those politicians have sold out to the NRA for 'generous' campaign contributions. In some small way, this blood is on your hands. Some of the blame must also lie with our entertainment industry that uses gratuitous gun violence in movies, television and especially video games. If only that industry would show some responsibility instead of simply appealing to such base instincts in order make their big profits. But I suppose that is asking too much.