Orchestrated Campaign to Destroy the Second Amendment
by George Miller, 12-19-12
... All-Out Attack Underway
The entire Progressive, gun-hating crowd has been waiting for the opportunity to destroy the Second Amendment, which helps guarantee citizens' God-given right to defend themselves. This assault has now shifted into high gear, since the "re-election" of "Obama" and the tragic elementary school massacre by a psycho in CT. American citizens are voting with their feet, by running to gun shows and gun shops to buy weapons, ammo and accessories in record-breaking quantities, before the Marxist gun-grabbers can act. Citizens should be fighting those regulatory efforts as well.
What is at stake
Amendment II
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
Since colonial times, we have put a high priority on citizens' God-given rights to defend themselves, both individually and in groups (militia). Both were enshrined in the Second Amendment, defended and upheld for well over two centuries.
Some groups maintain that citizens actually have no right at all to defend themselves, that the Second Amendment and even the Constitution are obsolete, that only police and military are or should be authorized to possess weapons, although the debate seems centered on guns. This, of course, is utter nonsense.
They also claim that the militia is the National Guard. This is partially true, but citizens can and do also haveunorganized militias, of which there are many and rapidly growing. These are authorized by the Second Amendment and further codified via:
The most fearsome weapons, such as machine guns, grenades, artillery, bombs, nuclear/chemical/biological weapons, are already forbidden, so the debate seems centered on handguns and rifles, particularly semi-automatics suitable for anti-personnel defense. These have been over-dramatically labeled "assault weapons" by gun grabbers, then demonized and even referred to as "automatic weapons" even though they are semiautomatic.
Experts say that citizens were intended to be armed to the same level as an infantryman and they were, back in colonial days. Looking at today's infantryman, with automatic weapons, grenades, rockets, supported by jets, tanks, APV's, satellites, drones, etc. we see that citizens are no longer any match for the infantry, or even a SWAT team, or the police. Some people would not want that to happen. a militiaman reviewing this article remarked that such an imbalance of weaponry might violate the 14th Amendment Equal Protection Clause :-).
The debate has been about the weapons themselves, rather than the factors actually helping to cause violence, such as mental illness, drugs, propaganda, culture and even demographics. A pundit once compared it to blaming spoons for Michael Moore's obesity.
It has been pointed out that the US has a high gun death rate, compared to most, but far from all countries. The U.S. has a high violence rate, not just gun death rate. It has by far the highest crime conviction rate and the highest incarceration rate of major countries as well, suggesting that it is not a gun problem, but a violence problem
Consider also that European countries already had a low violence rate (if you are willing to ignore WWI, WWII, Nazis, Napoleon, Holocaust, pograms, etc.) BEFORE gun bans/restrictions. Consider also, that Switzerland, which may have the highest gun ownership rate in the world, also has one of the lowest gun death rates. Maybe because every able-bodied male citizen is schooled in proper use of a gun and legally mandated to own one? Note that the greatest murder rate has always been by governments or rebellions, not private citizens. The most important reason for the Second Amendment is a counterweight to government abuses, followed by defense against crime, then hunting and recreation.
Some interesting, relevant points
- Gun deaths have been dramatically dropping since the 1990's, while gun purchases have skyrocketed
- Mass shootings are not on the rise
- Most gun deaths are suicides
- Areas with the toughest gun laws, such as Washington, DC, Detroit, Chicago and NY, have the highest gun deaths
- Half of gun deaths are committed by blacks, who are only 13% of the population
- Illegal immigrants cause a high gun death toll
- Most gun deaths are perpetrated by young males.
- A disproportionate number are caused by mentally disturbed people, often on prescription drugs
- There is a tendency for "copycat" crimes to occur, as a result of lurid media publicity
- Studies have suggested that violent entertainment- movies, TV, video games, may exacerbate the problem
- People from socially unstable environments are more likely to commit gun crimes
- There has been substantial erosion of traditional morality, values.
- Gun crimes are stopped by citizens, but rarely publicized. See THIS?
- A very small percentage of gun deaths involve so-called "assault weapons," although media publicity may help to change that
I am not suggesting, for instance, that we imprison blacks, illegal immigrants and young males, but only that we recognize these facts and attempt to discern and act upon the underlying causes.
Leftmedia
When I looked at our local Liberal newspaper (seems to be the only kind, but that's another story) this morning, it was full of gun-bashing propaganda, as it has been since last Saturday. Ditto with TV, which I usually avoid. Our web site has quite a few articles about anti-gun media propaganda. See our blog and Second Amendment Forums.
The propaganda is full of emotional appeals, twisted statistics, one-sided arguments, bullying interviews, threats, etc. Most opposition to this is marginalized, or just in the blogsphere.
Approximately 90% of news media are controlled by six companies. A few of the most prominent newspapers, wire services and TV networks effectively control what they describe as "The National Conversation." While the blogsphere and talk radio provide alternatives, these are small in terms of relative penetration, but growing. Establishment forces are already furiously attempting to control and regulate the Internet, which is the most important communications invention since movable type and TV.
Obama Administration
Obama and Holder have always been rabid anti-gun zealots. Both have stated Americans don't have any right to own guns. Nearly all of "Obama's" appointments, including cabinet, czars, judges, including Supreme Court "Justices" Kagan and Sotomayer, are rabidly anti-Second Amendment. It seems that is now the "Obama" administration's top priority.
They tried to ram through the UN "small arms" treaty earlier in 2012, but were stopped cold by 55 Senators and millions of Americans. The day after "Obama's" questionable "re-election," the "Obama" administration reopened negotiations on the UN small arms treaty. It could be used to eliminate or severely restrict guns here and might arguably override the Constitution, if ratified by the US Senate, although that is hotly debated.
There is word that "Obama" may attempt by Executive Order, or agency action, what he fails to do via the Congress. Let me remind you that would be unconstitutional and therefore of no effect, to paraphrase Thomas Jefferson.
In the meantime, ultra left-wing Senator Dianne Feinstein vowed to file an "assault weapons" ban in January. She may become judiciary committee chair, which would give her even more clout. The Senate strengthened its Democrat stranglehold for next year and some RINO Senators may also support her. The House of representatives would be our bulwark to defend the Second Amendment, but with Boehner as speaker, who knows how firm that line of resistance is.
California
Sen. De León announces ammo permit bill
Ammunition purchasers would be required to have annual permit, DOJ background check
In another Tuesday press release, Senator Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles) announced "legislative plans to require anyone wishing to purchase ammunition in California to first obtain a California Ammunition Purchase Permit issued by the Department of Justice, valid for one year from the date of issuance. To obtain such a permit, the holder will have to pass a background check."
Sen. De León, infamous among gun owners and civil rights groups for his AB 962 ammo ban that passed in 2009, said that "requiring ammunition purchasers to obtain purchase permits and submit to background checks for all types of ammunition would render the NRA challenge Parker v. California case moot." The Parker trial court's injunction against enforcement of AB 962 is currently being appealed by the State.
The bill apparently hasn't gone "across the desk" in the Legislature just yet. We'll definitely be tracking this one and will keep you posted with the latest developments and bill analysis.
Ammunition purchasers would be required to have annual permit, DOJ background check
In another Tuesday press release, Senator Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles) announced "legislative plans to require anyone wishing to purchase ammunition in California to first obtain a California Ammunition Purchase Permit issued by the Department of Justice, valid for one year from the date of issuance. To obtain such a permit, the holder will have to pass a background check."
Sen. De León, infamous among gun owners and civil rights groups for his AB 962 ammo ban that passed in 2009, said that "requiring ammunition purchasers to obtain purchase permits and submit to background checks for all types of ammunition would render the NRA challenge Parker v. California case moot." The Parker trial court's injunction against enforcement of AB 962 is currently being appealed by the State.
The bill apparently hasn't gone "across the desk" in the Legislature just yet. We'll definitely be tracking this one and will keep you posted with the latest developments and bill analysis.
Sen. Leland Yee is back -and he wants to ban your semi-auto guns!
In a press release issued by his office on Tuesday, Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco/San Mateo) announced that he has introduced a new piece of legislation, SB 47, "modeled after a bill he introduced last year [SB 249] but that was held by the State Assembly. The bill prohibited semi-automatic weapons like AR-15s and AK-47s from having devices known as bullet buttons and mag magnets....SB 47 will also prohibit add-on kits that allow high-capacity magazines."
The text of the bill as it stands today is simply: "It is the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation relating to assault weapons."
We're not yet sure what "add-on kits" will defined as in SB 47 - the bill is currently a "spot bill" - but we are betting that Yee chief of staff Adam Keigwin will find some way to make a mess of the bill like he did last round. Sen. Yee's SB 249 gun ban attempt, which stalled in the Appropriations Committee after significant efforts by our STOP SB 249 campaign (a project of CGF and dealer association Cal-FFL) as well as groups like NSSF, would have forced gun owners to reconfigure their firearms as "featureless builds" and use detachable magazines (including lawfully-possessed large capacity magazines) or dispose of the firearms before the bill would have taken effect. If you haven't seen the SB 249 YouTube videos by Wes Morris of Ten Percent Firearms and Jeff M of PRK Arms, be sure to check them out.
Yee also announced that he would introduce legislation to require yearly registration and background checks for gun ownership and another bill that will require that all guns have a locked trigger and be stored in a locked container.
Senator Yee and his staff apparently don't read Supreme Court decisions like D.C. v. Heller, the landmark Alan Gura victory which established that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to keep and bear arms and overturned a number of D.C.'s gun control regulations, including a locked storage requirement. After Yee's embarrassing 7-2 loss at the Supreme Court in Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association (which struck Sen. Yee's ban on video games on First Amendment grounds), one would think that he and his staff might first consult the Constitution before ginning up new bans on fundamental rights.
In this recent CBS5 SF report on the new Yee bill SB 47, CGF Chairman Gene Hoffman noted that most major shootings occur in Gun Free Zones and suggested that school administrators and teachers should be allowed at least Tasers to defend theirs and their students' lives if they are ever confronted by a madman set on violence.
You can track Sen. Yee's SB 47 at the state's Leg. info website: thttp://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov:80/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill....
In a press release issued by his office on Tuesday, Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco/San Mateo) announced that he has introduced a new piece of legislation, SB 47, "modeled after a bill he introduced last year [SB 249] but that was held by the State Assembly. The bill prohibited semi-automatic weapons like AR-15s and AK-47s from having devices known as bullet buttons and mag magnets....SB 47 will also prohibit add-on kits that allow high-capacity magazines."
The text of the bill as it stands today is simply: "It is the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation relating to assault weapons."
We're not yet sure what "add-on kits" will defined as in SB 47 - the bill is currently a "spot bill" - but we are betting that Yee chief of staff Adam Keigwin will find some way to make a mess of the bill like he did last round. Sen. Yee's SB 249 gun ban attempt, which stalled in the Appropriations Committee after significant efforts by our STOP SB 249 campaign (a project of CGF and dealer association Cal-FFL) as well as groups like NSSF, would have forced gun owners to reconfigure their firearms as "featureless builds" and use detachable magazines (including lawfully-possessed large capacity magazines) or dispose of the firearms before the bill would have taken effect. If you haven't seen the SB 249 YouTube videos by Wes Morris of Ten Percent Firearms and Jeff M of PRK Arms, be sure to check them out.
Yee also announced that he would introduce legislation to require yearly registration and background checks for gun ownership and another bill that will require that all guns have a locked trigger and be stored in a locked container.
Senator Yee and his staff apparently don't read Supreme Court decisions like D.C. v. Heller, the landmark Alan Gura victory which established that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to keep and bear arms and overturned a number of D.C.'s gun control regulations, including a locked storage requirement. After Yee's embarrassing 7-2 loss at the Supreme Court in Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association (which struck Sen. Yee's ban on video games on First Amendment grounds), one would think that he and his staff might first consult the Constitution before ginning up new bans on fundamental rights.
In this recent CBS5 SF report on the new Yee bill SB 47, CGF Chairman Gene Hoffman noted that most major shootings occur in Gun Free Zones and suggested that school administrators and teachers should be allowed at least Tasers to defend theirs and their students' lives if they are ever confronted by a madman set on violence.
You can track Sen. Yee's SB 47 at the state's Leg. info website: thttp://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov:80/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill....
What should be done
Gun murders should be addressed. Although they have been steadily declining, 12,000+ is still a lot. Address the root causes, which are not guns, but social instability, cultural factors, security. Keep guns out of the hands of minors, mentally unstable, felons and enemies. Make sure these restrictions are not abused for political or personal reasons.
In the meantime, allow law-abiding citizens to defend themselves, via proper deployment of guns in the home and public carry. Ensure that such people are vetted, properly trained and weapons secured. Increased participation in Constitutional citizens' militias, which were intended by the founders to be far larger than standing armies, would be encouraged. Ensure that "gun-free" zones are defended. It is tragic that our most vulnerable citizens paradoxically have the least protection. Now, THAT is a crime.
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