The Winter 2000 Update
to the Elect Hobie
Homepage
Guns & Legislation
Since the NRA blocked proposals for gun
registration
and licensing proposed by President Johnson in 1968, 1.2 million
Americans
have died from gunfire in their homes and communities -- more than the
combined total of all American military personnel killed in both World
Wars, Korea, and Vietnam...
After 4 minors were killed playing with guns
in Columbus Ohio in a 6 week period, Governor Taft prepared a
bill
which would make adults responsible for their firearms. Opponents
of the bill said it inhibits "lawful self-defense by responsible young
persons under 18 years old," and was "pro-criminal."
If requiring trigger locks be sold with
handgun
purchases would prevent 1 child from killing another, is it worth
it?
If not how many children have to be shot to be worth it?
Trigger safety locks are available for
approximately
50 cents each
A report by the Justice Department shows
background
checks have stopped an estimated 100,000 convicted criminals,
fugitives,
and people with mental illnesses from buying a gun in the first 7
months.
Background checks are not required at gun shows, and most mental health
records are confidential and not included.
The NRA and Republican Congress blocked a
proposal allowing a 3 day period to complete a background check on
sales
made by federally licensed gun dealers at gun shows because although
66%
of the background checks are completed within 30 seconds, and 95% of
background
checks are completed in 2 hours, 5% will take some extra time... and of
those taking more than 2 hours, 40% will eventually pass the background
check.... In other words Congress agreed with the NRA that
it is more important for the 2% "lawful" prospective buyers to get
their
guns within a few hours than to prevent 3% of felons from getting
guns....
this isn't a sign of intelligent life... NYT 9/9/99
"Gun shows are temporary events lasting only
2 or 3 days, and the system needs to recognize that fact rather than
delay
gun purchases by law-abiding individuals based on flawed
information."
J.J. Baker, NRA top Lobbyist
"I don't know of a law, a government law,
that will put love in people's hearts." GW Bush responding to the
Fort Worth killings.
Anyone who isn't licensed as a federal gun
dealer can sell guns at a gun show -- or through the Internet --
without
even asking for any identification from the buyer.
"Nearly 20 million gun owners attend over
4,500 gun shows across the country. It is their primary source of
political information, who stands for what, who is a friend of the gun
owner, what other gun owners think and who they are supporting."
Gun Show Booklet that contains information on perimeter alarms,
chemical
warfare decontamination kits, 'Deep Cover' concealed gun holsters,
'failure
to file' seminars that promise to destroy any charge the IRS has
against
you...." and of course Y2K Survival products and seminars.
The NRA continues to insist on immediate
destruction
of all background check records since keeping records any longer
"serves
no purpose except to establish a framework for national gun
registration."
NYT 11/5/99
Lets see, we're afraid the government might
know someone has a gun???
If registering handguns and requiring training
in their use would prevent 1 person from killing another, is it worth
it...
If one person isn't enough, how many would it take?
"The tree of liberty must be refreshened from
time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." T-shirt
Timothy
McVeigh liked to wear.
"Obey the Constitution and we will not
shoot you." Note found in McVeigh's car. Note: "We"??
Those who argue that our founding fathers
felt that government was a necessary evil
to be restricted as much as possible, and
that a right to insurrection exists within the Constitution, draw
supporting
quotations almost exclusively from the minority Anti federalists, who
were
not framers of the Constitutions but opponents of it. G. Willis,
"A Necessary Evil."
"The Second Amendment provides for the right
to bear arms, but the right for the rest of us to be safe from guns in
the wrong hands is more important." W. Hartford Police Chief J.
Strillacci
on a new law allowing the police to take guns away from potentially
dangerous
people.
Calling for a ban on all handguns is
unrealistic...
and unless all were recalled we would still be faced with the problem
of
getting into the hands of someone intending to kill. "The answer
to the problem is bullets. We need to ban bullets for handguns,
semi-automatic
weapons and other weapons that are used primarily for killing
people."
A. Edmonds, NYT Letters, 11/7/99
Ohio enacted new rules for hunters in 1999
allowing only shotguns that hold no more than 3 slugs, one in the
chamber
and 2 in a magazine. "If it saves one life it will be worth
it, but we hope it saves many." Dave Wilson, Ohio DNR.
Obviously
hunters, and those who regulate them, are intelligent and reasonable
people.
So how can the NRA explain how limiting guns
designed for hunting animals is ok if it saves one life, but guns
designed
for killing people can't be restricted at all???
"This is a pro-gun House." Republican
House Majority Whip, Tom DeLay, rejoicing that the House had refused to
act on mild gun control bills passed by the Senate. 10/29/99 Mr.
DeLay meets weekly with the NRA top lobbyist.
Next:
Guns & Kids
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