The President is to announce his plan to tackle gun violence later today, there are rumors it will entail some new legislation and some executive orders. I’ll probably add my thoughts on it in the comments section later today.
The War on Guns; Part Two
Gun Grabbers
As I mentioned in part one, there have been people who don’t think civilians should own firearms since they were affordable enough for the average civilian to own one. Some of these people have evil intent, but the vast majority is simply naive and afraid. They seem to believe that more regulation will stop gun violence. Making drunk driving illegal hasn’t stopped it. There are still many thousands of people arrested for DWI and even more who got away with it. They also fail to realize that those committing gun violence often have procured the firearms illegally. That same element who commits gun violence now, will still find a way to get guns.
Those in favor of much stricter gun control come from many avenues, some of which you might not be familiar with.
Law Makers
Recently Senator Feinstein had a press release of a bill she will propose to the Senate, aimed at Stopping the spread of deadly assault weapons. The proposed bill would ban the sale of any militaristic style firearm that had a large capacity magazine. This bill would stop the personal sale of any firearm, the “gun show loophole”, which allows a private citizen to purchase a table at a gun show and sell their own private collection to other civilians where a personal sale is legal. These sales, to the best of my knowledge, do not require the seller to perform a background check. This bill would grandfather in any guns owned at the date of signing, but would require they all be registered under the National Firearms Act and registration would require a picture and a finger print.
This bill is obviously troublesome to any legal gun owner, but something about it doesn’t sit right. I think this is possibly one of two things. The first is an attempt at Overton Window., which is a political maneuver where a law maker knows certain legislation would not be accepted in the current political climate; they propose something outrageous, knowing it will not be accepted and then they propose something a little more palatable. The second proposition may still be bad, but people are more willing to accept it as it’s not nearly as bad as the first proposal.
The second possibility is that this bill is just the start. If it is passed and we still see gun violence there could be harsher and harsher crackdowns. As I mentioned above, the element of society who commits gun crime now, in large part, illegally possesses firearms now. If more regulation is added those, the same people will still commit crimes with guns, which will lead to more regulation and restriction. Layer upon layer of restriction will only cause legal, upstanding citizens to be unable to own firearms.
The most despicable incident was when Vice President Biden said Obama Considering ‘Executive Orders’ to Deal With Guns. More on this below.
The Media
From news agencies to newspapers and untold blogs, the left has gotten behind stricter gun laws than at any time I can remember. There have also been many celebrities who have filmed commercials asking:
“How many more? Enough. Demand a plan. Right now. As a mom. As a dad. As a friend. As a husband. As a wife. As an American. As a human being. For the children of Sandy Hook…We can do better than this. It’s time for our leaders to act.”
How many of those hypocrites have done TV or movies where they used a gun and glorified violence? The trouble here is that this is effective and they know it. We live in a society that pays more attention to what their favorite celeb is tweeting, dating and wearing than any relevant thing going on in the world around them.
School and Doctors
I have read multiple reports in the last couple of years about doctors asking children and adults about what firearms were kept in the home, where they were kept etc. I, myself, was asked a few years ago during a routine doctor appointment.
I have also read of children being probed at school about what firearms their parents had. I have a relative whose eleven year old child was talking about a zombie apocalypse. A teacher overheard this and brought her inside, where she was questioned by multiple adults. They asked her how she would deal with zombies, if her parents owned guns and other related questions.
I don’t know why schools and doctors are asking these questions or what they’re doing with the information, but you should be aware that some are asking it. We told our kids what to say if ever asked these types of questions.
The Truth About Gun Violence
The truth about any “war” on any inanimate object is that they do not work. In prohibition it was illegal to make, serve or drink booze, yet there was an entire sub culture that sprang to make, sell and drink booze. The war on drugs has seen millions of people in and out of jail, but has done little to slow or stop trafficking, sale or use of drugs. In fact some states are now legalizing marijuana.
Instead of waging war on guns, we should be taking a look at why and who commits gun violence. We could also make soft targets harder.
Mental Illness and Depravity (the true problem)
If we take a look at those who commit mass shooting, I believe we would see most, if not all, were afflicted with some serious form of mental illness. There are a couple of problems that don’t catch this before acts of violence occur. First is that many people in the mentally ill persons life don’t want to bring the issue to light. Some may even be in denial themselves. Parents say “not my child” or “boys will be boys”. No one wants to believe that their child is capable of harming them or anyone else, so they don’t get the police involved. They don’t bring their child to get therapy and overlook certain behaviors.
Often times there can’t be intervention until the mentally ill person commits a crime. As I mentioned above, loved ones often overlook small crimes, such as underage domestic violence.
I posted this on facebook the day of the Sandy Hook shooting:
“I do not understand the depth of human depravity, there will be some that come out after the tragedy in Connecticut railing against guns, when in truth they should be railing at depravity. We should all be praying for those who lost loved ones, God is the only one capable of healing pain so deep.”
I think that in many cases, when it comes to youth committing gun violence, we can look to the home. I’m not necessarily saying it is the parents fault, at least not directly. I have read about some of the kids who have taken part in school shootings and in many cases, the parents were not aware there was a problem. Maybe they just weren’t involved enough in their kid’s life. Maybe, because of the digital age we live in, it’s just easier for kids to hide things.
Some say its video games or violent movies. I disagree, in part. Yes there are some games and movies that are too violent, but waging war on the games or movies is not going to be any more effective than the war on alcohol, drugs or guns. Endless hours of video games, violent or not, isn’t healthy. Parents need to tell their kids they can’t play that game or can only play games for so long. Parents need to be parents. They need to stop trying to be their child’s friend. They can be friends once they’re adults.
The truth is that if we paid more attention to mental illness and acts of depravity, the lives of those people would probably be enriched, and we may slow down the rate of violence, involving guns or not.
Guns Involved In Crime
My beautiful wife, Trudee, recently had a conversation with someone on Facebook who was fully behind banning all evil assault rifles but had no problem with people owning handguns, or so she said. Trudee tried to use logic, which didn’t make a dent in this woman’s thinking. This makes sense as this woman and many who think like her generate their opinion from irrational fear. Here is some truth that you can use to inform yourself and others.
I posted this on Facebook recently: “FBI: More People Killed with Hammers, Clubs Each Year Than Rifles”. This report shows that from 2005 to 2011, each year there were more people killed with hammers and clubs than with rifles.
“For example, in 2011, there was 323 murders committed with a rifle but 496 murders committed with hammers and clubs.”
While this does not take handguns into consideration, that isn’t the point. Anti-gun advocates largely refer to “assault rifles”, which, according to the FBI, are less used in crimes than hammers. This also leads me to believe that it is not just “assault rifles” that they want to take away. I think they can just make an easier case to restrict “assault rifles” because there has already been a ban once.
Fox News has a story where reformed crooks say::
“the New York newspaper that published a map of names and addresses of gun owners did a great service – to their old cronies in the burglary trade.”
One of the reformed burglars went on to say:
“That was the most asinine article I’ve ever seen,” said Walter T. Shaw, 65, a former burglar and jewel thief who the FBI blames for more than 3,000 break-ins that netted some $70 million in the 1960s and 1970s. “Having a list of who has a gun is like gold – why rob that house when you can hit the one next door, where there are no guns?”
Guns Used to Stop Crime
Very rarely will you see the main stream media show a story about someone who used a gun to stop a crime. During research for this article I found two sites that publish every news story like this. One is the NRA and the other is The Armed Citizen. There is most likely some overlap, but both are good resources to get examples of where a gun actually saved an innocent life.
What Can We Expect
I wish I could say I knew what to expect. I may not know what will happen, but I do believe something will. People have believed President Obama would go after guns since he made the comment, “they cling to their God and their guns”. Now we have the Vice President talking about executive orders to deal with guns. We also have the President saying he is putting his full weight behind dealing with guns. I suppose they could just re-implement the old “assault weapon” ban, but I don’t think they will. I think they believe the Overton Window has moved far enough that they can make a bigger grab.
An executive order used to bypass congress and make ownership or purchase of certain guns illegal, or requiring every firearm be registered would be unconstitutional and, thus, illegal. This President has sidestepped congress and the constitution already.
If there is an executive order, there are at least three possibilities. First, congress could override it with a vote of 2/3. I honestly don’t see that happening. This is the same congress that passed ObamaCare after all. The second option is something that Ted Nugent recently commented on as well. Local law enforcement could refuse to enforce this as an illegal law. This is also the goal of The Oath Keepers, who reach out to those active duty military and prior service military as well as law enforcement and ask them not to enforce ten (unlawful) orders if they are given. The number one being disarming the American people.
If you are unaware, when you join the military you take the following oath:
“I, _____, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.”
Many veterans, myself included, believe that since we have been discharged from active duty, we are no longer beholden to the Uniform Code of Military Justice, or obligated to obey orders given from Officers or the President. We do, however, feel we are still obligated to support and defend the constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic.
If Executive Orders are used, depending on the enforcement of them by local law enforcement, we could see another executive order used to install martial law and suspend Habeas Corpus.
How Can We Respond?
I say “can” because I won’t presume to tell you what you should do. Here are my thoughts on how I believe a follower of Christ can act and not walk in sin.
First, let me recommend two articles written by Pastor Chuck Baldwin. These are well worth reading. The first, entitled My Line In The Sand Is Drawn Here!, covers his thoughts on the proposed bill from Senator Feinstein. He also gives you some ways to fight this and to help you draw your own line in the sand.
The second article is called Revolution?. In it, he explains how the Revolutionary war was actually sparked by gun control and how Christian leaders of the time took a very active role, defying a ruler imposing immoral laws on them.
Now is the time to pray for our enemies, to pray they act out of wisdom and logic and not out of irrational fear. This is also the time to take action. This is the time to let our Congressmen and Senators know that we want them to stand firm and protect the Second Amendment of the Constitution they swore an oath to protect. You can find the phone number and other contact information for your Congressmen and Senators at USA.gov.
In case you’re wondering here is the oath they take.
“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.”
If and Executive Order to go after guns is used, or if Congress and Senate overreach in regulating firearms, they will go against the Constitution and against what our Founding Fathers saw as God-given rights to all people.
In God’s Law vs. Man’s Law I explain that when Man’s law contradicts God’s Law, we can be morally correct and violate man’s laws. I also give examples of this from scripture.
There have been several people saying there will be blood in the street if they come after guns. I pray not, but I have to say, I do see it as a possibility and I would not have said that even three months ago. Each one of us will have to pray for guidance and draw our own line in the sand. I caution you from posting anything inflammatory on this or any other site on the Internet.
May God bless us each with His guidance. Lord please give us wisdom so we may see how You would have us act. Let us stand firm in Your Word. Bless those elected to lead us with wisdom and courage to uphold the oath they took to defend the Constitution. Father, I ask that this fight end peacefully and that the outcome not infringe on the rights You have given to all people.
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The War on Guns; Part One
The War on Guns; Part Two
