I must disagree with my boss
April 1st, 2008, 8:34 am · 2 Comments · posted by fsherman
In Wednesday’s editorial, he wrote that the guns-at-work bill that just passed the house is “purposeless.” It’s anything but.
Let’s face it, whether you love the NRA or loathe them, they’re an amazing lobbying force that has made it near-impossible to pass a gun-control bill with any teeth. They’re so good, in fact, that there’s no chance of a gun-control bill in this state coming close enough to passage that they’d need to lobby against it.
And if their lobbying isn’t needed, then gun-lovers don’t need to donate to their lobbying efforts. The only way to keep the money spigot turned on is to keep finding new, terrifying threats to America’s gun rights that justifies the NRA rallying its troops.
Frankly, I think the last thing gun lobbyists want is for this bill to actually pass, become law, and hold up against the inevitable court challenge, because what are they going to do for an encore?
April 2nd, 2008 at 10:54 am
This is an excellent article, clearly differentiating PRE-EXISTING human rights, from the PROTECTIONS FOR those rights that are enumerated in our Bill of Rights. As a Jewess in the US, may I remind everyone that criminals are stopped by FIREARMS, not by talk? And that America wasn’t won with a registered gun? That is why all REAL Americans put our 2nd Amendment FIRST!
April 2nd, 2008 at 11:17 am
Actually more criminals are stopped by cops than by firearms in private use, the fantasies of gun enthusiasts to the contrary. And American was indeed won with words as much as guns–you know, Declaration of Independence, “Common Sense,” and so on?
Personally I think guns do more harm than good but I also think we shoudl grant the Second Amendment the broadest interpretation possible, just like the other nine. I don’t think it protects us from government as much as the First, Fourth and Fifth, but it’s still a right and it should stand.
By the way, Wendy, you posted an almost identical comment to an early post of mine on gun rights. It was deleted–please say something fresh if you post again.