That sound? The collective hand-wringing of thousands who are up-in-arms demanding Obama introduce serious gun legislation in the wake of the Sandy Hook tragedy. Michael Moore and Piers Morgan began as unofficial poster boys for the action and now Mayor Bloomberg has weighed in, pushing for tighter gun control claiming, "The president and congress can and should address [gun control] at the same time they're reaching an agreement on avoiding the fiscal cliff."
Today, as a hungry pack of demonstrators circled the NRA's Washington HQ, it's looking likely Obama will attack the Second Amendment as the White House promised a comprehensive series of measures including gun control legislation.
I hate guns. I wish they didn't exist. But they do. In the wake of the Connecticut shootings this mass knee-jerk call to impose strict firearm laws is an understandable reaction. Unfortunately it isn't the right one.
If stricter gun control was the solution then cities with stricter gun legislation would be the safest, right? Wrong. Let's look at some facts shall we? Chicago boasts some of the USA's most draconian gun laws but 10 people were shot in Chicago on Friday alone. It's considered 'the deadliest global city' and the murder rate is 25% higher than last year.
Post-Dunblane when guns were outlawed here in the UK, six years later gun-crime had more than doubled. By 2009 gun crime had escalated by 89%.
Down Under, gun murders rose by 19% and armed robberies by 69% after a gun ban was introduced in 1997.
And thus the story goes.
Prohibition; in whatever form, does not work. It didn't work for alcohol, it certainly doesn't work for drugs and as evidence shows, will not work for guns either. All outlawing does is willingly gift supply and control to gang cartels and remove things from the hands of law-abiding citizens. Criminals and the mentally ill intent of murder or mass-crime will still be able to get their hands on guns, no matter what the law.
Adam Lanza broke three Connecticut gun control laws; had more been in place would not have made a difference. The shooting will still have happened.
The Newtown tragedy is a perfect example of problem-reaction-solution; an event which causes people to request the end result the powers that be desire. We can very clearly see a police-state grid being unrolled across the USA and beyond - is it easier to do that against an armed population or an unarmed one? Fundamentally gun control is not for the protection of people but for the preservation of tyrannical entities.
"The most foolish mistake we could possibly make would be to allow the subject races to possess arms. History shows that all conquerors who have allowed their subject races to carry arms have prepared their own downfall by so doing. Indeed, I would go so far as to say that the supply of arms to the underdogs is a sine qua non for the overthrow of any sovereignty." So said that nice little fellow, Adolf. In Nazi Germany, pre-Holocaust, gun laws were introduced which banned Jewish people from the manufacture or ownership of firearms and ammunition.
There is no doubt Obama will exploit this harrowing event to chip away at the Second Amendment.
The Connecticut massacre is undeniably tragic but what it has disturbingly revealed is that people are only outraged because it was not sanctioned by the state. As Obama wiped away his fake tear, I wondered, would he ever shed one were 20 Pakistani children murdered in a school by one of his drone attacks? Statism has a sickening dehumanising effect on how we perceive other humans that aren't close to home or 'like us.'
Sandy Hook is of course worthy of the sympathy it's been in receipt of, however the irrational way we collectively emote and seethe over one type of human loss whilst remain indifferent to others because it's somehow a bi-product of state-sanctioned imperialist war leaves a nasty taste in my mouth.
The unfolding weeks will be interesting. I reiterate: I detest firearms, I wish they did not exist. I'm the antithesis of a trigger-happy, gun-totin' shooter but to support the banning of them - as history shows - will only spell disaster.
Follow Ellen Grace Jones on Twitter: www.twitter.com/EllenGraceJones
"Sorry @RealDMitchell your Olympics article is so politically, socially misjudged. Try reading mine for some home truths.....".
Ellen appears to have no self-awareness whatsoever, and her idiocy knows no bounds. Can anyone from HP explain why she is still hired by them?
the founding fathers were heads and shoulders wiser over our present "do nothin'" politicians.
They must have known how corrupt their system of govt was bound to get with many years of evolution and manipulation.
Once the 1% took everything...
they KNEW...it would take a revolution to even things up.
Although they never said it...they planned for it...or allowed us - the 99% - to do so.
I am always amazed at the wisdom of the founders of this country.
I would, that is if the 2nd amendment and my ownership of firearms were actually the cause of the tragedy (and by doing so would completely remove the chances of this ever happening ever again). But you present a "false dilemma". I do however, respect your right to be heard.
And I love how you quote Hitler. He said everything bad in the world was because of the Jews, He wasn't right about that either.
Now, I don't know what that term means, but I assume that means that Ciudad Juarez and New Orleans are not considered global cities.
Still; the fact is that Chicago has a huge number of gun murders despite its laws. Over 400 school-age children alone were shot in that city in 2012.
Dreadful, dreadful figures btw. 400 kids is heart breaking.
These sort of statistics do not mean much if the magnitude is not given: in 2011 there were 58 gun homicides in the UK meaning there were around 25 at the time of Dunblane if this person's statistics are correct; at the same time in the USA there were 8500. If there was one gun death then two the following year would mean that the rate would have gone up 100%!! . It is the magnitude which really counts. If we had laws which allowed people to carry concealed weapons to be carried how many gun deaths would there be here - including accidental deaths which constitutes the greatest number in USA
In this the UK it is crime to carry a loaded gun. Loaded guns should be allowed only in restricted licensed areas.
Regarding the use of drones: while I agree with this person's sentiment the reference is irrelevant in connection with gun control laws.
From Heller 2007: "The Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia, and to use that arm for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home."
"The District’s total ban on handgun possession in the home amounts to a prohibition on an entire class of “arms” that Americans overwhelmingly choose for the lawful purpose of self-defense. Under any of the standards of scrutiny the Court has applied to enumerated constitutional rights, this prohibition... would fail constitutional muster."
http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/07-290.ZS.html
If the NRA would put as much effort into making sure only *responsible*, trained citizens owned guns as they put into making sure any person can own any kind of gun (like they used to) we would be able to reduce both the number of accessable guns and the number of gun-related deaths. Columbine, Tuscon and Ft Hood also had "good guys with guns" but that didn't help in any of those cases until the police arrived or the perpetrators had to reload.
"Adam Lanza broke three Connecticut gun control laws; had more been in place would not have made a difference. The shooting will still have happened."
Is Obama sowing the seeds to allow a future tyrannt to stop the people fighting back?
Quoting Ellen Grace Jones again ""The most foolish mistake we could possibly make would be to allow the subject races to possess arms. History shows that ALL conquerors who have allowed their subject races to carry arms have prepared their own downfall by so doing. Indeed, I would go so far as to say that the supply of arms to the underdogs is a sine qua non for the overthrow of any sovereignty." So said that nice little fellow, Adolf Hitler.