Not only does the gun lobby have no shame...
By louisehartmann
Following the Sandy Hook massacre of twenty first graders with an assault rifle, but the gun lobby is now threatening violent revolution. Appearing on MSNBC on Monday, the executive director of Gun Owners of America, Larry Pratt, argued that the right to bear arms is necessary to make our democratic government cower in fear of gun owners. Pratt said, “We have guns fundamentally protected by the Second Amendment to control the government.” He went on to say that he thinks it “bothers lawmakers” that armed Americans can attack them with assault weapons, a position Gabby Giffords probably agrees with.
This is the position the gun lobby is taking in response to the deafening calls around the nation for new gun safety laws, which would prohibit the sale of the very assault weapons and high capacity ammo clips that are routinely used in these deadly massacres. It’s a “pry my gun from my cold dead hands,” approach, which could have tragic consequences - stirring up secessionist crazies around the nation.
Our nation is again dealing with a tragedy that happens all too often, yet the corporate gun lobby, focused more on profits than on safety, is helping set up more and more mass shootings in the future. We know how to respond to danger here in America. One shoe bomber, and we all take off our shoes at the airport. One threat of binary liquids and we can't carry liquids on airplanes. One underwear bomber, and we put in billions of dollars in porno x-ray scanners and grope granny. There are more than twenty mass shootings every year in America and over a hundred people are shot every day...but we can't do something about guns?
It's time to start pushing hard for laws that say that unless you can prove you NEED a gun, you can't have one. And if you do have one, you have to prove proficiency and the gun - and you - must be licensed. To hell with the blood-soaked gun lobby and their toadies Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas.
Comments
#2
What do the isolated cases that made air travel miserable have in common?
What do the connected cases we mourn and then brush aside have in common?
Compare/contrast the two, and see what you can infer.
#3
Finally, someone in a news/current affairs program who can speak some some sense and who has something productive to put forward, hats off to you Thom.
Unfortunately in my view, and it's only my view, it's too late for the US to make any changes that will have any meaningful impact in the short term. I've tried to look at things from the point of view of a parent in the US who know that people in their neighborhood have guns..if those parents thought they were at a disadvantage safety-wise to be able to keep their family safe because others in the community had assault-type weapons, what would I do? I honestly don't know.
I do know that the more guns there are that are easibly accessible, the more murders there'll be and more innoncent lives will be lost. The US should have had a bit more foresight and have been smart enough a long time ago to realise the true meaning and context of the 2nd Amendment to be able to 'bear arms'. The 2nd Amendment is, by the way, a nice sentiment but logic should dictate that with now millions of unstable people in the world, that right should be set aside for the safety of the public, as most countries in the civilised world have realised.
It is now too late, there are too many guns in the US that you they can be controlled to be able to make the country safer at least in the near future. But maybe at least something needs to start now.
#4
Quote mikeyj2010:"The 2nd Amendment is, by the way, a nice sentiment but logic should dictate that with now millions of unstable people in the world, that right should be set aside for the safety of the public, as most countries in the civilised world have realised."
And Bush thought the constitution was "just a piece of paper". Convenient for him to think so because it stood in the way of what he wanted to do and get away with it. Just like he stated that things would be a lot easier for him .."if he was the dictator".
And the "unstable people in the world" that have the most arms and the power are corrupt and running our country and murdering hundreds of thousands of people in other countries because they are vain and greedy...and in addition, perhaps, are the real ones who need psychiatric attention. It's just too bad that so many people are willing to go along with the disarming of Americans which will facilitate a true and full blown totalitarian state. The German citizens in Nazi Germany might also have believed the same thing as many foolish anti-gun nuts...a "civilized" state ensuring the public safety against certain elements that they believed were acting against their best interests.
#5
Palindromedary- I don't know if you're still checking out this particular "thread" or not. In case you are... I have to say that after giving your long responses a closer look (without the time constraints I had earlier), I honestly can't claim to agree with EVERYTHING you've said. But I have nothing but empathy for where it comes from. I also appreciate that, our differences withstanding, we at least can agree on who the enemy is! Which is way more common ground than I share with lots of folks around here... -Aliceinwonderland
#6
Hi, I live in the UK where you may be aware, some types of guns were banned several years ago and gun owners compensated for the value of the guns handed in. As a result of what happened in the UK I would urge the USA to consider carefully whatever action it may be considering taking in the wake of the awful shootings that have recently taken place. Before you all denigrate me for being a former gun owner, please read my observations below of what happened when handguns were banned here.
I was a gun owner who obtained a licence so that I could learn to hit targets for recreation purposes. I was befriended by a gun dealer at the club I joined who spent hours teaching me about all aspects of safety, accuracy and skill and I soon became very proficient, coming third in my first competition. In order to obtain a licence in the UK someone of standing (a solicitor) had to vouch for me and checks were done to see if I had any kind of criminal record. My gun had to be kept in a locked cabinet with ammunition kept in a separate locked compartment this to be inspected by the police every year. I had to be a member of a local gun club for six months on probation before I was deemed to be suitable to hold a licence.
I bought my first, and only gun, once my licence was granted but within months the ban was brought in in the UK. I went to the police building in Manchester, designated to collect banned guns, with my gun dealer friend to hand over our guns. He knew several of the firearm officers there as many of them did clay pigeon shooting for recreation at weekends and purchased their cartridges from him. They were actually sympathetic to us and said that us law abiding gun owners who they knew about (because they inspected our guns and cabinets on a regular basis) were not the people who carried out shooting sprees on innocent people, and that no matter how many legally held guns were handed in by us, this would not stop all the underground, unlicenced or unregistered guns killing people.
The ban in the UK was brought about as a knee jerk reaction to the shooting of many innocents by a man who had legally held weapons. This was the problem, he held them whilst licenced. It however transpired that he had been refused membership at his gun club because they did not deem him a suitable person to have guns. There were also other matters that came to light that showed the gun laws we already had in the UK were good enough to have stopped him and, had they been followed properly by the police, would have resulted in the man having his guns confiscated before that awful day.
There are still unlicenced guns causing havoc in parts of the UK even though us law abiding gun owners handed ours in, at a cost I might add, of millions of pounds of taxpayers' money. Lots of target shooting sportspeople had their hobby taken away at a stroke and it made difficulties for our very good Olympic team as ways were explored, when the legislation first came in, whereby they could still practice and compete.
Guns will always have the potential to kill in the wrong hands, but then so do cars, baseball bats, samurai swords and lots of other things Once man invented any of these it is unlikely, even if it is desirable, he will ever go back to a time without them. Banning guns would not stop the blackmarket sale of them so there is no easy answer to the dilemma of how to make your nation safer from the likes of the young man who carried out the recent atrocity.
#7
In Gun control I think the focus is on the wrong thing. The progressive movement should take up a new slogan:
“Guns don’t kill people, Bullets do!”
The 2nd amendment does not allow the citizens to carry or make bullets. Without bullets a gun is no more effective than a baseball bat!
So the solution is let everyone own what guns they want, legislation will control possession and storage of bullets. Bullets that are used in hunting guns are only sold in limited numbers to people who have a bullet buying license and proof of liability insurance to cover the use of those bullets in hunting (use the car model). The Bullet buying places would be government licensed and controlled outlets and do it like what is now done for alcohol, state by state (maybe even the same store).
Bullets for assault weapons and hand guns would only be available for purchase and only allowed to be used on the premises of state licensed gun clubs.
As for the licensed users of hand guns in security companies, privet body guards etc. they can purchase with their corporate bullet insurance and license from the bullet stores.
This promotes two things the conservatives like privet business, and owning guns. We create a new insurance category with large income potential and the insurance companies will do a better job of checking out who they let buy bullets than the government can, since now they need cover claims in case the insured person is found to be involved in a crime instead of hunting or guarding property/persons with those legally obtained bullets.
The insurance companies may even force the use of new technology to tie the bullets to the owner like DNA capturing rough coating material on the casings like what has been developed recently in the UK. Also they may require the use of new hunting weapons that have geo-fencing to ensure they are used in licensed hunting areas or property owned by the licensee.
Thom's Blog Is On the Move
By webmaster
Hello All
Thom's blog in this space and moving to a new home.
Please follow us across to hartmannreport.com - this will be the only place going forward to read Thom's blog posts and articles.
Images of Thom
With His Holiness The Dalai Lama, at His home in Dharamsala, India (Synthesis Dialogues - made into a movie narrated by Harrison Ford)
Mueller's favorite place to pray (written about in "Prophet's Way"), and the roof of the room where the Last Supper is reputed to have happened.
From The Thom Hartmann Reader:
"Thom is a national treasure. Read him, embrace him, learn from him, and follow him as we all work for social change."
From The Thom Hartmann Reader:
"With the ever-growing influence of corporate CEOs and their right-wing allies in all aspects of American life, Hartmann’s work is more relevant than ever. Throughout his career, Hartmann has spoken compellingly about the value of people-centered democracy and the challenges that millions of ordinary Americans face today as a result of a dogma dedicated to putting profit above all else. This collection is a rousing call for Americans to work together and put people first again."
From Screwed:
"Hartmann speaks with the straight talking clarity and brilliance of a modern day Tom Paine as he exposes the intentional and systematic destruction of America’s middle class by an alliance of political con artists and outlines a program to restore it. This is Hartmann at his best. Essential reading for those interested in restoring the institution that made America the envy of the world."
Leostar: Thanx for those links...Jesse Ventura is one of my favorite people...although I have not seen very many of his shows...a few....I have seen enough to know where he comes from and I agree with most everything he has said. As soon as I download those links I'll watch them. Just reading the YouTube blurb sounds like what I have been thinking all along..reinforcing my ideas on that probability.