Tag Archives: Gun Control

United States

Rights… Violated

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The Second Amendment of the United States Bill of Rights reads, exactly…

“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

One more time…

“A

well REGULATED 

Militia, being

NECESSARY

to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

 

In the everyday tragedies of American gun violence, those that support unabridged gun rights and gun access are quick to sympathize with communities in mourning, but still very committed to their version of the Second Amendment, which somehow always seems to leave out the critical parts, noted in the above.

But those words are a part of the Second Amendment too.  The founding fathers engaged in careful debate about the Second Amendment, and the ending document is a result of that measured debate.  The idea of firearms use needing to be well-regulated, and that arms have certain necessary, but limited purposes is part of the Second Amendment for a reason.

The Declaration of Independence, on the other hand, lists a set of unalienable rights which have proven central to the development of the United States.  It is the access to these rights which have allowed for the advancement of this nation towards the ideals of inclusion and equality for all.  It is access to these rights which made the Bill of Rights  possible…

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

As “the Governed” who among us has consented that the right to bear arms is more important than the rights to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness?  And if that hasn’t happened, when will ‘We The People’ recognize our current form of governance has become destructive, and seek to alter and / or abolish it.  Unfettered gun rights, that do not even honor the actual Second Amendment, is not the government that Americans want.  A Congress which works more to appease a minority of rich donors and groups, chief among them the NRA, than it does to make laws to improve OUR rights to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness is not the government that Americans want.

So with that in mind, I’ve started a petition.  It’s time that those elected to represent US actually start doing it.  And if they cannot, it’s time for them to go.

As citizens of the United States of America, we are tired of having our Rights to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness taken away by those who would seek to abuse the Second Amendment Right to Bear Arms.  They are not part of a well regulated militia, and instead of using firearms to protect their home, their property or the nation, they use them to violate the unalienable Rights of other innocents citizens.  This is unacceptable.  
We demand that Congress do its job to protect the Unalienable Rights of Americans.
We demand that Congress put the American People FIRST ahead their reelection campaigns.  
We demand common sense solutions to the horrors of violent, domestic terrorism. 

 

If you agree, please sign via Change.org. 

Uncategorized

Before You FREAK OUT About Obama’s Budget…

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Take two seconds, breathe, and use that noggin of yours to gain some long-game perspective. One thing is clear… It’s a busy time in our Federal Government right now. Probably the busiest time that we’ve had since Democrats controlled both houses of Congress. We sit on the precipice of having Our Legislators do some REAL work on both Gun Safety and Immigration Reform. We may (fingers crossed) even encourage these people to SOLVE some of these problems.

But then on Wednesday, this happened. President Obama released his budget proposal… the third such go at a Federal Budget after previous ones by both the House and the Senate. And yeah, he attacks Social Security directly by slowing the increase Seniors get each year due to expected inflation.

To ward off the cardiac issues (remember we’re trying to LOWER health care costs here), let’s put this bitter pill in perspective with three main points.

1. The President’s Proposed Budget is just that… a PROPOSAL. Remember this is the Washington fantasy world we’re talking about here.. A place much is said, and very little is DONE. Absolutely nothing regarding the budget has been passed by both Houses of Congress. And no one has voted on even a single word of the President’s proposal.

2. We need to create some SPACE right now. That’s the most important thing that President Obama can do if he has any chance of getting a gun safety bill and immigration reform passed. This budget does that because it makes Republicans feel like they are not being ignored. Look at it in perspective. Remember how the GOP said that the President isn’t serious on entitlements? Well they can’t say that now.

3. TIME is running out for gun safety and immigration reform, . As soon as we get to the summer, the only thing that will matter to Congress will be the 2014 elections. That’s another reason this proposal was critical at the time it was released. Before the lawmakers go back into campaign mode, we need to get these things done.

Progressives should be infuriated at the notion that President Obama would propose these cuts to our nation’s most vulnerable, while continuing to protect the wealthy. The time is surely coming for the Left to push back. But with gun safety and immigration reform hanging in the balance, now is not that time. But it is the time for us to hold our tongues, raise some money, and look ahead to 2014. If these initiatives pass, Democrats score a major victory and ride that into 2014 and take back the House. If they fail, they will do so because of the Republicans, and we ride THAT into 2014 and take back the House.

So for now, the best we can do is to grin and bear it. We’ll know when it’s time to bring the real bears out.

Houston Politics

Obama’s 23 Executive Orders on Guns

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From the White House, here are the 23 Executive Orders just signed by President Obama (via TPM)…

1. Issue a Presidential Memorandum to require federal agencies to make relevant data available to the federal background check system.

2. Address unnecessary legal barriers, particularly relating to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, that may prevent states from making information available to the background check system.

3. Improve incentives for states to share information with the background check system.

4. Direct the Attorney General to review categories of individuals prohibited from having a gun to make sure dangerous people are not slipping through the cracks.

5. Propose rulemaking to give law enforcement the ability to run a full background check on an individual before returning a seized gun.

6. Publish a letter from ATF to federally licensed gun dealers providing guidance on how to run background checks for private sellers.

7. Launch a national safe and responsible gun ownership campaign.

8. Review safety standards for gun locks and gun safes (Consumer Product Safety Commission).

9. Issue a Presidential Memorandum to require federal law enforcement to trace guns recovered in criminal investigations.

10. Release a DOJ report analyzing information on lost and stolen guns and make it widely available to law enforcement.

11. Nominate an ATF director.

12. Provide law enforcement, first responders, and school officials with proper training for active shooter situations.

13. Maximize enforcement efforts to prevent gun violence and prosecute gun crime.

14. Issue a Presidential Memorandum directing the Centers for Disease Control to research the causes and prevention of gun violence.

15. Direct the Attorney General to issue a report on the availability and most effective use of new gun safety technologies and challenge the private sector to develop innovative technologies.

16. Clarify that the Affordable Care Act does not prohibit doctors asking their patients about guns in their homes.

17. Release a letter to health care providers clarifying that no federal law prohibits them from reporting threats of violence to law enforcement authorities.

18. Provide incentives for schools to hire school resource officers.

19. Develop model emergency response plans for schools, houses of worship and institutions of higher education.

20. Release a letter to state health officials clarifying the scope of mental health services that Medicaid plans must cover.

21. Finalize regulations clarifying essential health benefits and parity requirements within ACA exchanges.

22. Commit to finalizing mental health parity regulations.

23. Launch a national dialogue led by Secretaries Sebelius and Duncan on mental health.