“This past Veteran’s Day weekend, my wife
and I decided to take a well-deserved trip down to our favorite getaway spot in
Gatlinburg, TN. While my wife selected
the appropriate clothing for the four-day weekend from the closet, I selected
the appropriate hand gun from the gun safe.”
So
writes Scott W. Wagner in a column for Concealed
Carry (Jan 2013), a glossy magazine for gun enthusiasts, because hey, you
never know what kind of life threatening killer criminals or terrorists you’re
going to run in to down in Gatlinburg. A
companion piece is entitled, “Dead Eye: When you shoot, aim to protect yourself
and take out the threat.” I assume
they’re not talking about a deer.
Is
this what America has finally come to?
When picking out which pistol to pack is as routine as which tank top to
wear to Grandma’s?
Concealed Carry is only one of dozens of
regular publications for gun … people. And
only part of a multi-faceted, powerful conglomeration dead set, to borrow a
phrase, against allowing any kind of limitations to be imposed on gun ownership. Any. A
powerful force, rich with resources: galvanized by the NRA, who contributed
nearly $20 million in the 2012 elections, much of it coming from their “Golden
Ring of Freedom” members – which requires a minimum donation of $1 million
each; further funded by gun manufacturers and ultimately enabled by
sycophantic, “craven, feckless politicians” (as described by Nicholas Kristof
in a recent NY Times editorial) who themselves are beholden to these collective
forces and steadfastly refuse to stand up to the NRA.
Gun
Control opponents have managed to cloak their opposition in glorified 2nd
Amendment principles and good old American values and, according to them and
their literal reading of it - what they’re convinced our forefathers intended
when they guaranteed “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” - as ratified by the States and authenticated
by Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of State in 1791 – 222 years ago!
The constitution is and was meant to be interpreted, just
like the Bible. Numerous scholars have
interpreted these words many different ways over the years, and what they apply
to. And consider the numerous ways the constitution itself has been interpreted
since it was written - at least 27 different times, witness the 27 amendments
it has engendered since then, including five ratified since 1961 – and Supreme
Court and lower court rulings ad nauseum.
For many – and especially the most vocal and influential
opponents of gun regulation in America – our 2nd Amendment is an excuse
of a platform, cloaking their real motivations:
it’s all about business. The
business of buying and selling guns - enabled by sycophantic politicians who
have sold their souls to gun advocates in order to maintain their financial
support and to hang on to a business – congressional office – that insures its
holders’ lifelong financial comfort the first day they’re in. And all of it celebrated by howling gun
enthusiasts who have their 2nd amendment to stand behind.
The National Rifle Association – founded in 1891 as a grassroots
organization dedicated to marksmanship – is today considered one of the most
powerful lobbying groups in Washington, and has been for several years. They raise some $200 million each year from
fundraising and membership dues (Bloomberg Businessweek, 11 Jan 2012). In turn they’re in the top 1% of contributors
to political candidates and PACS – having contributed some $20 million in 2012 in
“defense of the second amendment” (opensecrets.org/National Rifle Association). Their 2012 funding supported 56 candidates
who won – and another 6 who didn’t (ibid).
And, no surprise, 96% of these funds backed Republican candidates or
opposed Democratic candidates (ibid).
All of which is why these Republicans are beholden to the
NRA, and sure to support favorable legislation – which has included the federal
law that limits liability claims against gun makers (2005); various states’
laws allowing virtually anyone to carry a concealed weapon; and insuring the
Assault Weapons Ban was lifted in 2004. Getting
the liability law established “… saved the American gun industry from
bankruptcy,” according to Sandy Froman, past NRA president (Bloomberg). Since the assault weapon ban was lifted rifle
production has escalated 38% (BATF), and “… is probably the only reason we have
a US firearms industry anymore,” said Mike Fifer, CEO, Sturm Roger – one of the
country’s leading manufacturers of firearms (Bloomberg Businessweek, 11 Jan
2012).
And guess what? Sturm
Roger is also one of the biggest financial contributors to the NRA, among more
than fifty firearms companies that donate money to the NRA every year
(Bloomberg). Other major
contributors? Remington Arms and Smith
& Wesson, the other two US leading firearms manufacturers. According to BATF there were 5,400 licensed
firearms manufacturers and 950 licensed importers in the United States. And between 2004 and 2010 the NRA’s income
from fundraising (primarily from gun manufacturers) grew two times faster than that
from membership dues (Bloomberg).
Follow the money: from
gun manufacturers to the NRA to the Republican congressmen who support laws
favorable to … gun manufactures … who in turn put more money into the NRA … who then puts more money behind compliant
congressmen … most of whom get re-elected – so far.
A wickedly vicious circle.
How else to explain congress’s utter and absolute refusal
to do anything directly connected to guns and the massive, reckless
distribution of weapons in America? … ANYTHING
… ! To be clear: I am not advocating the elimination of
guns. I’m not advocating the abolition
of the 2nd amendment. And I’m
certainly not limiting the issue of guns to gun control - at the expense of mental health, societal
values, gratuitously violent entertainment, parenting or anything else. Most
people aren’t. What I am advocating is to apply some reasonable limitations to
the gun industry that will at least demonstrate to our citizens, and the rest
of the world that, finally, we’re “ …mad as hell and (we’re) not going to take
it anymore!” And begin to make a
difference.
There are more than 5000 guns shows in the US each year,
each one attended by 2,500 to 15,000 people (BATF, Firearms, Explosives
Investigative Operations at Gun Shows, June 2007). The “Gun Show Loophole” allows individuals
“not engaged in the business” of dealing firearms, or who make “occasional sales”
within their state of residence – to sell guns without requiring any background
checks, a gap in the BATF regulations that is even advocated by terrorists (CBS
News, 28 June 2011). Currently 33 states place zero limitations on gun sales at
gun shows, which means thousands of guns are potentially sold illegally every
year. Texas has more than 150 gun shows every year (Wikipedia, Gun Shows in the
US). Handgun Control Inc estimates that
25% to 50% of all guns sold at gun shows come from unlicensed dealers (Cato
Institute).
92% of US adults support requiring background checks for
all gun show purchases (Gallop.com/poll, 27 Dec 2012) – including the majority
of past and present NRA members – which would dramatically impact gun sales at
gun shows.
Ay – there’s the rub, again. All of this gun control business is bad for the
gun business. Applying any reasonable
guidelines would be bad for the gun industry – good for Americans, but bad for
the gun industry. The Remington’s and the
Smith & Wessons would start trimming back their contributions to the
NRA. So the NRA loses funding and is
unable to support their sympathetic congressmen and women to the degree they
have been. The congressmen won’t have
quite the funds they’re accustomed to for campaigning, and less of the
monstrous lobbying efforts behind them – hell, some of them might actually fail
to get re-elected! And the rest of us
get some reasonable gun control. A much
different and ultimately safer circle than the vicious one we are now trapped
in.
Vice President Joe Biden has announced he will deliver
his gun control recommendations on Tuesday (15 January). We’ll learn soon enough if our government has
the courage to take on these gun control issues.
Don’t want to call it “gun control?” Call it gun limitations. Call it the “Right to Live.”
Tim Arnold
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