What a weekend.
With the spending omnibus passed the Fix NICS language of Senator John Cornyn’s bill is now law and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is getting money for gun violence research. The effects of both of these additions to the budget extension could be catastrophic if other policy shifts along with them.
In short. Fix NICS is largely an internal accountability action within the Department of Justice and local LE Organizations and the CDC researching gun violence is like the CDC researching traffic fatalities. It’s the next legal actions that occur that will either benefit or harm firearm rights in a more drastic fashion.
Most notably keep an eye on action against the Dickie Amendment. While I’m supportive of any objective research on violence, removal or nullification of the Dickie Amendment is the only thing preventing the CDC from spending money on Gun Control Advocacy. Not research, advocacy.
The CDC was never prohibited from researching gun violence only spending the money on advocacy. Research would be available and cite-able by anyone with any reason to utilize it in support of their position but the CDC themselves couldn’t push gun control, a valid concern under the Clinton Administration.
We are starting to see the ground shift on these provisions. Be very aware of the directions they’re being pushed and be ready to push back by phone, email, and fax with the facts.
“Obama Administration legalized bump stocks. BAD IDEA. As I promised, today the Department of Justice will issue the rule banning BUMP STOCKS with a mandated comment period,” Trump wrote. “We will BAN all devices that turn legal weapons into illegal machine guns.” – Donald J. Trump, POTUS
Bump stocks and many other devices like binary triggers are at risk of becoming illegal. Despite their mechanical compliance with the law. Despite being able to bump fire without the aid of a device. Despite no actionable evidence that moving these devices under control of the NFA and the Hughes Amendment will result in reduced casualties.
The administration is making moves to “do something” that will do nothing by giving up the low hanging fruit of a gun gimmick. When these moves do nothing more rules and regulations will be demanded, more infringement will be demanded.
How far do we let things shift with demonstrably ineffective policy in order to placate groups, many that would gladly see firearms removed from civilian hands entirely? These same people who possess a working knowledge of the technology and current laws involved that can only be described as total ignorance. These same people who have no will to form an informed and structured opinion, but act emotively and blame those of differing opinion of approving of mass killings.
“When your old-ass parent is like, ‘I don’t know how to send an iMessage,’ and you’re just like, ‘Give me the fucking phone and let me handle it.’ Sadly, that’s what we have to do with our government; our parents don’t know how to use a fucking democracy, so we have to.” – David Hogg
Let the 17 year old teen who cannot and has never voted educate you on how to use a democracy while not knowing he is in a Republic.
Let this clear and articulate individual, whose polite prose and entirely rational non-accusatory arguments are irrefutable, explain how stupid we are and how bought the politicians are by the gun lobby.
Let him additionally explain
“I think after we come back from spring break, they’re requiring all of us to have clear backpacks,” Hogg said. “I think one of the most important, one of the other important things to realize is, many students want their privacy.”
“There are many, for example, females at our school.” Hogg continued. “When they go through their menstrual cycle, they don’t want people to see their tampons and stuff. And it’s just unnecessary and it’s embarrassing for a lot of the students and it makes them feel isolated and separated from the rest of American school culture when they’re having essentially their First Amendment rights infringed upon because they can’t freely wear whatever backpack they want…”
“What we should have is just more policies that make sure that these students are feeling safe and secure in their schools,”
Yes. Infringement of civil rights now but don’t infringe my civil rights.
Would clear backpacks so officers can more easily check the contents not make students feel safer and more secure in school? Would making it harder to carry a weapon concealed in a bag not make the students and faculty feel safer that another incident will now be that much more difficult to accomplish?
But what about privacy?
What about it? This is about the safety of children so we can disregard civil rights… right?
Be certain we listen to him and disregard any physical security expert who advocates anything other than ‘Nobody needs an fully semi-automatic assault weapon because do you know the devastating wounds they cause?’.
Why would we listen to trained soldiers, law enforcement, or anyone who has a background in dealing with violence when we have David Hogg?
