The National Rifle Association (NRA) and their bevy of purchased politicians in Washington D.C. are fighting tooth and nail to prevent, even the most sensible and benign regulation of assault style rifles, such as the AR-15; despite the fact that time and time again these weapons are being used to murder children at their most vulnerable time, at school.
THE SECOND AMENDMENT
We derive the right to bear arms from the 2nd amendment of the Constitution, which states:
‘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‘.
However, we ignore completely the historical context for the 2nd Amendment. The right to bear arms was specifically intended for the ‘defense of a free state’ (i.e. The United States) within a ‘well regulated Militia’, at a vulnerable time in our history, the birth of a nation, when the United States did not possess a well-trained and well-equipped standing army.
More importantly, in 2008 the 2nd Amendment was reinterpreted by the Supreme Court to apply to the individual citizen. In District of Columbia v. Heller, the Supreme Court held that 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.”
I have no doubt that the gun industry, the GOP and the NRA were also behind this effort.
THE EPIDEMIC OF GUN VIOLENCE IN THE UNITED STATES
Today, we are experiencing a severe epidemic of gun violence. Gun violence is now the leading cause of death for U.S. children. This is a public health crisis.
In the face this crisis the gun industry, the NRA and Republican politicians in Washington D.C. are putting self-interest and profit ahead of the protection of our children. This is decidedly an anti-pro-life stance.
In light of the epidemic of violence and the rising incidence of mass shootings the urgent question we must ask ourselves is whether we can stop or at the very least reduce the number of deaths now, using whatever means at our disposal and within the shortest time possible. The consensus of experts suggests that the enactment of gun control legislation is the best and most timely intervention to address this escalating public health crisis.
Is there precedent that gun control is an effective means to reduce morbidity snd mortality of gun violence?
CALIFORNIA AND GUN CONTROL LEGISLATION
According to the CDC California’s rate of firearm mortality is among the nation’s lowest, with 8.5 gun deaths per 100,000 people in 2020, compared with 13.7 per 100,000 nationally and 14.2 per 100,000 in Texas (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).
Moreover, Californians are about 25 percent less likely to die in mass shootings, compared with residents of other states, according to a recent Public Policy Institute of California analysis (https://www.gov.ca.gov/2022/06/02/fact-sheet-californias-gun-safety-policies-save-lives-provide-model-for-a-nation-seeking-solutions/).
In order to understand how California’s gun control policies came about we must look to history. At the height of the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s then governor of California Ronald Reagan, an admitted card carrying NRA member, signed the ‘Mulford Act’ (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mulford_Act) into law with the full support of the NRA.
The Mulford Act repealed a California law allowing open carry of loaded firearms. It became known as the ‘Panther Act’ because its specific target was the militant Black Panthers group. The Black Panthers were a fringe black power movement who believed that the 2nd amendment defended their right to carry weapons in self defense. The group received national attention when a group of armed Black Panthers staged a peaceful march on the California Capitol to protest against the Mulford Act. Their 2nd Amendment rights were violated when police arrested the marchers.
SLAVERY, JIM CROW, AND GUN CONTROL
During the 200+ years of slavery, slaves were banned from owning firearms, precisely to prevent them from defending themselves against an oppressive government system. These bans on gun ownership were effective and persisted into the 20th century in the form of Jim Crow in the South and Jim Crow ‘light’ in other parts of the country.
In conclusion, bans on gun ownership during slavery, Jim Crow and the Mulford Act of 1967 explain the hypocrisy and the racial bias towards gun control legislation in the United States. Since the ascendancy of Trump and ‘Trumpism’ guns have become a symbol of the American culture wars. And a cult of gun ownership has emerged within the White Nationalist Christian movement in the United States.
greatest