Now is not the time to talk about gun control (1 Viewer)

Users who are viewing this thread

    (Bloomberg) -- The decades-old US law barring domestic abusers from possessing firearms contradicts the nation’s “historical tradition” of access to guns even for people who may not be “model citizens,” an appeals court said in a ruling that prompted a Justice Department rebuke.

    The statute is unconstitutional because it gives too much power to Congress to determine who qualifies as “law-abiding, responsible citizens” when it comes to gun ownership, the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals said Thursday. A unanimous three-judge panel wondered: who’s next?

    “Could speeders be stripped of their right to keep and bear arms? Political nonconformists? People who do not recycle or drive an electric vehicle?” the New Orleans-based court asked in the decision.

    The ruling vacated the conviction of a Texas man, Zackey Rahimi, who pleaded guilty to violating the law by keeping a pistol at home despite being subject to a civil domestic-violence restraining order for assaulting his former girlfriend. It’s the latest fallout from a US Supreme Court ruling in June that paved the way for courts to reconsider a wide variety of gun restrictions..............

    They like seeing women killed, evidently.
     
    (Bloomberg) -- The decades-old US law barring domestic abusers from possessing firearms contradicts the nation’s “historical tradition” of access to guns even for people who may not be “model citizens,” an appeals court said in a ruling that prompted a Justice Department rebuke.

    The statute is unconstitutional because it gives too much power to Congress to determine who qualifies as “law-abiding, responsible citizens” when it comes to gun ownership, the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals said Thursday. A unanimous three-judge panel wondered: who’s next?

    “Could speeders be stripped of their right to keep and bear arms? Political nonconformists? People who do not recycle or drive an electric vehicle?” the New Orleans-based court asked in the decision.

    The ruling vacated the conviction of a Texas man, Zackey Rahimi, who pleaded guilty to violating the law by keeping a pistol at home despite being subject to a civil domestic-violence restraining order for assaulting his former girlfriend. It’s the latest fallout from a US Supreme Court ruling in June that paved the way for courts to reconsider a wide variety of gun restrictions..............

    What the fork kind of running is this? If someone is convicted of a violent crime, they forfeit their right to own weapons, including guns. If they violate that in the commission of a crime, there should be enhanced penalties.
     
    What the fork kind of running is this? If someone is convicted of a violent crime, they forfeit their right to own weapons, including guns. If they violate that in the commission of a crime, there should be enhanced penalties.

    It's the logical result of fundamentalist, extremists conservative judges on the Supreme Court.
     
    When the Supreme Court ruled in 2008 that the Second Amendment protects individuals’ right to gun ownership, it emphasized the ability “of law-abiding, responsible citizens to use arms in defense of hearth and home.”

    When it expanded that decision last year in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, the court noted that “ordinary, law-abiding citizens have a similar right to carry handguns publicly for their self-defense.”


    Zackey Rahimi was, one presumes, not the kind of upstanding citizen the justices had in mind.
 Over a six-week stretch from December 2020 to January 2021, Rahimi took part in five shootings around Arlington, Tex. He fired an AR-15 into the home of a man to whom he had sold Percocet.

    The next day, after a car accident, he pulled out a handgun, shot at the other driver and sped off — only to return, fire a different gun and flee again. Rahimi shot at a police car. When a friend’s credit card was declined at a fast-food restaurant, he fired several rounds into the air.

    Or, as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit put it in vacating Rahimi’s conviction for illegal gun possession, “Rahimi, while hardly a model citizen, is nonetheless part of the political community entitled to the Second Amendment’s guarantees, all other things equal.”


    This is the insane state of Second Amendment law in the chaotic aftermath of Bruen. The problem isn’t that decision’s precise outcome, striking down New York state’s gun licensing law because it required a showing of “special need for self-protection” to obtain a concealed carry permit.

    The problem is that in doing so, the six-justice conservative majority imposed a history-based test — a straitjacket, really — for assessing the constitutionality of gun laws. No longer can judges decide whether restrictions are a reasonable means to protect public safety…….

    When Arlington police searched Rahimi’s home, they found multiple guns — and a domestic violence restraining order imposed after Rahimi allegedly assaulted his ex-girlfriend. Federal law prohibits those subject to such orders from possessing guns, and Rahimi was indicted by a federal grand jury.


    Before Bruen, the Fifth Circuit had upheld such charges against constitutional challenge, and it had previously rejected Rahimi’s claim that the law violated his Second Amendment rights. But on Thursday, it did an about-face.

    “We know the increased risk women in abusive relationships face when the abuser has a gun, and the Fifth Circuit just essentially greenlighted arming domestic abusers,” Adam Skaggs, vice president of the Giffords Law Center, told me. “As a matter of public safety, this is a horrendous decision.”……..

     
    something seriously wrong when politicians are more comfortable with teenagers walking around with assault rifles than learning about black and gay history

    "See, learning about that stuff will make them feel bad. Carrying a machine gun? That makes you feel like an invincible, awesome bad arse. Nothing wrong with that
    ===================================================================================================


    Missouri’s Republican-controlled state House has voted against banning children from openly carrying guns on public land without adult supervision.

    The proposal was defeated by a vote of 104-39, with only one Republican voting to support the ban. The measure was part of a long debate in the House about ways to combat crime, particularly in the St Louis area of the state.

    In 2017 lawmakers in the state allowed people to carry concealed firearms in most places without first obtaining a permit.

    Democratic Representative Donna Baringer said police in her district had asked for a change in the law to prevent “14-year-olds walking down the middle of the street in the city of St Louis carrying AR-15s.”

    “Now they have been emboldened, and they are walking around with them,” Ms Baringer said. “Until they actually brandish them, and brandish them with intent, our police officers’ hands are handcuffed.”

    Republicans had called the proposed ban an attack on gun rights.

    “While it may be intuitive that a 14-year-old has no legitimate purpose, it doesn’t actually mean that they’re going to harm someone. We don’t know that yet,” said Rep Tony Lovasco, a Republican from the St Louis suburb of O’Fallon.

    “Generally speaking, we don’t charge people with crimes because we think they’re going to hurt someone.”..............

     
    As Gov. Ron DeSantis prepared for an election night party in downtown Tampa last year, city officials received a surprising — and politically sensitive — request.


    The Republican governor’s campaign wanted weapons banned from his victory celebration at the city-run Tampa Convention Center, a city official said in emails obtained by The Washington Post.

    And the campaign suggested that the city take responsibility for the firearms ban, the official said — not the governor, who has been a vocal supporter of gun rights.


    “DeSantis/his campaign will not tell their attendees they are not permitted to carry because of the political optics,” Chase Finch, the convention center’s safety and security manager, said in an Oct. 28 email to other city officials about the request, which was conveyed by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), a state police agency led by a DeSantis appointee.

    Finch further explained that because of “Republicans largely being in support of 2A,” referring to the Second Amendment, “Basically it sounds like they want us to say it’s our policy to disallow firearms within the event space if anyone asks.”……..

    Jared Yanis, host of the Guns & Gadgets YouTube channel, which has over 600,000 subscribers, posted a 13-minute video about the no-guns policy at the event, saying: “Ron DeSantis is saying Florida is a Second Amendment state — except if you want to hear me talk, you have to give up your Second Amendment.”

    Lee Williams of the Second Amendment Foundation, a national group based in Washington state, wrote that he was told by Alachua GOP Treasurer Ann Stone that the governor would not attend unless guns were banned.


    Stone could not be reached for comment. The governor’s representatives did not respond to questions about the Alachua event.


    After receiving an email alert about the no-weapons policy from a gun rights group called Florida Carry, Chris Rose decided to protest outside the Alachua fundraiser. Carrying a neon yellow “I WILL NOT BE DISARMED BY DESANTIS” sign, he said he stood on the sidewalk about 30 yards from the entrance to the fundraiser.

    He was asked to leave by a private security guard for the event, according to his arrest report. When he refused, the security guard asked the police to “remove” him, the report says…….

     
    A majority of Americans surveyed expressed dissatisfaction with current gun laws in the U.S. amid a recent string of mass shootings affecting the country, according to a new Gallup poll.

    The poll, published Wednesday, found that 63 percent of respondents said they are dissatisfied with the nation’s laws and policies on firearms, while 34 percent of those surveyed said the opposite.

    The results marked the highest percentage of Americans that are dissatisfied with current gun laws in the last seven years, with a seven-point increase from last year, when 56 percent of respondents claimed they were unhappy.

    Satisfaction with gun policies in the country has also fallen since last year’s poll, tying the lowest on record, according to Gallup.

    Among political party lines, 54 percent of Republican or Republican-leaning Independent respondents said they are satisfied with the nation’s laws and policies on handguns, while 44 percent of those surveyed expressed their dissatisfaction with current law.

    On the other side, 84 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning Independents expressed their dissatisfaction with the nation’s laws and policies, while 14 percent of those surveyed said they are satisfied with the nation’s current policies.

    Around 60 percent of Independent respondents express their dissatisfaction with the nation’s laws and firearm policies, while 36 percent of those surveyed said they are satisfied.

    The poll comes in the aftermath of a mass shooting that happened at Michigan State University earlier this week — when a 43-year-old gunman opened fire at two locations on the school’s East Lansing campus. The incident resulted in the deaths of three students, and left five other individuals with critical injuries.............


     
    An Oregon judge ruled Wednesday that local governments can not declare themselves Second Amendment sanctuaries, further saying that the sheriffs that implemented a Second Amendment ordinance were embracing “racist and white nationalist ideologies.”

    Chief Judge Jim Egan of the Oregon Court of Appeals ruled that the sheriffs did not have the authority to create sanctuaries that “create a ‘patchwork quilt’ of firearms laws in Oregon,” further saying that the sheriffs arguments go in the “dustbin,” according to the ruling. Sheriffs in Oregon began to introduce Second Amendment sanctuaries after Oregon passed Ballot Measure 114, which requires background checks, firearm training, fingerprint collection and a permit to purchase any firearm.

    “The arguments propounding unfettered access to guns, ammunitions, and implements of destruction give rise to waging of war on government because the proponents believe that our government is infected by those they hate,” Egan wrote. “As a judge, sworn to uphold the Oregon Constitution and the United States Constitution, I cannot stand by without identifying the origins of that argument, and the origins of the Ordinance. The history of white supremacist ideology in this country is older than the United States Constitution.”

    Egan accused the Sheriffs’ counsel of alluding to conspiracy theories about the United Nations (UN), saying that their belief that the UN will impose mandates that will require the state and local government to disarm the American public in violation of the Second Amendment is false, according to the ruling.

    “In other words, Intervenors came before this court and referenced UN mandates, which, as explained below, is a well-documented trope meant to invoke white supremacist, antisemitic fear of a takeover of our country by outsiders and minorities who are manipulated by an elite class of supervillains,” Egan wrote.

    Gun Owners of America (GOA), who backed the sanctuaries, “forcefully” denied the characterization of their argument, according to Fox News.

    “While we are very disappointed in this ruling against the clear vote of the people, we are more alarmed by the raucous secondary opinion by Judge Egan,” Senior Vice President for GOA Erich Pratt told Fox News. “These vitriolic accusations and opinionated commentary have no basis in fact or the law, and the radical viewpoints held by this judge are dangerous to constitutional doctrine and principle.”

    The Oregon Firearms Federation condemned Egan’s opinion, saying it was a “lie” and “defamatory.”...........

     
    Lansing, MI – Today, Second Amendment advocacy group Great Lakes Gun Rights promised to work with local political activists and begin recalling anti-gun politicians who vote for gun control legislation being pushing through the Michigan legislature.

    “Michigan Democrats are charging ahead with anti-gun proposals that would make California blush,” said Brenden Boudreau, Executive Director for Great Lakes Gun Rights. “We urge Michigan Democrats to drop their politically motivated gun control push and for Republicans to oppose all these bills. If they do not relent, we’re preparing to work with local activists and voters in districts across the state to recall any lawmaker who votes for these gun control bills.”

    Democrats in the legislature, supported by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, have introduced universal background checks, Red Flag, and mandatory storage laws in the wake of the Michigan State shooting.

    “Red Flag gun confiscation orders allow an old roommate, ex-spouse, ex-girlfriend, or ex-boyfriend to file for an order against someone with very little evidence, and strip someone of their rights without due process. The so-called ‘universal background checks’ bills are de facto universal gun registration and will make it illegal to loan a close relative or friend a shotgun for hunting. Finally, the storage laws disarm law-abiding Michiganders in their own homes and are probably already unconstitutional under the Heller decision,” said Boudreau.

    Chapter 18 of the Michigan Election Law lays out the groundwork for a recall process to take place. According to the stated law, “All elective officers in the state, except judicial officers, are subject to recall by the voters of their districts.”

    Recall elections would most likely take place in the summer.

    Great Lakes Gun Rights would receive assistance from National Association for Gun Rights Vice President Joe Neville who successfully recalled three Democrat State Senators in Colorado after the Colorado General Assembly enacted several gun control measures in 2013.

    “Are Democrats willing to lose their majorities this summer pushing these egregious and unconstitutional gun control bills? I guess we will find out,” concluded Boudreau.............

     
    An Oregon judge ruled Wednesday that local governments can not declare themselves Second Amendment sanctuaries, further saying that the sheriffs that implemented a Second Amendment ordinance were embracing “racist and white nationalist ideologies.”

    Chief Judge Jim Egan of the Oregon Court of Appeals ruled that the sheriffs did not have the authority to create sanctuaries that “create a ‘patchwork quilt’ of firearms laws in Oregon,” further saying that the sheriffs arguments go in the “dustbin,” according to the ruling. Sheriffs in Oregon began to introduce Second Amendment sanctuaries after Oregon passed Ballot Measure 114, which requires background checks, firearm training, fingerprint collection and a permit to purchase any firearm.

    “The arguments propounding unfettered access to guns, ammunitions, and implements of destruction give rise to waging of war on government because the proponents believe that our government is infected by those they hate,” Egan wrote. “As a judge, sworn to uphold the Oregon Constitution and the United States Constitution, I cannot stand by without identifying the origins of that argument, and the origins of the Ordinance. The history of white supremacist ideology in this country is older than the United States Constitution.”

    Egan accused the Sheriffs’ counsel of alluding to conspiracy theories about the United Nations (UN), saying that their belief that the UN will impose mandates that will require the state and local government to disarm the American public in violation of the Second Amendment is false, according to the ruling.

    “In other words, Intervenors came before this court and referenced UN mandates, which, as explained below, is a well-documented trope meant to invoke white supremacist, antisemitic fear of a takeover of our country by outsiders and minorities who are manipulated by an elite class of supervillains,” Egan wrote.

    Gun Owners of America (GOA), who backed the sanctuaries, “forcefully” denied the characterization of their argument, according to Fox News.

    “While we are very disappointed in this ruling against the clear vote of the people, we are more alarmed by the raucous secondary opinion by Judge Egan,” Senior Vice President for GOA Erich Pratt told Fox News. “These vitriolic accusations and opinionated commentary have no basis in fact or the law, and the radical viewpoints held by this judge are dangerous to constitutional doctrine and principle.”

    The Oregon Firearms Federation condemned Egan’s opinion, saying it was a “lie” and “defamatory.”...........

    That’s my state baby!!!
     
    This sounds about right
    ==================
    From “The Star Spangled Banner” to the hamburger, the United States has a number of official national symbols.

    An Alabama congressman’s bill would add another: a national gun.

    Rep. Barry Moore visited a Troy gun shop on Tuesday to unveil legislation making the AR-15 the “National Gun of America.”

    “The anti-Second Amendment group won’t stop until they take away all your firearms,” the Republican congressman said in a statement after announcing the legislation at Family Firearms in Troy. “One rule to remember: any government that would take away one right would take away them all.”

    “The Second Amendment is as American a right as freedom of speech, religion, and the press. Second Amendment rights are worth protecting and must not be infringed, and we must send a message that we will meet every attack on any of our constitutional rights,” Moore continued.

    The House has not been given the full text of the bill, according to congressional records, but the legislation would “declare an AR-15 style rifle chambered in a .223 Remington round or a 5.56x45mm NATO round to be the National Gun of the United States.”……

     
    This sounds about right
    ==================
    From “The Star Spangled Banner” to the hamburger, the United States has a number of official national symbols.

    An Alabama congressman’s bill would add another: a national gun.

    Rep. Barry Moore visited a Troy gun shop on Tuesday to unveil legislation making the AR-15 the “National Gun of America.”

    “The anti-Second Amendment group won’t stop until they take away all your firearms,” the Republican congressman said in a statement after announcing the legislation at Family Firearms in Troy. “One rule to remember: any government that would take away one right would take away them all.”

    “The Second Amendment is as American a right as freedom of speech, religion, and the press. Second Amendment rights are worth protecting and must not be infringed, and we must send a message that we will meet every attack on any of our constitutional rights,” Moore continued.

    The House has not been given the full text of the bill, according to congressional records, but the legislation would “declare an AR-15 style rifle chambered in a .223 Remington round or a 5.56x45mm NATO round to be the National Gun of the United States.”……

    Really? There are better guns than the AR-15. I guess it does speak to the gun culture in this country though.
     

    Create an account or login to comment

    You must be a member in order to leave a comment

    Create account

    Create an account on our community. It's easy!

    Log in

    Already have an account? Log in here.

    Advertisement

    General News Feed

    Fact Checkers News Feed

    Sponsored

    Back
    Top Bottom