Ah yes, the Second Amendment. The golden calf of the American Right (well, almost). Let’s see what the 2A actually says, shall we?
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.
Key words here: a well regulated militia. The 2A was intended for a time when the US didn’t yet have a standing army, so average citizens were drafted into service. Now that we have the biggest military in history, there’s no need for militias anymore. At best, a state’s National Guard unit is a well-regulated militia, while Billy Bob and Bubba Joe meeting up with their redneck buddies is not.
It is the duty of the law enforcement and the National Guard to protect the security of our free state, not people who have bought an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle or a Glock 9mm semi-automatic pistol at Dick’s Sporting Goods or their local gun store.
What must we as a people do to put an end to the Church of the Almighty Gun? What must we do to put an end to gun violence? What must we do to strip school shooters and insurrectionists of their weapons of mass destruction? I have a few ideas:
1. All firearms and ancillary equipment must be registered and entered into a national database that is accessible to law enforcement. Purchase requirements must be strengthened and waiting periods lengthened. These things must be changed at the federal level. State governments have shown that they are unwilling to do what’s necessary to protect the American people from gun violence. Down in Texas where the shooting happened, super-majorities of Republicans in the state legislature have turned the Lone Star State into the Wild West State. All bets are off when it comes to firearms.
2. Certain firearms must be strictly regulated and, if need be, confiscated. Assault-style firearms must be banned, along with high-capacity magazines. Owners of such things should be given an opportunity to turn them in and receive fair market value for their weapons. If they refuse to turn in the guns, laws should be crafted that would seriously punish them if they are caught with the weapons in public.
3. All state concealed carry laws should be repealed. No one should be permitted to carry a firearm in public. Allowance should be made for hunting and target shooting, but firearms used for such purposes must be secured separate from ammunition until they are readied for use.
4. All private sales or transfers of weapons must be reported to local law enforcement, who then must update the federal database with the new information. Illegal firearm sales must be severely punished.
5. Every gun and ammunition sale should be taxed. Want to reduce the number of firearms in America? Tax sales at such a level that purchasers will think twice about buying more guns or boxes of ammunition.
6. Sales of things such as bulletproof vests, armor-piercing bullets, flash grenades, and arrest zip ties should be limited to law enforcement. Ammunition purchases should be limited. Seriously, what possible reason could Suburban Joe have for owning enough ammo to wipe out a small town? Absolutely none.
7. All firearm owners must take comprehensive firearm training. This training must be repeated at least once per year. All firearms are required to be secured with a trigger lock or locked in a gun safe/box.
8. Hollywood and game companies must be held accountable for their love affair with violence and firearms. Yes, I am making a “think of the children” appeal. Children with developing minds gain warped views of firearms, life, violence, and death when watching programming or playing video games that glorify these things.
9. The Dickey Amendment must be repealed. For a long time, the CDC has shied away from conducting research on gun violence. That’s because in 1996 Congress passed the Dickey Amendment, a law that mandated “none of the funds made available for injury prevention and control at the CDC may be used to advocate or promote gun control.” This silencing of research on gun violence serves to hide the true nature and extent of gun-related injuries and deaths.
The goal, long term, should be to adopt the Australian or British model of gun control. One thing I know for certain: we cannot continue on the path we are on.