The horrifying events in Colorado, where a young man opened fire in a cinema, have led to mumblings, but no more than mumblings, about gun control. This is, after all, an election year. Even so, I should have thought some brave journalist might have asked Messrs. Romney and Obama whether they had had cause to reconsider their views on the subject.
In Britain the key date was 1997, also an election year, where, after a massacre in school in Dunblane, the then Conservative government and opposition Labour Party were tripping over themselves to show they cared. Anything of this sort is likely to result in a curtailment of civil liberties and so it proved. Relatives of the bereaved formed the rather tweely named Snowdrop campaign and persuaded Tony Blair to ban all pistols (they were by now known as 'handguns') as soon as he became Prime Minister. In a way Blair's statement 'I don't think people should be allowed to own handguns' said it all: in his rush to show he cared he forgot that our system of government is not that you can do something if the State permits it, but that you can do anything you like unless the State forbids it.
This difference is extremely important. It means that it is not for us to show why we want a gun, but for him to show why we shouldn't have one.
In the end gun crime went up in Britain, and the British Olympic shooting team had to practise in France.
It is in America that this difference is spelled out. There is a specific right to 'bear' arms (although no concomitant right to 'bear' cigarettes, another thing which can damage your health, or to 'bear' an open bottle of beer in your car, even though you are not drinking from it).
A Texan once told me that he insisted on having a firearm in case National Government invaded his state. I don't know, perhaps we are all mad.
But the American system would appear to allow a little chipping away at this 'bearing' arms business. They might think - and a bold candidate might announce it as policy - that a young man should not be allowed such sophisticated weaponry, or to buy arms and ammunition over the internet.
But I don't reckon they will.
2 comments:
The American "arms control" debate shall be renewed, despite vivid suggestions that the root cause of these tragedies might better be traced to "an absentee father syndrome"! The mother 'was not surprised' at her son's actions!
The howlings come, mostly, from the East - rather than Western states, which accept 'concealed weapons permits', with a few noted exceptions - after training then licensing as a crime deterrent. The inconvenient facts themselves incontrovertibly shall 'back up' that 'Wild West' viewpoint, too!
The position shall be put forth = Had a person 'packing a weapon' been inside that theatre with a conceled weapon carry permit, the scope of tragedy would have been both dramatically reduced & that far more quickly! They would be correct. In weapons carry states with governmental oversight & its licensing, crime is rather low.
Commercially, our theatres are now installing 'metal detectors' as a result of recent Aurora, Colorado tragedies!
This occurs, ironically, as Part Two of Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged" trilogy shall soon reach the movie screens on October 12 - just a few months hence.
I am myself a member of National Rifle Association [NRA], long ago already pledging 'no weapons in my house' since 'homecoming' from the Vietnam War - Having had 'quite enough of war' in its proper place some many prior decades ago!
The NRA does offer its members affordable healthcare insurance: At rates far below AARP, USAA & even MediCare itself - All of those [high overhead cost firms] still 'pass on' huge advertising costs in their dramatically - even criminally inflated premiums, too!
FOR WHAT IT's WORTH in this debate.
THREE WEEKS after TIM's original post, here is an update from RENO, NV [USA] = The local alternative weekly "Reno News and Review" reports in its Thursday, August 2d edition, see 'www.newsreview.com':
'Rent-a-cops' have been posted -- some of them being off- duty local police, who have had their hours reduced 'to balance many local governmental budgets'.
** "BACKGROUNDER" = In the US Federal Budget which 'kicked in' six months after Republicans took control of the lower House of the US Congress - from laws passed under Speaker Nancy Pelosi [D.-CA] and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid [D.-NV] & signed by President Barack Obama [D. -CHICAGO, IL.]: Local fees to our cities & property taxes to our counties MORE THAN DOUBLED, to pay for 'un-funded Federal mandates'.
Local governments in the cities & counties 'have no control' NOR can they exercise 'just say no' to all those 'US governmental mandates'.
"IT IS FEDERAL"!
Predictably, in the very next local "Special Election" - during September, 2011 - to fill a vacant seat in House of Representatives - Washoe County [in the Northern Nevada region] 'turn-out' was an abysmal 20%!
Fully FOUR of FIVE eligible and registered voters had apparently decided 'their vote no longer counted'.
THERE WERE 'COMPLAINTS' of already registered vote-by-mail disabled veterans and seniors NOT RECEIVING THEIR 'mail-in' Special Election BALLOTS. SO: They next filed some formal written complaints!
'Complaints' to local US Federal Grand Jury never reached those addressees, the mail at the US Federal Courthouse Building having been diverted by Clerk of the U.S. District Court in Reno - a [DoJ] US Department of Justice official - whose 'sworn duty' is to help enforce "The US Voting Rights Law" [1965]!
* * *
Inside some local motion picture theatres, 'rent-a-cops' have been hired then posted inside theatres, in locations near candy counters after ticket purchases.
They inquire -or- search patrons after first asking if any weapons are being carried in clothing, purses or backpacks.
This begins sounding like TSA searches at US airports now.
* * *
Under Obama guidelines, these new positions count as "private sector jobs newly created"! Not the type of growth most of us counted upon!
* * *
It is wierdly reminiscent of an earlier book by writer / scholar / pacifist Milton Meyer -"They Thought They Were Free"!
* * *
In just two months = October 12th, the second installment of Ayn Rand's triology arrives at the big screen in local theatres - based on "Atlas Shrugged", ironically!
Shall those 'rent-a-cops' still be on duty @ those motion picture showings, two months hence? -30-
Post a Comment