By Ernie Strauch, Sedona Resident
(December 26, 2012)
Wayne LaPierre, representing the NRA leadership, has a strange vision for the future of America, “land of the (theoretically) free, and home of the (not so politically) brave”. First decrying the declaration of “gun-free zones” as an enticement to the evil monsters in our society, the solution is proposed as armed guards in every school in America. Practical? My high school had 3 buildings of 2 stories each. How many armed guards would he propose? Would it be true that the only way to stop a bad guy with an AR15, is a good guy with an M16? After all, it is common wisdom that the good guys can’t allow themselves to be “out-gunned” by the bad guys. A strange American vision!
When prospective mass-murderers (who usually intend to die in their act) realize that schools are a problematic locale for the maximum destruction of their deed, will they not turn to other opportunistic places of human gathering? Oh, they’ve already done that…movie theaters, shopping malls; what about libraries and churches? Will the universal answer proposed by the NRA be to protect all of these sites with AR15/M16 carrying guards? I can foresee M16 armed guards at all “big box” stores, the supermarkets, postal facilities, museums, amusement parks, etc. What gathering is not worth “protecting”? Where does it ever end? Visualize a police state… a strange American vision?
Twenty five years ago I visited South Korea. An indelible impression was the number of uniformed automatic-weapons carrying “guards” in evidence everywhere. I wondered at the time what it would feel like to live in such a constant state of fear. With the help of the NRA, and their strange vision for America, we may (to our horror) find out.
More rational individuals suggest a holistic approach, usually involving a little weapons control, a little ammunition control, a little federal registry improvement and a little more focus on mental health. That may have been an effective approach in 1945, but without addressing the 300+ million firearms in American private hands today, the band-aid is too little, too late. The real solution for our elected representatives in “the home of the brave” is to pass a simple one-sentence law, making it a felony for any private citizen to sell or possess any high-capacity semi-automatic firearm, and to take existing weapons in violation, out of possession with a federal “buy-back” program patterned after Australia. See: <http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-12-17/us-urged-to-consider-australia-gun-laws-example/4431262>.
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14 Comments
Thanks for this posting! Your extrapolated scenario of what would happen if the NRA proposal is adopted makes good sense to me, as does your proposed alternative. I hope your message gets to our elected representatives, and they act on it.
If anyone objects to NOT owning more than a single-shot hunting rifle and / or a shotgun =
Show them photos of 26 Unopened Presents !!
When the last bullet has been spent and no gun can be fired, there will be the sword.
Update Channel 5 News, Friday, Dec. 28:
Sheriff Joe Arpairo on an upcoming policy to have his deputies carry semi-automatic assault rifles in Maricopa County schools, “I want to make sure that my deputies do have the firepower to defend themselves and the public…”
Nationwide, TSA discovered more than 1500 guns attempted to be taken on flights by passengers in 2012 – more than ever before. Phoenix airport reported 3rd worse in country for confiscated firearms.
Well said Ern !
Paul Friedman’s comments summarize your message nicely.
You have motivated me to do something. May I “borrow” part of your message?
Your observations about South Korea 25 years ago reminded me of my visits to East Germany in the1960’s
Stu (in North Carolina)
BRAVO to you Ernie, I can’t imagine walking into a school with an armed
Principal. And does the principal have to pass a mental health test; and will
They shoot if they have too? My own personal experience is that I didn’t,
Even when I thought my life and others were in danger. I like your argument,
The one sentence law. Works for me.
Thanks, Ernie, for giving voice to this opinion. I remember being in Spain in 1969 with armed guards on every corner and in Jerusalem in ’98 with military everywhere with guns and machetes at the end of each gun. One TV commentator said it well in response to the NRA statement that the answer to a bad guy with a gun is a good guy wih a gun — he said the answer to a bad guy with a gun is to take the gun away. We the people need to demand that our representatives address this with substantive gun control laws. If the Newtown tragedy doesn;t drive us to action, nothing will.
Thanks, Ernie! All of your suggestions including the ‘buy-back’ (as per LA this week) need enactment and soon. The effort to do so needs a huge national movement to force our leaders in national and state governments to see reality. OR we’ll get to the point where, besides schools, shopping centers and movie theaters will need armed guards and searches too.
Of course, having let this madness continue since 1980 in the name of personal freedom, machismo, and arming citizens to ‘take-over’ a bad government if needed (conservative view) – getting rid of existing assault weapons and large clips will be a huge job. Other than civilian military style use or shooting watermelons for ‘sport’, what the heck is their use, since they are not accurate for ‘home defense’? I thought having a gun for ‘sport’ meant achieving accuracy with a single bullet on perhaps a moving target!
A LITTLE GUN CONTROL HISTORY
In 1929, the Soviet Union established gun control. From 1929 to 1953,
about 20 million dissidents, unable to defend themselves, were rounded
up and exterminated.
——————————
In 1911, Turkey established gun control. From 1915 to 1917, 1.5 million
Armenians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and
exterminated.
——————————
Germany established gun control in 1938 and from 1939 to 1945, a total
of 13 million Jews and others who were unable to defend themselves were
rounded up and exterminated.
——————————
China established gun control in 1935. From 1948 to 1952, 20 million
political dissidents, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and
exterminated.
——————————
Guatemala established gun control in 1964. From 1964 to 1981, 100,000
Mayan Indians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and
exterminated.
——————————
Uganda established gun control in 1970. From 1971 to 1979, 300,000
Christians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and
exterminated.
——————————
Cambodia established gun control in 1956. From 1975 to 1977, one million
educated people, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and
exterminated.
—————————–
Defenseless people rounded up and exterminated in the 20th Century
because of gun control: 56 million.
——————————
Jim,
I’m trying to fully grasp your point. You are obviously equating “gun control” with genocide and mass extermination.
Does any other consistency among your historical recitation strike you? Like perhaps they were all brutal Dictatorships? Do you find any representative republics among your list? Do you find any in which the army was not in total control of the Dictatorship? Do you have any projections for when the Australian Parliament will begin exterminating Australians?
Exactly whom do you fear rounding us up and exterminatiing us in Sedona, or Peoria? The Navy Seals? The USMC? The U.S. Congress – now that is a scary bunch? (However, there are only 3 things the latter can agree upon; when to increase their pay, when to go home, and any legislation that will guarantee a safe seat for themselves for as long as they want it). Who would give the order that no one else would oppose? Maybe Gov. Jan Brewer and her National Guard.
Please confirm for me that armed guards with assault weapons at every public gathering location (a virtual American Police State) is the means we use to assure our freedom from extermination, and from whom?
A Police State to guarantee freedom! Such a novel concept.
The 223 owned by Adam Lanza’s mother was locked away in the trunk of the car outside the Sandy Hook Elementary School. Adam Lanza was found holding two 9 mm hand guns and the victims were killed with a 223. The coroner said, “the victims died from assault rifle rounds,” not a hand gun.
Did the 223 get up and fly itself to the trunk of the car and lock itself in after it was used? This is obviously a failed false flag to disarm the US population. It seems to be working on some of you who are willing to give up your liberty and right to defend yourselves. Do any of you know what money is, where it comes from or how to create a recession or a depression. Who do you think created the false flag? Do any of you notice the social engineering that was been taking place or are you all brainwashed, emotional, knee jerk reaction people? I read some of these comments and they are not made by people who have critical thinking skills but by people who spend many hours per week watching television and who have an overly simplistic view of what is going on.
Saw a piece yesterday about a gun buy back program in Tucson. The law requires the police to give the gun back to its rightful owner (if it was stolen) or it must be SOLD! They cannot destroy them! Arizona law continues to amaze me.
Maybe arming everyone isn’t the best approach. Instead of getting ready to shoot each other, we should look at the root causes of rage and use education and some regulation to reduce those root causes – school bullying, employee disrespect and pressures in the workplace, intolerance, desensitizing entertainments et al. The US has more firearms per capita than any other “civilized” nation. Stop whining about Constitutional rights, get rid of the fallacy that we need multiple automatic weapons to “defend our home,” and let’s get at this increasing problem from its real causes.
And Tyler is correct about Arizona law. This state needs to get beyond the “frontier mentality” and realize that we now have too many people here for the archaic thinking so prevalent in our troglodytic legislature. Maybe next election we can clean house in Phoenix and puncture the bubble there.
Remember the old TV series “Gunsmoke” – when a gunslinger reached civilization (a town), a gun check-in with the sheriff was required. The Arizona ‘frontier’ mentality is insane.