The Supreme Court's rejection of Chicago's handgun ban in McDonald v. City of Chicago is more than a recognition that the Second Amendment applies to the states as well as the federal government. The McDonald decision is a harbinger for the end of gun prohibition as an idea. The simple, undeniable truth is that gun control does not work.
McDonald brings the law up to speed with reality, where advocates of gun control have been wrong since the issue became a national discussion.
Strict gun-control policies have failed to deliver on their essential promise: that denying law-abiding citizens access to the means of self-defense will somehow make them safer. This should come as no surprise, since gun control has always been about control, not guns.
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A generation from now, legal and policy discussions will look back and see gun control for the sham that it has always been. The real shame is that it took decades of political action, millions of dollars in litigation, and thousands of lives lost to end the preposterous idea that governments can reduce the number of victims of violent crime by first taking away their means of resistance.IMHO, the challenge for those of us in the gun culture is multiple:
• While our organizations continue the attack on restrictive gun laws at state and municipal levels, we need to be vigilant on a local level. Gun control advocates know they've lost the war, but it doesn't mean they can't win battles on a local level. And blocking the passage of local antigun legislation is both faster and a heck of a cheaper than fighting those laws all the way through the court system!
• We need CCW reciprocity. I personally favor the "Constitutional" permitless carry of Vermont, Alaska and Arizona, but that isn't going to fly (at this time) in many states. Reciprocity would be the next best thing. I think we'll probably get this in 2011.
• We need to focus our organizations on egregious anti gun laws that fly under the radar, For example, the fact that New York, Boston and Chicago airport jurisdictions have decided on their own to ignore federal "safe transit" laws and jail unwary travelers who get stuck in their cities while carrying guns is completely unacceptable. This needs national legislative remedy.
• The main battlefield is now access. The Second Amendment becomes meaningless if we have no place to shoot, to introduce the next generation to our gun culture. This is both for shooting on public lands and formal ranges.
16 comments:
Dead on, especially your last point. That is the new battlefield
Sorry for the double post. Got an error the first time.
NPR? Seriously, this was from the NPR? ? ? ?
I picked a bad week to stop sniffing glue!!!
< G G G G G >
I knew NPR had at least one normal person on their staff!
Now all we need it a better program for using those federal excise taxes on guns and ammo to fund construction of new ranges and expansion of existing ranges. Theres your first step on the "access" front.
Here's another idea - let's not needlessly alienate our new allies. We're winning. No reason for provocative "Hey, I'm just exercisin' mah rights" stunts. Let's not have any open-carry, AR-15s-at-port-arms "March Through a Playground for 2A" days, 'mmm-kay?
Hey Dave...I'm not sure we have "new allies." We're winning because we bludgeoned the other side into submission, not because were were nicer than they were. Public opinion has shifted for (I think) several reasons:
1) Even the sheep pretty much figured out that "gun control" didn't work...the on-going passion play in Chicago is working great for us, P-R wise. Unfortunately, people die because Mayor Daley is a thug, and a stupid thug at that...gotta expect that with the level of inbreeding in that DNA line!
2) CCW has spread nationwide and none of the dire things predicted by the MSM and our enemies happened. It's now accepted. Period
3) The equally relentless spread of the shooting sports has also "renormalized" what we do.
4) The AWB sunsetted and nothing happened.
5) The larger majority of people tend to follow the people who are winning.
They're not allies, they're just sheep moving in our direction. That's why we need to institutionalize our victories.
mb
Michael, you wrote about the cultural suppression of the practical right to keep and bear arms--access and places to shoot. I believe that--with the left in full retreat on outright banning private ownership--the battle will move to detailed, practical, steps they will take to make it as hard as possible for people to exercise the right. We've all heard, "I'm a strong supporter of the Second Amendment--but...."
We are going to hear more of that.
Michael, we didn't "bludgeon" anybody. We had reason and facts on our side and used them in the legislative halls and the courts.
The "sheep" do not like people with bludgeons. There are more of them than us. And they vote.
I live in gun-friendly Maine. There was recently an open-carry demonstration. My otherwise gun-rights-friendly "sheep" co-workers were unaware open carry was legal, asked me WTF was wrong with these "gun nuts" walking around "brandishing" their guns, and think open carry should be made illegal.
Do you consider that a "win"?
You can be as contemptuous as you like about your fellow citizens. But again, they vote. From a purely tactical standpoint, it's unwise to dismiss or provoke them. Because we cannot beat them. We need them.
Dave S.:
It ain't contempt. Just truth.
In any political fight, less than 1% on either side carries the battle. The vast majority just goes along with the winners, claiming they were secretly supporting them all along.
If we are to keep these victories, we do have to keep fighting, until our goals are considered the norm. And then past that ... I want the rabbit people to feel they need to emigrate out if they want victim-disarmament.
Michael...sorry but you are wrong about nothing happened when the AWB sunsetted.
plenty of people went to work or exercised their entrepeneurial skills because whole new markets opened up for innovative gun products.
my next best guess about the latest tactic the other side will use is to propagandize the dangers of lead.
OHH NOOOEESSS!!!
a'yup, "they" will be going after your lead containing bullets next. all that lead that has been deposited in the back berm of your local range will, overnight, be deemed a hazard. "it's leaching into the soil and contaminating the ground water," is what they will say next immediately followed by a "you must stop shooting lead out there".
"their" platform....errr...propaganda will be delivered under the guise of "environmental safety" or "health". but really will just be an end run attempt at gun control.
If Obama gets a chance to replace one of the 5, I fear Heller and McDonald are reversed and/or gutted ASAP by that new SCOTUS, stare decisis be damned.
Access also has to do with marketplace. Many local newspapers won't take ads for any firearms....that's they're right. But we must remain vigilant that restrictions on publications, free assembly (gun shows) and private sales don't become codified. Thank you to Gun Broker, Guns America, et.al. for being place where gun owners can buy and sell.
Another element to protect... the supply of ammo. The right to keep and bear arms means nothing without ammo. Special taxes and use restrictions on ammo will turn our firearms into decorative wall fixtures.
I recently taught a Basic Rifle class to a dozen students. My problem? It was not in recruiting students. It was in providing a range in which to shoot. All the ranges in our area are members only. Bringing in a dozen new students is a headache. While the membership fees are reasonable, they are too much for someone being introduced to the sport. "First Shots" is a great idea but doesn't match up with a class format. I envy the pros that have a range outside their back door.I hate to say it, but I am considering using air rifles because I can set up in my own yard.
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