Simple Man Politics

Gun rights are a touchy subject for people in this country. The reason for this is because it involves two very different points of view by gun rights supporters and gun control activists. Politically it widens the divide between both major political parties in our country on ideological grounds making this topic severely partisan in nature.

For the most part the Republicans are all for gun rights with the proper legislation in place to guarantee that those who are convicted felons, mentally unstable, not legal residents of the US or citizens, or involved in violence related litigation such as domestic violence never have legal access to firearms. They believe that the 2nd amendment guarantees our citizens the legal right to keep and bear arms. Most also believe in a citizens right to carry firearms concealed. They fervently believe that private gun ownership helps to deter gun crime.

On the side of the coin the Democrats with very few exceptions believe in no gun rights at all for US citizens. They believe that laws similar to those enacted in the UK some years back and in Australia a little over a year ago banning private gun ownership is the way to go. Failing that they want the toughest gun control laws possible to help restrict private gun ownership in the US. Their reason being that no guns no gun crime or very little gun crime.

Using the UK and Australia as a window to our future with their type of gun laws, and as test cases for this argument I have taken the time to do a little research. What I have found out about the success of their governments gun laws and the effects that they have on gun related crimes does not surprise me. I am sure that it would surprise those on one side of this argument for sure though.

In the UK there has not been a total ban on all firearms yet. However their gun laws are so restrictive as to type, caliber, and barrel length as to make it all but impossible to purchase a firearm in that country. The result of these laws being that while the law abiding citizens have followed the rule of law there and have surrendered all banned weapons required the criminal element has not.

This has created an environment where the criminals act with virtual impunity against their victims because the are almost certainly assured that their victims are unarmed and incapable of defending themselves with the same force being used against them by the criminals. It was noted by shadow Home Secretary David Davis that gun related killings and injuries reported by police had risen more than fourfold since 1998. In 1998/1999 crimes involving guns went from 13,874 to 24,070 and have stayed steady at this rate until the present.

In Australia the figures do not bode well for their citizens either. Nation wide for them homicides are up 6.2 percent, Assaults are up 9.6 percent, and armed robberies are up a staggering 44 percent. The data preceding the ban for the twenty five previous years showed a steady decreased in gun crimes each year. Yet since the ban went into effect down under there has even been a dramatic increase in break-ins and assaults on the elderly while the resident is at home. These numbers exist because the criminal elements that employ firearms are definitely assured that their victims are unarmed.

Taking all of this information into account and looking at the current administration and their cohorts on the hill, it concerns me greatly that there may be a concerted effort in the near future within our own borders to attempt the same sort of legislation that has been adopted either in the UK or Australia. I just thank god for the 5-4 majority of the US Supreme Court who ruled the DC gun ban as unconstitutional. However we need to hope that our President does not appoint more than one new justice while in office or we may wind up looking like those countries I have researched.

That is all I have for you guys today. I hope you take the time to consider what was said here today and take an informed stand on the 2nd amendment and preserve our nation’s and citizen’s historic right to keep and bear arms. Have a fabulous day my friends, CIAO4NOW!!!!!