I apologize for the misleading title to today's blog. This rant has nothing to do with child safety but with the subject of "Gun Control", and specifically the latest Progressive push for "universal background checks." This issue is close to home since Michael Bloombergs' "Moms Demand" group is funneling millions of dollars into Nevada right now trying to gather enough signatures to qualify a universal background check proposition that will go to our legislature. If they are able to collect enough qualifying signatures the legislature must vote. If they defeat the measure, that's not the end of things for the proposition then will appear on a ballot to be voted upon in the next general election. I suspect the Nevada Assembly will reject the bill, giving political cover to themselves by leaving the issue to be decided by the "will of the people" who will ultimately have to decide the final outcome. If there is anyone out there who does not know what "universal background checks" means, it is that every transfer of a firearm of any kind will have to be run through the national instant criminal background check system or NICS. At a minimum this means that before grandpa can give his Ruger 10/22 to his grandson or granddaughter, he'll have to go to a federal firearms licensee and pay $25 to make sure that among other things, little Johnny doesn't have a criminal record, is mentally competent, hasn't renounced his US citizenship, or is addicted to drugs. The Progs will tell you that this will prevent guns from getting into the wrong hands, will eliminate gun violence, and will enable police to trace firearms that have been used in the commission of crime. The only problem with this argument is that it is false and based on assumptions that are created out of whole cloth.
My inspiration for writing about this today was because I had an interesting encounter with one of Bloomberg's petition gatherers in the parking lot of my local Costco. I had just left the store and was walking back to my motorcycle when a pleasant looking middle aged woman wearing blue jeans and a western shirt approached and asked "Sir, would you like to see the government regulate and tax sales of marijuana." I responded by saying that it sounded like she was advocating for the legalization of recreational use of weed. I then told her that I would prefer that adults be left to do what they wished and that government not get involved at all just so they could suck up even more tax dollars to create a slush fund to support their crony enterprises. (Here in Nevada, medical marijuana has now been authorized and the schools are slated to get 75% of the tax revenues. It's always "for the children" isn't it?). This response caught the woman a bit off guard and her comment was to say that "Well, the 1st Amendment guarantees the people's right to petition government, just like with gun control". At that moment I took notice of the fact that this woman actually had several clipboards with her and so I bluntly asked if she was also circulating one of Bloomberg's universal background check petitions. BINGO. This was the opportunity that I was waiting for where I could try to "educate" a low information voter being paid $10 per hour about the the folly of her endeavour. As a small crowd began to gather in the parking lot of Costco, I explained that no crimes had ever been solved based on the performance of a gun check; that no recent shooting sprees including Ft. Hood, Columbine, Aurora, or Sandy Hook elementary would have been prevented by universal background checks; nor would any criminal be deterred for that matter by the enactment of such laws. What this all amounted to was just another infringement on the Second Amendment, and another burden placed upon law abiding citizens who have a legitimate right to defend themselves, and their family. My words apparently had little effect on the Bloomberg acolyte who made a huge mistake when she said to me, "You need to read what the Founding Fathers had to say on that." Having practiced law for 35 years and being a blogger and advocate for shooting sports and in support of the Second Amendment, this was all I needed to hear from her. For the next 10 minutes I gave her a lecture on Constitutional law, the Federalist Papers, the Constitutional Convention, and liberally quoted the Founding Fathers including Thomas Jefferson, Samuel Adams, and Benjamin Franklin. I posed the ultimate question of course asking her "Just what about 'Shall Not Infringe' is it that you don't understand"? At the conclusion of my soliloquy, the small crowd now standing around applauded, leaving the humiliated low information voter with nothing left to say but "Have a good day."
We have to understand that the Progressives are pushing their agenda hard, and they never let up. Look how a question about regulating sales of marijuana quickly morphed into universal background checks. Look at how the liberalization of drugs is being promoted by the same groups that would infringe your Constitutional rights. Let me implore anyone who is asked to sign one of these "astro turf" gun control petitions to similarly educate these ill-informed persons and all those around within hearing, of the dangers of what is being proposed. Get in their faces. Challenge them. The future of the Republic really does depend on all of us law abiding citizens standing up and getting our voices heard. Molon Labe.
