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AMENDMENT II DEMOCRATS You Have the Right

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Amendment II Democrats



Last Updated: 10/19/2009

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Gender: Male
Status: Married
Age: 42
Sign: Aries

City: DALLAS
State: Texas
Country: US
Signup Date: 2/21/2007

Blog Archive
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November 4, 2009 - Wednesday 

Current mood:  grumpy
Category: News and Politics
If you're scratching your head over the title of this post, don't be embarrassed. However, Darrell A.H. Miller of the University of Cincinnati College of Law has put forth a dangerous proposal for the government to treat guns and pornography the same way.

Click here to read Miller's abstract and download the article in PDF format.

In short, Miller wants a "home-bound" approach to the Second Amendment in which your right to own a gun, like your First Amendment right to read Hustler, is "a right that ends at the doorstep," leaving local, state, and Federal government agencies with "nearly unfettered discretion" to forbid guns anywhere outside the home. Concealed-carry could be abolished, the use of firearms for hunting could be subject to the most grueling and pointless of regulations, etc.

Zakariah Johnson, Media Director of the American Hunters and Shooters Association, had a few thoughts upon learning of Miller's proposed framework:

On the line between being clever and merely being a smart ass, it's clear where Miller falls. What it comes down to is you either respect the law and the Constitution or you don't. If you don't, then nothing stops you from finding cute run-arounds to subvert its protections, as Miller has attempted. This sort of thing is intellectually shameless, and ought to embarrass the author.

Your humble Webmaster couldn't have said it any better.
10:56 PM 
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October 28, 2009 - Wednesday 

Current mood:  accomplished
Category: News and Politics
Folks, your humble Webmaster just received some outstanding news. A new survey from NBC News and the Wall Street Journal that polled 1,009 adults from October 22-25 indicates that support for a new Federal ban on "assault weapons and semiautomatic rifles" has plummeted from 73% in July 1990 to only 49% today.

Click here to download the survey in PDF format. The question can be found on page 23 of the survey.

We are gaining the upper hand. Never before has there been such an opportunity to change the debate on gun legislation within the Democratic Party. Let's do it together.

Thank you for all of the effort you have made so far.
Currently listening:
It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
By Public Enemy
Release date: 1995-05-02
3:55 PM 
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October 16, 2009 - Friday 

Current mood:  sick
Category: News and Politics
Your humble Webmaster has frankly been too busy to discuss this month's murder-suicide involving Pennsylvania soccer mom and concealed-carry advocate Meleanie Hain. For starters, my wife and I came down with the dreaded H1N1 swine flu last week, and even though I am no longer contagious, I still have some residual muscle aches and raspiness in my voice.

I did, however, come across some musings on the Hain tragedy from Violence Policy Center founder Josh Sugarmann:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/josh-sugarmann/beyond-the-easy-irony-of_b_315731.html

Sugarmann took exception to Hain's approach to gun-rights advocacy by claiming that "gun homicides, unintentional deaths and suicides were events that happened to other people who lacked the temperament, training or personal fortitude to own a gun" as far as Hain's mindset was concerned. He continued: "In essence, Hain, like many of her fellow pro-gun advocates, lacked an ability to think in the abstract: Her gun experience was positive and whatever negative effects others felt from firearms, the gun, and gun owners like herself, were never to blame."

Let's consider that for just a moment. If you do not blame the handgun for Hain's untimely death, Sugarmann seems to imply that you are incapable of abstract thought. I find such an attitude to be smug and, frankly, a little worrisome. Someone with criminal intent still had to obtain the handgun and point it at Hain with the desired outcome of inflicting death or serious bodily injury on her. But then again, that wouldn't be abstract thinking, also known in this context as "thinking like Josh."

As for being one of the "gun owners" to blame for the "negative effects" that others might feel about my kind, yes, I am a gun owner. I am also a devoted husband, an election judge, a cat lover, a collector of patent medicine bottles, a boardgame enthusiast, a sucker for chocolate, and an admirer of Pyrrhonian skepticism - for starters. Do I define my own identity solely by any one of these attributes? Of course not, but if Sugarmann thinks he can box me into some one-dimensional caricature of a "gun owner," he certainly has the freedom to try. Before he does, however, my list also includes the designation of "Democrat," and the last time I checked, Democrats today realize that one of our biggest strengths is in our rich diversity of thought and attitudes towards life and society. If Sugarmann considers my weltanschung to be some form of thoughtcrime, let him take up his beef with the Democratic Party itself.

Owning a handgun is not an absolute guarantee against being murdered. I am fully aware of that. But I have seen too many instances where it has given an intended victim the ability to level the playing field against his or her aggressor and prevent violent crime against that person. Sugarmann can claim that his 25 years in the gun-control debate enable him to say that Hain, had she survived and shot her husband instead, would claim that her ownership of a gun reinforces her point. Her story is indeed tragic, but the Second Amendment was not written to criminalize women who shoot their abusive husbands and boyfriends in self-defense. And, last time I checked, the Second Amendment has been around for over 200 years.
Currently listening:
Resurrection: the Return of a King
By In Slaughter Natives
Release date: 2004-11-23
10:03 PM 
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October 2, 2009 - Friday 

Current mood:  optimistic
Category: News and Politics
On Wednesday, September 30, the Supreme Court announced that they would issue a ruling on McDonald v. Chicago to determine if the Second Amendment also applies to state, county, and municipal laws. The most immediate impact of their ruling will be on Chicago's long-standing ban on civilian ownership of handguns.

Oral arguments will be heard no earlier than January 11, 2010.
7:13 PM 
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September 24, 2009 - Thursday 

Current mood:  awake
Category: News and Politics
This case could have broad implications for extending Second Amendment protections to the state and municipal level.

Click here to obtain a PDF copy of the legal brief for the en banc review.
2:32 PM 
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September 14, 2009 - Monday 

Current mood:  optimistic
Category: News and Politics
Last week, your humble Webmaster was on the phone with a media representative for the Dallas Police Department. Following a story from our local NBC affiliate, I learned from the DPD that Dallas has apparently experienced a 24-day period without a single homicide within city limits - the longest streak of its kind in our city's recent history.

There are a few caveats, though. Dallas' overall trend in homicide is up slightly (around 1.9%) compared to last year. And there have been some non-fatal shootings during the past three and a half weeks in Dallas. In addition, the DPD representative did inform me of a murder within city limits on Thursday, September 10, so the streak is over.

But 24 days in a major metropolitan area without a single homicide is still monumental. The DPD says that new narcotics programs and an increased police presence have done their part to keep would-be killers at bay.

It's just nice to know that this profound absence of murders in a large city like Dallas is possible without any new gun-control legislation. There is no municipal ban on the ownership of handguns or semi-automatics. Texas CHL holders are welcome to carry their concealed handguns within city limits except where prohibited by law. There is no such thing as an Illinois-style FOID requirement in Dallas or anywhere else in Texas, to the best of my knowledge. And we do have some rather substantial gun shows.

No matter what the other side of the gun-control debate says, they still have to contend with the fact that Dallas enjoyed 24 days without a single murder - and without restrictive gun laws.

It can be done.

Dallas still has a lot of work to do in terms of fighting violent crime, but I found this development to be fascinating.
3:54 PM 
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September 9, 2009 - Wednesday 

Current mood:  busy
Category: News and Politics
Louisiana State Representative Cedric Richmond (D-New Orleans) is now running to represent his state's 2nd Congressional District in Congress. He has to get past at least one primary challenger as well as a Republican opponent, but Richmond also has to contend with his opposition to the Second Amendment.

Richmond introduced House Bill 387 to the state legislature. If passed, this bill would have outlawed possession of a semi-automatic firearm in Louisiana unless it was registered with the state government and its owner subjected to an additional background check. The bill was killed in committee, but not before Richmond tried to salvage the ban by limiting the ban to only AK-47s, which he claimed were responsible for most of the headaches that the New Orleans Police Department had to contend with.

Explaining this change in tactics, Richmond said, "I am going after one gun," further stating that he didn't "want to infringe on the Second Amendment" right to keep and bear arms.

As many gun owners are aware, the term "AK-47" is often used as a catchall term to describe any rifle or carbine that is part of the Kalashnikov family of firearms. It can be used to denote a traditional, old-school AKM chambered in 7.62x39mm and capable of full-automatic fire. It can be used to denote a Saiga hunting rifle that lacks the pistol grip and bayonet lug of its military relatives. There is a multitude of Kalashnikov models available from many different nations in all sorts of lengths, calibers, and configurations.

Was it Richmond's desire to just ban AKs that were deemed "military?" Or did he intend to go after any rifle that happened to use that particular gas-piston design, even if it only accepted 5-shot magazines and could not be fitted with a pistol grip?

I could go on, but suffice it to say that legislators need to be educated and forthcoming on any laws they introduce on the floor. Otherwise, we get stuck with incidents like the one where Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) told her interviewer that a barrel shroud is a "shoulder thing that goes up."

The Democratic Party cannot afford this sort of nonsense anymore.
8:04 PM 
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August 27, 2009 - Thursday 

Current mood:  sad
We mourn the passing of Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA), a man whose 46-year tenure on Capitol Hill has been punctuated with drive, optimism, and passion.

Sen. Kennedy was also a staunch supporter of gun control, which is understandable considering the loss of his two brothers to assassins.  His wife, Victoria Reggie Kennedy, once sat on the board of the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence.

But the words of another Kennedy on gun issues should also be taken into account. John F. Kennedy made the following statement in the April 1960 issue of Guns Magazine, and your humble Webmaster feels that these affirmations also speak of optimism and passion for our nation and our rights under the Constitution:

By calling attention to a well-regulated militia for the security of the Nation, and the right of each citizen to keep and bear arms, our founding fathers recognized the essentially civilian nature of our economy. Although it is extremely unlikely that the fear of governmental tyranny, which gave rise to the 2nd Amendment, will ever be a major danger to our Nation, the amendment still remains an important declaration of our basic civilian-military relationships in which every citizen must be ready to participate in the defense of his country. For that reason I believe the 2nd Amendment will always be important.
4:27 PM 
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August 16, 2009 - Sunday 

Current mood:  irritated
Category: News and Politics
From television station WIVB in Buffalo:

The crime curbing effort has collected over 1,600 guns over the past 2 years and city leaders said this is another successful year.

Mayor Byron Brown said, "We will get anything from long guns rifles, AK-47's, oozies, so we have gotten those assault weapons."

Here's the deal. Michele McClintick is the reporter behind the story. Kate McGowan is the staffer who posted the story on WIVB's website. Between the two of them, couldn't they have researched the proper way to spell "Uzi?"

Maybe Jay Leno could invite them to one of those "Jaywalking" game shows of his once NBC starts broadcasting his new prime-time show...
Currently watching:
The Universe - The Complete Season Two (History) (Steelbook)
Release date: 2008-10-14
4:11 PM 
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August 12, 2009 - Wednesday 

Current mood:  contemplative
Category: News and Politics
Just for argument's sake, let's say that your humble Webmaster is walking down the street, minding my own business, carrying a .40-caliber Smith & Wesson pistol under my jacket (with a valid CHL) in one of those secure holsters from Uncle Mike's or Blackhawk, and I just happen to bump into President Barack Obama all by his lonesome - no Secret Service, no military, no nothin'. He's got half an hour to kill, and so do I, so we grab some food from a street vendor and share a park bench, feeding the pigeons with some of our breadcrumbs.

We discuss health care, Iraq, renewable energy, and science education. And we do so like rational, mature human beings.

Then comes the point when Obama finally notices the butt of my handgun peeking out from under my jacket. "You know," he tells me in a more serious tone, "I'm not a big fan of concealed carry. No offense to you, but that's just not part of the value system I grew up with."

"No harm done," I respond. "It's admittedly a complicated issue, but I still hold out hope for a workable nationwide reciprocity system."

Obama then shares with me a couple of incidents where children in his Chicago neighborhood were gunned down by gangsters and thugs, telling me how their deaths spurred his community activism and shaped his political career. I listen patiently, knowing full well that no parent should have to bury their child.

Finally, the half hour is up. Obama's limousine arrives, his agent on duty snaps a picture of the two of us with my camera, we shake hands and wish each other well, and I head down the street while Obama heads back to his official duties.

That's just me, of course. Obviously, it's highly unrealistic to expect this sort of contact with a sitting President in today's world, especially in light of all of the fear-mongering by the insurance companies and their hired lackeys who disrupt townhall meetings with an endless stream of anger and BS. It's safe to say that at least 80% of those anti-reform bully boys, had they been in my position, would have responded to Obama's presence by trying to inflict harm on him.

All I ever wanted during the past eight years was to see George W. Bush hauled off in handcuffs to stand trial for his crimes against America. But there is so much anger and hatred in our nation today - and so many people behind the scenes who have a vested interest in keeping it that way. These disruptors don't want civilization or decorum. Many of them aren't even capable of wanting something - instead, they wait for someone to tell them what they're supposed to want.

And that is not the sort of citizenry you can trust with concealed handguns in front of the President.

When I spoke up on this subject yesterday, someone asked me what my point was. Did I just want to vent about Bush? If so, what did that have to do with my hypothetical afternoon in the park with Obama and a concealed handgun?

My point is that we need to take a hard look at what kind of citizenry we want to be. That guy may have had a legal right to wear his pistol at the site of yesterday's townhall in New Hampshire, but from what I could tell, his presence was all about intimidation and bluster. I try to aspire to a mindset that's more mature and pensive than that - something that evokes Lincoln's timeless remarks about "the better angels of our nature."

I hope most of my fellow Americans feel the same way as I do about striving for civility and forethought. I know my fellow Democrats do - even the ones who think I should never be issued a CHL.
Currently listening:
Symphonies Of The Planets 1 - NASA Voyager Recordings
By NASA Voyager Recordings
Release date: 1992-11-10
6:39 PM 
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