How many lives will it take before there is bipartisan legislation on gun control? Every time the subject of gun-control comes up, Republicans push back saying that “we must protect the people’s right to bear arms”! Well..the Political Great Whine will take a close look at the 2nd amendment.
Why Gun-Control is Necessary…NOW!
Last night, A 64-year old man used a semi-automatic rifle to gun down innocent concert goers who were enjoying a performance by County singer Jason Aldean. This occurred in one of the most popular cities in the world – Las Vegas and the shooting is now being called the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history. At this time, 50 people are dead and more than 400 have been injured (earlier this morning, the counts were 20 fatalities and 100 injured). If you are reading this post, then you more than likely have seen the videos taken by phones that show the moments when the shooting started. The crowd is having a nice time enjoying the music when all of sudden a stream of popping sounds penetrates the air! You can hear someone saying “Get down, get down” and you see people run, some are on the ground…it’s just heartbreaking. I repeat…the Las Vegas shooter used an semi-automatic rifle. It was just over a year ago (although it seems yesterday) that the Orlando shooter killed 49 people and injured 58 club goers who were innocent people just out having a good time. He also used an semi-automatic rifle. Sadly, it will soon be 5 years since the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting took place killing 27. One of the weapons used by that shooter was–a semi-automatic rifle.
There is NO REASON for regular people to own semi-automatic guns. You do not need it to go hunting — UNLESS you are hunting humans! Such weapons should be restricted to military and law-enforcement personnel.
A Closer Look at the Second Amendment
As stated earlier, every time the issue of gun-control comes up there is constant push back from Republicans who say that it “infringes on the right of Americans to bear arms”! Well here is the text as taken directly from the U.S. Constitution:
“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
Notice that the first part of this amendment is conveniently never mentioned. The first part of the amendment provides the reason why the right to bear arms was necessary. Importantly, the 2nd amendment is a carryover from the Articles of Confederation under which the states were very independent and strong while the federal government was weak. So the first part of the amendment enabled citizens of a state to organize themselves as a militia (hence the term “regulate”) and defend themselves and their fellow citizens in the event of an attack. Also, while the state of Massachusetts formed thefirst National Guard in 1636, it was not until two years after the Constitution was ratified that the Militia Act of 1792 was enacted.
In an effort to not bore you with a crash course in military history…the point is this. The 2nd amendment needs to be updated (amended) to reflect the current era we are in. The United States no longer requires regular non-military citizens to defend their state or the country. Again, the 2nd amendment is not about protecting your personal residence or home, it was about protecting the STATE and country during a time when military forces were still being established.
The desire to protect one’s self and/or family should not be ignored or dismissed. However, a semi-automatic is not needed for personal protection and should not be available for purchase.
The Right to Bear Non-Semi Automatic Arms
We have all heard the line that “guns don’t kill people, people kill people” so with that in mind we need to restrict the type of guns people can purchase. The Political Great Whine is saying that the “right to bear arms” should be updated to define the kind of arms that regular citizens can bear. Automatic and semi-automatic weapons should first be classified as a military-grade firearms that should not be available for purchase. Such weapons should be limited to the military and law-enforcement personnel.
Unfortunately, those who are determined to kill innocent people will find a way to do so and eliminating guns altogether will not deter those people; however, a small change can save a large amount of people. If the Las Vegas shooter had used handgun or a hunting rifle, he would have still taken precious lives, but a police officer carrying a semi-automatic rifle would have been able to take him down before he killed 50 and injured 400– and counting.
Thanks for “listening” to me whine. Hopefully my whining has made you think. If so, tell your friends/family/colleagues that you heard it through the Political Great Whine!
politicalgreatwhine.com 
plus… what REASON do you have for a smart phone or personal vehicle when you wont be making a difference anyway and there are other (slower and more expensive) options? dont you know how much harm is done by both of those freedoms?
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you really shouldnt waste time writing abt things on which you are so obviously ignorant (look up Girandoni rifle)
simple question for you — name 2 each of long guns and hand guns which would not count as semi-automatic
(hint — you have to go back before the 20th century to find newly-invented guns which require more than pulling a trigger for each round after the first)
also, why stop there? EVERY INVENTION for 200+ yrs has been abt increasing the rate/range of fire — freedom is more important than your distorted ideas abt safety
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I write about things that people have strong opinions about and encourage discourse (conversation) so that others who read the articles can share their opinions. Your way of thinking discourages people from providing a point of view that is different from yours. One does not need to have a college degree in order to have an opinion about policy or political issues that impact them. Just because someone has a different opinion from you, does not mean that person is ignorant or foolish. However, people often call others things that they subconsciously consider themselves to be. To clarify, I do not consider you to be foolish or ignorant, but hope that you can disagree without being disrespectful.
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