TSA gun inspection |
Here’s the latest. The gun freaks now want to be able to extend their concealed right-to-carry privileges to airplanes. J.D. Schechter from, where else but gun-totin’ Arizona, who runs the Arizona Citizens Defense League, says some of his readers think, because of the relaxing of guns laws in many states, this could become a reality.
Just what we need. Some yahoo from Arizona where anyone can own a gun and who probably has absolutely no training in firearms, to protect us on an airplane. I’ll take the train. Some lame brain gun owners still continue to end up at the airport daily with guns packed in carry-ons that they claim they forgot were there. In the week before Christmas, the T.S.A. discovered 31 guns with rounds actually in the chamber. National Rifle Assn. (NRA) education at its best.
And what happened to the uproar over improved gun control following the shooting of U.S. Representative Gabby Giffords. The one year anniversary was last Sunday and immediately following the incident a year ago President Obama sounded as if he might be willing to move forward on the issue. We also have heard nothing from Giffords herself.
Jared Loughner |
Jared Loughner, the shooter in the Tucson massacre has been judged mentally ill by many and at least we should be addressing that part of the problem. But over one year later only a small number of states pass along records of those judged to be mentally ill. Loughner killed six in Tucson , and another mentally unbalanced gunman Seung Hui Cho killed 32 at Virginia Tech U. in 2007. Why doesn’t the NRA, which supports reporting, lobby for more state participation?
But there is definitely a wave in this country toward looser weapons laws, and gun control advocates like me are fast becoming the minority. It makes sense that the more guns that are available, the more likely they are to get in the hands of the Loughners and Chos. Having a gun in the home as a means of protection for an emergency is one thing, but some rube walking around on the streets with a gun in his pocket with no training or background check is preposterous.
If you think these relaxed gun laws is what has reduced violence across the U.S. , think again. Although it isn’t completely clear, the experts say it is due in part to higher rates of incarceration, and a decrease in the number of teenagers who commit a disproportionate share of offenses. In New York City , as an example, their gun laws have not changed and there are still problems such as oppressive poverty, but murders have declined to 1950’s levels.
Old West cowboy |
No matter how you view the loose weapons issue, Arizona is the leader in making guns available to anyone who wants them. During a very somber period this past Sunday when a vigil was being held in Tucson for those killed in the Arizona shooting, the Tucson Gun Show decided to hold its annual event at the Pima County Fairgrounds. This can only be described as tasteless beyond reasoning, devised by a bunch of double-digit IQs that have absolutely no feelings for the six dead. Next, same state, the Republican legislature has renewed its push for legalizing guns on campus.