Mission statement:

Armed and Safe is a gun rights advocacy blog, with the mission of debunking the "logic" of the enemies of the Constitutionally guaranteed, fundamental human right of the individual to keep and bear arms.

I can be reached at 45superman@gmail.com.You can follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/45superman.

Monday, November 09, 2009

Snuffy Pfleger's 'plan'

Perhaps my fellow Illinois gun rights advocates have already seen Snuffy's idea, and commented, but I've only just noticed this:

GUNS ARE TOO EASY TO ACCESS!

Gun violence has risen to epidemic level across America, from Oakland, CA. to Newark, NJ [Ed. note: interesting that the two cities named are in the nos. 1 and 2 Brady-ranked states for most draconian gun laws]. The United States leads the world in firearm possession. As a result, firearms are used in 15,000 homicides, another 15,000 suicides, and 1,500 accidental deaths each year. Currently, there are a number of places where there are virtually no limits on gun ownership. Easy access to guns has caused the murder rate to rise in exceeding numbers, taking the lives of countless children. It is up to us to eliminate the easy access to guns, in order to prevent the senseless killing in our community.

Solution: Require that guns be registered and licensed the way cars are.

Rationale: Both guns and cars can be deadly. Ownership of a car requires registration. If guns are registered like cars, it would prevent unlawful citizens from easily acquiring a gun, thereby diminishing the number of gun-related deaths.
It is often said, “Guns don’t kill people; people kill people.” That mindset must be changed. People with guns kill people. It is also often said that criminals will always get guns. Not true! This is why we want to title guns just like we do cars, right from the manufacturer. The owner of every car can be traced for the lifetime of the vehicle. In fact, if a person does not transfer the title and does not report it stolen, s/he is held responsible for any accident it may be involved in. If we title guns like cars, law-abiding citizens can obtain a gun but they will also be responsible for every gun they purchase.

How would it work: The titling of guns does not interfere with a person’s second amendment rights, rather, it would stop the unlawful easy access to guns! Just as everyone must have a license to drive a car, everyone would be required to have a license to own a gun. The licensing exam would test gun safety knowledge to help reduce accidents, which are extremely common. The licensing process would also help officials weed out those who should not be allowed to purchase guns, such as felons and the mentally unstable. Like a driver’s licenses, gun licenses would have to be renewed every few years, and could be suspended for violations.

If the gun manufacturers, N.R.A. and gun control activists, all share a common desire to save lives and keep guns out of the hands of the wrong people, we should all agree that it’s time to save our children, stop the violence, stop the easy access and title guns like cars.
The problems with this idea are too numerous to catalog, and for regular readers, won't be necessary. Basically, you don't license fundamental human rights, and a gun registry is simply a gun confiscation directory for the government.

It amuses me, though, to speculate about what Snuffy's scheme would actually mean to his side. Luckily for me, it's already been summed up nicely--here are a couple examples.

On the flip side, consider the reverse situation: car ownership being subjected to the same draconian restrictions to which gun ownership is now.

I certainly hope Snuffy is a better shepherd of his congregation's immortal souls than he is a public policy advocate. Otherwise, Hell might need to expand.

4 comments:

Kurt '45superman' Hofmann said...

Precisely.

Z@X said...

We don’t seem to have any shortage of religious fanatics and their plans. Maybe the FBI should keep an eye on Snuffy too.

straightarrow said...

Snuffy isn't religious, he is evil.

Anonymous said...

I don't understand the people who make comments like the one listed in this post. They seem to think if you decide to own a gun, eventually you will kill someone with it or at the very least, someone might be killed with it eventually. I don't own a single gun and that's my choice. My brother own's two guns (one rifle and one handgun) last I knew anyway and I seriously doubt that he will be killing anyone with them. Truthfully, I don't even know if he still has them. I will also add that he obtained them legally as would be expected.

These people don't seem to think that many guns are stolen before they are used to commit crimes. Yes, they can be traced back to the original owner, but what good does that really accomplish.

Their comparison to registering a car is ridiculous. They act like no one ever steals a vehicle before they rob a bank or go on a drive-by shooting and so on. If someone is going to commit as violent of a crime as to shoot someone do you really think it is going to bother them to commit burglary of theft in an attempt to cover their tracks?

Like I said, I don't own a gun myself but I respect everyone's right to do so if they choose the same way I respect everyone's right to free speech and right to peacefully assemble and so on. I dont' have to agree with what people say or believe, I just have to understand that it's their right to be able to say it or believe in it. Once you start controlling or limiting one freedom, who's to stop them from carrying on to the rest of our freedoms that we all cherish until there's nothing left to appreciate.

Maybe I come off as being too lax on this, but I happen to appreciate being free and able to make my own decisions on these things. If I change my mind and decide I want to go buy a gun, I want to be able to do so just as I am able to freely comment on this topic now. I won't even get started on the healthcare plan... or you most likely won't see an end to this post!