Ban All Guns
The Founding Fathers of our country made a mistake when they said we had the right to bear arms. They did not know we would be allies with the British and no longer have to worry about them coming over to oppress and colonize us. The British found greater spoils in Africa and India and never looked back on the United States after the Revolutionary War.
The right to bear arms is killing all of us. In 2005 the Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported 3,006 children and teens killed by gunfire, most of them young, black men in inner-city neighborhoods. And CNN reported yesterday that black-on-black murder of young black men is up 40 percent from last year. The harder the times get, the higher these statistics will go.
The Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois gun killings took 32 lives, and the world was upset and every day 128 young people are shot to death in hard-pressed, poor communities across America and there is no outcry to change it, just report it on the local news. The reporting is so sensationalized that it makes stars of the infamous murderers in the poor black communities. Young men often tell their friends to watch the 6 o'clock news for their action.
We need to ensure that those we elect to public office are not so stuck on protecting us from another British invasion that they cannot enact legislation that will limit the number of guns in our country. It is time to end this culture of violence. We have become desensitized to the point that we play video games that glorify murder -- even cop murder.
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Journalistic integrity
The Second Amendment was written by people who understood the danger of a government unchecked in its power. Your assertion that the Second Amendment has no place in today's society indicates that you believe that an elderly woman should go hand-to-hand with a teenage thug.
There was a time that journalists were required to check their facts before writing even an opinion piece. The drivel that you spew on to this blog indicates that you have studied neither your country's history, nor your city's plight.
Maybe you should read about Dr. Ossian Sweet, or perhaps talk to Ken Blanchard at www.blackmanwithagun.com in order to enlighten yourself. As it is, your current, wretched, level of knowledge about your country and your history is a disgrace to journalism.
Ban ALL Guns...you can't be serious!
"If we outlaw guns then only outlaws will have guns."
dear robert,
I hope you know that there are more then 50 million households in america that own a gun...good luck trying to disarm america! If you are soo worried about the public's genral welfare, then fix the countries rampant unemployment and correct the "revolving door" judicial system.
One of the other posters had a point about african-american mentalities...no, its not because you're black! I find it kind of hypocritical that quite a few blacks will play the race card whenever confronted..."It's not our fault, its the government's fault for letting us have guns!" BS!!!! Personal accountibility is severely lacking and morals are erroding faster then the world turns. FIX THAT FIRST! Well, the good thing is that almost all of the commentors on this article have corrected you in how wrong you were, especially involving gun control Vs. Gun Crimes.
The 2nd ammendment WAS passed to not only protect the other amendments in the bill of rights, but to protect against a govenment that is no longer FOR THE PEOPLE. The government has lost its fear of the people who are supposed to rule it. Kinda funny that the boston tea party occured because of a .5% tax on tea, yet we now give almost 21% of our pay to the government that is no longer helping us, THE PEOPLE, out.
Since guns are protected by the bill of rights, there has been talk of "bullet accountibility", encoding all casings and bullets while destroying any unmarked bullets by 2010. If people can create and transport drugs in their basements, do you think putting an ID on a bullet will slow crimes? NO! You'll just end up with bullets that have fake ID's or no ID on them from illegal trafficers.
Save the money and manpower you would use to try and tax/disarm gun-owners and put it to use by cleaning up the streets. Until that happens, I want a weapon in my hands so i can defend what is dear to me. If you dont want a weapon, fine, but dont tell me what i can or can not have.
-Lyon Armonial
20 yr old in Novi, MI
They came back in 1812
Did you sleep through US History class in high school? In your first paragraph you said, "The British found greater spoils in Africa and India and never looked back on the United States after the Revolutionary War."
Ahem... I'm going to shout this, since you obviously weren't listening when you were supposed to learn this stuff:
THEY CAME BACK IN 1812 AND BURNED DOWN OUR NATION'S CAPITAL!!!
Why should anyone respect your opinion on US political policy when you apparently don't even know the most basic facts of US History?
My Great Grandmother and her .38
Rev. Smith
Please read this editednewspaper article:
Widow, 76, kills intruder
By Douglas Glazier,
The Detroit News. May 6, 1972, No. 258
A burglary suspect was shot to last night by a 76-year-old widow who was expecting a stray cat to call for its usual handout on the near west side of Detroit Mrs. Anna Belle Samuelson said she was warned of the prowler by two cats and a small dog she keeps as pets in her home on Lothrop, about a block form Grand River and West Grand Boulevard.
Mrs. Samuelson said she was joined in screaming by a middle-age woman companion who lives with
her. But the man merely wrapped a jacket about his arms so he could smash the back door window.
It was then she decided to phone for police help, Mrs. Samuelson said, and take out a .38 caliber revolver she had for protection after her electrician husband, Gustav, died eight years ago.
When she returned to the back door, Mrs. Samuelson said she found her companion still screaming at the intruder, who had broken the glass, and was reaching for the locked bolt.
"I never fired the revolver before, and I have arthritis, so I had to use both hands to hold it out straight and steady" Mrs. Samuelson said.
"But I was so upset that I closed my eyes and pulled the trigger once. Nobody was more surprised that me that I hit anything."
Shot once in the face, the man was found slumped outside Mrs. Samuelson's back door by the time police arrived. He carried no identification, and was listed at the county morgue as Unknown Man 82 for 1972.
The suspect was described by police as a six-foot-tall, black male in his 20's, weighing about 175 pounds.
Homicide detectives after questioning her allowed Mrs. Samuelson to go back home by midnight. They determined that she had a legal permit for her handgun, and decided she fired in lawful defense of herself and her property.
Mrs. Samuelson has three grown children with homes but said she was determined to continue living where she has made her home for almost 30 years.
"Where in the world can you move that there aren't troubles to worry about anyway?" Mrs. Samuelson asked.
"Don't call me brave. I'm realistic, that's all. The trick is not to think you're living in a dream world. A person can't escape reality. You simply have to face it." She declared.
That woman was my Grandmother. Now tell me again why she should have been banned from owning a gun.
...and the person you most admire is who?
"Among the many misdeeds of the British rule in India, history will look upon the act of depriving a whole nation of arms, as the blackest."
-Mahatma Gandhi
12,998 people died in 2007
Your premise for the reason of the 2nd ammendment is wrong. The founding fathers wanted to gurantee government could not impose tyranny on the people without the peoples ability to fight back. Gun violence is a symptom of greater probelms in society. Drugs and alcohol use lead to most violent crimes in this country. 12,998 people were killed in 2007 by drunk drivers. I hear no calls for the ban of alcohol sales. We have thousands of drug laws and yet an estimated 3 million people in the United States are addicted to illegal drugs. Most gun related deaths involve drugs and alcohol. Most gun related deaths are commited by those who do not legally own the firearm or could legally own the firearm. I guess if you can smuggle drugs you can smuggle guns. All the laws we need are on the books. It comes down to enforcement. We need those arrested to stay in jail. We need the law abiding citizens armed to protect themselves from the thugs. Guns are the great equalizer for the citizen targeted by a group of thugs or a strong violent criminal. When seconds count, the police are minutes away and no law abiding citizen should have to trust their life to a 911 phone call and even a five minute response. Yes, there have been those who own firearms and take lifes in a violent spree. There again, obvioulsy the police cannot be everywhere and are seldom there stop any crime in progress. This could easliy as happen with illegal firearms obtained as easily as drugs. When government makes laws to keep law abiding citizens from legally carrying guns then they are complicint in their murder. Taking guns away from the armed law abiding citizen is not the answer.
Really?
Banning guns is going to solve the problems we have with violent crime? I don't see how, when its not the guns committing the crimes in the first place, its the criminals who are using them.
How is it that places with less restrictive gun laws, and permissive concealed carry laws, seem to suffer less violent crime? Whereas cesspools like Chicago, New York City, and Los Angeles are awash in it, despite the extremely restrictive laws they've passed? Could it be that the guns aren't the problem, but something else is?
Blood doesn't run in the streets where I live, and there are probably more guns in this town than people. As a matter of fact, its an extremely safe place to live. I don't think twice about walking the streets after dark here.
The problem, then, isn't the guns. Its the people using them to harm others. Yet of all the laws we've passed on targeting violent offenders, how many of them were actually aimed at keeping them off the streets? How is it that more gun control is going to keep us safe, when we have a justice system that plays "catch and release" with violent criminals?
The majority of these criminals come from broken homes in a bad neighborhood, with no positive role models, and are awash in a culture that promotes ignorance and criminal behavior. Until you fix that, all the gun control in the world isn't going to make the problem disappear.
So do us all a favor. Take the fervor you have for stripping honest citizens of their Constitutional rights, and apply it in a more productive direction.
Inner City Shootings
Sure Rev., I'll support more gun laws for you, as soon as you and the members of your congregation write the names of every family member and neighbor that belongs to a gang and has a gun hidden on this sheet of paper. Let me know when you're done and we'll hold a joint press conference to name names and start to really bring the cycle of violence to an end.
Sound fair?
Ban Poorly Educated Bloggers
Bob;
I would submit that the greater mistake is your editor granting you a forum in which to spew your unsupportable missives. You launch a diatribe asserting that the second amendment is a mistake, yet you do not even know US history well enough to support your argument. You seem to have missed history class the day that the War of 1812 was discussed, as well as a few others. You also make the common mistake that the right to bear arms is only valid or applicable in the case of a military invasion. The Korean shop-owners that defended their businesses and lives during the Rodney King riots would disagree with you, as would the estimated 2.5 million people that use a firearm in self defense each year in the US.
Since you seem to have missed the day when the Bill of Rights was taught, I will give you the Cliff's Notes version. Before the various states would ratify the Constitution they insisted that certain items be explicitly declared to ensure that the new government would respect the rights of the people; these declarations were made and came to be known as the Bill of Rights. The first was that people had the right to freely assemble, to speak their mind, and to associate as they chose. The second was that the people had to right to possess weapons and ammunition. Refer to the writings of the founding fathers, and you will see that these rights were considered inherent to free people, not privileges granted by the government which could also be taken away.
You decry the deaths of young black males, yet you studiously avoid discussing the real issues. Why not address the conditions that contribute to this problem, broken families and a lack of education? Bill Cosby has the moral courage to address these issues; why won't you stand with him? Could it be that you are not as concerned about the deaths as you are about controlling people?
If you really cared about avoidable deaths of children, you would be concerned about bicycle helmets, swimming pools, seat belt use, storage of poisonous substances, and lack of parental supervision of children. Each of these contributes more to deaths of children than firearm use, yet you are silent regarding them. It seems to demonstrate that you are using deaths of children and young adults to support your political desires; that is despicable and opportunistic.
Gun control has long been used to control various groups. I would have hoped that you would be aware that during Reconstruction (that time after the US Civil War where the rebel states were punished) gun control was used to keep blacks disarmed and unable to defend themselves. Such is always the case. Even today, if you look at some of the most vocal advocates of gun control you will see that they actively work to ensure that common people are denied access to firearms for self defense, while at the same time they live in gated communities and have armed security. Might I ask where you live?
I will close with a personal experience. I have used a firearm to defend myself, so has my former wife. In neither case was a shot fired; possession of the firearm with the will to use it was all that was required to halt the situation. I will not be disarmed.
Gun RIGHTS
Mr. Smith, if the inner-city gang bangers are the ones you're so concerned about, why not simply ban them - and them alone - from owning/carrying firearms? Oh wait, it's already illegal for minors to carry handguns, and it's already illegal for felons to posses firearms. Doesn't seem to have slowed the black on black violence any. Fact is Mr. Smith, in my community all my neighbors have multiple firearms, and there is NO crime here. But then there aren't any gang bangers here either. Yet you still don't get it, do you Mr. Smith?
Ban all Guns
The guest commentator "forgot" the War of 1812, when the British burned down the White House...
Since he makes false declaritory statements of history, it is obvious that his other suppositions are more likely based on false data, information, beliefs, and history.
Any arguement based on lies is therefore, bunk.
ban all guns
This guy Robert Smith JR only see what he wants to see. Ten times that many childerm are killed every year buy automobiles and Mr Smith Jr only see the danger in guns. There are few and very few children that are killed by guns that are truly accidents, more children drown in bathtubs then are killed by true gun accidents. Mr Smiths commintary is called making your facts fit your story never mine the truth. This guy is looking at total deaths by guns not why they died, with inner city gangs, drug wars and alike, criminals and gang bangers are dropping like flies, add in to the mix that there is an ever growing number of folks out there that have cpl's, ccw's or what ever it is called in your state, and are defending them selves from criminals that this guy loves so much. No wonder he wants to ban all guns it will give him more head lines to write about.
Mr. Smith's
Mr. Smith:
That young, black, urban males are killing one another is a problem with young, black, urban males.
By pointing the finger of blame away from them, you only exacerbate the problem.
Ban All Guns
Mr. Smith, you have to be one of the following: hopelessly naive; pandering to the hopelessly naive for personal gain; or supporting a political candidate, who is pandering to the hopelessly naive for personal gain.
With every law we have making it a criminal act to commit a crime with a gun (and there are thousands), what makes you believe that the revocation of the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution and complete ban on all firearms would prevent criminals from continuing to use firearms illegally?
BAN ALL GUNS
There are two things in Robert Smith, Jr.'s column that merit comment.
At the moment there are 22,309 restrictive gun laws. None of them have reduced crime. In fact, violent crime has increased after all 22,309 laws were enacted.
On the other hand, there are 324 laws that permit, encourage, or require gun possession. Crime of all sorts declined after liberalization of the gun laws.
And, strange as it may seem, the violent crime rate is proportional to the severity of the restrictions or the liberality of the laws. Pick your crime rate, anywhere between 0.5 and 500 per 100,000 population and the appropriate gun laws will provide the rate you want. The more restrictive the laws, the more violent crime you will have.
Next, yes, the homicide rate among our youth is very high. At the moment 77 percent of the homicides "solved by arrest" have one thing in common. The victim and their killer were either partners in, or competitors in, some criminal enterprise. And 13 percent of homicides are a result of some other crime; rape, robbery, or whatever. 8 percent are a result of "domestic violence."
Crime is killing our kids. And if we want to get back to where we were sixty years ago, we will have to do something drastic. Like persuading 1 man in 10 to carry a gun. The way it was sixty years ago in Detroit.
Extrano
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