Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Before We All Freak Out Over NY's Gun Legislation...



By John Amaruso

All I'm seeing in my news feed is people freaking the hell out over something they probably haven't even read-

So, with that being said...

Before we get all up in arms (no pun intended) over the recent bill that passed through the New York state assembly, let's actually take a look at what is in the bill before we jump the gun (no pun intended). Unless you want to remain another passer of erroneous and misleading talking points, take a look at what is actually in this bill as reported by NBC news.

(Source by NBC News)
The Secure Ammunition and Firearms Enforcement Act, New York's law:
  • Bans possession of any high-capacity magazines regardless of when they were made or sold. Only clips able to hold up to seven rounds can be sold in the state. Clips able to hold seven to 10 rounds can be possessed, but cannot be loaded with more than seven rounds. If an owner is found to have eight or more bullets in a magazine, he or she could face a misdemeanor charge.
  • Requires ammunition dealers to do background checks, similar to those for gun buyers. Dealers are required to report all sales, including amounts, to the state. Internet sales of ammunition are allowed, but the ammunition will have to be shipped to a licensed dealer in New York state for pickup.
  • Requires creation of a registry of assault weapons. Those New Yorkers who already own such weapons would be required to register their guns with the state.
  • Requires any therapist who believes a mental health patient made a credible threat of harming others to report the threat to a mental health director, who would then have to report serious threats to the state Department of Criminal Justice Services. A patient's gun could be taken from him or her, as well.
  • Stipulates that stolen guns should be reported within 24 hours.
  • Tightens the state's description of an "assault" weapon. Previous state law defined an assault weapon as having two "military rifle" features, but the new law reduces that specification to just one feature
  • Requires background checks for all gun sales, including by private dealers -- except for sales to members of the seller's immediate family.
To cut this down- you can all keep your guns. Unless it's you know, a ridiculously unnecessary one, like let's say an assault rifle (there's a reason why we're also not allowed to own grenades).

As for the background checks; when you buy a car in New York state, the car must be registered, and all sales whether private or public are reported to the state government to ensure the legality of the sale (I.E. make sure it's not stolen). Not to mention actually having to have a license to drive the car, because you know, driving a car is a big responsibility; hence, you must be qualified to operate one.

If I have to go through all that just to drive a car, I'd hope I'd have to do a lot more to own and use a weapon, especially one with the capability of taking out masses of people.

The only real victims in any of this? The mentally ill. They have now been stigmatized and ostracized as a bunch of looney violence addicted murderers who have no control over themselves whatsoever. There are millions of people diagnosed with all types of mental illness ranging from depression, to anxiety, to bi-polar and the like; they don't all go out and kill someone. They will only be made to feel further isolated and humiliated by society, singled out for having a mental deficiency which is just as debilitating and common as any physical disability.

This is just a prelude; I will be writing a piece in due time over why there is no real solution to gun violence in this country. Policy makers want to find the silver bullet (lol) for this problem, but there just isn't. Banning guns won't do. Locking up the mentally ill won't do it. What will do? Call me a cynic, but not much.

I am a firm believer in the constitution and our inalienable rights. But that does not mean that all of our rights come with absolutely no limitation- even our freedom to express ourselves is limited (it's called hate speech). Our freedom to assemble is limited (you need a permit). So everyone, just chill out- the government is not going to break down your door and take your guns away as the NRA would like you to believe.

Again New Yorkers, don't freak out- you'll all be able to keep your guns. Just not the completely unnecessary ones that were illegal in the first place.








P.S. You know there are 27 amendments in the constitution right? Many of which are violated on a daily basis and have a much bigger impact on our freedoms than our freedom to own a gun. Here's a short list of how some of these amendments have been violated in recent years.

  • Amendment 1 - Freedom of Religion, Press, Expression
    -No mosques can be built here! (I.E. Tennessee, Ground Zero Mosque)
    -Journalists can't photograph soldier's bodies returning from war
  • Amendment 4 - Search and Seizure
  • Amendment 6 - Right to Speedy Trial, Confrontation of Witnesses
  • Amendment 7 - Trial by Jury in Civil Cases
  • Amendment 8 - Cruel and Unusual Punishment
    -All 4 stated above violated by the Patriot Act and NDAA- look it up.
  • Amendment 10 - Powers of the States and People
    -Commerce Clause filled that power void a long time ago.
  • Amendment 24 - Poll Taxes Barred
    -Republicans tried passing voter I.D. laws requiring voters to have a driver's license (which can cost a lot to a low income person)- essentially, it's a tax or a fee to vote.
So enjoy fighting for those rights back too.