Posted on 12/19/2012 12:10:35 PM PST by null and void
In light of the attention recent events have focused on gun violence and the current approaching "Financial Cliff" I propose a partial solution to both issues.
it is hereby resolved that Congress act to penalize the glorification of firearms in entertainment media.
Whereas the Federal government is financially deep in the red, and
Whereas Congress is incapable of trimming even the most minuscule amount of spending, and
Whereas raising taxes on this side of the Laffer Curve reduces revenue, and
Whereas medical care mandates (ObamaCare) are a major contributor to budget woes, and
Whereas violent crime in general, and gun violence related injuries in particular are perceived as a major contributor to rising medical costs, and
Whereas the Second Amendment specifically forbids Congress from regulating firearms, and
Whereas regulation and taxation of the promotion of firearms in criminal acts is within Congress' purview,
Specifically Congress should act to impose the following charges for each act promoting gun violence in any form of video entertainment, spoken word, music or print at the production level:
Each firearm shown, named, or alluded to in any given work of entertainment shall accrue a production use cost of $100.
Each individual display, mention of, or allusion to an above named firearm in an given entertainment product such as a written article, video or musical track carries a production display cost of $10.
Each individual discharge of a firearm in an entertainment product carries a production shot cost of $1.
Therefore a video that shows 5 different guns accrues a $500 production use fee, if one gun is shown 20 times it accrues a $200 display fee, a second gun shown in 3 scenes would accrue its own $30 fee, and the cameos the 3rd, 4th, and 4th guns each accrue their own $10 display fee. If 50 rounds total are fired in the course of the video, the production shot fees add up to $50.
Therefore the total video production fee for this entertainment video is $810, a minuscule percentage of typical production costs.
Each retail sale of the resulting video or other entertainment product carries a 0.1% residual fee. In this case that would be 81¢ per DVD, CD, book, magazine, download, theater or live performance ticket.
All collected fees go into a gun violence reparations fund and are used to cover immediate care for firearms injuries, rehabilitation and continuing care. Excess funds go into the general fund and are used to help pay down the national debt.
Specifically exempted from this bill are historical documentaries, news footage and reports, and works produced solely for educational purposes.
This is only intended to penalize glorification of, promotion of and/or normalization of firearm related violence. It assess no penalties for legitimate manufacture, sales, transfers, possetion, ownership or use of any firearm for lawful or Constitutional purposes.
Precisely, this is a gentile but firm hand on the tiller (and in the till!)
Not Kosher...
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech..."
On that alone it would never float.
Doesn't taxation of what has heretofore been considered free speech constitute an abridgement?
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech..."
Otherwise, I rather like the idea.
Congress Critters have no problem comparing gun violence to child pornography, nor any problem outlawing it.
Why should promoting gun violence be more sacred than promoting child rape?
A proposal to the Feds:
In order to severely decrease gun violence world-wide, end all the non-declared wars and occupations our troops engage in.
When they come home, sell all their automatic weapons and armaments - up to and including tanks - to US civilians (with no felony records, etc) in order to generate much-needed revenue to pay down the debt, and with the proviso that the citizens must maintain the weapons and sell them back to the military if we ever actually declare a war again.
As do I.
But you can see what a contentious, protracted legal fight would ensue. Not to mention the howling from the media.
It would take hostilities (initiated by the Left no doubt) to a whole new level.
But then, the best defense is a good offense so it might be a good way to strike back, so to speak.
Let us all see and hear them having their noses rubbed -hard!- in their hypocrisy.
Tell me, how would you tax mental illness? If the money grubbers in congress can't get money (or votes) out of it, they can't be bothered.
Do you really want federal authorities to decide who has invisible insanity, and act accordingly?
Mine's got a chance to retire the national debt...
Yeah, remember the Baltimore Bullets? Soon after they moved to DC, they changed their name to the Wizards in response to the horrific murder rate there. That really put a dent in gun crimes in DC, didnt’ it? Well, DIDN’T IT??
An image of a gun on screen earns the film an R rating. Actual death/bloody gunshot wounds earn an X.
I figure as long as we're shredding the 2nd amendment, why not make it a twofer and attack the 1st?
True that...
Don’t be silly, congress wouldn’t get a penny from the ratings changes...
Well, I went and read it. A foolish proposition that fixes an imaginary problem.
Blaming todays problems on violence in movies or video games (video games ARE a problem due to a different but similar reason as what is often claimed) makes us all look like the provincial idiots that this arguement is intended to.
Good job promoting it here, youve earned your paycheck.
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