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Real objective of gun control
elkvalleytimes.com ^ | 29 April, 2013 | Scott DesJarlais

Posted on 04/30/2013 6:27:19 AM PDT by marktwain

Last week, shortly after a key provision of the Senate gun control bill was voted down, former Senior Advisor to the President David Axelrod took to Twitter to announce his displeasure over the bi-partisan opposition to this legislation. Mr. Axelrod Tweeted “No Senator who heeled today on the NRA’s command should have the gall to issue mournful statements the next time gun violence strikes.”

This comment is distasteful as it is illogical. It is especially offensive because the efforts by the White House and their allies are more about winning an ideological battle than truly addressing the underlying causes of gun violence in America.

Like many of my constituents, I am a proud gun owner and strong supporter our Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. But I am also a colleague of former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords and I am father, who has a child nearly the same age as many of the victims of the tragedy at Sandy Hook.

I pray that we never again see another Newtown or Tucson or Aurora or Virginia Tech. And I firmly believe we must work to prevent these unspeakable acts of violence.

But the legislation that was defeated in the Senate would have done nothing more than erode the privacy of law-abiding Americans and create a government registry of all individuals who own firearms and the types of firearms they own. In fact, even one of the sponsors of the bill admitted their proposal would not prevent another mass shooting like Newtown.

Yet the administration continues to push for these sorts of superficial solutions while portraying their opponents as beholden to the gun lobby or unconcerned about keeping guns out of the hands of dangerous individuals. This approach is unfortunate because it has left us unable to develop real solutions to decrease gun violence in America.

For example, we know that mental illness plays a large role in many of these mass shootings. Last year Mother Jones Magazine published a study where they looked at 62 mass shootings over the past 30 years. They found that in more than half of these incidents, the individuals responsible displayed clear signs of serious mental illness.

However, the administration’s strategy on gun control has essentially pushed the issue of mental health to the wayside. This is extremely disappointing because making our nation’s mental health care system more efficient and responsive is an idea that is overwhelmingly supported by both parties. In an era of partisan gridlock, we have an opportunity to do something that would have a demonstrable affect in making society safer.

It has been shown time and time again that simply making it harder for law abiding citizens to purchase guns will do little to hinder criminals from obtaining firearms to commit malicious acts. Our nation’s capital provides a perfect example of this flawed mentality. Until recently, Washington, D.C. had a near-total ban on all guns. But violent gun crime increased each year. In fact, a study found that DC’s homicide rate was substantially higher than that of 49 other major cities.

So why does the administration continue to keep pushing for these ineffective gun laws?

Perhaps the key can be found in a comment made by Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid the day before the gun control legislation was scheduled to be voted on in the Senate. Majority Leader Reid, in one of those rare Washington moments where the truth is accidentally spoken, stated that good progress was being made on the “anti-gun” legislation.

I think this statement is indicative of the administration’s true goals when it comes to gun control. When President Obama first ran for state office he supported banning the manufacture, sale and possession of all handguns in Illinois. When the president ran for the United States House of Representatives in 1999 he proposed increasing federal taxes on the sale of firearms, restricting gun purchases to one a month and increasing gun licensing fees. And when the president ran for Senate five years later, he supported a law that would only allow former law enforcement officers to carry concealed weapons.

The president’s record displays a clear desire to drastically reduce the American people’s ability to lawfully own guns. But because this idea has been overwhelmingly rejected by the majority Americans, the president has been forced to mask his true desire under the guise of public safety concerns.

In fairness, this is not the first time this strategy has been used in Washington. However, for the president and his allies to try to humiliate those who see through his thinly veiled efforts is shameful. It is also unfair to those who believe we can protect both our Second Amendment rights and our fellow citizens. More importantly, it is unfair to the victims of gun violence who deserve real solutions from Washington.

If the president would move past the politics and the ideology and work with Congress to enact real measures to prevent gun violence, I’m confident he would find a willing group of individuals with whom to work. But if the president continues to attack our Second Amendment, either overtly or surreptitiously, then he can expect another bipartisan defeat.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Government; News/Current Events; US: Tennessee
KEYWORDS: banglist; desjarlais; guncontrol; secondamendment; tn
He does pretty well, but the Congressman would be well advised not to use the leftist propaganda term "gun violence".
1 posted on 04/30/2013 6:27:19 AM PDT by marktwain
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To: marktwain
But if the president continues to attack our Second Amendment, either overtly or surreptitiously, then he can expect another bipartisan defeat.

There are, even now, over 2 million firearms on backorder. He can expect more than just bipartisan defeat. He can expect REVOLUTION!!

2 posted on 04/30/2013 6:32:25 AM PDT by Don Corleone ("Oil the gun..eat the cannoli. Take it to the Mattress.")
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To: marktwain
"Anti-Bill-Of-Rights"

(We need to own the language about gun confiscation....)

3 posted on 04/30/2013 6:34:48 AM PDT by Uncle Miltie (All observant Muslims want to kill you. If they don't, they are not really Muslims.)
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To: marktwain

I find “Gun Violins” a much nicer term.


4 posted on 04/30/2013 6:35:55 AM PDT by Paladin2
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To: marktwain

Every pro-gun-control politician needs to be asked

“what is it that you want to do after the people are disarmed that you can’t do before?”


5 posted on 04/30/2013 6:41:29 AM PDT by MrB (The difference between a Humanist and a Satanist - the latter admits whom he's working for)
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To: marktwain

Yes, nice horse sh*t, as horse sh*t goes.

Very aromatic; extremely firm to the touch; pleasantly moist; clearly evolved from the very best hay.

But, in the end, horse sh*t is just... well... horse sh*t, and no matter how choice or select it may be, we cannot hold it in particularly high esteem, since, let’s face it, there are entire mountain ranges of horse sh*t emanating on a daily basis from Washington.


6 posted on 04/30/2013 6:41:52 AM PDT by Jack Hammer (American)
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To: Paladin2

Why do all the elites that are always protected by guys with firearms always trying to disarm US? Sorry but gun seizing or not there will always be a firearm around my house to deal with idiot home invaders who always seem to be liberal O’bummer supporters whether they are registered voters or not (almost always not)


7 posted on 04/30/2013 6:42:23 AM PDT by jsanders2001
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Liberals are a special kind of stupid.
What part of NOT do they NOT understand?

Free Republic stands for God and Country!!
Stand with Free Republic.

8 posted on 04/30/2013 6:43:40 AM PDT by RedMDer (May we always be happy and may our enemies always know it. - Sarah Palin, 10-18-2010)
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To: jsanders2001

Millions of Americans a month reaching out and grabbing a new gun can’t be wrong.


9 posted on 04/30/2013 6:45:09 AM PDT by Paladin2
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To: All


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10 posted on 04/30/2013 6:46:23 AM PDT by musicman (Until I see the REAL Long Form Vault BC, he's just "PRES__ENT" Obama = Without "ID")
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To: marktwain
It is especially offensive because the efforts by the White House and their allies are more about winning an ideological battle than truly addressing the underlying causes of gun violence in America.

The root cause of violent crime is violent criminals. To talk about anything else is to lie.

11 posted on 04/30/2013 6:55:24 AM PDT by Standing Wolf
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To: marktwain
What is the "Real objective of gun control"?

"But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security."

To prevent this happening again, that's the real objective.

12 posted on 04/30/2013 7:08:21 AM PDT by misanthrope (Liberalism; it is not unthinking ignorance, it is malignant evil.)
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To: jsanders2001

If, (BIG IF) they are truly being honest (LOL!) then they would quit pussyfootin’ around and propose amendment 28 to the constitution. It would make the 2nd amendment null and void and declare private ownership of firearms to be illegal. If it meets the constitutional requirements for passage then it’s over and the true goal of confiscation can begin on a specified date. Failing the constitutional requirements (which it would) they should be forever barred from EVER bringing it up again. So, hairy, mansion and tombee, bring it on and quit parsing crap. Man up. You too difi.


13 posted on 04/30/2013 7:52:54 AM PDT by rktman (BACKGROUND CHECKS? YOU FIRST mr. president(not that we'd get the truth!))
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To: Paladin2

Reminds me of an old cartoon from 45 years ago.

a couple is walking past two cops beating a homeless man who was playing a violin.

The man says to the girl...”How else can we stop violins in the street!”


14 posted on 04/30/2013 8:14:30 AM PDT by Ruy Dias de Bivar (Do we now register our pressure cookers?)
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To: marktwain

****They found that in more than half of these incidents, the individuals responsible displayed clear signs of serious mental illness. ****

But, this was supposed to be fixed in 1968!

“Today we begin to disarm the criminal and the careless and the insane. All of our people who are deeply concerned in this country about law and order should hail this day.

- Lyndon Johnson when he signed the 1968 GCA into law.


15 posted on 04/30/2013 8:17:24 AM PDT by Ruy Dias de Bivar (Do we now register our pressure cookers?)
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To: marktwain

We don’t let them have ideas. Why would we let them have guns? —Stalin


16 posted on 04/30/2013 9:34:38 AM PDT by TexasRepublic (Socialism is the gospel of envy and the religion of thieves)
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To: marktwain

Let’s make a deal with Axelrod. Conservatives will not issue mournful statements if leftists will not dance with glee when the next mass murder is committed.


17 posted on 04/30/2013 10:00:09 AM PDT by DPMD
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To: Ruy Dias de Bivar
TNNX.

So, it obviously precedes the times of Gilda Radner.

18 posted on 04/30/2013 10:23:27 AM PDT by Paladin2
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To: marktwain

“A gun is like a parachute. If you need one, and don’t have one, you’ll probably never need one again.”


19 posted on 04/30/2013 2:16:44 PM PDT by SwinneySwitch (Follow the money on both sides of the border.)
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