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writing for godot

Progressives Against Obama Gun Control

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Written by Richard Kane   
Saturday, 26 January 2013 19:31

'Yes', to gun buy-back programs, 'Yes', to either one-gun-a-month, or if more are purchased a requirement to periodically list their whereabouts, 'Yes', to either concealed weapons being locked up, or all guns, if those who aren't supposed to be near them are in the household. Although Adam Lanza's mother was reported to having had her guns locked in a basement chest. This has been disputed, but Adam Lanza was smart and could have gotten them anyway, unless his mother had had fingerprint locks on the gun-box hooked up to a house alarm monitoring service. She was financially well off enough to afford such security, but a government program and/or a new gun sales tax could help people who wanted it, afford to hook up to such security alarm systems. Otherwise a gun being known to be on a premises is now a major inducement to robbing people's homes, even cops could have fingerprint locks on their gun holsters, which in some circumstances like being forced to interpret or mediate in a domestic dispute they would welcome. In El Salvador the government getting involved in mediating conflicts especially gang conflicts cut gun crime 50% for now over a year now.

There are groups, especially in California and New York, struggling to oppose the school-to-prison pipeline, the Advancement Project, NY ACLU and the NY NAACP who are very upset on how Obama's proposals would make it worse,
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/01/10/schools-guns-police/1823579/
http://www.rightsworkinggroup.org/content/will-obama%E2%80%99s-gun-control-agenda-worsen-school-prison-pipeline
http://www.naacpldf.org/files/case_issue/LDF%20Proposal%20to%20VP%20Biden%20re%20School%20Safety.pdf
http://www.theithacajournal.com/article/20130110/NEWS01/301100081/Group-says-more-cops-schools-not-answer

Pennsylvania with a strong anti-gun Philadelphia is possibly the state that will likely swing the most on gun issues. Thus the Advancement Project and others might work out a compromise with the NRA that gets results, rather than an assault gun ban that covers very few gun deaths, that is more than offset by new people buying guns as the result of attempts to ban any.

The state of Pennsylvania after years of refusal turned mental health records over to the Federal Government. Since no one who fears being shot unless they have a gun to try to defend themselves with, will turn their weapons in, the people in PA now who leagally can't own their gun anymore will be new sudden criminals for not giving up their guns. Elsewhere the police in England don't want guns knowing that if they get them then some criminals will want them to defend themselves against being shot by the police. Notice how determined insurance companies are against risking banks, chain stores and ships attacked by pirates to become shoot-out zones with any armed employees on the premises being fired if violated, even if a gun was used in the public's mind in a very justified manner.

The Supreme Court decided that ordering non concealed guns to be kept unloaded and unlocked is violating the Second Amendment. But keeping guns locked and loaded and with new quick access technology might be passed to see if the court will allow such a law. Some people at first only fasten there seat belts when they think a cop is coming. Even a robber if the punishment was far less would try to have his gun locked up in front of the security camera but would not try to rob without bringing bringing his gun fearing getting shot. Laws that a number of people actually follow some of the time make more sense. Shaking a gun box during road-rage would be less provocative then banishing a gun. If there was a fine for unlocking a gun in public with out applying for a just need clearance after the fact, and one quickly losing the right to own one if the fine isn't paid, people who want to stay legal would pay the fine and get tired of paying fines thus change their behavior. On another post I suggested phone calls connected to a car's wheels nearly free when not moving and $3 a minute when cars are moving with request for a for a refund if the call was for emergency use to be available,

http://readersupportednews.org/pm-section/419-gun-control-/15299-cell-phones-while-driving-and-guns-in-our-cities-is-the-solution-banning-them


We got to find ways of making the laws go along with human nature, not polices that keep people in jail to make them behave.

Now for the subject of armed police in schools. Adam Lanza in the Elementary School shooting was skilled enough to shoot first. Does anyone remember that there was an armed deputy sheriff on duty the day of the Columbine Massacre. Cops assigned to schools can mean kids arrested for a fist-fight or heavy cursing, and its not unknown for dress code violations, reported by the Advancement Project and NAACP. Children in city schools where there are police and the belief by the students that the only good legal job ahead would be in the military, is gun culture in almost all directions. Joining the military or joining a gang to better one's lot is actually the same mindset.One statistic that is overwhelming is that war and societies that has experienced war in the recent past has always led to increases in civilian gun crime. Now gun deaths are going up in Britain, probably due to British involvement in the Afghan war, rather than (as the NRA claims) belated proof that gun bans don't work even in Britain. I urge the Advancement Project and concerned NAACP groups involved in stopping the school-to-prison pipeline, also actively make positive suggestions in the same breath that they criticize Obama's gun control efforts for making things worse. I wish other progressive parties, rather than only the Socialist Labor Party, would get involved. The demonizing of the NRA actually goes back to the same US mindset as demonizing drugs and Communism. Somehow the US people both right or left function on demonizing someone.

Whether guns protect citizens from an out-of-control government one can look at the Iraq War where Sunnies and Shiites were protecting themselves from each other with guns, and punishing crimes committed by the other group in tit for tat fashion and to the US as well. But now more and more only the Shiites have the guns may not be a peace solution after all. In any case even successfully banning a few assault rifles would stop a very few gun deaths. James Holmes was determined to create mass carnage, his big gun jamming and his going to his car to get a second one was the best possible scenario for saving lives except he cased the movie theater at night rehearsing his plans. Night cameras at mass public gathering places clearly would have made a difference. Since lives were saved at the Virginia Tech massacre by barricading the classroom door, and at the Sikh Temple by locks on the ladies bathroom and prayer-room saved lives, even in the elementary school massacre though not the gun shattered locked glass front door. Why is no one pushing, even cosmetic changes in architecture, rather than having a lot more police presence?

The NRA is wrong about Adam Lanza choosing a school because it was a gun-free zone, he hated those kids because his mother volunteered as a kindergarten teacher last school year and first grade this school year, which he felt was responsible for his mother wanting him committed instead of taking care of him anymore.

Some of the people arrested for straw purchases are actually crime victims, who were threatened to get someone a gun, or not to report their gun was stolen probably by the likely suspect they feared. If crimes against timid people by other prisoners were reported as a crime it would be clear that long-term incarceration for straw purchases is making crime worse.

Why is among the third parties only the Socialist Labor Party fighting this new witch-hunt? Luis Rodriguez the Vice Presidential candidate of the Justice Party was once a poverty stricken-child who became a gang member who since getting out of the gang saved lives with his mediation efforts. If he became head of the Justice Party we would have a stab at a new better country. The Green Party is not getting new members by silence on this issue. Realizing the issue is complicated is not reason enough for not getting involved.

Incidentally Obama is making the killing worse in Afghanistan by claiming to be getting out next year, by turning the war over to the Afghan Government. We should negotiate with the Taliban to make a peace agreement. Even deciding to just stay would lessen the war since the Taliban and others are sure that in less than a generation the US will go bankrupt and get out, unless the US can find locals to take over the war. Perhaps the Taliban would be willing to let Kabul remain autonomous for a while in exchange for rent. As far as the US negotiating with the more moderate elements of the Taliban, Afghans know the USSR tried this, and only made Afghanistan more extreme in the long run than it would be otherwise. If it wasn't for Obama's so-called victory in Iraq supposedly leaving the Kurds as a balancing act, but actually slowly leaving the Shiites in charge of most of the country, the Taliban wouldn't fight very much, instead wait around for the US to go bankrupt and leave. It's only because a more less permanent Shiite, morally liberal Sunni coalition with Indian Hindu input is somewhat permanently in charge is conceavably is the only reason that the Taliban bothers to fight very much instead of just waiting for Euro-American bankruptcy. When it comes to peace, Obama's policy there is the very worse, a side for scorched earth or nuking the place.

Peace in the streets of America is linked to the US trying to make peace with others around the world. I think highly of groups that want to make peace in the streets and also peace overseas. Whenever those blocking getting into a gun store are the same people blocking the war overseas and people getting recruited into the military I think it is good news despite the general gist of this article. However separating gun control from controlling the US government's reliance on guns is another matter.

my.firedoglake.com/RICHARDKANEpa/
RichardKanePA.blogspot.com

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