Tanks… A Lot

Congress just can’t get any more irrelevant. Once again both parties, despite having absolutely nothing to agree upon when it comes to getting things done that the American people need done,  have found something to agree upon by coming together to spend nearly a half-billion dollars in taxpayer money to build improved versions of the 70-ton Abrams tank.

And even though recently sequestered programs that serve real people are in dire need of refunding, Congress has decided to once again make a bipartisan effort to spend an extra $436 million on a weapon that their experts…namely the military… say is not needed.

The Sponsors of the bill to fund the tanks, who are also two of Congress’ most vocal advocates for cutting the federal budget, say that their support for what seems like obviously unnecessary spending  is all about national security,  even though the military says it’s not!

But actually the spending is all about General Dynamics, a major defense contractor that produces the tanks for the military and spent close to $11 million last year on lobbying…Congress of course…and they most probably use some of that money they get for producing the unneeded tanks on their lobbying for more…

And even though the Army would rather take a pause in their tank production so that they could spend the money on research-and-development work for a new and improved model…they of course need Congress’…and General Dynamics…permission first.

And to top it all off the  Defense Department has to spend around $115 billion over the next half decade just to keep tanks in tip-top condition by keeping them clean and rust-proof while in storage, otherwise they may fall apart while left locked up….because…they don’t need any more tanks!

How about this for an all around solution to our defense spending, gun control and 2nd amendment problems? Take the 4500 unused tanks that are already in storage and trade them to the NRA for a few thousand guns apiece.

That way we get rid of the tanks, round up the guns and give American militiamen, when the time finally does come for taking on the federal government,  something that they can really defend their rights with…tank you very much.

The Price of Freedom?

Perhaps I was a bit too wordy in my last post so I’ll try again….

A 4 year old went into his house and picked up a rifle then went outside and shot a 6 year old friend to death.

Should there be a penalty for the gun owner (not for the gun… but the owner)

And what kind of penalty?…

Or was this incident simply a price that some Americans pay for our freedom and the 2nd amendment of the US Constitution?

Oops, My Bad

 

Here in New Jersey a six year old boy was accidently shot by his 4 year old neighbor after the 4 year old child went into his house and brought outside a loaded rifle which then went off accidently. In Tennessee only a few days before a 4-year-old boy grabbed a loaded gun at a family cookout and accidentally shot to death the wife of a sheriff’s deputy.

In both instances, as far as I know, no charges have been filed against the gun owners but in New Jersey under state law, anyone who knows that a child under the age of 16 could access a loaded firearm in their home can be charged with a disorderly persons offense if they fail to secure it or install a trigger lock.

But even if charges are or were filed, is a disorderly persons charge enough for such negligence by a gun owner? Isn’t it basically a slap on the wrist and an invitation to merely say, “Oops, my bad,” when people have been killed with a weapon that you own to “make yourself safe”?

The United States Supreme Court says that accidentally shooting a gun during the commission of a crime should bring the same penalties as intentionally using a firearm. This decision came when the court upheld the conviction and sentence of Christopher Michael Dean, who was arrested for trying to rob a bank in Rome, Ga., in 2004.

A gun went off accidentally during the attempted robbery and the discharge brought an automatic 10-year sentence for firing a weapon during a crime. Dean appealed, saying the automatic sentence shouldn’t count since the firing of the gun was accidental but Chief Justice John Roberts, said the law “does not require that the discharge be done knowingly or intentionally.” He also added that if criminals want to avoid the penalty for accidental gunfire, they can lock or unload the firearm, handle it with care, leave the gun at home, or avoid having one in the first place.

Imagine that?

And Mr. Dean received 10 years in prison even though no one was injured when the gun went off.

According to the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control statistics About 600 Americans die in accidental shootings every year. However prosecutor’s rarely if ever bring charges even though the required charge may only be a simple misdemeanor…and most commonly their reaction to a tragedy like this is that the families have suffered enough so why make matters worse…

But is, oops, my bad, enough? Or should there be mandatory  legal consequences and compensation made to the aggrieved families?  I am not in favor of  jail time for tragedies like the ones in Toms River or Tennessee, but I would like to see heavy fines imposed on gun owners who in cases like these did not properly care for or secure their weapons. And I mean fines on the order of, oops, my house now belongs to your family…

So my question is what if any kind of penalty should be imposed on gun owners who do not secure their firearms and whose firearms are then  used in the killing of another person whether accidental or not? I’d especially like to know what gun owners and advocates think. Is it fair to ask lethal weapon owners to be legally responsible for their gun’s use or would this send us on the slippery slope to Hitler’s America… again?

 

Teach Your Children Well?

Okay, let’s try this…a simple yes or no is required…

You look outside and see that your 4 year old child is being hit by another 4 year old with a stick… Do you run outside and hand your child a stick and then say, “Here, now you are both safe.”

You hear that some unruly students at your child’s middle school like to push and shove and bully others while playing on the playground …Would you ask the principal to make an announcement  to the entire student body that from now on everyone in the school is authorized to push and shove and bully in retaliation to anyone who provokes them, in the interest of safety, order and security for all?

Your child comes home from high school and tells you that some of the other students carry switch blades which they often flaunt during lunch…Do you give your child a switchblade and say, “Don’t worry, show this to everyone tomorrow at lunch so that they will know to leave you alone from now on”?

If you answered no to these questions then at what age would you deem it appropriate to give your child a gun in the interest of helping them secure their future safety?

More Guns Does Equal More Crime

       I read a very interesting article in The New York Times this past weekend. As most of us know, following the Newtown, Connecticut shooting the National Rifle Association called for a renewed effort to place more armed police officers in the public schools to…you know…make them safer…because more guns equal more safety which consequently also saves more lives.

Even the White House jumped on board and has since proposed an increased police presence in the public schools.

And the NRA is always happy to site previous instances where a gun wielding principal or resource officer has helped to stop or thwart a student or intruder who was attempting to do harm.

However, as those of us who have worked in the public schools know, and as many NRA officials and gun advocates also like to point out when citing their statistics, there aren’t that many horrific acts of violence that do take place in the public schools and are in need of thwarting.

So, what has been the impact so far of an increased police presence in our public schools?

There has been an increase in arrests and misdemeanor charges for what most teachers have always seen as essentially non violent behaviors… like scuffles, truancy and even cursing. As a result more students are finding themselves in court and in fact in Texas, where I am assuming there has already been a police presence in the public schools for quite some time, over 100,000 tickets are written each year by police officers in schools…which of course leads to fines and police records etc. where none would have been incurred before.

Experts have noted that it’s not necessarily the policemen’s or resource officers fault,  it’s just that hanging around kids all day who behave…like kids…can be, as any veteran teacher will tell you, enough to drive you over the edge of sanity. And I have known many teachers who would have arrested the better part of their  school’s student population each and every day, if only their most fervent dream had come true and they had somehow been deputized and allowed to carry a gun and wear a badge.

However, when properly trained and taught how to work with students and young adults and schooled in adolescent psychology and mediation techniques, life in the public schools returns to normal because, well…the policemen start to interact with the students more like…teachers… and life in the public schools gets back to normal.

And, even though one horrific act of violence is always one too many, walking the halls every day trying to prevent it can be a pretty boring job…especially when you are a gun toting officer of the law who is probably not used to such boredom…and then of course one would have to be in the right place at the right time anyway. (I think that my high school alone had over 50 different entrances and exits…not counting windows.)

So until we can come up with a way to prevent violence before it happens rather than try to be there to stop it when it does, it looks like more guns will equal more crime and parents will have to just make sure to add their lawyer’s number to their child’s speed dial and keep a bailout fund in the cookie jar next to the milk money.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pseudoe-Fed

Today I went to the pharmacy to buy my weekly supply of Claritin-D which as you may remember from a previous blog of mine, contains pseudoephedrine. Pseudoephedrine is a common decongestant and is used to treat stuffy nose and sinuses caused by the common cold, hay fever, or sinus infection.

However, because pseudoephedrine can be misused in the making of methamphetamine, it is considered a dangerous substance. And even though the misuse of it is uncommon (according to the internet) the United States federal government has seen fit to regulate it so that I and others like me cannot get our hands on more than one Claritin-D tablet per day.

And when it comes to pseudoephedrine the US government sure doesn’t fool around because all sellers of these “controlled” substances must maintain a “log book” which is to be used to record each sale and the following information is required to be documented:

• Identity of each product sold, by name
• Quantity sold
• Name and Address of each purchaser
• Date and Time of the sale

Every prospective purchaser must present a valid identification card with photo, or an acceptable document issued by a State or Federal Government, and sign the log book.

But the good news is that today, instead of having to go through the lengthy process of filling out the paperwork and showing my driver’s license and then signing on the dotted line the pharmacist simply took her scanner and clicked on the Claritin product code then pointed the scanner at the back of my driver’s license and presto!

And what’s on the back of my driver’s license in that long black bar anyway? The mark of the beast?

Everything that’s on the front, except the picture, is on that magnetic strip. Your name, address, height, weight, eye color, birth date, sex, license number and expiration date is all stored on that magnetic stripe.

And we use these  magnetic stripes to keep track of all sorts of objects and people; they are used to keep track of rental cars, airline luggage, nuclear waste, registered mail, express mail and parcels, and tickets that allow the holder to enter sports arenas, cinemas, theatres, fairgrounds, and transportation.

And we’ve been using these scanners and barcodes now for  over 40 years and the government has applied this amazing and simple technology in continuing efforts to try to reduce crime, illegal immigration, underage drinking…and anything they can possibly thing of including suspected minority voting fraud for crying out loud!

So why not…of all things… guns? Barcode on the gun, barcode on the bullets, barcode on your license…the seller takes his scanning “gun” (how appropriate is that?) and bing bang boom, point and shoot here, point and shoot there and all of the necessary info is immediately recorded and logged into a database…and they’ve even got a barcode that looks like a target! (It’s both cool and fun!)

How easy is that? And we’re already doing it now for just about everything you can think of especially wherever the government thinks it might make some impact in providing safety and security for the American people.

We could even have used an electronic marker known as a taggant  to trace the gunpowder used in the bombs at the recent Boston Marathon that would have  identified  the point of manufacturer, and chain of custody…

In fact, explosives manufacturers are already required to place tracing elements known as identification taggants  in plastic explosives but…you guessed it… not in gunpowder, thanks to lobbying efforts by the NRA and large gun manufacturing groups because…wait for it… they are worried about being sued over the improper use of their ammunition or explosives!

If only guns and ammunition were considered by Congress to be as dangerous as allergy medication, movie line jumpers and minority voters, then we’d see some gun safety legislation…You Betcha!

Let’s Get Real

 

Gun proponents and advocates who disagree with my pro gun regulation blogs always seem to disagree with me, and others who try to promote gun regulation and safety, in the same way.

First they question and mock my ability to read and understand the Constitution of the United States. Next they state that because “the right to bear arms” is in the Constitution there can never be any debate or discussion about it nor any amendments or modifications or clarifications made to it. (which of course is what an amendment is in the first place)

Then they point out how guns actually save lives and point me to sites all around the internet that extol the virtues of those who have thwarted murderers, robbers and rapists etc. by shooting and killing them.  And finally they always resort to a paranoid complaint about how I and others like me just want to take away their guns so as to begin the establishment of an apocalyptic end of times government that will take away all of their freedoms once they have lost the ability to defend themselves with guns.

It is precisely these traits, i.e. the use of sarcasm rather than facts, the refusal to discuss differences and the belief that others are against them simply because they wish to do them harm, that scare non gun users. People who arm themselves with dangerous weapons for whatever purpose, are dangerous none the less. And history and statistics have shown us that the difference between a person with a “defensive weapon” and one who uses it to kill another person can simply be the difference between their access to that weapon, their lack of knowledge in the use of that weapon or simply their level of anger and aggravation at the time they choose to use it.

No one has asked or even expects people to give up their guns or their rights to own them as stated under the 2nd Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

The  package of gun laws proposed by President Obama after the Newtown attack by a lone gunman,  included expanding background checks on gun buyers, toughening laws against gun trafficking and straw purchases, banning semi-automatic rifles modeled after military assault weapons as well as large-capacity ammunition magazines, and coming up with ideas for improving school safety.

The weapons ban, on semi-automatic rifles modeled after military assault weapons as well as large-capacity ammunition magazines would update a 1994 law that expired in 2004,  and the White House is pushing hard for expanding background checks to all gun purchases in an effort to close a loophole that exempts private sales, such as transactions at gun conventions.

Federal law already prohibits selling guns to felons or the mentally ill. Background checks are the only way to enforce that law. So, besides criminals and the insane, who could possibly oppose universal background checks?

These proposals are not asking Americans to give up their guns. There are 270 million guns in the United States already. No one expects, nor wants,  nor is even willing to attempt to try to confiscate them. The U.S. Government didn’t even try to confiscate guns before, during or after the greatest conflict between its citizens and the government in the history of our country…The American Civil War!

Long before the Constitution was ratified by the United States another document was approved and hailed as one of the greatest achievements in the history of mankind and it said…

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–

Our most precious and unalienable rights, those of  life liberty and the pursuit of happiness, cannot be realized if one is dead. And fully and undeniably 70% of all gun related deaths are caused not by murderers or outlaws but by neighbors and family members and friends because they own guns or have access to them without safety, knowledge of use, or regulation.

Our right to life here in America is our most basic right…The right to own guns comes later, and no one is denying anyone that right, but those of us in favor of gun regulation want to discuss safety and life and childhoods and adulthoods free and alive to pursue all human rights everywhere.

So why can’t gun advocates even discuss that? Why can’t we meaningfully and intelligently discuss the just and proper regulation, use and ownership of things that are meant only to kill?

If History teaches us anything it’s that angrily refusing debate, discussion and compromise is always a precursor to a lost cause.

Be Careful Where You Point Your Statistics…You Might Hurt Someone

 

It was suggested to me that I take a look at the homicide by firearm rate to get a clearer perspective of violence in the United States and how perhaps it isn’t all that bad.

So I checked out the statistics collected by the UNODC ( United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime) from their 2011 Global Study on Homicide.

According to their statistics The US has the highest gun ownership rate in the world – an average of 88 per 100 people. That puts it first in the world for gun ownership ( the number two country, Yemen…(great company we’re in)… has significantly fewer  at 54.8 per 100 people)

The united States also ranks 1st in the total number of all civilian firearms with 270 million.

We are also #1 in rate of ownership.

But, say gun proponents, the US does not have the worst firearm murder rate.  In fact, the US is number 28, with a rate of 2.97 per 100,000 people. Isn’t that good news? Even though we have all of the guns we don’t have the highest firearm murder rate. We’re only 28th!

And here are the winners…

Honduras…El Salvador… Jamaica…Venezuela…Guatemala…St. Kits…Trinidad and Tobago…Columbia…Belize…Puerto Rico…Brazil…South Africa…Dominican Republic…Panama…Bahamas…Ecuador…Guiana…Mexico…Philippines….Paraguay…Anguilla…Nicaragua…St. Vincent…Zimbabwe…Costa Rica…Argentina…and (wait for it)…Barbados.

Not exactly the major leagues of industrialized and sophisticated 1st World countries is it?

And don’t even ask who #29 is!…all right you asked…it’s Gaza and the West Bank.

Yes, gun advocates have something to be proud of. At least we don’t kill each other like they do in Gaza and the West Bank.

In fact you have to go way down the list before you’ll find any other 1st world countries

Switzerland was at 45, Italy 48 and Canada came in at #56…but remember this is a list of the percent of murders by firearm. Switzerland had 57 gun murders, Italy 417 and Canada 173. The United States had 9, 146…so statistics don’t always paint the entire picture.

When it comes to the total number of murders by firearms we’re 5th. Brazil, Columbia, Mexico and Venezuela beat us out…but again which of those countries would you say out civilizes us? Interestingly enough they are also all in our hemisphere (in fact 25 of the top 28 are)…you know….the one the Monroe Doctrine told the rest of the world to keep their hands off of back in 1823.

But I digress because here is the most sobering statistic of all:

9,143 Americans were murdered with firearms in 2011 but At least 31,940 people died from gun injuries in 2011. That means that 22,797 citizens of the United States died from gunshot wounds that were what?

Accidents! Unintentional! Suicide!

This is what the proper and mathematical reading of statistics tells us.

Although outlaws kill over 9,000 people every year in the US, regular law abiding citizens like you and me kill 23,000 more!

Guns do not save lives. They kill the people who own them or their loved ones or their neighbors more than twice as often as they kill intended victims…and guess what?

And as we have increased gun ownership and the number of guns in our country over the last 30 years those numbers and ratios  have been rising…and most sadly…with a bullet.

Common Sense and Sensibility

Common Sense and Sensibility

At least 31,940 people died from gun injuries in 2011.

34,367 people died from Motor vehicle accidents  in 2011.

No one knows exactly how many cars there are in America But, there are approximately 250 million registered vehicles on the road today. That figure includes all types of vehicles and approximately 16 million new vehicles are sold annually.

No one knows the exact number of firearms owned by private citizens in the US but In 1995, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives estimated that there were about 223 million firearms owned by individuals. It’s been almost 20 years since then and that number has surely increased. There can be no definitive answer however, because most states don’t require registration.

But it can be construed that collecting automobiles and firearms are two of America’s most famous and popular pastimes and that they are also equally as dangerous and deadly to not only the Americans that purchase and use them but also to Americans who do not.

To which I submit that the uniform regulation of automobiles in this country has long been in practice and yet has made little if any impact on the availability of automobiles to Americans. We require their registration and visible license plates that allow law enforcement officials to identify the owner immediately with the use of a computer database.

Automobile users must be of legal age and properly licensed. They must take a written test and a practical test to demonstrate that they know how to use the vehicle. They must even take an eye test to prove that they can see where it is they want to go.

They must be able to prove citizenship and residency and purchase mandatory liability insurance in the event that their automobile is responsible for damage to another’s property or person.

We even have federal rules and regulations that apply to the conduct of the driver and occupants of the vehicle requiring the use of seat belts (for their own protection) and limiting the use of phones and alcoholic beverages etc.. inside the vehicle.

We even require users to seek different and additional licenses and take additional competency classes and tests if they desire to use vehicles not considered to be average automobiles (i.e. motor cycles and trucks)

And if a licensed driver abuses or misuses their vehicle…it can be taken from them and they can have their license to use a vehicle suspended or revoked indefinitely.

And yet with all of this regulation automobiles have not been confiscated en mass and Americans have not lost their right to purchase an automobile, nor purchase as many as they would like, nor purchase whatever kind of vehicle they would like. And our extreme regulation of automobiles has not caused us to be  invaded by other countries nor has it led to the takeover of our country by a communist, fascist or totalitarian regime.

And do only outlaws now drive cars?

The current gun control proposals before the House and Senate ask Congress to  expand background checks, improve school safety and combat gun trafficking.

These are bad things? These proposals will sound the death knell for our Constitution? Background checks, school safety and trying to stop gun trafficking is the slippery slope that leads to… where?

…perhaps a better life for our children?

Recent statistics show that there were over 16 million gun applications in 2012. If they were all approved, that would be enough weapons to stock a member of NATO’s armed forces nearly five times over. The system has received over 156 million applications since 1998 and the US has the highest gun ownership rate in the world.

And yet gun advocates and owners are still angry, outraged, belligerent and confrontational even though no government entity  in the history of the United States has ever asked for them to give their guns or their rights to own them, back.

All I know is…If they showed up for their driver’s license and road test with all that anger and attitude…the motor vehicle officer probably wouldn’t give them one until they learned how to show and demonstrate the proper appreciation, reverence and respect for the deadly weapon they were asking to have access to.

Where Have All the Flowers Gone?

Yesterday I wrote a satirical piece about guns and gun regulation. Some people who read it didn’t get it. No, I wasn’t suggesting that stabbing 14 people was or ever could be a good thing…and I wasn’t trying to suggest that we really outlaw people…that would be like suggesting the eating of babies to solve world hunger…My point was that guns are dangerous because people use them to hurt each other and just because guns are inanimate objects that need people to operate them doesn’t mean that people should have free and easy access to them.

But now it’s time to get serious because yesterday, in my neighborhood, a 4 year old boy shot his 6 year old next door neighbor with a 22 caliber rifle. Scout’s honor, I kid you not. And Is my neighborhood next door to Fort Apache? No. Do I live in the middle of the Middle East? Nope. It’s just a quiet residential neighborhood 2 blocks from a grammar school in the suburban New Jersey town of Toms River.

Here in Central New Jersey we mostly expect to die from old age or traffic accidents or as you might have recently  read,  the slow and deadly ingestion of toxic waste and chemicals, but certainly not from random shootings… Today that little 6 year old boy died.

So  I ask you, is there anywhere in this country where anyone should ever expect to die from gunshot wounds? If you are a gun enthusiast and opposed to any and all gun regulation and laws then your answer is probably and sadly…yes. And your solution is also probably that only more guns for more people to defend themselves with, is the answer to gun violence.

You would probably also say that the reduction of guns or the strengthening of gun laws will be of no help because people are the ones who kill and not the guns…and many of you will go even so far as to say that the guns don’t make it any easier for people to do harm. Harmful people will do harm anyway, whether they have a gun or a knife or a rock or hammer etc…or whether they are 40, 14 or…even 4! And of course there is your favorite phrase…”If we outlaw guns only outlaws will have guns.”

To which I must finally say, Will you never learn anything?

If you own a gun then you have only three possible outcomes. Either you will be an outlaw and use your weapon to rob, kill or harm others or you will wait… wait… wait…and wait some more for that imagined glorious moment in your lives when you get the drop on the outlaw and kill or harm or scare the crap out of him yourself.

The third possible outcome is that someone who you love or care about will accidently or on purpose shoot someone else who you love or care about (possibly yourself)… or they will shoot a whole bunch of others for no apparent reason other than they have lost their minds and all sense of human decency.

That’s it. 3 possible outcomes and if you don’t think that all of them are bad then really where do you see this ending? Seriously. Don’t preach to me your second amendment rights. Offer some solutions please. And please offer some solutions that don’t make you sound like a moron.

But There is however a fourth outcome and that is that your gun is never used to rob or kill anyone at all… Because here in the 21st century you really don’t need guns…not for hunting for food, not for defending your country from foreign invaders, not for fending off  savages or slaves, or wild animals who roam your domesticated suburbs and cities…and if you don’t need it for those things you certainly don’t need it for practice…unless of course you want that gun to be ready to someday kill another human being…which again is a serious reason for you to think twice about yourself and about your views on humanity.

Guns and weapons of mutual destruction only serve to keep us primitive. Only by regulating our use and need and desire for them can we ever hope to someday become completely civilized.

And if you can’t understand that, then please, please, please… don’t ever have children… Because in the long run…that probably will help us all more than you may ever know.