The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence (CSGV) warns us, via Twitter and Facebook, of the "scary" fact that many Americans have not yet been stripped of their Constitutionally guaranteed, fundamental human right of the individual to keep and bear arms:
Take a look at how few disqualifying records are in the gun background check database. Scary.
The provided link (pdf file) is to an FBI page breaking down the numbers of people on the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) database, showing that over six and a half million people are denied the right to keep and bear arms. The CSGV finds, apparently, that number to be "scarily" small. How many people deprived of what is supposed to be an unalienable right would be sufficient, in CSGV's estimation? 20 million? 50 million? 100 million? Or, given their enthusiasm for a government monopoly on force, perhaps CSGV would prefer that everyone who is not designated government muscle be denied effective self-defense.
Regular readers already know that, like National Gun Rights Examiner David Codrea, this correspondent does not believe in the "prohibited person" concept. As Mr. Codrea says, "Anyone who can't be trusted with a gun cannot be trusted without a custodian." He also points out that anyone too dangerous to be trusted with a gun is also too dangerous to be trusted with "box cutters, or fertilizer or matches" (and let's not forget gasoline, despite the fact that Mexican President Felipe Calderón wants to blame that atrocity on "lax U.S. gun laws").
CSGV, though, is quite fond of the "prohibited persons" concept, and finds it "scary" that the list is not millions (or tens of millions, or a hundred million, or everyone who is not a designated enforcer of the government's will) names longer than it is. How would CSGV have us allay their fears? Should we just aribitrarily designate people as "mentally ill," until we hit CSGV's minimum number of Second Amendment-denied people? Well, maybe not arbitrarily--CSGV would probably favor a policy that viewed gun ownership itself a strong indicator of mental illness, so current gun owners could provide the bulk of the newly "prohibited by reason of mental illness" list.
On second thought--nah. If CSGV finds it "scary" that the number of Americans disarmed by law is too low for their tastes, they deserve to live in fear.
See also:
- Citizen disarmament lobby wants to expand 'prohibited persons' list
- Does denying guns to 'prohibited persons' ensure public safety?
- Mental health, background checks, and unintended consequences
- Should gun owners have their heads examined?
- Do mental health study findings demand disarming one in five Americans?
- Citizen disarmament wears a white coat
- Are they nuts? The dangers of increased mental health scrutiny for gun purchases
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