As if registration laws have not already left Americans wide open for the seizing of weapons, even more stringent restrictions may be coming. Barack Obama declared “we're not going to wait until the next Newtown” at a meeting today with Minneapolis Police where, according to an NBC news report, he "outlined his plan" - a plan to further subvert the 2nd Amendment.
The Second Amendment was put into place for the safety of American citizens. To attempt to nullify this amendment indicates a complete disregard for our very survival. One should seriously question such actions on the part of a US president. Especially in light of the potential for attack from other countries or terrorist groups, this is a dangerous game to play.
Some state that the phrase "regulated militia" found in the second amendment allows for registration or restriction. However, it is the militia which is regulated here, not their firearms. As the amendment reads:
A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.
In contemporary English, this would be read that, because a well-regulated militia is needed for security in a free state, people must have an unrestricted right to keep and carry arms. That is, people should have arms so they are able to assemble a militia. The word "people" here does not refer only to the militia members, but to the group from which a militia will be assembled. Regulation, then, would refer to concepts such as the qualifications for militia membership, and perhaps a chain of command structure in terms of dictating specific objectives or methods. Essentially, this could refer to a number of issues, but not the issue of citizens owning and carrying guns. Therefore, as we see, our Second Amendment has been nullified by the existing restrictions.
In researching this article to determine specifically what the US gun laws are, I was unable to - at least in anyway that could be presented in any clear manner. The federal government has outlined rules for inter-state sales and transport, while the individual states have each created their own laws and regulations where weapons are concerned. There is great variance in major as well as minor details. All of this, and I have not even gotten into differences regarding safety and storage legislation by state or federal law or applicable sale, transfer, and manufacturing taxes or dealer licensing fees. In other words, AAAAAAAH! What a mess! That said, thank God each state has the ability to legislate the issue separately from the federal government.
In light of recent incidents, it should be clear that attempts will continue to implement severe restrictions, bans, and possibly confiscation of firearms. It should also be clear that in those countries where citizens have the right to own guns, murder rates are lower. It should also be clear that world wide in countries where total registration has been required, subsequent governments have first conducted confiscations and then committed mass atrocities against the citizens, leading to millions upon millions of civilian deaths. There appears some evidence that our current federal gun legislation is modeled after that of Germany at the onset of the Holocaust. The very attempt to require registration or to restrict gun ownership and carrying presents as treason. It is, simply put, a failure to uphold the constitution of the United States. Especially where the president is concerned, this is scary at its least and at best, grounds for impeachment.
This amendment was designed to give us a means of self-defense and protection from invaders, whether foreign soldiers or violent neighbors. The president wants to take away our means of self-defense and leave us unprotected, at the mercy of any and all 'invaders'. Are you feelin' the love yet?
Sidebar: State Gun Laws
Summary of State Gun Laws
Some states allow concealed carry for persons granted a permit while others require a permit or ID card to purchase arms. Some states allowing for concealed carry permits specifically state the concealed weapon is a handgun. Of those states requiring a permit or ID for purchase, these permits may need to be renewed annually, while others may have varying amounts of time, such as 3-5 years. Still other state laws list no expiration time. Some do, however, list a specific number of allowed weapons. Yet others differentiate between types of licenses based on types of weapons. In other states, permits to purchase may expire in a matter of days, such as 10 days, 30 days, or 90 days, etc. In addition, depending on state, one finds a specific permit or application may be necessary based on age or citizenship status. Only one state has no restrictions and one state mentions separate permits are needed in regards to machine guns.
Differences in State Gun Regulation
Differences may also be found concerning the specific authority issuing such permits i.e. city, county, state, judicial, or law enforcement. Variance exists as well in regards to transferability of permits and licenses between states, such as when moving, traveling, or concealed carrying. In addition to all these, there appears to be a federal form which must be filed at the time of sale from a licensed dealer. The Form 4473 is to be completed by the dealer and presented to the appropriate agency on-line or via mail. Records must be maintained by the dealer for all sales, for 20 years. Further, many dealers use Form 77 to alleviate liability. Some states may have changed their legislation since the referenced site compiled its information. Some states also appear to allow specific establishments, with appropriate signage, to bar individuals from entering while carrying a concealed weapon.
Sources:
http://firstread.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/04/16841066-obama-on-guns-wer...
http://www.usconstitution.net/xconst_Am2.html
http://www.statemaster.com/graph/gov_gun_law_per-government-gun-laws-per...
http://www.atf.gov/applications/e4473/faq.html#requirements
http://www.atf.gov/applications/e4473/
http://jpfo.org/filegen-a-m/GCA_68.htm
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0309-02.htm
http://www.guncite.com/gun_control_registration.html
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504383_162-5258192-504383.html
Photo sources:
http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2012/09/07/Fact-Checking-Barack-Obama http://mettarefuge.wordpress.com/2010/01/18/martin-luther-king-he-still-calls-our-hearts-to-act/
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