Bemoaning the "undemocratic" results* of the latest push for gun control has become a common refrain on the Left. Even granting their phoney-baloney poll results ("90% in favor of background checks" -- extrapolated from a small sample via leading questions), it's a meaningless question. Or worse; because if "Democracy wins," Constitutional government loses.
"The right to keep and bear arms" like "religion," "the press," "peaceable assembly" and "petitioning the Government for the redress of grievances" is, by express Amendment, not up for a vote. And yet it was, and the United States Senate was only saved from screwing up the Federal government even worse than it already is by the requirement for a (mild) supermajority. --Sure, the party with a slim majority condemns this provision but they never forget that some day they, too, may want that power.
Personally, I don't think it goes far enough. If 60% is good, why not 75%? If a measure is so bad that a quarter of Senators vote against it, it's probably pretty bad.
And on the subject of bad ideas-- The Senate, or a good majority of them, are quite comfy with the notion that nothing is outside their legislative purview. "There ought to be a law!" is their rallying-cry, not "Are we permitted to make a law about this?" It doesn't bode well; in the long run, it means we will all lose -- everyone except those with the price of a Senator, anyway. We can fight to slow the trend, as was so successfully done with the badly-drafted "Universal Background Checks" bill, but we're winning battles in a war we are all losing.
Keep up the good fight but remember it's a long, long way from won and just as long as Congress believes there's nothing they can't lay holt of, it's not over. They've been chip, chipping away at the 4th and 5th Amendments for a good long time now, to make you "safe." Funny, I feel even less safe....
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* Link goes to the Concord (NH) Monitor. With all due respect to the Free State Project and the freely-armed granola-eaters of Vermont, I consider the Northeast a lost cause from Maine to Delaware. They've largely destroyed or scorned their gun culture. It would take a generation or more to recover, if ever -- and that's not the direction things appear to be trending.
I agree in regards to the North East. My wife was born and raised in Connecticut, and had never been west of Indiana when we got married 12 years ago and I drug her to Washington. It took about 3years to get over the 'homesickness', but she has admitted now there is no way she could move back to New England. It's not just guns with her, it's attitudes in general.
ReplyDeleteWouldn't mind a vacation house in Maine/Vermont after I win the Powerball, but...cross that bridge when I get there.
Not bad news everywhere, Roberta!
ReplyDeleteIndiana House just passed hunting with suppressors and switchblade ban repeal last night! Gov. Pence has until May 1 to sign it or veto it, otherwise it becomes law on 8th day (May 2) as there is no pocket veto in Indiana.
Good news.
Shootin' Buddy
Personally, I'm looking at the Front Lines running along the Ohio Border from New York State-Pennsylvania-West-By-God-Virginia-Virginia to the Atlantic Ocean.
ReplyDeleteOhio is Shaky, Illinois Anti-Freedom Pols are Fighting like Pit Bulls on Crack, Colorado just turned into East Kalifornia, and Arizona is under Assault.
No need to discuss the Left Coast and Hawaii.
Remember the Lefties Strategy; You don't have to gain Political control of the WHOLE State, just enough of the Major Cities to ensure you have enough Votes.
Which is why 11 Counties in Ohio went to Obama last time, and he got ALL the Electoral Votes.
Stay Tuned. the 2014 Election Cycle is going to WILD.
Delaware be damned, Mordor East runs at least to the Potomic. Maryland may as well be N.Y. or MASS. now. And the cancer is creeping into N. Virgina, who can't seem to rid themselves of Congress-critters like Jim Moran, whose son was caught on an ambush video talkin' on how to get away with voter fraud. Alas, Babylon!
ReplyDeleteMost still do not realize what Harry Reid, Chucky Schumer, and Joe Manchin tried to pull.
ReplyDeleteThe full text of the "Manchin Toomey" amendment Reid tried to insert into a bill he had already called "anti-gun" is here:
http://casaextrano.com/?p=1300
You will scroll a long ways down before you find a word about "background checks."
Stranger
The Borg have called themselves "Democrats" for so long that they have forgotten what the word means.
ReplyDeleteMostly content free comment: Just wanted to say I agree wholeheartedly with everything you've written here.
ReplyDeleteYep, this is just the first skirmish... Sigh
ReplyDeleteI suppose the northeast is a lost cause. That being said, it isn't quite dead. I work for a local weekly paper. We don't get many letters. Since that monstrosity of a gun law entered the discussion back in March, we have had 7 letters on guns. 2 were virulently negative about guns, 1 was luke to positive, 4 were positive (including one from a former anti and his wife, who both have their permits now)
ReplyDeleteThat 9:36 comment ought to have mentioned the state...Connecticut
ReplyDeleteI am hopeful that the effective bankruptcy of Philadelphia (see Mish Shedlock) will help turn the East in the long run.
ReplyDelete