Sunday, December 16, 2012

Save a Life: Take a Stand Against Assault Weapons


Our hearts go out to the families of victims taken away by the deadly shootings in Connecticut.  

In preparing for this post, we searched for “ban assault weapons” petition sites.  We found three petition sites.  Do you know what else we found – pages upon pages upon pages  of petition sites to not ban assault weapons!?!?!

There lies the problem – individuals powered by the NRA pro gun lobbying and campaign donor machine are far more vocal about protecting irresponsible gun purchasing and usage legislation than those who are not.


It’s time for the rest of us to "save a life"   at ….

Thank you for signing the petition "US Federal Government: ... The Federal Assault Weapons Ban must be re-introduced ... The White House


Petition Background. Good Morning America recently reported that the shooter in Aurora, Colorado, had an AR-15assault rifle, which can hold upwards of 100 rounds. http://signon.org/sign/ban-assault-weapons 


Update: The signatures threshold for petitions on the We the People platform to receive an official response from theWhite House has changed since this blog post was ...



The following excerpts from a March 23, 2012 spin detective post entitled,  Trayvon Martin: The Tip of the Iceberg. will provide you with more insights regarding why it is so important for you to sign "ban assault weapon"  petitions.


The National Rifle Association (NRA) is a major player in the passage of reckless gun carry laws in many states as well as in Congress.  An article at chicagotribune.com points out the NRA’s influence on the legislative process: “when law enforcement has to be neutral in the discussion of public policy so they (NRA) have a seat negotiating (gun) legislation, clearly something is wrong with the equation.” Another article entitled “NRA Money Influences Police on Concealed-Weapons Prop” points out how the NRA BUYS gun carry legislation.  “Even though “70%” of St. Louis police officers polled were “against a right to carry proposition”, a spokesperson for the Missourians Against Crime who supported it,  stated that “her organization has most certainly been a beneficiary of NRA money, both from the national office and the 103,000 individual NRA members living in Missouri.”  A motherjones.com article entitled “In Re Trayvon Martin: How the NRA Pushed the Right to Pack Heat Anywhere” quotes statistics reported by the  Legal Community Against Violence - “in just three years, 22 states have weakened or eliminated laws restricting the possession of concealed weapons.” The article further states “these measures are easing eligibility and testing requirements for obtaining a permit, opening up public places to concealed weapons, and expanding legal protections for those who put their guns to use.” 



Republican state legislators appear to be in a ‘lethal weapon’  contest to see which state can out-legislate the others regarding mindless gun carry laws.  A Washington Post article states “backed by the National Rifle Association, first in Florida and then around the country, state legislators have pushed for expanding the right to use deadly force. Twenty-one states now have laws giving citizens wide latitude to use deadly force without first attempting to retreat.”According to an article in usnews.com entitled “Open Carry Gun Laws Turn the Country Back into the Wild West”, Republican  majority state legislators have passed laws to “brazenly carry firearms into restaurants, bars, schools and churches”. Wisconsin Republican legislators passed a concealed carry law which “allows weapons on parts of college campuses and  churches”.  Ohio Republican legislators passed a law “allowing permit holders to bring hidden, loaded handguns into restaurants that serve alcohol”.  According to an npr.org article, Michigan Republican legislators passed a bill that “wouldn’t eliminate ‘no carry’  zones such as schools, stadiums and churches.”  You would think that the tragic shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and the killing six people would caution Arizona Republican legislators to pass strict gun carry laws, but they passed a law that “allows its citizens to carry concealed weapons without any permit”!


Republican House majority  members  have introduced many  NRA-sponsored bills  to expand gun carry laws.  According to a gunowners.org report entitled “Firearms Legislation in the 112th Congress”, Representatives Boren and Scalise  sponsored a bill to “extend interstate” gun purchasing powers. Representatives Jackson and Lee sponsored legislation “making it difficult to legally teach your kids the safe and effective use of firearms”. Representatives Lummis, Donnelly, Rehberg, Broun, Miller, Carter, King of Iowa, Ross, and Bishop sponsored a bill to “allow curios and relics to be imported into the U.S. WITHOUT the approval of the Department of State or the Department of Defense”. Representatives Ross and Jordan sponsored a bill to “repeal  D.C. gun ban laws”;  Representatives Broun, Boren, Ross, Altmire, Metheson, Bishop, Rehberg, Jenkins, and Miller sponsored a bill to “PROHIBIT the Environmental Protection Agency from imposing restrictions on hunting and fishing equipment including firearms”;  Representative Gibbs “and 21 others” sponsored a bill to “prohibit the Army Corps of Engineers from banning firearms on water resources lands”; Representative Paul sponsored a bill to “REPEAL the Kohl Amendment, which banned guns within 1,000 feet of a permanent or temporary location of a school”; Representatives Tester, Ensign, Begich, Baucus, Burr, Chambliss, Inhofe, Paul, Barrasso, and Coburn sponsored a bill to “permanently prohibit the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms from being able to require the reporting of multiple sales of rifles and shotguns”. 


GOTTA VOTE
2014!

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