The bright lights are on and the cockroaches are scattering
February 14, 2018 may have been one of the most important dates in Second Amendment history. The Second Amendment provides United States citizens the right to bear arms and was ratified in December 1791 when dealing with a well formed militia Practically since its ratification, Americans have debated the meaning of the Second Amendment.
The crux of the debate is whether the amendment protects the rights of private individuals to keep and bear arms or whether it instead protects a collective right that should be exercised only through formal militia units. The NRA, founded in 1871, and it’s supporters have been the most visible backers of the “private citizen” argument.
What’s changed since 1791? Well let’s consider the guns. In 1791, the common guns included the muskets and the flintlock pistols. The muskets could fire three rounds per minute and were highly inaccurate. Compare this to the “typical” gun of choice for mass killing, the AR-15 can effectively fire 45 rounds per SECOND.
Now, for the five common pro-gun NRA arguments that I’ve heard over the last 24 hours:
1. A good guy with a gun would have stopped it.
2. Shooters target gun-free zones.
3. Criminals aren’t deterred by laws.
4. No laws could have prevented the tragedy.
5. Guns are just a tool, just like knives and hammers
It is unbelievable that this elephant dung has been swallowed by so many for so long! But, the Parkland massacre has now turned on a spotlight exposing these myths. They are crumbling like a stale cracker. And now that they are exposed, the NRA/GOP are defensive & are scrambling to find new propaganda that will work on the next generation of leaders and voters. They are pointing their fingers at everyone from “crying white mothers” to teachers & the media.
I’m a retired clinical pharmacist. Always for the underdog. I’m a Democrat, a dog lover and love to cook!