I'd like to see some serious reform of the background check system. As it is a search of the FBI data base for felony crimes and a search for involuntary mental care is about all there is.

This is how I'd like to see the background checks be made more effective:

Include a 'permit to purchase' issued by the nearest local law enforcement department. These people are nearest to the purchaser and if there are concerns they will be the ones who know about them. Is this person a scofflaw, causes disturbances not rising to the level of felony, a repeat minor offender or someone who is often in the attention of law enforcement for disturbance of the peace? Shouldn't that be grounds for increased scrutiny and at least a temporary prohibition? Include interviews with relatives and others close to the person to see if there are concerns about maturity and stability in that 'permit to purchase' process.

Include a search of public social media. How many times have we heard of a 'Manifesto' or outright threats found on social media AFTER a tragedy? Shouldn't a threat to 'put a bullet' in the head of Nancy Pelosi be grounds to refuse sales and temporarily remove firearms from someone?

Expand mental health prohibitions to anyone treated for a condition that would indicate a possibility of harm to themselves or others even if not rising to the level of an involuntary committal for care.

Beyond that those who know me know I favor the prohibition of all semi automatic firearms that have interchangeable magazines of any size. I see that as the only way to reduce the volume of deaths and injuries--make it harder to shoot fast and reload fast. If we can't prevent people from killing other people shouldn't at least make it inconvenient to kill a lot of them?

The whole barrel.

Like, every damn apple in the fucking barrel.

So, Police Officers, if you don't like being painted with that broad brush, stop covering for the BAD APPLE.

If a fellow cop holds racists beliefs, you know it and you know HE AIN'T YA' BROTHER.

If a fellow cop trades sex for a traffic ticket HE AIN'T YA' BROTHER.

Get the fuck over it and clean up your house.

You know who they are. You know what to do.

I have a Tarrant Co. Dems t shirt and a Moms Demand Action shirt. I don't wear them in public 'cause I just don't need the aggravation. However today I was wearing my MDA shirt, not planning to go out, and had to make a quick trip the pharmacy.

As I expected I was confronted---by a woman who asked where she could get a shirt like it! Didn't see that coming.

Governor Gregg Abbott
https://gov.texas.gov/contact

Speaker of the House Dade Phelan
https://house.texas.gov/members/member-page/email/?district=21&session=87

Find your state and national legislators.
https://wrm.capitol.texas.gov/home


After the freeze and once I got electric and internet back I sent missives to every one of those in elected office.

A paraphrase of my missive to Gregg Abbott:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/oct/18/guns-are-a-way-to-exercise-power-how-the-idea-of-overthrowing-the-government-became-mainstream

I have heard this 'insurrection theory of the 2nd Amendment' argued right here on DU. I have yet to have anyone explain to me just why the founders would go to such pains to create a government of, by and for the People and then espouse the possibility of destroying it through violent revolution. Nor have any of them explained to me why, if they believed such overthrow might be advised, they included Article III Section 3 in the document that created it.

Regardless of any reasoned explanation to the contrary it is a widely held belief fostered by every gun rights advocate and furthered by the marketing by gun makers.


As the sign in the mall says, You are here. What can be done to counter this insurrection inspiring dogma that has adherents wearing combat gear into government buildings and plotting the kidnapping and murder of heads of state?

I suggest that the best place to begin is to ban the manufacture, import, sale, transfer and possession of any semi automatic weapon that accepts interchangeable magazines.

I keep hearing this.

A Muslim ban, this is not who we are . . .

Children in cages, this is not who we are . . .

George Floyd, this is not who we are . . .

Nazis in Charlottesville, this is not who we are . . .

White supremacists storm the Capital, this is not who we are . . .

THIS IS EXACTLY WHO WE ARE.

Who we always have been.

If we, the white, privileged, moderate, mainstream Americans don't realize and embrace this, THAT THIS IS WHO WE ARE, it is who we will always be.

Martin Luther King tried to show us the way. We killed him. John and Bobby tried to show us the way. We killed them. Abraham Lincoln tried to show us the way. We killed him.

WE DID THIS. The white, privileged, moderate, mainstream Americans.

Trump has shown us who we are. If it weren't Trump it would be someone else.

The only question remaining is, now that we've been shown will we see? Will this upheaval that pulled the curtain aside, that held the mirror to our face and exposed us to ourselves will we seize this as an opportunity for redemption or quietly settle back into who we are?

I fear the answer.

It's been said that, at it's most base, the job of the Military is to tear things up and kill people. Of course that's an over simplification and definitely not a primary mission but in there somewhere is that last option.

In the implementation of that last option the Military has a LOT of guns and a LOT of people well trained to use them. So, how does the Military treat guns which are so vital to it's mission?

Why don't do what James Fallows, a reporter for the Atlantic, did and ask an Army Officer:


There is so much more context in the article and it's a good read. Four paragraphs are very limiting so I hope you take the time to at least scan it.

https://www.theatlantic.com/notes/2018/03/an-army-officer-says-regulate-weapons-just-like-we-do-in-the-military/554816/

From another article in the series:


As with the first article this one has much more context and is is worth the read or at least a scan.

https://www.theatlantic.com/notes/2017/11/why-the-ar-15-was-never-meant-to-be-in-civilians-hands/545438/

These articles are part of series with the other parts linked at the end. I anticipate that I'll be posting from them as well assuming the assembling militias in our state capitols don't preempt me.

I ask again, is it time to talk about the free access to guns in American society?

There are more than 393 million civilian-owned firearms in the United States, or enough for every man, woman and child to own one and still have 67 million guns left over.

About one in three Americans owns all these guns.

About one third of gun owners own 5 or more.

Just about 5% of gun owners who are not collectors of curios and relics own 15 or more.

Two thirds of gun owners cite protection (presumably from other people with guns) as reason for owning a gun.

There are 285 pages of safety regulations that apply to cars. None for guns.

Deaths from autos has steadily declined since the 1960s, from guns a steady increase.

Last year 40,000 people died from gunshot in the United States, three times that (120,000) were injured.

80% of mass shootings happened with legally purchased guns by people who qualified as law abiding before they slaughtered fellow Americans.

2020 saw yet another record set in gun sales.

The FBI, after the seditious attack on the Nation's Capital, warns that similar protests are planned for ALL 50 STATE CAPITALS.



Is it time yet to discuss the easy access to guns in the United States?



Disclaimer: as a former Federal Firearms Licensee for Curios and Relics I own more than five guns, all but one designed before WWI and one before WWII. As such I was background checked by the ATF, State and local law enforcement and probably by the Animal Control Officer in my city.

This is the seventh in this series. I stopped numbering them at 5 because I realized that this is a never ending problem. For years the death rate attributed to guns has been about 30,000 a year and in the last few years has grown to more than 40,000. That's bad enough but along with those deaths goes 3-4 times that number in injured and damaged victims ranging from near vegetative state to simple (?) PTSD. That's as many as 160,000 people a year ranging in age from 2 to 90+ years old.

So, yeah, the Pandemic has taken precedent and deservedly so, but there is no vaccine to fix this.

So far I've devoted myself to discussing the fallacy of how we have attempted to suppress the level of carnage. I've pointed out that no matter how we try to compromise with gun extremists there will be no success because it's like pushing on a water balloon, no matter where we push it only expands elsewhere.

That is why, as a collector of antique and not so antique firearms and an avid shooter, I have come to the conclusion that we must ban the import, manufacture, transfer and possession of semi auto firearms that accept removable magazines. Period.

In earlier posts I've shown how the piecemeal approach to prohibitions and restrictions have failed because of the ingenuity of the gun industry. Today I offer an article from the gun rights side of the issue. Please take the time to read it to gain an understanding of how the industry responds to simplistic attempts to compromise with them in attempts to reduce, not eliminate, the daily carnage.

An excerpt:

The article:
https://www.explosion.com/138461/how-to-be-ready-for-the-next-potential-gun-ban-in-the-united-states/

I will continue along this line and expand it to answer some of the objections hurled at any attempt legislate these military inspired rapid fire death machines.

Previous posts can be fond in my journal.

First Amendment:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Second Amendment:
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.

Do any of the pictures below conform to the emphasized portions of the Amendments above cited?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-apps/imrs.php?src=&w=916
Michigan

https://i.insider.com/5eac2453e3c3fb73644ccc22?width=2000&format=jpeg&auto=webp


North Carolina


Missouri


Virginia

?resize=770%2C513
New Mexico

https://www.click2houston.com/resizer/cEJymDE5K2VqWDMPvWh17MXFu8c=/1600x1066/smart/filters:format(jpeg):strip_exif(true):strip_icc(true):no_upscale(true):quality(65)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gmg/GC6VJTOPCRGN3HKXWZKZ3PLLIY.jpg
New Hampshire

?auto=compress&crop=faces&fit=fit&fm=jpg&h=0&ixlib=php-1.2.1&q=45&w=1260
Texas

?quality=80&strip=all
Clearly part of the 'Well Regulated Militia". My advice for him? Go ahead, pull the trigger and see what happens next.