Guns have been an integral part of the fabric of American society since our forefathers declared independence in 1776. One could make the case that without the gun we would never have won our freedom from the British Crown. Be that as it may, gun rights in the United States were rarely questioned until James Brady, Press Secretary to then-President Ronald Reagan, was nearly killed in an assassination attempt on his boss. Things have changed drastically since then.
On that fateful day in 1981, a bullet struck Brady in the head, causing serious injury that eventually led to partial paralysis. Following recovery, Brady went on to champion gun control measures that included the enactment of federal legislation known as the Brady Bill. That legislation paved the way for a plethora of stupid gun laws that have been enacted in the more than 21 years since its passage. Anyone who wants to see a shining example of stupid gun laws needs look no further than New Jersey.
Flintlocks and Out-of-Staters
How stupid are New Jersey's gun laws? Consider 70-year-old Gordon Van Gilder who was recently arrested after a Revolutionary War-era flintlock was discovered in his car. Mr. Van Gilder is an avid antique gun collector who had purchased the flintlock pistol to add to his collection. Police found it in the glove compartment of his car, neatly wrapped and unloaded, after pulling Van Gilder over for a traffic violation.
Despite the fact the gun had likely not been discharged in hundreds of years, Van Gilder was arrested and booked on charges of illegal possession of a firearm. A conviction could mean a 10-year sentence and the loss of a state pension he worked hard to accrue during his career as a teacher. And for what? Because he carried an antique gun in his car ? without the black powder, fuse and ball necessary to make it work.
It turns out Van Gilder is not alone as a victim of New Jersey's stupid gun laws. Last year, 27-year-old Shaneen Allen, a single mother and legally registered gun owner in Pennsylvania, mistakenly carried her weapon into New Jersey. She was stopped for a minor traffic incident and, out of a desire to be honest and forthright, told the police officer she was carrying a weapon. She was arrested and charged. Had she been convicted, it could have meant a three-year sentence along with other penalties.
No citizen of New Jersey has been made safer as a result of the arrest and charging of Gordon Van Gilder and Shaneen Allen. Not a single one. You see, both Van Gilder and Allen are law-abiding citizens who never had any intention of using their weapons to cause harm or commit crimes. That is what criminals do, not what law-abiding citizens do. The problem is that stupid gun laws do not stop criminals from breaking the law. They only prevent law-abiding citizens from exercising their Second Amendment rights.
Welcome to California
One would think that all the news stories of criminals using weapons in a criminal manner would cause lawmakers to open their eyes and live in the world of reality. But that's not so. Need proof? Let's look at California.
The Golden State has a long history of mind-numbingly stupid gun legislation, but their latest attempt at taking guns out of the hands of law-abiding citizens is a law that requires micro-stamping of every gun sold in the state. Proponents of the law claim it would make it easier to solve gun related crimes because investigators would always be able to know exactly what gun was used in the commission of a crime based on the markings it imprinted on shell casings.
Um ... exactly how does this help? Criminals do not buy guns on the legal market. They buy black market guns that have either been stolen or manufactured overseas and smuggled into the United States. Micro-stamping will not identify criminals; it will only force gun manufacturers to abandon the state of California rather than go through the expense and hassle of complying with the law.
The California law was originally signed by Governor Schwarzenegger years ago. It has been on hold while the courts try to decide whether it amounts to an unreasonable restriction of the Second Amendment.
Stupid gun laws like those in New Jersey and California do nothing to stop gun related crimes. When are our lawmakers going to wake up and understand that criminals do not follow the law? We can only hope.
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