According to an editorial in the New Jersey Star-Ledger, the 2nd Amendment is a curse, and those who legally purchase and carry guns are engaged in a fetish of the worst kind. Yes, the editorial board goes after LEGAL gun owners and completely ignores the criminals who break all the laws to use guns to rob or kill people.
Our governor just responded by signing new legislation to sharply limit where guns can be carried in New Jersey. Where you have fewer guns and stricter laws, you have fewer gun injuries and deaths, research has shown. Yet while most people are solidly on his side, the law may not withstand legal challenges. The gun lobby has vowed that it “will go down in a flaming ash heap.”
Tell that to Chicago, who has some of the strictest gun control laws on the books and had yet another record year of gun violence.
Chicago police officers last month recovered 940 illegal firearms — an average of more than 30 recoveries each day — bringing the yearly total up to 10,778. Of those, 904 were assault weapons and 678 were unserialized “ghost” guns.
According to police data, there have also been 1,409 vehicular hijackings recorded in 2022, which marks a 2% drop compared with 2021, while the number of carjacking-related arrests is up 18% year-to-date.
Oh sure, the homicide stats were lower by Oct 2022 than in 2021 or even 2020, but overall gun violence across Chicago is still high. Let’s look at New York City or St. Louis. Their gun violence stats aren’t pretty either.
Police reported 30 homicides in the city during November, up from 25 during the same month in 2021.
A review of the seven major crime categories shows increases in three other areas, too: Felony assaults were up 1,957 to 2,016, or 3%; robberies rose from 1,439 to 1,491, an increase of 3.6%, and car thefts jumped from 1034 to 1,131, or 9.4%.
Keep in mind, the gun violence was committed by CRIMINALS. Yet the Star-Ledger editorial board is vilifying Americans for simply owning a gun legally and committing ZERO crimes.
The editorial board wants the entire state, heck they want the entire country to be a gun free zone with more regulations!
Yet even with this extremist ruling, there’s still plenty that Congress could do: Require background checks for all gun purchases, along with better training, safe storage and trigger locks. Take guns from abusive spouses, and tighten up the enforcement of laws on straw purchases of weapons. Build an effective red-flag system. After all, if a militia is “well-regulated” on its use of arms, shouldn’t the average American be?
*Sigh. I love how they twist the meaning of “well-regulated” and infer that it’s up to our National Guard or police to keep us safe while completely ignoring our Colonial history and the REASON as to why the 2nd Amendment was specifically written into our Constitution.
A. The colonies didn’t have a militia nor national guard. Only in times of need were the colonists asked to muster and defend.
B. Britain specifically wanted to take all guns from the colonists and render them unable to defend themselves against anyone nor use their weapons to get food.
That, taxing without representation, and not allowing freedom of speech were key drivers that led to our Declaration of Independence and the American Revolution. Those issues are why we have the 2nd Amendment!
As for not having the right tools, that’s bullshit. Background checks are required on all gun purchases. Period. Criminals don’t buy guns legally. So the current laws on the books, while working for LEGAL gun owners, are useless when it comes to criminals. The media knows and ignores that relevant fact.
Oh, but the journalists at the Star-Ledger have a FINE idea of how to solve this gun curse!
There it is, just north of our border, where Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is almost reaching the point of banning gun sales in Canada. They have no Second Amendment, no constitutional right to gun ownership. Guns are treated the same as any other consumer good that the government can regulate.
Except there’s a couple of problems with their grandiose idea of following Canada’s crackdown on guns.
The 2nd Amendment is NOT a curse. What's a curse is living in a society without lawful firearms. It's a dystopian nightmare. It's easy to hold this view when your relatives didn't live under totalitarian regimes like mine did… https://t.co/hgSuw1vsqR
— Gabriella Hoffman (@Gabby_Hoffman) January 4, 2023
That is completely true. Furthermore, the Star-Ledger has freedom of the press via the 1st Amendment that allows them to peddle this crap and allows us to push back against it. In Canada, freedom of the press or free speech is run by the government. We saw that with the trucker protests where the government wanted truckers jailed for speaking out against the Covid restrictions.
Jordan Peterson is facing “reeducation” because some idiots have complained that his speech hurt them in their little feelings.
I am to take a course of such training (with reports documenting my "progress" or face an in-person tribunal and suspension of my right to operate as a licensed clinical psychologist.
— Dr Jordan B Peterson (@jordanbpeterson) January 3, 2023
The folks at the New Jersey Star-Ledger believe that Canada is a gun-free utopia, and so we should adopt their totalitarian method of governing, which throws out the entire Constitution. That would mean lawful Americans wouldn’t be allowed to defend themselves, which evidently the folks at the Star-Ledger are fine with.
If they want to be free of this gun curse so badly, then they should move to Canada. Oh wait, Canada just banned foreign home ownership. Oops. Guess they are stuck like chuck with having to live with that curse of a 2nd Amendment.
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GWB says: Where you have fewer guns and stricter laws, you have fewer gun injuries and deaths, research has shown.
Utter, absolute, gooey, smelly, bull scat, right from the get-go. That’s not even remotely supported. Heck, just look at every city with a massive homicide rate in America – every single one is run by the pro-gun-grabbing crowd, and most have draconian anti-gun laws. And, in states where they cannot enact those draconian laws, surrounding cities not run by the con-control party don’t have those same violence rates.
904 were assault weapons
Baloney. Because there’s no such thing. There is such a thing as an “assault rifle” and I will bet exactly 0 of those 904 met that definition.
678 were unserialized “ghost” guns
Not sure I believe this. How many of those 678 were actually de-serialized weapons? That is, they were defaced to remove serial numbers because they were stolen?
while the number of carjacking-related arrests is up 18% year-to-date
That’s fine, dear. Now tell me how many of those were successfully prosecuted, convicted, and given lengthy sentences?
for simply owning a gun legally and committing ZERO crimes
Well, NO. Let’s not make this error. Several legal owners of firearms across America have committed crimes in 2022. Now, some of them maybe shouldn’t have been legal gun owners, but that’s a slightly different statement you’d have to make. But, generally speaking, the number of crimes committed by otherwise un-prohibited persons is extremely rare, compared to those who illegally acquire and use firearms. But it certainly is not ZERO.
this extremist ruling
Someone who didn’t pay attention in history class. The entire Constitution is extremist. That’s kinda the point. And it worked until the Progressives started trying to tear it down.
still plenty that Congress could do: Require … better training
Unless it was related to militia training, they certainly could not. That power is not authorized to anyone in our government by the Constitution. (Of course, neither are background checks when the commerce takes place entirely within state boundaries.)
still plenty that Congress could do: Require … safe storage and trigger locks
No, once again, they cannot. There is no authority granted to Congress (as opposed to state legislatures) to require purchase of any item by any citizen of the US. Safe storage would also be entirely up to states and not to Congress. But these folks don’t care about the Constitution. They are interested in a Progressive theocracy.
Build an effective red-flag system
How about build a constitutional one? One that protects the rights of the accused and provides for damages against those who abuse it?
After all, if a militia is “well-regulated” on its use of arms, shouldn’t the average American be?
Now, with this I agree entirely! I personally think every state should require training of its entire population (not just “gun owners”) on how to handle and competently use firearms (and I could be argued into knowing archery, fencing, and hand-to-hand combat, as well) because that’s what “well-regulated” means – able to do their job.
The colonies didn’t have a militia nor national guard. Only in times of need were the colonists asked to muster and defend.
WTH? They certainly DID have militias! That’s what was called up in every colony at some point during the revolution. That’s exactly what the “minutemen” were. No, the National Guard was not the militia, and it only very barely qualifies as one now. “[T]o muster and defend” is exactly the description of the militia.
Britain specifically wanted to take all guns from the colonists
To be fair they only wanted to take the guns from the uppity colonists. They were perfectly fine with the loyalists having firearms.
Background checks are required on all gun purchases. Period.
Wrong. They are required on all commercial purchases (on a national level, some states do require them on ALL purchases).
So the current laws on the books, while working for LEGAL gun owners, are useless when it comes to criminals.
Not entirely true. The reason most criminals acquire their firearms illegally is because of the laws on the books that restrict access. Just because people run stop signs “all the time” is not a reason to eliminate all stop signs. And the only reason our current laws are useless is because firearms charges are only ever brought as a plea lever anymore, a way to bargain with the crook so the prosecutor doesn’t have to actually do his job and prosecute the case in a courtroom. If they actually enforced those laws to the “fullest extent of the law” they would have a lot more impact on criminals.
Guns are treated the same as any other consumer good that the government can regulate.
Except that our federal gov’t isn’t supposed to regulate THOSE, either! They don’t have the authority to do so, despite the horrendous misreading and abuse of the commerce clause. Constitutionally speaking, there shouldn’t be any regulations on washing machines limiting how much water they can use. You could regulate how they are sold across state lines or how they are transported, but not how it works or most of the other malarkey Congress has enacted since the Progressives gained control in the late 1800s.
Also, of course, I challenge you to walk into a gun store and buy a gun the same way you walk into Best Buy and purchase a tv or into Target and buy laundry detergent.
the Star-Ledger has freedom of the press via the 1st Amendment
To be fair, they would also like that restricted to “professional” outlets and removed from the people without the proper training and safeguards. They’re actually consistent in that regard.
Americans wouldn’t be allowed to defend themselves
Of course they’re alright with that! They believe in “experts”! They would love only the “professionals” to have and use guns! They think only doctors should be able to talk about medicine. They believe only journalists should be able to print their opinions (and that whatever they print must be counted as fact). They think the opinion of an “expert” should be enough to satisfy a search warrant (heck, they often think it should count as one). These are people beholden to the Progressive Church and its doctrines. They believe.
The Second Amendment IS a curse – to those who would scrap the Constitution for a technocracy ruled by the well-credentialed “experts” and which would – in their unimaginative little minds – lead to perfect safety and prosperity. I will gladly curse them with the Second Amendment every day of my life.
GWB says: not run by the con-control party
“Gun-control” party. Sheesh. Though that typo has a kinda correct slant to it, too….
They were perfectly fine with the loyalists having firearms.
You know, sorta like how concealed carry permits are given out in NY, NJ, and CA.
(on a national level; some states do require them on ALL purchases)
Fixed it.
NTSOG says: “Britain specifically wanted to take all guns from the colonists…”
After the Dunblane massacre in 1996 the UK banned private ownership of handguns. However there are many illegal firearms being carried in urban centres and the numbers of seizures of such firearms by Police is increasing. Guns are being smuggled into the UK from Europe. In short criminals have ways of getting firearms that are not available to law-abiding people. It’s the same here in Australia since the massacre in Tasmania in 1996. Firearm ownership is highly regulated since 1996, but the latest survey on criminal use of firearms tells the same story as in the UK. There is a thriving black-market for firearms amongst criminal gangs. Criminals can get firearms easily if they need a weapon, but the anti-gun people continually target legal firearm ownership.
Joe R. says: 1) There are no more U.S. Colonies [each of the former 13 are a “State” even the ones that call themselves a “commonwealth”].
2) All 50 States are subject to the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations.
3) Primary in the list of Federal Law is The Declaration of Independence https://uscode.house.gov/browse/frontmatter/organiclaws%26edition=prelim
4) Paragraph 2 of The Declaration, in its flesh-language, states our 4th Enumerated Right as the Right to chuck our [“any”] government “whenever” we deem necessary.
5) That 4th Enumerated Right, is the ONLY Right to be repeated 2x in any of our Founding documents [and implied a 3rd x in the Opening Paragraph].
6) That 4th Enumerated Right is the ONLY Right that has an associated “duty” to exercise such Right.
7) There is no Legal or Logical argument that can be made to say our Founders wrote that, yet still intended for a bona fide U.S. Citizen, who deemed their government needed replacing, to have to ask that government for the means, OR THE PERMISSION TO OBTAIN THE MEANS, to do so.
8) Therefore, the 2nd Amendment demands ≥ PARITY of Arms with our government, and it is not our fault what that parity might entail.
9) NJ can szugggggittttt.
“Where you have fewer guns and stricter laws, you have fewer gun injuries and deaths, research has shown.”
I live in New Hampshire. We have lots of guns and fewer laws. Real-life experience demonstrates every day that we’re one of the safest states in the country, along with our sister states of Maine and Vermont. Not much against the law in NH for firearms.
Carry your piece into the bank? No problem. Church? Praise the Lord. State Capitol building? Yep. Concealed carry with no permit? We got it. And yet, fewer gun injuries and deaths.
Fewer guns and stricter laws are not the answer.
Pettifogger says: Though these schmucks might not be able to buy a home in popsicle land, surely they can rent one. So they should move on and get the added benefit of government-provided healthcare, including euthanasia for hangnail.
Scott says: Never forget, it’s not guns that they’re actually concerned with, its CONTROL… as a wise man once said, “they wouldn’t be trying to take our guns if they weren’t planning on doing something we’ll want to shoot them for”…
Cattle cars and showers anyone???
Cameron says: This is true. It was never about making anyone safe other than them.
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