Category Archives: Second Amendment

Keeping evil in check…

050813_missing_girl2_640Possibly more victims. Alleged sexual assault on an unconscionable scale. Miscarriages, infanticide, beatings, locked basements and chains, a house of horrors, and neighbors who apparently ignored their better judgment and looked the other way. This is undoubtedly just the beginning of a very long investigation.

Media types, politicians and pundits alike, including myself, pontificate on a regular basis about where we are and how we got here. Recently I even commented on Facebook about how I missed the country I grew up in, the long bike rides far from home, and traipsing about in a pair of shorts with no shoes almost without a care in the world. Regrettably those days are gone, and my 10-year-old is missing out on the special things that were so much a part of what America used to be.

So in lieu of any fancy statistical data, sociological analysis and/or doctoral prestige, I would offer only this as an observation regarding the events in Ohio. If we are to have any hope at all of addressing the national quandaries before us, then we must return to the beginning. We must revisit family and community, values and faith, and aspire to a culture and code of accountability that while imperfect, has proven its overall worth through generations of our forefathers. Our courts must also re-evaluate their role in terms of the judicial application, but “We the People”  must rise up as fathers and mothers, friends and neighbors, to coral evil where we can before it graduates to levels like we are seeing on our television screens today. Only when we nurture kindness and character in our own homes can we expect our children to carry those tenets forward into society. Only when we set and enforce boundaries within a stable and caring family structure will we enjoy the success of a community that acts in the best interest of all its people. And only when we begin to accept responsibility for our own personal safety and security can we expect those who would do us harm to think twice.

Please join me in prayer for these girls who were forced to become women within the confines of madness and evil, but also pray that we awaken as a society to re-embrace our former nation so we may overcome that evil, or at least confront it with a clear conscience.

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NRA not the problem…

This is a letter from a doctor in my home state of Rhode Island. Read my response below.

Doreen Ciancaglini: NRA vs. our children

                                     Doreen Ciancaglini: NRA vs. our children

Comments 10


                    April 18, 2013 12:32 pm

As a pediatrician, I spend much of my day providing guidance to the parents of my patients, to educate them regarding many issues, ranging from nutrition to safety. I was disheartened to see the defeat of the  bill on expanded background checks on gun sales bill. Most of us want less gun violence. Most of us want fewer gun fatalities, such as in the Newtown tragedy.

Most of us want our schools safe for our kids. How can this be accomplished? We have to make a start. The organization that promotes gun ownership at all cost, the National Rifle Association, is not primarily interested in these safety issues. They aggressively and actively lobby senators to reject any type of reform. They’ve duped some Americans into believing that it’s about their freedoms.

Their victory is a defeat for those if us seeking to keep our children safe.

As I and my colleagues continue to advise parents on child safety, we hope that part of our anticipatory guidance won’t have to include “since there are so many guns out there in the hands of the wrong people, just stay home.”

Doreen Ciancaglini, M.D. North Providence

 

Response:

The biggest problem supporters of the Second Amendment face is ignorance, (purposeful or otherwise), in terms of what it really means. After that, it’s just plain ideological.

This is evidenced in Doreen Ciancaglini’s letter of 5/5/13. In it she refers to the NRA as “not primarily interested in these safety issues”, referring to the defeat of the “background checks” bill. Now I don’t necessarily wish to school the good doctor on the “entire” text of that particular piece of legislation, or for that matter, the nightmares sure to arise out of legal challenges by way of the “HIPAA” statutes, (regulations I would hope she is familiar with), but I will take issue with her assertion on safety. It is a simple fact that there is no agency or entity which has done more to promote the safe ownership and handling of firearms in this country than the NRA. A simple google search would help the average person understand this. Regrettably however, and while I respect and admire her commitment to serve her fellow human being, Dr. Ciancaglini (and others) seem content to demonize that which they clearly do not understand. I wonder what her position is on, swimming pools, automobiles, alcohol, or even “fireworks and ball bearings”, none of which are directly associated with one of the “Bill of Rights”, or the foundational liberty which built and now protects the nation she practices in. The “reasonable discussion” continues to elude…

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“This is what change looks like.” – Barack Obama (2010)

Barack ObamaChange looks like economic instability fueled by ignorance and/or even disdain for a free market system which has made our nation the envy of the world. Change looks like the empty promises of an ideological demagogue, embraced by those who seek “promise” without price. Change looks like fast flight from accountability in all its forms and the validation of excuses as a way of life. Change looks like selfish manipulation of the nuclear family to the detriment of posterity and of society as a whole. Change looks like “Plan-B” for a 15 year old child, further relegating the sanctity of human life to that which is fueling our moral decay. Change looks like a Newtown Police Chief, wounded by unimaginable tragedy, but blinded by that same tragedy to all truth and logic, describing the Constitutional rights so many have died to protect as “entitlements” which must now be forfeit for the “greater good”. Change looks like higher taxes and the strengthening of an all-encompassing federal government far beyond that which our founders envisioned, and at the expense of historical fact and reason. And change looks like a President of the United States who feels “constrained” rather than empowered by two of the three greatest documents ever penned by the hand of man.

So you tell me my fellow Americans, what does change look like for your kids?

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One of ten…

Newsmakers_4_12_13__Gun_Control_Debate_C_824510000_20130412125110_320_240For good or bad, gun-control is now front and center, largely as a result of the Sandy Hook tragedy. I have fought the Second Amendment battle on a number of fronts over the years and I keep coming away with a very disturbing observation. Ironically, it’s not exclusive to the argument over guns, but I continue to be floored by how little politicians know about many of the important issues of our time.

As an example, I was watching WPRI’s Newsmakers recently with Guests, Rhode Island  Rep’s Finn and Chippendale, discussing proposed gun-control legislation coming out of Smith Hill. Firstly, Miss Finn’s “observations” on the availability of data concerning firearms incidents nationwide were almost comical. She was apparently attempting to cite CDC stats, or some lack thereof, and simply flubbed it badly. Her assertions were completely inaccurate and she seemed wholly ill-equipped to make her case. Not to be outdone, Chippendale shanked one of the simplest questions out there, and a favorite of the Liberal television media, concerning “the line” between what Americans can and should be allowed to own. Tim White cleverly threw out the poll-tested “What about bazooka’s?”, to which Rep. Chippendale simply had no discernible retort. The factual and necessary answer would have been that the “National Firearms act of 1934” and subsequent “Gun control Act of 1968” addressed those issues, banning and/or regulating ownership, use, and importation of such/certain weapons. One would think these are questions our elected representatives should be able to answer with ease, thus allowing a more robust debate for “We the People” to consider.

Nevertheless, our freedoms seem precariously balanced in the hands of those who let their emotions and/or political ambitions trump fact and reason. Dangerous ground I would say, as there are another nine Amendments in the BOR. I’m starting to think there should be some sort of test for those who wish to speak for us.

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The Politics of Gun Control…

gun-control-posterWhen you ask the average American, “Are you in favor of background checks for people buying guns?”, the obvious answer will be yes. As with all “polls” however, when you adjust the question to reflect the hidden details, you get a different (and more educated) answer. My point is that the President’s assertions about American’s feelings on gun control are skewed and highly political to say the least. Moreover, how in the world can we have a logical discussion on making our children and our nation safer, when our ideological chief executive’s contribution is to exploit the parents of Sandy Hook by flying them around from sound-bite to sound-bite on Air force One.

If there is anyone out there who believes the President of the United States cares about anything other than positioning himself politically by attempting to demonize and divide the opposition, please remove your head from the partisan sand before you suffocate.

“This is not about me.” Really Mr. President? I think this is all about you.

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“NIGHTLINE” nuttiness…

nightline1I picked up on a “Twitter” post highlighting “Nightlines” hit-job on “GLOCK”. It intrigued me so I had a look at the piece. Basically it was another example of how objectivity in modern journalism has taken a proverbial nose dive of recent. Moreover it reflected the ideological trending of the “Lame Stream Media” in the 21st Century.

That said, there is always something one can pick out of these media debacles, one bit of contrived propaganda they try and slip by you for effect. In this case it was “Nightlines” claims that “one” study showed women are three times more likely to be murdered in homes with handguns, and that sixteen times more women were killed by men they knew and not by strangers.

glock17render4Okay, Let’s move by the fact these assertions are made by the “Violence Policy center”, an ardent anti-gun agency with a proven track record of misinformation and questionable statistics. Let’s also move past the “Kleck” study which suggests firearms are used successfully for self-defense in more than two million unreported instances every year, and that in every state with a “right to carry” statute, there has been a marked reduction in violent crimes over the last ten years, to include the rape and murder of women specifically. As a matter of fact, let us also set aside the “notion” that women are sixteen times more likely to be killed (not necessarily shot), by men they know, for the sexist insinuation and societal issue it really is. No, let’s look at this for what it truly is, a corrupt and irresponsible news media which has placed its full faith and credibility, in the radical Left wing policies of an Administration with little regard for the Constitutional liberties which made this nation great. MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell removed all doubt of these media “tendencies” when she scolded her fellow reporters for letting the “Assault Weapons Ban die”. Therefore it should come as no surprise to GLOCK, COLT, or any other legitimate firearms manufacturer, that they have few friends other than the NRA in the wider messaging war.

220px-Andrea_Mitchell_MSNBC_mic_cropAs a seasoned firearms instructor my message to Patriot Women around the country is this. I know it’s tiresome. I know you’re busy with your careers and families, and I know firsthand how deciphering the statistical data can give you a splitter. But you owe it to yourself and your children to do the research. Please don’t bet your lives on the likes of Andrea Mitchell or the fools over at Nightline…

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Just answer the question…

U.S. Senator John McCain gestures as he arrives to address the third session of the Republican National Convention in TampaSenator Ted Cruz (D) Texas, has a political affliction which could be characterized as a form of leprosy in Washington. You see when he speaks, the truth seems to slip out, and when he defines issues in the context of the Constitution he swore an oath to uphold, he is immediately lambasted by cowards on both sides of the aisle. It seems any “Bill of Rights” question he asks is immediately taken as some kind of umbrage by the Liberal recipient. Now I’m pretty sure a working knowledge of our Constitution is somewhat of a prerequisite for the privilege of serving as an elected official, or at least it should be. So why was Senator Feinstein so “offended” when Cruz asked her a simple Constitutional question? The answer itself is simple.

If “We the People” desire a fair and balanced debate on any issue, it should be noted that Liberals are not at all interested in those types of debates. Talking points and (sensationalism for effect) are the time-tested and proven strategies of the Left. Questions and accountability are seen as unnecessary considering their “superior” intellectual abilities and usually elicit a form of annoying whining, inevitably followed by dodging the question altogether, much like we saw in the Cruz/Feinstein exchange.

Considering this political quandary, my message to politicians like McCain, Graham, Reid and Feinstein is, the founding documents were written in part to remind elitist fools who would be masters of the “low information voter”, that they must answer the question. Moreover, if Senator Ted Cruz is a “crazy bird” for asking the tough and relevant questions other politicians run from, then I shall send him an appropriate amount of bird seed so he may continue to defend my son’s Constitution.

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Not just in Rhode Island…

second-amendment-rifleThe fight for Second Amendment rights in Rhode Island is always interesting. The Ocean State’s unique political landscape lends itself to all kinds of curious interpretations. As a general rule, Rhode Islanders tend to be the quintessential procrastinators, prone to reactionary politics. That said, firearms owners in the state are a passionate bunch when roused. Appropriately and for the purposes of this writing, I think it’s important to identify the two opposing groups on the matter of gun control here in Rhode Island.

Firstly, the states entrenched Leftist politicians oppose the right to “keep and bear arms” as outlined in the federal Constitution and reinforced by an even less debatable state application. Their foremost agenda is “registration” as a means to eventual confiscation. Truth be told, if you hang around in political circles long enough, you’ll hear them say that very thing. Regrettably, their media sanitized efforts are often disguised by a blatant mischaracterization of the Amendment itself, as well as the exploitation of murdered innocents as an acceptable means to the aforementioned end. This is the most despicable kind of political gamesmanship, made even more indefensible by a deliberate end run around the Constitution(s) these elected officials swore an oath to defend.

On the other side there are the ardent few defenders on Smith (Capitol) Hill. Emboldened by a rising tide of awakening gun owners, folks like Representative Chippendale (R) 40 and Costa (R) 31 are often hampered by boatloads of media misinformation, political pandering and a lack of understanding on the part of the general public when considering the true intent of the Second Amendment. It’s always troubling when some in this camp go on about hunting and sport shooting, neither of which have anything to do with the Amendment. This ignorance, willful or otherwise, only makes the task of countering a well-organized and focused opposition more difficult. Ultimately, factual unity around the Second Amendment’s true origin and meaning provides the clarity necessary to understanding how “the right” facilitates/protects additional benefits like hunting and other sporting uses of firearms. Moreover, every gun-owner who values his or her time at the range or in the woods should understand that while the Second Amendment was not drafted for “recreational” purposes and/or reasoning, many of these cultural traditions as well as the God-given right of self-defense, are also protected by way of our founders wisdom, experience and the subsequent Constitutional right to “keep and bear arms”.

Please take some time to read “your” founding documents, as well as the letters and papers of those who wrote them. You will discover they are anything but outdated. In fact, the content could not be more necessary and applicable to our current national posture.

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The truth, brought to you by real world experience…

Even M. Todd stared down evil and gave justification for his life to the devil manifested. I for one will respect his experience in place of President Obama’s opportunistic and ideological politics every time…

Evan M. Todd

Evan M. Todd

Unedited from “The Blaze” –

Mr. President,

As a student who was shot and wounded during the Columbine massacre, I have a few thoughts on the current gun debate. In regards to your gun control initiatives:

Universal Background Checks

First, a universal background check will have many devastating effects. It will arguably have the opposite impact of what you propose. If adopted, criminals will know that they can not pass a background check legally, so they will resort to other avenues. With the conditions being set by this initiative, it will create a large black market for weapons and will support more criminal activity and funnel additional money into the hands of thugs, criminals, and people who will do harm to American citizens.

Second, universal background checks will create a huge bureaucracy that will cost an enormous amount of tax payers dollars and will straddle us with more debt. We cannot afford it now, let alone create another function of government that will have a huge monthly bill attached to it.

Third, is a universal background check system possible without universal gun registration? If so, please define it for us. Universal registration can easily be used for universal confiscation. I am not at all implying that you, sir, would try such a measure, but we do need to think about our actions through the lens of time.

It is not impossible to think that a tyrant, to the likes of Mao, Castro, Che, Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, and others, could possibly rise to power in America. It could be five, ten, twenty, or one hundred years from now — but future generations have the natural right to protect themselves from tyrannical government just as much as we currently do. It is safe to assume that this liberty that our forefathers secured has been a thorn in the side of would-be tyrants ever since the Second Amendment was adopted.

Ban on Military-Style Assault Weapons

The evidence is very clear pertaining to the inadequacies of the assault weapons ban. It had little to no effect when it was in place from 1994 until 2004. It was during this time that I personally witnessed two fellow students murder twelve of my classmates and one teacher. The assault weapons ban did not deter these two murderers, nor did the other thirty-something laws that they broke.

Gun ownership is at an all time high. And although tragedies like Columbine and Newtown are exploited by ideologues and special-interest lobbying groups, crime is at an all time low. The people have spoken. Gun store shelves have been emptied. Gun shows are breaking attendance records. Gun manufacturers are sold out and back ordered. Shortages on ammo and firearms are countrywide. The American people have spoken and are telling you that our Second Amendment shall not be infringed.

10-Round Limit for Magazines

Virginia Tech was the site of the deadliest school shooting in U.S. history. Seung-Hui Cho used two of the smallest caliber hand guns manufactured and a handful of ten round magazines. There are no substantial facts that prove that limited magazines would make any difference at all. Second, this is just another law that endangers law-abiding citizens. I’ve heard you ask, “why does someone need 30 bullets to kill a deer?”

Let me ask you this: Why would you prefer criminals to have the ability to out-gun law-abiding citizens? Under this policy, criminals will still have their 30-round magazines, but the average American will not. Whose side are you on?

Lastly, when did they government get into the business of regulating “needs?” This is yet another example of government overreaching and straying from its intended purpose.

Selling to Criminals

Mr. President, these are your words: “And finally, Congress needs to help, rather than hinder, law enforcement as it does its job. We should get tougher on people who buy guns with the express purpose of turning around and selling them to criminals. And we should severely punish anybody who helps them do this.”

Why don’t we start with Eric Holder and thoroughly investigate the Fast and Furious program?

Furthermore, the vast majority of these mass murderers bought their weapons legally and jumped through all the hoops —  because they were determined to murder. Adding more hoops and red tape will not stop these types of people. It doesn’t now — so what makes you think it will in the future? Criminals who cannot buy guns legally just resort to the black market.

Criminals and murderers will always find a way.

Critical Examination

Mr. President, in theory, your initiatives and proposals sound warm and fuzzy — but in reality they are far from what we need. Your initiatives seem to punish law-abiding American citizens and enable the murderers, thugs, and other lowlifes who wish to do harm to others.

Let me be clear: These ideas are the worst possible initiatives if you seriously care about saving lives and also upholding your oath of office. There is no dictate, law, or regulation that will stop bad things from happening — and you know that. Yet you continue to push the rhetoric. Why?

You said, “If we can save just one person it is worth it.” Well here are a few ideas that will save more that one individual:

First, forget all of your current initiatives and 23 purposed executive orders. They will do nothing more than impede law-abiding citizens and breach the intent of the Constitution. Each initiative steals freedom, grants more power to an already-overreaching government, and empowers and enables criminals to run amok.

Second, press Congress to repeal the “Gun Free Zone Act.” Don’t allow America’s teachers and students to be endangered one-day more. These parents and teachers have the natural right to defend themselves and not be looked at as criminals. There is no reason teachers must disarm themselves to perform their jobs. There is also no reason a parent or volunteer should be disarmed when they cross the school line.

This is your chance to correct history and restore liberty. This simple act of restoring freedom will deter would-be murderers and for those who try, they will be met with resistance.

Mr. President, do the right thing, restore freedom, and save lives. Show the American people that you stand with them and not with thugs and criminals.

Respectfully,

Severely Concerned Citizen, Evan M. Todd

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True Intent…

Feinstein thinks these folks buy their guns at gun stores.

Feinstein thinks these folks buy their guns at gun stores.

It’s always noteworthy how the wacko Left is so fixated on antagonizing law abiding gun owners instead of pursuing and prosecuting criminals. Truly they are more frightened of an empowered free citizen than some parolee “gang-banger”. Well, that is until that gang-banger shows up in their living room demanding cash and their daughter, and then they start wishing they had their own equalizer.

The idea that Maine’s Governor LePage must now seek an emergency injunction to stop a local news rags attempt to snag personal data on legitimate “carry permit” holders, should be sufficient evidence to any reasonable observer of the Left’s true intent. This fight has not and will never be about crime, but rather it remains an ideological struggle with law-abiding gun owners in one corner and Constitutionally challenged, political opportunists in the other.

The good news is that with every passing day the “gun-grabbers” argument grows more and more strained under the weight of fact and reason, and the Presidents assertions that gun owners “are siding with him” falters against the scrutiny of truth and context.

It appears all of our crises of late are bringing the U.S. closer to a national epiphany certain to set us back on freedoms course, or at least I hope so…

 

 

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