PA Bill Number: SB945
Title: Consolidating the act of August 9, 1955 (P.L.323, No.130), known as The County Code; and making repeals.
Description: Consolidating the act of August 9, 1955 (P.L.323, No.130), known as The County Code; and making repeals. ...
Last Action: Third consideration and final passage (199-0)
Last Action Date: Apr 17, 2024
FOAC Op-Ed: The push for common sense gun laws lacks common sense :: 04/06/2018
In 1784, Edmund Burke made this statement, "The people never give up their liberties but under some delusion." We are witnessing the modern-day exemplification of that profound statement in the manipulation of public opinion (delusion) in the March for our Lives in DC and around this nation.
Kim Stolfer (PennLive file)
On March 24, hundreds of thousands of people attended the DC March for our lives and of that total about 10 percent were teenagers.
Many protesters demanded more federal "common-sense" gun control laws (But when asked to define the reasons for their support they could not).
This push for common-sense gun laws lacks common sense, or at least perspective.
Why is it that the organization of this March has somehow been ignored? Who funded this march or where did the 'Dark Money' come from?
First, let's be clear; this was not some spontaneous combustion event where a 17-year-old in Florida called up a bus company and ordered a bus.
This was a coldly calculated effort, well-funded by billionaires Soros and Bloomberg and Hollywood fatcats exploiting the youth and pushing a political agenda against the 2nd Amendment.
There is an extensive list of far-left donors known to be behind the March for Our Lives movement. They include Mark Kelly & the Gifford Foundation; Michael Bloomberg & Everytown for Gun Safety, and MoveOn.org, among others.
The list of donors reads like a who's who of radical leftist organizations dedicated to destroying the 2nd Amendment at all costs.
But what are the facts about guns and gun control? When you look into them, you see that blind calls for additional gun control laws won't solve the problem of gun violence in America, and in the past have proven to be counterproductive, think Chicago, California or Washington D.C.
First, it's worth noting that there are already many hundreds of gun-control laws on the federal books, to say nothing of thousands upon thousands of state statutes with Pennsylvania having well over 300 not counting additional regulations.
In virtually every of the shooting rampages, the public learns only later that none of the gun control proposals advocates want added to the list would have prevented the killer from carrying out his plans. Or that the problem was that public officials failed to properly enforce existing laws, exactly what happened in Parkland Florida dozens of times.
What's more, the evidence shows that there isn't a clear correlation between gun laws and gun crime, either among states in the U.S. or internationally.
Why were the teenage advocates of more gun control laws silent on the failures of government?
Could it be they were coached by those writing the checks on what to say and how to say that gun control is what's needed? Audio tapes have surfaced indicating that this is EXACLY what occurred by the Giffords Foundation, formerly Americans for Gun Safety. Can we say 'exploitation' now or how about manipulation
One of the key students from Parkland, 17-year-old Cameron Kasky of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High said in an NPR interview,
"Well, I say we're marching to protect you from other people like you who have guns".
Arrogance?
In the anti-gun and progressive mindset, Americans who possess firearms aren't simply free citizens exercising a God-given freedom that's guaranteed under the Second Amendment, they're potentially murderous criminals who need the strong hand of the state to control their every move.
Now, under the behind-the-scenes control of national anti-gun groups, the March for Our Lives naifs are going the final step, to declare that Americans who believe in their right to self-defense are actually murderers in their souls.
We as a society are going to have to decide whether we want answers that respect rights. The first principle should be that no one's freedom should depend on the behavior of the lawlessness or ineptitude of government.
Next, we are going to have to muster the courage to demand real answers but that can only begin by asking hard questions.
Questions such as why have the guidelines in the 2004 Secret Service report and the 2007 FBI report on securing schools and school violence NOT been implemented by most schools (including Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High)?
Why has there been so much silence surrounding the Promise program that turned criminal teens loose after committing crimes in Parkland and this included the killer.
We must begin a dialogue about the connection between media and violence -- here's a secret: The news industry knows there is a connection when it comes to teen suicide, because all evidence indicates such coverage triggers more suicides (the same goes for 'school shootings)!
For years, the news industry has followed a self-imposed restriction to not give extensive coverage to teen suicides.
If you acknowledge that, the rest of the train comes with it (i.e., hyped news coverage of other violent acts triggers more violence) - this is known as the 'Copycat Effect'. One of the greatest reasons for parents to seek out private schools today is concerns over 'Suicide Pacts'.
These are facts that were missing in D.C. and that are being ignored in the public debate:
- Mass killings are rare, and mass public shootings are even rarer.
- Many gun control measures are likely to be counterproductive.
- Public mass shooters typically have histories of mental health issues.
- The United States does not have a unique problem with mass public shootings compared to other developed countries
- Mass killers will find ways to kill even without firearms.
From the statements and signs on March 24 in DC it appears it is the objective of these young people to end every citizen's right to self-defense and defense of others, and to fundamentally empower the federal government to abuse the American people.
The Bill of Rights is 'timeless' and if the 2nd Amendment fails then the entire Bill of Rights falls with it.
Kim Stolfer is president of Firearms Owners Against Crime, a gun-rights advocacy group. He writes from Pittsburgh.
http://www.pennlive.com/opinion/2018/04/the_push_for_common_sense_gun.html#incart_river_index
