Ideas, Opinions, Genealogy, and Book Reviews
I had written earlier about the armed protests against state decisions on stay-at-home orders and shutdown of non-essential business.
I just read an interesting article on this in The Atlantic online. It is not a very long article and is well worth your time if you have any interest.
Why is this allowed? Protests against state order to stay-at-home or a lockdown are being protested in many states. Of course protest is our right and a good thing when the people disagree with the government. But if is accompanied by heavy enough arms to terrify other citizens, is it a good thing?
Doctors disagree with the NRA. They have noticed that bullets from guns may lead to severe medical problems and in many cases, even death.
The National Rifle Association or NRA has told doctors they should ‘stay in their lane’ since many favor gun regulation in the wake of so many mass shootings.
Continue reading “Doctors disagree with the NRA.”
A useless sentiment in response to the deadly school shooting in Parkland, Florida. Can our federal government do something useful about this?
See this
Generally, the Republican response to any mass shooting is that it is ‘too soon’ to talk about it, our ‘thoughts and prayers’ go out to victims, and then to stop anybody who tries to do something useful. Of course, this is just my opinion based on years of observation. They blocked legislation after Newtown, CT. They did nothing after Sutherland Springs, TX or Las Vegas NV. They seem ready to do nothing again. Are Republicans the Party of Death ?
Continue reading “Are Republicans the Party of Death ?”
Senator Chuck Grassley seems to be a hypocrite on the subject of guns for the mentally ill. After the recent tragic school shooing in Florida, he was asked to comment and Senator Grassley said:
It seems to be common for a lot of these shootings, in fact almost all of the shootings, is the mental state of the people. And we have not done a very good job of making sure that people that have mental reasons for not being able to handle a gun getting their name into the FBI files and we need to concentrate on that.
Continue reading “Guns for the mentally ill: Is Senator Grassley a hypocrite ?”
The House of Representatives passed a bill earlier this month to overturn an Obama administration rule which would have the Social Security Administration send records of some beneficiaries with severe mental illness to the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System. The bill may go to the Senate this week where it can be passed simple majority and soon thereafter sent to President Trump.
If you think this information should be available to the FBI during background check (or not), you may want to contact your Senator and President.
Once again, Republicans take a stand against sensible gun laws.
Previously this stance against was taken against a proposed sensible gun law which proposed closing the gun show loophole so buyers cannot evade background checks by buying a gun shows or online.
Just last month, the Senate defeated an amendment to a bill which would similarly close this loophole.
This week the President is suggesting an executive order which would do much the same thing. Republicans are again opposed. Perhaps not all but a number of politicians have spoken.
I don’t often agree with U.S. Senator Pat Toomey (R-Pa.). But this time I do. He renewed his attempt of a few years ago to make our gun laws a bit more sensible.
A few years ago, Senators Toomey and Manchin proposed their sensible gun law after the massacre of school children in Newtown, CT. This was rejected and the sad story is in my post – Sensible gun laws lose
A few days ago, after the San Bernadino mass shooting, the Senate once again rejected the Manchin-Toomey proposal to make background checks universal.
The same day the Senate also rejected a plan to allow the government to delay delay firearms sales to suspected terrorists for up to 72 hours.
Neither universal background checks nor these delays allowing extended background check will stop all gun violence but these sensible gun law changes do make it a bit harder for the bad guys and may save lives.
I don’t think the Senators defeated these commonsense measures to make life easier for the bad guys, but that is what they did.
The state of Pennsylvania not only forbids local governments from regulating guns but went beyond that with a new NRA-supported law allowing the allowing the NRA and other organizations members with living in Pennsylvania or actual residents of the Commonwealth to sue the municipality for not only injunction to stop the law but for any actual or punitive financial damages they feel are warranted.
For example, Philadelphia and many other communities require the reporting of lost and stolen firearms. Since our state government will not act against making of “straw” purchases, many municipalities have. Both are important tools to fight gun trafficking without interfering with the possession of guns by ordinary citizens. Continue reading “Regulating Guns in Pennsylvania”