The biggest lie perpetrated on the American public. No, its not Nixon lying to us about his involvement in Watergate. No, its not Bush lying about weapons of mass destruction. But, it does result in as many Americans dying every month as in the entire Iraq war to date. In fact, it results in the deaths of nearly 30,000 Americans every year.
It is the NRA's claim that the Second Amendment guarantees an unrestricted right to own a gun. This claim, is unfounded, and completely false.
The lies are overwhelming...
In 2004, despite a decade of declining murder rates, congress allowed
a ban assault weapons to expire. During the period in which this ban was in effect, 1994-2001, violent crime dropped nearly 54%. Crimes committed with guns also declined, 63%. There is no doubt that this ban, in addition to the
Brady Act, contributed to this decline.
But the real issue here isn't whether these gun control laws work. It's obvious they do. The real issue is the second amendment and the NRA. Here's what the second amendment says:
A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.
The intention of the second amendment was to balance out the national army with a state militia, or in today's world, the governor controlled national guard.
But even if you don't agree with this definition of militia, there is no getting around the clause "A well regulated militia". This leaves it up to the legislature to decide what constitutes a "well regulated militia". Most experts on the second amendment agree that in the history of the amendment the right to bear arms mentioned out of the context of a militia. There is no separating the two clauses. So then why then does the NRA claim that the Brady Act and Assault Weapons ban violate the Second Amendment? And with all the evidence showing how effective these laws are in reducing crime, why do the Democrats do nothing to push this issue?
The reason is simple. The NRA itself estimates it spent $20 million in the 2004 election rewarding its friends and punishing its enemies. The NRA itself claims to have defeated 20 democrats in the house alone. The Democrats are afraid, and rightfully so, of the Gun Lobby.
What can be done to reverse the lies spread by the NRA and pro-gun lobby? And why, with so many statistics backing them up why can't the Democrats pass anti-gun laws that will save lives?