Since 9-11, we have sacrificed our civil liberties (see Patriot Act) under the guise of "The Constitution is not a suicide pact." Likewise, it is time to apply this self-imposed limitation to our second amendment.
Post 9-11, reasonable measures were taken to protect us from dangers unforeseen when the notions of free speech and right to privacy were enshrined in our constitution. Granted, we can debate the extent of some of those measures; however, you cannot argue with the fact that no large-scale attacks have occurred on our shores since.
The attack on elementary school children by a video-game nerd with an assault rifle is a school too far. It is the NRA's Waterloo. The second amendment is no more sacred than any of the other amendments that we have tailored to maintain a sane and safe society.
Now is not the time for minor action, for watered-down compromise bills that accomplish nothing. Do something bold. Do something meaningful. And when the republican congress votes against it, drape it around their neck in 2014 and change the congress.
We must categorically reject the erroneous notion that the cat is already out of the bag; —that there are too many horrific weapons out there and we can never get them under control.
We need to:
— Restrict the sale, purchase, and POSSESSION of any magazine with
a capacity greater than ten (10) rounds.
(If you can't shoot your deer after ten shots, you are a danger
to others in the woods and you shouldn't be there.)
— Restrict the sale, purchase, and POSSESSION of assault weapons.
Existing weapons can remain in the possession of the owner ONLY
in the following conditions:
*Owner obtains proper (FEDERAL) license
*Owner must prove that the weapon is secured in gun vault.
Violations must be a felony. A period of amnesty can be granted where owners can dispose of illegal magazines and obtain proper licenses for grandfathered weapons. After that, those that continue to possess these illegal weapons of mass murder are committing felonies.
We can model "possession" enforcement just like the Republican immigration policy of "self-deportment." (Mitt Romney should love this.) Current owners will have the opportunity to make sure they are in compliance with the law. After that, if they get pulled over by police on the way home from the firing range or they have a fire in their house and the firemen discover your illegal weapons, congratulations, you are now a felon. After spending a mandatory year in jail, you may also lose your right to vote in some states.
Disenfranchising your stupid ass would simply be icing on the cake.
The NRA has been the schoolyard bully for the last ten years. Now is the time to stand up to this bully, surround it with superior numbers, and show it to be the paper tiger that it is.
It is time to call the NRA's bluff.