I will never understand the mentality behind the gun lobby, and the firearms fetishists who do the NRA’s bidding. Recently in Wisconsin, Gov. Tony Evers called a special session of the state Legislature to address firearms safety. One of the two the bills the special session was called to discuss would have addressed background checks and would have expanded them to cover private gun sales and gun shows in Wisconsin. The other would have implemented a red flag law that would have allowed law enforcement to temporarily revoke someone’s gun ownership rights if they’re deemed to be a threat to themselves or others.
Two completely reasonable bills that would not infringe on any responsible gun owner’s rights. But shiny metal penises are evidently more important than protecting human lives. Both the state Assembly and the state Senate immediately adjourned the special session. The bills were not addressed, and there were no debates on their merits or deficiencies. That is not democracy. That is a gerrymandered majority being drunk with power.
I think everyone with critical thinking skills would agree that a red flag law is necessary to prevent people from getting killed by someone who is known to be a threat, either due to mental illness or based on a history of domestic abuse. That is, everyone but Wisconsin state Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, who actually said this with a straight face:
"I don't think these bills solve the issue of gun violence, there are many other things that play into that, including mental illness," Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, told reporters shortly after convening the session in the Senate around 8 p.m. and adjourning it roughly 30 seconds later.
He actually claims that a red flag law would not address the issue of gun violence. A red flag law takes firearms out of the hands of people who may be suffering from mental illness! No, I don’t know what kind of world Sen. Fitzgerald lives in, but in my world, taking away objects that can cause harm to oneself or others when there is the possibility that said object could be used to cause harm is an obvious thing to do. Any parent knows this: If your kid is throwing rocks at another kid, the first thing you do is take the rocks away (or take the kid away from the rocks). This is not rocket science.
Of course, the crazy does not stop with the Wisconsin legislature. Nope: Not to be outdone, Florence County in northern Wisconsin, “up nort” in Wisconsin dialect, has declared itself a sanctuary county for the Second Amendment [Insert facepalm here]. Reported Milwaukee CBS affiliate WDJT,
“It’s a really awesome thing [here] that we’ve actually got local government standing behind the citizenry, and making sure that all of our rights are respected,” said George Riggs, a gun enthusiast.
Florence County Supervisor Edwin Kelley says the county wanted to take a stand against potential legislation supported by Governor Tony Evers — namely — a red flag law.
“Gun owners and hunters, and people that need it for protection, like in your county, are very nervous about the red flag,” said Kelley.
Now, Wisconsin is not the only state that has experienced this. New Mexico, Oregon, Illinois, and Colorado have also seen counties declare themselves Second Amendment sanctuaries. That being said, county sheriffs do not get to decide what is and is not constitutional. Their job is to enforce the law. Clearly the NRA is behind the idea of Second Amendment sanctuary counties. Reuters reported:
“The documents Brady [gun safety campaign] acquired reveal that the NRA was actively involved in the NMSA’s efforts in drafting the (sanctuary) Declaration; recruiting sheriffs to lobby state and political politicians to oppose the GVP (gun-violence prevention) bills and to adopt so-called Second Amendment Sanctuary Resolutions; and encouraging sheriffs to not enforce state laws,” Brady said.
These sheriffs, and the county boards that are pushing these sanctuary counties, are putting the public at risk over a law that really is not going to impact many firearms owners. But in the cases of the ones it does impact, there is normally a pretty good reason they should not be in possession of a gun. This not only puts the public at risk of a preventable shooting, but by refusing to enforce this law, they also put taxpayers on the hook for any harm that may come from their inaction. If someone is harmed due to this inaction, there will be a lawsuit—and people like you and me will end up paying for it.
The Republican Party is beholden to the NRA, and the only thing the NRA cares about is selling more firearms.