Friday, April 27, 2007

How to Disarm America

Of course in the aftermath of Viriginia Tech there are predictable calls for gun control. While most of the proposals are objectionalbe simply on policy grounds, i.e. I don't agree with the policy of gun control at its core, at least the proposals generally don't involve gestappo-like tactics to enforce, like this one:
Now, how would one disarm the American population? First of all, federal or state laws would need to make it a crime punishable by a $1,000 fine and one year in prison per weapon to possess a firearm. The population would then be given three months to turn in their guns, without penalty.

snip

The disarmament process would begin after the initial three-month amnesty. Special squads of police would be formed and trained to carry out the work. Then, on a random basis to permit no advance warning, city blocks and stretches of suburban and rural areas would be cordoned off and searches carried out in every business, dwelling, and empty building. All firearms would be seized. The owners of weapons found in the searches would be prosecuted: $1,000 and one year in prison for each firearm.

Clearly, since such sweeps could not take place all across the country at the same time. But fairly quickly there would begin to be gun-swept, gun-free areas where there should be no firearms. If there were, those carrying them would be subject to quick confiscation and prosecution. On the streets it would be a question of stop-and-search of anyone, even grandma with her walker, with the same penalties for "carrying."
Of course, as Captain Ed pointed out, there is that pesky 2nd Amendment, but Eugene Volokh proposes substituting drugs for guns and see if you come up with another 4th Amendment violation. Here is another substitution for you, obscene material in your own home or "subversive literatute." Sound a little Orwellian to you?

By the way, the author of the dismarmament plan notes in his defense:
And before anyone starts to hyperventilate and think I'm a crazed liberal zealot wanting to take his gun from his cold, dead hands, let me share my experience of guns.

As a child I played cowboys and Indians with cap guns. I had a Daisy Red Ryder B-B gun. My father had in his bedside table drawer an old pistol which I examined surreptitiously from time to time. When assigned to the American embassy in Beirut during the war in Lebanon, I sometimes carried a .357 Magnum, which I could fire accurately. I also learned to handle and fire a variety of weapons while I was there, including Uzis and rocket-propelled grenade launchers.
Not that this pre-disposition makes up for the unconstitutional plan.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm baffled as to why Va. Tech. naturally makes people think gun control. I posted about this recently on my site. My first thought was: Isn't it too bad that at least one of the students wasn't armed? One armed student could have saved twenty or more lives!

Anonymous said...

I can’t speak for anyone especially for a killer .I can only speak for myself. Let’s take five seconds….. Just five seconds to think against the grain. Maybe the news media is lying to us. Maybe, just maybe he wasn’t crazy but driven to an insane action by those who felt too comfortable. They could have acted however they wanted cause either daddy or the authorities would fly in to protect these arrogant, spoiled kids. …… Once again I don’t know any of these kids. And for the families I understand the grief, but is it possible you didn’t see your little angels inter act with this madman. Is it possible your children themselves pushed him to this action? Would he have taken a different road if little Johnny was a little more decent to little cho.
Why else did the media stop showing the tapes? Do you really believe they grew a conscience. They now know decency? I can’t say, but I know people are seeing SOME truth to what cho said. They speak it to me without prompting. That’s why they stop showing the tapes.
Then again maybe these kids were innocent and cho was a complete nut.
Personally I never met anyone dead or alive who is innocent. I know your three year old is innocent but your three year old knows when, where and how to lie. No?

Maybe cho realized these college children would have grown up to be truly a negative affect on the world at large.
Tell me how different the story would be if we could go back and kill Hitler when he was in college. Do you really believe the media would have patted our man on the back? No! he would be a monster.
I really don’t believe any of these kids were Hitler but what if cho wasn’t too far from the truth.

I don’t know anyone involved, and my point is not to pass judgment on anyone.
All I wish to say is I’m really getting tired of the media and every easily lead moron telling me how to look at things. People, have your opinions and someone will always disagree with whatever your saying.
Stop thinking the way they tell you to…………….. Form your own opinion and don’t have any fear to speak your mind……………..

Remember if you call me names cause you don’t agree with me then you know what started cho….. Maybe your apart of the problem not me

- Tyler Goines
05 01 07