Cumberland Times-News

Opinion

March 13, 2013

Only law-abiding citizens will be disarmed

I am writing in response to “Maryland Firearm Safety Act will save lives” of March 4, an open letter from the Allegany County branch of the NAACP to Maryland Delegate Vallario.

I would like to point out it’s very disappointing to see an organization dedicated to the betterment of people of color, especially members of the black community, openly espouse a leftist agenda to disarm the very groups they purport to serve.

After the Revolutionary War, first appearances of gun control were to prevent black people from defending themselves against racist violence and attempting to remain free from slavery.

According to UCLA Constitutional law professor Adam Winkler:

“The history of gun control in America] was a constant pressure among white racists to keep guns out of the hands of African-Americans, because they would rise up and revolt.”

According to Winkler, “the KKK began as gun-control organization, before the Civil War blacks were never allowed to own guns.” (http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2011/09/21/love-your-gun-thank-the-black-panthers-says-new-book/)

The article uses phrases such as “safe, sane and sensible gun violence prevention laws.”

This is really coded language, a form of Newspeak, a term coined by George Orwell, which he said was created to “provide a medium of expression for the world-view and mental habits” of the ruling elite and further “to make all other modes of thought impossible.“

Phrases such as “reasonable gun control” and “sensible gun control” are examples of Newspeak.

A glaring fact about gun ownership is this: crime goes down as the number of people owning firearms increases.

This is a fact all “authorities” have known for centuries. It’s the very reason tyrants must disarm their people before committing crimes against them.

Take the U.S. for example. Homicide is at a 50-year low, yet gun ownership and sales are at all-time highs; crime and violence will rapidly rise after “gun-control” measures are implemented and Americans willingly disarm.

The highest violent crime rates in the U.S. are in regions having the strongest prohibitions against guns. For example, Chicago, having the “toughest” gun laws in the country, has one of the highest violent crime rates in the world.

The article also makes the claim: “If passed in its entirety the legislation will improve current state laws to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and other dangerous persons, while upholding the second amendment rights of law abiding gun owners.“

The truth, is criminals get guns from many sources and in the U.S. there are over 800 million guns to choose from. Any attempt to disarm citizens in Maryland will only disarm the law abiding citizen, while offering a gun free zone to criminals who will never run short of weapons and face reduced resistance to their crimes.

Finally, it’s patently false to suggest disarming, registering, licensing and limiting firearms, according to Maryland’s proposed law, could be consistent with the second amendment of the Constitution for the united States of America.

“...the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed” is very clear and, according to McDonald v Chicago, 2010, no state can abridge or infringe on the rights expressed in the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution because the court ruled they are incorporated.

An axiom in economics says it’s not competition itself that improves products and services in a market, it’s the threat of competition.

This axiom also applies to guns in the hands of citizens. It’s the threat of being armed that will keep Americans safe from enemies, foreign or domestic.

Jack Mullen

Short Gap, W.Va.

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