Gun Control's Historic "Sit in".

Brave Democrats stage a
sit in demanding
action on gun control.
Historic otherwise .

The issue of gun control has divided this country . (1)>>This is the Republican's verses the Democrats, the two parties have reached their level of unworkability .  A Democratic protest demanding votes on gun-control legislation led to pandemonium in the House chamber that did not end until early Thursday, when Speaker Paul D. Ryan and his fellow Republicans reclaimed control long enough to force through a major spending bill. Instead,  for a long time with so may mass shootings .Democrats have voluntarily taken it upon themselves to grandstand in such a rule-breaking fashion that Republicans declared the House in recess. Remember the Republican's did the same thing for years shutting down the government , this act by the Democrats is payback at last.  And that’s a good thing! The less time Congress is voting on bills, the less opportunity they have to take away our constitutionally protected freedoms.(2)>>Congress has remained completely silent on this issue. And that’s mainly because one relentless organization, the National Rifle Association, has done everything in its power to keep the status quo.Largely due to the NRA’s efforts, the (2.2)>>Untied States is home to nearly 300 million privately owned guns, which notches the highest rate of civilian gun ownership in the world next is Yemen, with only half that of the Untied States); 25 states have adopted some form of Stand Your Ground laws, which have widened the scope for justifiable murders and handcuffed law enforcement; and every state, except Illinois, allows gun owners to carry concealed weapons outside their home.To make matters worse, the NRA viciously pushed for the infamous “gun show loophole,” which currently makes it possible for criminals and fugitives to purchase guns without a background check. Despite widespread support, even among gun owners, to close the loophole, the NRA has refused to stand down. There are few better ways of grasping how far the Republicans have abandoned the middle ground, where they used to win elections, than the way their leaders have become agents of the gun industry. Conservatives used to consider themselves law-abiding citizens who put great store by the permanence of institutions, by the rule of law, and by the traditional caution and common sense of the sensible majority. Today the Republican Party remains in hock to the NRA leadership and through them to their paymasters in the gun-making industry. The NRA runs an official list, like the old Communist Party, of preferred candidates and grades them according to their adherence to the strict constructionist interpretation of the (3)>>Second Amendment. Endless debate rages over exactly what the Framers meant by the term “well regulated Militia” in the 2nd Amendment. The strongest argument for gun control is found in the 2nd amendment itself, which reads: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.Read it again: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.What does "well regulated" mean?  In District of Columbia v. Heller (2008), the U.S. Supreme Court stated that the adjective 'well-regulated' implies nothing more than the imposition of proper discipline and training. Who is responsible for the regulation of this militia?  Not the militia itself, in that they would never participate in any meaningful self-regulation.  Not Congress, because the government cannot regulate a militia which limits its power.  Not state governments, for the same reason.  Certainly not the NRA, because they oppose any regulation whatsoever.  The Republican majorities in both the U.S House and Senate consistently parrot the National Rifle Association’s talking points. Paramount among the criticisms from the NRA is that innocent people might well be put on the terrorist watch list. “Protections should be put in place that allow law-abiding Americans who are wrongly put on a watch list to be removed,” stated Chris Cox, executive director of the NRA Institute for Legislative Action. It is certainly admirable to raise the issue of these flawed “terror watch lists” and how people can get off them. But many Republicans are only raising the issue now for the first time, suggesting that all they care about is that the lists limit the number of people who can buy weapons. If a candidate fails to offer total support for absolutist gun rights, the NRA funds a campaign in the next party primary to unseat them.The NRA exists to protect weapons manufacturers, they don't care a whit about an individual gun owner beyond making sure that said gun owner exists. In order to make profit for the weapons manufacturers. Polls suggest, however, that the NRA leadership no longer represents the wishes of its members towards moderate gun controls, and since the Sandy Hook massacre of schoolchildren, the extremism of NRA leaders like Wayne LaPierre, whose tin-eared response to the shootings so jarred voters in all parties, suggests the existence at the top of the organization of a self-serving, superannuated elite that no longer commands the confidence of its rank and file. The standoff, which began with a Democratic sit-in on the House floor just before noon on Wednesday, did not end until about 3 a.m. Thursday when Mr. Ryan — barreling over Democrats’ objections — took the rare and provocative step of calling a vote on a major appropriations bill in the wee hours and without any debate. He then adjourned the House, with no legislative votes scheduled until July 5.

NOTES AND COMMENTS:

(1)>>This is the Republican's verses the Democrats. Republicans at the time said Democrats were looking to capitalize on the grief of the moment and worried it could lead to people who were wrongfully placed on the terror list being denied their constitutional right to buy guns. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, instead pushed an alternative that would have delayed suspected terrorists from being able to buy firearms for up to 72 hours, giving the FBI time to block the sale. House Republicans oppose an extrajudicial use of so-called terror watch lists because the lists are a civil rights nightmare. People have no right to know if they’re put on the list or why they’re put on the list. Sen. Ted Kennedy was put on the list not because he once killed a woman but for some other unknown reason. Heck, Rep. John Lewis, the civil rights leader currently fighting against civil rights on the House floor, was once on the list.  (2)>>Congress has remained completely silent on this issue. Members of the U.S. House of Representatives staged the first sit-in in Congress’ history, taking the floor of the House and demanding a vote on what is called the “no fly, no buy” restriction on gun purchases. This narrow provision would deny people on the federal “no-fly list” the ability to legally buy a gun. The protest was launched by Atlanta’s congressional representative John Lewis, the legendary civil-rights activist. “Sometimes you have to do something out of the ordinary. Sometimes you have to make a way out of no way,” Lewis said from the well of the House. “There comes a time when you have to say something, when you have to make a little noise. This is the time. Now is the time to get in the way.” He left the podium and, joined by many other members of Congress, gave new meaning to “speaking from the House floor” by sitting down in front of the podium and refusing to get up.(2.2)>>Untied States is home to nearly 300 million privately owned guns. In recent years 67 federal agencies such as the IRS and Health and Human Services have spent $1.48 billion purchasing guns, ammunition and military-style equipment. These Departments have more than 200,000 federal officers with arrest and firearm authority. Note: the entire United State Marine Corps consists of 182,000 personnel.The Internal Revenue Service itself has stockpiled guns and ammunition for 2,316 “special agents” and their own SWAT teams. Including semi-automatic shotguns with buckshot and slugs; AR-15rifles (S&W M&P 15) and military-style H&K 416 rifles.Source OpenTheBooks.com. (3)>>Second Amendment. The Second Amendment is not an absolute guarantee to own any firearm, and until recently was not considered an individual right.For most of America’s history, the Second Amendment was interpreted as only applying to militia service, unlike in many state constitutions where the individual right to bear arms is clearly spelled out. Even though there is some scattered evidence supporting the view that the Second Amendment is an individual right, for most of the 20th century (when gun-control entered the national discussion), the consensus view was that it protected a collective right, nothing more. As the Supreme Court ruled in United States v. Miller, a case challenging the first major federal gun control law, the right of the people to keep and bear arms is an individual right only in that it requires individuals to man a militia. It was not until very recently that the right was detached from such service and declared a purely individual right.