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Gun Control: Difference between revisions
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The end effect of gun control laws is the concentration of firearms ownership in the hands of the state. | The end effect of gun control laws is the concentration of firearms ownership in the hands of the state. | ||
==Liberal view on gun control== | <!-- ==Liberal view on gun control== | ||
[[File:No Weapons Allowed.gif]] | [[File:No Weapons Allowed.gif]] --> | ||
==Racist | |||
==Racist Motivations for Gun Control Laws== | |||
In the [[United States of America|United States]], gun control has a history of strong racist origin and reasoning. Before the Civil War ended, State "Slave Codes" prohibited slaves from owning guns. After President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, and after the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution abolishing slavery was adopted and the Civil War ended in 1865, States persisted in prohibiting blacks, now freemen, from owning guns under laws renamed "Black Codes." They did so on the basis that blacks were not citizens, and thus did not have the same rights, including the right to keep and bear arms protected in the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, as whites. This view was specifically articulated by the U.S. Supreme Court in its infamous 1857 decision in Dred Scott v. Sandford to uphold slavery. | In the [[United States of America|United States]], gun control has a history of strong racist origin and reasoning. Before the Civil War ended, State "Slave Codes" prohibited slaves from owning guns. After President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, and after the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution abolishing slavery was adopted and the Civil War ended in 1865, States persisted in prohibiting blacks, now freemen, from owning guns under laws renamed "Black Codes." They did so on the basis that blacks were not citizens, and thus did not have the same rights, including the right to keep and bear arms protected in the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, as whites. This view was specifically articulated by the U.S. Supreme Court in its infamous 1857 decision in Dred Scott v. Sandford to uphold slavery. | ||
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The National Firearms Act of 1934 placed an essentially prohibitive licensing and taxation scheme on automatic rifles and so-called "sawed-off" shotguns, seeking to restrict their ownership. | The National Firearms Act of 1934 placed an essentially prohibitive licensing and taxation scheme on automatic rifles and so-called "sawed-off" shotguns, seeking to restrict their ownership. | ||
==Modern | ==Modern Gun Control Statutes== | ||
In the United States, the Gun Control Act of 1968 forms the basic national gun control law, with the restrictions amended or added to in subsequent laws such as the Firearms Owners Protection Act of 1986 and the Brady Bill. The Gun Control Act of 1968 essentially banned the interstate sale of firearms through the mail and created various arbitrary categories of persons prohibited from owning a firearm. The Firearms Owners Protection Act includes a ban on the licensing of new automatic weapons under the National Firearms Act for automatic rifles manufactured after May 1986. The Brady Bill requires would-be purchasers of firearms to submit to a "background check". The prohibited persons categories created by the Gun Control Act of 1968 have been since copied wholesale into other laws restricting people from working in jobs (such as trucking or railroads) transporting hazardous materials, being granted a "security clearance" by the federal government, or purchasing and using explosive materials. | In the United States, the Gun Control Act of 1968 forms the basic national gun control law, with the restrictions amended or added to in subsequent laws such as the Firearms Owners Protection Act of 1986 and the Brady Bill. The Gun Control Act of 1968 essentially banned the interstate sale of firearms through the mail and created various arbitrary categories of persons prohibited from owning a firearm. The Firearms Owners Protection Act includes a ban on the licensing of new automatic weapons under the National Firearms Act for automatic rifles manufactured after May 1986. The Brady Bill requires would-be purchasers of firearms to submit to a "background check". The prohibited persons categories created by the Gun Control Act of 1968 have been since copied wholesale into other laws restricting people from working in jobs (such as trucking or railroads) transporting hazardous materials, being granted a "security clearance" by the federal government, or purchasing and using explosive materials. | ||
A ban on so-called "assault weapons" adopted during the 1990s which was based solely on the outward appearance of the firearm was | A ban on so-called "assault weapons" adopted during the 1990s which was based solely on the outward appearance of the firearm was later allowed to expire, and has not been renewed. | ||
Today, "gun control" laws continue to be enacted so as to have a racist effect if not intent: | Today, "gun control" laws continue to be enacted so as to have a racist effect if not intent: | ||
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* "Gun sweeps" by police in "high crime neighborhoods" whereby vehicles and "pedestrians who meet a specific profile that might indicate they are carrying a weapon" are searched are becoming popular, and are being studied by the U.S. Department of Justice as "Operation Ceasefire." | * "Gun sweeps" by police in "high crime neighborhoods" whereby vehicles and "pedestrians who meet a specific profile that might indicate they are carrying a weapon" are searched are becoming popular, and are being studied by the U.S. Department of Justice as "Operation Ceasefire." | ||
* Some U.S. cities with high minority populations, such as Washington, D.C., are singled out for gun bans. | * Some U.S. cities with high minority populations, such as Washington, D.C., are singled out for gun bans. | ||
* "Project Exile" began in the U.S. city of Richmond, Virginia and mandated that people arrested for technical firearms violations (note: not for violent crimes committed with a firearm, but for technical violations of the law) be tried in federal court where they would be subject to lengthy [[mandatory minimum]] sentences rather than in state court under the more lenient Virginia laws. As with many other restrictions this was aimed primarily at the city's Black residents. It has since been copied in many other cities. | * "Project Exile" began in the U.S. city of Richmond, Virginia and mandated that people arrested for technical firearms violations (note: not for violent crimes committed with a firearm, but for technical violations of the law) be tried in federal court where they would be subject to lengthy [[mandatory minimum]] sentences rather than in state court under the more lenient Virginia laws. As with many other restrictions this was aimed primarily at the city's Black residents. It has since been copied in many other cities. It was strongly supported by the NRA's leadership. | ||
==Concealed | ==Concealed Carry and Open Carry== | ||
Many gun control laws enacted on the state level seek to restrict the carrying of handguns in public for self-defense. | Many gun control laws enacted on the state level seek to restrict the carrying of handguns in public for self-defense. | ||
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Concealed carry without a permit is legally allowed in the U.S. state of Vermont. In most other states until recently, persons wishing to carry a concealed handgun had to submit to a lengthy and arbitrary process of being granted a permit by the state, which was often refused. A recent trend has been to liberalize these laws by requiring the government to issue concealed carry permits to most persons who apply for them. These are known as "shall issue" laws and have been enacted in most states. However for most libertarians this is insufficient, as the right to carry a firearm for self-defense purposes is a human right that should not require a permit from the government, and favor Vermont-style concealed carry and Arizona-style open carry policies in all 50 states. | Concealed carry without a permit is legally allowed in the U.S. state of Vermont. In most other states until recently, persons wishing to carry a concealed handgun had to submit to a lengthy and arbitrary process of being granted a permit by the state, which was often refused. A recent trend has been to liberalize these laws by requiring the government to issue concealed carry permits to most persons who apply for them. These are known as "shall issue" laws and have been enacted in most states. However for most libertarians this is insufficient, as the right to carry a firearm for self-defense purposes is a human right that should not require a permit from the government, and favor Vermont-style concealed carry and Arizona-style open carry policies in all 50 states. | ||
==In | ==In Other Countries== | ||
Gun registration is a form of gun control that has historically led to confiscations and then outright bans on private ownership of firearms. In recent years this has happened in Great Britain and Australia among other countries. Canada has also enacted a gun registration policy but thus far has successfully resisted the expansion of this into a total confiscation and ban. | Gun registration is a form of gun control that has historically led to confiscations and then outright bans on private ownership of firearms. In recent years this has happened in Great Britain and Australia among other countries. Canada has also enacted a gun registration policy but thus far has successfully resisted the expansion of this into a total confiscation and ban. | ||
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Recent activity by the United Nations and some pressure groups has been directed at attempts to control international "firearms trafficking". These efforts are being closely watched and opposed by gun rights groups as probable attempts at furthering restrictions on the individual right of self-defense, and concentration of firearms ownership in the hands of the state. | Recent activity by the United Nations and some pressure groups has been directed at attempts to control international "firearms trafficking". These efforts are being closely watched and opposed by gun rights groups as probable attempts at furthering restrictions on the individual right of self-defense, and concentration of firearms ownership in the hands of the state. | ||
==Other | ==Other Terms== | ||
Other terms sometimes used in place of "gun control" to more accurately describe these laws include: | Other terms sometimes used in place of "gun control" to more accurately describe these laws include: | ||
* Rights restriction | * Rights restriction | ||
* Victim disarmament | * Victim disarmament | ||
==See | ==See Also== | ||
*[[Right to bear arms]] | *[[Right to bear arms]] | ||
*[[Racist origins of US gun control]] | *[[Racist origins of US gun control]] | ||
==External | ==External Links== | ||
*[http://www.lp.org/issues/gun-rights.shtml Libertarian Party] | *[http://www.lp.org/issues/gun-rights.shtml Libertarian Party] | ||
*[http://www.a-human-right.com/ A Human Right] | *[http://www.a-human-right.com/ A Human Right] | ||
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*[http://www.saf.org/ Second Amendment Foundation] | *[http://www.saf.org/ Second Amendment Foundation] | ||
*[http://www.pinkpistols.org/ Pink Pistols] | *[http://www.pinkpistols.org/ Pink Pistols] | ||
*[http:// | *[http://web.archive.org/web/20140702150939/http://jpfo.org/ Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership (before SAF takeover)] | ||
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