Gun Confiscation Reference May 2019

[Reverse chronological order]

May 20, 2019
Second Amendment’s origins laid out in compelling fashion by Igor Volsky
https://www.minnpost.com/eric-black-ink/2019/05/second-amendments-origins-laid-out-in-compelling-fashion-by-igor-volsky/

May 18, 2019
James Madison Played Politics and Gave Us the 2nd Amendment
https://www.thedailybeast.com/james-madison-played-politics-and-gave-us-the-2nd-amendment?via=newsletter&source=Weekend

May 6, 2019
Cory’s Plan to End the Gun Violence Epidemic
https://medium.com/@corybooker/corys-plan-to-end-the-gun-violence-epidemic-ab377d9fb112

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ERIC BLACK INK

Second Amendment’s origins laid out in compelling fashion by Igor Volsky

By Eric Black | 05/20/2019

It has long been clear to me, as a Constitution nerd, that the NRA-sponsored interpretation of the Constitution’s Second Amendment represents a radical departure from anything close to the original purpose of the amendment. A strong new piece has added to my certainty, so I write today to pass it along. Details of that piece, and a link to it, are below, but first some background:

You have only to read the opening words of the Second Amendment – “A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State” – to see plainly the idea behind the amendment. It was adopted in the early days after the Constitution had created a more powerful national government (replacing the much weaker Articles of Confederation) to reassure states concerned that Congress might try to disarm the state militias. The state militias were then the chief military force of the nation.

The Constitution did give Congress the power to create and arm a federal military  (although, interestingly, they funded it only on a short-term basis).

The language (Article I; Section 8; subsection 12) gives Congress the power: “To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years.” No similar language (in the next subsection) places a similar short-term limit on funds for a Navy. Only an Army. The states didn’t have navies and the Framers were prepared to fund a permanent federal Navy to protect the Atlantic coast.

The full Volsky/Daily Beast piece is here.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/james-madison-played-politics-and-gave-us-the-2nd-amendment?via=newsletter&source=Weekend

James Madison Played Politics and Gave Us the 2nd Amendment

https://www.thedailybeast.com/james-madison-played-politics-and-gave-us-the-2nd-amendment?via=newsletter&source=Weekend

The Founding Fathers wanted a country with fewer guns. But Madison was running for Congress and had to placate the Baptists.

Igor Volsky

Updated 05.20.19 10:28AM ET / Published 05.18.19 11:27PM ET 

Reagan and Trump framed the Second Amendment as an absolute right to own and carry firearms. The men (and yes, they were all men) who wrote our Constitution, however, saw that Second Amendment right to bear arms as a civic responsibility that white men had to meet in order to serve and protect their communities. The amendment was rooted in notions of responsible and ordered citizenship and was never seen as an unlimited and unregulatable right. The modern view of the Second Amendment articulated by Reagan and Trump, the one that views almost all gun regulations as contradictory to the right to bear arms, did not take hold until many years later, invented and perpetuated by a gun lobby intent on helping the firearms industry sell more guns.

For centuries, Americans had accepted and even promoted strict gun controls.

During the Revolutionary War period, for instance, the colonists heavily regulated firearms within a militia structure. Service was mandatory, and the militias were made up of white male landowners, who were required to carry and obtain their own firearms—guns they used to strip Native Americans of their land and rule enslaved Africans. To facilitate this dirty work—and ensure that guns did not fall into the “wrong” hands—early Americans employed stringent gun regulations. The early colonies required that guns be registered and inspected. Regulation of firearms in the colonies both during and after independence included policing powers over nonmilitary use of the weapons. Colonial governments tracked citizens’ firearms, and militiamen faced stiff penalties if they failed to report to muster. While many individual colonies had rules governing the storage of gunpowder, some regulations went even further.

Cory’s Plan to End the Gun Violence Epidemic

https://medium.com/@corybooker/corys-plan-to-end-the-gun-violence-epidemic-ab377d9fb112

Cory Booker  May 6

Cory’s plan is the most sweeping gun violence prevention proposal ever advanced by a presidential candidate.

To make justice a reality for all, we have to end the epidemic of gun violence and invest in communities that have been shattered by the trauma left in its wake. To do that, we need to adopt a plan that introduces aggressive gun safety measures — the most forward-leaning this country has ever seen.

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That’s why today, Cory is unveiling the most sweeping gun violence prevention proposal ever advanced by a presidential candidate, which at its core has a simple but effective idea: Licenses for guns.

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Here’s how it would work: Individuals could seek a gun license at a designated local office, widely available in urban and rural areas, similar to applying for or renewing a passport. They would submit fingerprints, provide basic background information, and demonstrate completion of a certified gun safety course.

The FBI would then verify submission of required materials and run a comprehensive background check before issuing a federal gun license, after which the license-holder could freely purchase and own firearms. The license would be valid for up to five years before renewal with regular, automatic checks to flag non-compliance with license terms.

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Bring real regulation and oversight to gun manufacturers

End legal immunity that prevents victims of gun violence from seeking justice

Require handgun microstamping

Close the “Boyfriend Loophole”

Ensure a background check on every gun sale by closing the loophole on guns show and online sales and the so-called “Charleston Loophole”

Ban assault weapons, high-capacity magazines, and bump stocks

Provide dedicated funding for research on gun violence as a public health issue

Modernize and strengthen the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF)

Support extreme risk prevention order laws:

An extreme risk protection order (ERPO) empowers family members or law enforcement to petition a court to temporarily remove firearms from individuals showing warning signs of hurting themselves or others. Cory will incentivize states to pass ERPO laws, along with robust due process protections.

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Limit gun buyers to one handgun per month

Require firearm owners to report lost or stolen firearms

Ramp up funding for community-based violence intervention programs

Increase trauma support for survivors and communities impacted by gun violence

Call on the IRS to conduct an investigation into the NRA’s tax status

Finally, beginning on Day One in office, Cory will take executive action to build on ongoing efforts and take concrete steps forward — closing dangerous loopholes in gun sales, cracking down on unscrupulous dealers and gun manufacturers, and investing in communities impacted by gun violence.

https://medium.com/@corybooker/corys-plan-to-end-the-gun-violence-epidemic-ab377d9fb112