I read through 'Now is the Time' and was not surprised at the lack of content. In a time of crisis, something has to be done. That's what this piece is...something. It includes a bunch of rambling about things that are going to stop gun violence. From spending money on studies at the CDC on gun violence, to pushing for an assault weapons ban; it contains little that will actually stop the problem. What is the problem? Criminals break laws. So...here is some rambling thoughts that I had while reading it...
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I will say that adding 1,000 school resource officers, counselors, etc. is one item that could potentially stop something like this from happening. The interesting thing is how it would stop it. If a school had an armed resource officer, he could use his weapon to stop violent acts. Is this different than the schools that are starting to allow teachers to wield concealed weapons with proper training and licensing? No...I imagine either of these are effective. Though, only one is cost effective. We are required to have fire extinguishers in schools to stop fires from killing innocent children. How about we add 'break glass in case of crazed murder' to schools. I hope you make the connection and understand that I do not actually think that guns next to the fire extinguisher is the answer.
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No excuse...So why didn't he do this 4 years ago? "Finally give the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) a confirmed director: The ATF has not had a confirmed director for six years. There is no excuse for leaving the key agency enforcing gun laws in America without a leader. It is time for Congress to confirm an ATF director."
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Assault weapons ban...Ahhhh. How I hate the word 'Assault Weapon'. The term has been thrown around, yet most who use it do not understand what they are saying. An assault rifle is a selective fire (selectable among either fully automatic, burst-capable, or, sometimes, semi-automatic modes of operation) rifle that uses an intermediate cartridge and a detachable magazine. I'm not sure what and assault rifle is aside from previous and existing federal and state laws that arbitrarily choose features to define an assault rifle. It seems to be any firearm that is scary to the person using the word assault weapon. Personally, I think an assault weapon would be any weapon used in an assault, but that's probably way to simple.
I'd like to point out that the federal government promoted distributing 'assault weapons' to the public. The .30 caliber, M1 Carbine, certainly meets the definition of assault rifle and surplus M1 Carbines have been provided as donations to help fund the federally created Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP). It accepts detachable magazines, has bayonet mounts, and may have a folding stock. A truly terrifying weapon of mass violence that has been allowed to help promote marksmanship for years.
The CMP was created by the U.S. Congress as part of the 1903 War Department Appropriations Act. The original purpose was to provide civilians an opportunity to learn and practice marksmanship skills so they would be skilled marksmen if later called on to serve in the U.S. military. Over the years the emphasis of the program shifted to focus on youth development through marksmanship. From 1916 until 1996 the CMP was administered by the U.S. Army.
Title XVI of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1996 (Public Law 104-106, 10 February 1996) created the Corporation for the Promotion of Rifle Practice & Firearms Safety (CPRPFS) to take over administration and promotion of the CMP. The CPRPFS is a tax-exempt non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation that has been Federally chartered by the U.S. Congress, but is not an agency of the U.S. Government (Title 36, United States Code, Section 40701 et seq).
Apart from a donation of surplus .22 and .30 caliber rifles in the Army's inventory to the CMP, the CMP receives no Federal funding.
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Straw purchases...I guess a slap on the wrist means up to 10 years in federal prison and up to $250k fines. I'm not sure what the explicit law he is looking for. It is against the law to purchase a firearm for another person and lie about it on a Form 4473. No different than lying about mental health illness.
From Obama on 'straw purchases' - "Today, criminals can easily buy guns from unlicensed dealers, or acquire them with the help of so-called “straw purchasers” who pass the required background check to buy guns from licensed dealers. But there is no explicit law against straw purchasing, so straw purchasers and others who traffic guns can often only be prosecuted for paperwork violations. We cannot allow those who help put guns into the hands of criminals to get away with just a slap on the wrist. Congress should close these loopholes with new gun trafficking laws that impose serious penalties for these crimes."
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I find it interesting that one of the first items mentioned wouldn't have done anything for the unfortunate mass murder at Sandy Hook...
"Require criminal background checks for all gun sales: Right now, federally licensed firearms dealers are required to run background checks on those buying guns, but studies estimate that nearly 40 percent of all gun sales are made by private sellers who are exempt from this requirement. A national survey of inmates found that only 12 percent of those who used a gun in a crime acquired it from a retail store or pawn shop, where a background check should have been run. Congress should pass legislation that goes beyond just closing the “gun show loophole” to require background checks for all firearm sales, with limited, common-sense exceptions for cases like certain transfers between family members and temporary transfers for hunting and sporting purposes."
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So, what would work? I do not think there is any legislation that would stop gun violence, knife violence, or any other type of violence. I do wish that along with a study and weapons tracing in crimes that have guns associated with them, that we could track a little more data. How about tracking crime that occurs where the perpetrator is receiving state/federal aid?
In the end, the root of the problem stems from two things. Failure of society to instill adequate values to future generations and poor mental health. The only steps that will work starts at the family and include taking an active role in raising the future generations of this country and teaching responsible decisions.
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