Over Incarceration Theme

Anti-Gunners are able to distance themselves from the serious CRIMINAL sentencing that is or will be associated with new laws. When the Anti-Gunners use terms like: BAN, FORBID & OUTLAW — are they talking about a $50. fine or 50 years in SuperMax? Those of us capable of understanding nuances understand there is quite a difference. Even the legal foundation that writes all the gun law “Templates” NEVER mentions penalties (on their vast website) — Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence — http://smartgunlaws.org/ Here are a bunch of lawyers — so they really do not know that some of the laws they propose will toss ordinary people in jail on felony charges? They really don’t know that they are about to make 100,000,000 ammo magazines [10+] into contraband as scary as a brick of cocaine?

The debate has to be re-framed so as to point the finger at the Anti-Gun crowd that is working hard on their Peace & Love IMAGE (guns kill people!) when in fact they are a shadowy force behind draconian and vicious laws.

ALL of these groups are trying to avoid any connection between their policy goals and the already growing number of ordinary folks charged with felonies or other serious criminal charges. LET’S NOT LET THEM! It would be a remarkable piece of progress if the Antis were cornered into admitting that YES a lot of folks may end up in serious legal trouble — who had no criminal intent.

This is gun “Regulation” REALLY?? Sorry — but 3 million people are not in prison for car safety violations. If “Gun Violence” is a “Public Health Issue” — why does it involve criminalization UNLIKE ALL OTHER “Public Health Issues” and Initiatives?

Regulation is not criminal law — which is why Gun Control is a euphemism — the movement we are opposing is all about:

GUN CRIMINALIZATION & GUN-OWNER CRIMINALIZATION.

This is an important message to members of the public who are on the sidelines — and who have been swayed by imagery and emotional arguments.

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Gun Sense VT is actually quite clever — with the lowest (or nearly) gun homicide rate in the US — it is pretty hard to make an “anti-crime” case against VT gun laws. Desperate for a data-point that seems a stand-out — they focus on SUICIDE. Yep — we need to overhaul Vermont’s gun laws — not because we are shooting at each other – but ourselves (which we have the right to do). Well — I guess there are no tall buildings to jump off of. (Then there is the SSRI issue — for another day).

http://gunsensevt.org/faqs/

“It has been estimated that nearly 40% of all gun sales nationally are completed without a background check”

BIG FAT LIE. They are are looking at (awful) studies that pre-date NICS! (and have nothing to do with VT)

See:

http://www.factcheck.org/2013/03/guns-acquired-without-background-checks/

http://www.firearmspolicy.org/2013/04/newslink-lies-damned-lies-and-gun-control-statistics/

They accept donations — we should complain to the AG and NFP State oversight groups that pho-nee data is false advertising. It also would not be a bad idea to call them out — with a Press Release perhaps — like: “Gun Owners of Vermont find fault with GSV data”.

GSV implies that there is substantial commerce in VT WITHOUT NICS checks — this is not true. Firstly: FAMILY transfers of POSSESSION (or even ownership) are not commerce and do not need oversight. All gun stores in VT are FFLs. All VT Gun Shows I have seen have FFL dealers only — unless the booth sells gear. The ATF had a booth at the Rutland Gun Show and the Lost Target gun store booth was manned by the Bennington Chief of Police. So where is this underground market? What little private trading goes on are likely TRADES — so you start with 2 gun owners and you end with 2 gun owners — a zero-sum game.

Wait — how is any of this preventing suicide? Oh — safe storage — can we not tell SHOULD from MUST in our society? Do I need to face criminal charges for “unsafe” gun storage when I have no children in my house — and none visit? Neither my dogs or donkeys are likely to misuse a firearm.

Which will be more helpful: A Safe Storage Law buried in a 110-page firearms bill — that no one will even will know about (until charged)? OR efforts to EDUCATE by NRA, NSSF, clubs local LE, etc. And is it really important to put someone in prison whose child is dead because of their error? Not likely they will be re-offending.

Happy Hunting.

Edward Jaffe
Volunteer Strategist to the
ANTI-Civilian-Disarmament Movement
edwardjaffe@gmail.com