United States – -(AmmoLand.com)- If Second Amendment supporters are the most frustrated about anything (aside from the fact their rights are being wrongly attacked), it has to be the absolute refusal of the federal government to enforce existing laws on the books. Not only does it make the misuse of firearms a bigger problem, it also costs lives, and the cost in lives is then wrongly laid at the feet of Second Amendment supporters by the likes of Beto O’Rourke, Shannon Watts, and other anti-Second Amendment extremists.
Thankfully, there are elected officials who recognize this, and who aim to do something about that. One is Representative Ann Wagner (R-MO), who has introduced HR 5836, the Prosecuting Gun Crimes Saves Lives Act. While anti-Second Amendment extremists like to hijack the phrase “common sense” to push their agenda, often when it comes to banning guns, that should not dissuade Second Amendment supporters from describing this bill as being common sense.
That’s because this time, that phrase is the truth. When you look at Philadelphia or Chicago, it is clear from the history of Project Exile that enforcing existing laws could slash crime rates in a big way. Just look at the text of 18 USC 922 and 18 USC 924, and some of those tools can easily put a lot of bad guys away for a long time.
The fact that these laws are not enforced when it could greatly reduce the violent crime in urban areas should be a huge scandal. This failure isn’t just leading to our rights being wrongfully attacked (or infringed), it is contributing to the death and/or maiming of hundreds. Anti-Second Amendment extremists talk about saving lives, but the tools to save them are already available to federal prosecutors – they just have to be used.
It’s understandable, given some of the absurdities we see in certain states, why there is a reluctance to enforce federal laws. The effective legalization and/or decriminalization of marijuana is another valid thing that should be considered in these efforts as well. But there should be no objection to enforcing the laws against people who have records of committing violent crimes or who are engaged in supplying guns to those involved in either the drug trade or violent crimes.
When it comes right down to it, Second Amendment supporters have a vested interest in seeing the misuse of firearms addressed. First, and most importantly, it is the right thing to do, given the clear harm and agony that the misuse causes to our fellow Americans. Second, by addressing the misuse, we can disarm one of the weapons anti-Second Amendment extremists use to take away our rights – simply because we prove them to be liars when they claim to be the only ones who care about saving lives.
Therefore, the common-sense approach is to contact your Representative and Senators and politely ask them to support HR 5836, as well as similar legislation like the Protecting Communities and Preserving the Second Amendment Act. In this case, it is just the right thing to do on so many levels.
About Harold Hutchison
Writer Harold Hutchison has more than a dozen years of experience covering military affairs, international events, U.S. politics, and Second Amendment issues. Harold was consulting senior editor at Soldier of Fortune magazine and is the author of the novel Strike Group Reagan. He has also written for the Daily Caller, National Review, Patriot Post, Strategypage.com, and other national websites.
We need to specify which gun laws are going to be enforced before we jump on the all encompassing enforcement band wagon. ANY and ALL BATFE gun laws written by, established by and enforced by the BATFE through the process of Administrative Law are UNCONSTITUTIONAL by their very nature and should never be enforced! Ask Randy Weaver how enforcing the “gun crime” of removing 2-inches of shotgun barrel justification for “enforcing the law” which resulted in the death of his son and his wife was a benefit for anyone.
The use of firearms to commit unjustified violence, is the major pretense for enacting laws suppressing the right to arms. To reduce this violence is counter-productive to the agenda of disarming private citizens. These laws should have never been allowed to be enacted, much less enforced. Allowing these infringements of the rights of all citizens, and our governing to deny the right from individual ‘free’ citizens is mortal to our freedom.
Most of the murders where a gun is used to commit the crime most likely are done with a stolen firearm and that in itself is another charge that we don’t hear much about let alone prosecuted.
If the government is going to have laws on the books either enforce them or remove them no double standards.
The bigger issue is why are we punishing “gun” crimes more harshly than other crimes? Isn’t murder still murder when the victim is killed by any other means? Same as robbery or any other crime against an individual. I can understand reduced penalties for extenuating circumstances, such as if a heated argument turned deadly, etc., but the instrument used in the crime should not bring additional punishments. If that is so, then there should be a chart of various implements to determine punishments, such as: Asphyxiation by hanging, X, no firearms used, so what difference does it make; Asphyxiation by… Read more »
I am amazed at how Harold dances around the real issue as to why “gun crime” does not result in incarceration of the offenders. Neither party wishes to offend or upset the voters who happen to have skin tones that are darker than most of the people that live in this country nor their advocates in the majority group. A pox on both their houses.
As a former LEO with 25 years on the job, I can assure you that gun charges are always the first ones plea bargained away. I can’t even count how many times I experienced it.