What will it take
stop the increase in gun violence on school grounds and begin to reverse the
numbers of shooting incidents?
Quite simply it
begins with good people speaking out against extreme gun-rights advocates. Specifically, actions such as the National
Rifle Association’s (NRA) excursion into paranoid lunacy—a world of complete
unfettered access to all guns.
The NRA’s latest
excursion into mind control and violation of the constitutional right of
freedom of speech centers on their efforts to get states to adopt laws that
make it illegal for doctors to ask patients if they have a gun at home.
According to USA Today, three states
are considering laws that would penalize doctors and other health care
providers for asking patients or their parents whether they have a gun at home.
“The National Rifle Association and other
pro-gun interest groups argue that doctors violate patients; second amendment
right to keep and bear arms by inquiring about gun ownership. Doctors say they
ask only because of safety concerns. Prohibiting them from asking about guns
violates the first amendment, at least one constitutional law expert says.”
What about the
right of any doctor to ask any patient any question pertaining to the patient’s
wellbeing? Apparently the NRA believes there is only one amendment in the Bill
of Rights and that is the Second Amendment. If you are going to apply order of
importance to the amendments, then it is not unreasonable to think that the
most important consideration on the founding fathers’ minds was freedom of
speech. The last time I counted “one” came before “two.”
What a shame if
the power of the gun lobby, coupled with the cowardice of the politicians,
rewrites history and interprets the Constitution
to the benefit of the paranoid few and the profits of gun manufacturers and the
NRA.
What will it take
to stop the blood baths on our school grounds? As a beginning, it will take
people such as you demanding action along the lines outlined in this chapter. (To be continued)
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