Congratulations on Your New Gun Laws [View all]

[marions ghost]

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/03/24/1196080/-Congratulations-on-your-new-gun-laws

So let's see what we got. That new legislation...

Forbids anyone from asking gun dealers to keep an inventory of their goods, making it impossible to know if any weapons are missing or stolen
Instructs the ATF to be very sure that no one can use their information on the use of guns in crimes, to draw any conclusions about... the use of guns in crimes
Locks down a broad definition of the types of weapons that are considered antiques and collectables, making it easier to buy, sell, and import these weapons and their ammunition
Forbids the ATF from pulling a gun license from a dealer just because they don't see any legitimate business activity and suspect that the dealer is engaged in a criminal enterprise

Criminals? Protected! Ingnorance? Upheld! Congratulations, America. Done and done.
If that's not quite what you had in mind, come inside. Let's talk.

(snip)

At the very least, we do learn something about the gun industry from these provisions. We learn that the thing they care most about, the item at the top of their shopping list, is the same as it's been for years -- ignorance. No matter how many speeches, flyers, and magazine articles the NRA funds to tell people that guns are valuable for family protection, no matter how many times they protest that guns stop more crimes than they start, the top priority of the gun lobby is making sure that no one can really find out the truth about their product. They don't want you to know how their guns are sold or how dangerous they are to have around the house. They want a clean page on which to scribble their fairy tales of guns as saviors; a fantasy only possible if the public is kept in a deep well of ignorance. For the same reason, the NRA works hard to push legislation that keeps doctors from asking their patients about one of the biggest health threats -- whether or not they have guns in their homes. If someone is willing to spend millions lobbying to prevent research, it's because they have something to hide.

The importance that the gun lobby places on keeping America in the dark also gives us a clue about the best way to fight them: keep talking. Keep talking to your congressmen and senators to let them know you are not going to forget and stop worrying about this issue if we manage to squeak out a week without a massacre. Keep pointing up those studies that do manage to take place, which invariably show that guns in the home are a threat to both children and adults, and that those states with sensible gun regulations have lower levels of gun violence. Spread the word on Kagro X's terrific #gunfail effort on Twitter, where he demonstrates the fallacy behind claims that guns are safe in the hands of "experts."

Talk about it. Blog about it. Email about it. Protest, call, and shout about it. Do the one thing that Congress has singularly failed to do -- be brave enough to stand up for what's right, even when it's not convenient.