Giving Gun Reform a Shot

[gejohnston]

1. A high school newspaper?

Last edited Tue May 1, 2012, 02:05 PM - Edit history (1)

Are you joking? One from a New England prep school at that.

Trayvon Martin’s killing and the subsequent arrest of George Zimmerman clearly reveal the stereotyping issues that still pervade modern society. Yet while much of the press has been covering the galvanizing story of this young boy, the larger issue of gun rights has seldom been mentioned. Indeed, the shooting of Trayvon Martin proves that legislation surrounding gun rights is outdated and must be seriously reconsidered.

Yes it does. There are those who stereotype all teenagers wearing hoodies as thugs, and others who stereotype all gun owners, CCW holders, etc. as racist, misogynistic, reactionary, climate change denying (did I leave anything out?) sociopaths. Gun rights is not the larger issue. The larger issue is trial by media and not letting truth get in the way of good propaganda. Let's see how the trial goes before we start talking about "reforms".

The issue with gun legislation begins with the very process required to obtain a gun. In almost every state, according to an article in the The New Yorker by Jill Lepore, one must simply take a one-day, ninety-nine-dollar safety seminar to purchase a firearm.

Must be a New York thing unless she has CCW confused with purchase.

This alone does not seem like enough training to be able to manage a gun, but gun laws moreover have numerous loopholes. According to Arizona Republic reporter Max Jarman, over forty percent of all guns purchased can be bought without any requirements from private sellers at gun shows or through classified ads.

Does she know anything about firearms or firearms training? Where does Jarman get his data?

Moreover, 49 states have laws allowing concealed-carry firearms in the United States. The main problem with this fact is that a majority of states only require a single test to “demonstrate proficiency” with a gun before giving a concealed-carry permit.

And?

George Zimmerman, the man accused of murdering Trayvon Martin, had in fact taken such a class on how to conceal firearms in order to better equip himself as a community volunteer. Yet even as a watchman, what business did Zimmerman have with a concealed firearm? His job was, by explicit definition, to simply be aware of any potential threats and report them to police. But by Florida legislation, he was able to get both a gun and a concealed weapons permit.

None of this is true. Zimmerman and his wife got CCWs on the advice of Seminole County Animal Control because of stray pit bulls. SCAC told them pepper spray would not be effective enough. He was not acting as neighborhood watch at the time of the shooting.

So who is to blame for these laws? While the state of Florida has come under attack, the National Rifle Association is also an object of criticism. “At some point, people have got to stand their ground against the NRA,” says Philip Cook, a sociologist who studies gun policy and crime at Duke University, in Durham, N.C. “I think otherwise the NRA will continue to push for a broader interpretation of their understanding of what the Second Amendment right is to the point where everybody pretty much can carry a gun-- concealed or openly-- all the time in any circumstance, and do with it what they want.” Indeed, we should allow this to happen.

Many of the laws have been around for a long time. SYG as common law in places like California dates back to progressive era court decisions (by progressive judges.) Carrying concealed in cities have long predated the NRA.

That said, now that I read the article and looked up the school, young Master Minor did an OK job for a high school Junior. I have seen as good or better from public schools. Private schools are over rated.