Tuesday, January 29, 2013

It won't add anything ....

... to the unsolvable debate. But this is one of the most interesting and well put things I have read on the subject of gun control. An interesting excerpt:


Mr Garrison and his ilk among CSOPA seem gripped by two common fallacies. The first is the belief that county sheriffs can violate federal laws that they happen to disagree with, and can deny federal officers the right to enforce federal law in their counties. This is simply hogwash. It is true that as a local law officer Mr Garrison will not be required to enforce federal laws, but neither can he violate them just because he happens to believe they are unconstitutional. As for keeping federal officers out, well, the South has tried that a couple of times before. It did not end well.
The second is a misguided notion that the second amendment is the best and surest constitutional protection against tyranny. As Conor Friedersdorf sagely noted, the Bill of Rights offers much more effective and less costly checks on government power. There is the fourth amendment, which protects against unreasonable search and seizure; the fifth amendment, which guarantees due process; the sixth amendment, which establishes fair trials; and so on. When these rights were hollowed out during the war on terror—by acts of Congress, the courts and even through executive orders—where was the outrage from those who see tyranny in every gun law?
The second amendment has a lizard-brain appeal: it is sexier to imagine yourself a lone soldier for justice defending your loved ones against an oppressive, tyrannical government than it is to imagine yourself protesting warrantless wiretapping. Mr Garrison approvingly cites a letter written by another sheriff, which states: "We must not allow, nor shall we tolerate, the actions of criminals, no matter how heinous the crimes, to prompt politicians to enact laws that will infringe upon the liberties of responsible citizens who have broken no laws." Stirring words, and entirely unobjectionable. I wonder if he had the same response to the Patriot Act.

The only thing one can add are the immortal words of the Onion. 

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