From: PA146008@utkvm1.utk.edu (David Veal)
Newsgroups: talk.politics.guns
Subject: Re: Richard Reeves Column
Date: 2 Sep 92 16:47:24 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: University of Tennessee Division of Continuing Education

In article <1992Sep02.162606.122@convex.com> Mike Tighe <tighe@convex.COM> writes:

>Richard Reeves, a syndicated columnist had a column in today's (02-Sep-92)
>Dallas Morning News, titled, "One Typical Los Angeles Weekend: 28 Little
>Murders" [August 22-23]. For the first 80% of it, he sensationalized some
>of the killings.  Near the end, he stated:
>
>	"Michael Jackson [LA radio talk show host] called me (and a number
>	 of people) that day and asked what we would do about all this. I
>	 answered:
>
>	 1) Repeal the Second Amendment to the Constitution, because it is
>	    now obviously insanity to give all Americans the right to bear
>	    arms.
>
>	 2) Establish a federal agency to regulate handguns as the Food and
>	    Drug Administration regulates pharmaceuticals -- to register
>	    and trace domestically manufactured and imported weapons and
>	    ammunition.
>
>	 3) Review all existing handgun licensees, with the idea of
>	    revoking most of them.
>
>	 4) Declare an amnesty period in which handguns could be turned in
>	    to recycling stations without penalties or questions.
>
>	 5) Use emergency police powers (and military powers, if necessary)
>	    to sweep neighborhoods for illegal weapons.
>
>	 6) Establish a automatic 10-year sentence without parole for
>	    illegal weapon-possession convictions.
>
>	 Draconian?
>
>	 Really? And what do you call it when Americans have to risk their
>	 lives to pull up to a stop sign or take the kids out for
>	 hamburgers?"

     Didn't even the ACLU at one time admit that totally effective
gun laws would require unacceptable compromises in basic civil liberties?

>Comments:
>
>#1 - By asking to revoke the Second Amendment, he implies that it does give
>the RKBA. And we thank you for your support.

     Not so fast, If you'll let me play devil's advocate here for a second.
One possible explanation for not admitting the Second Amendment guarantee's
an individual rights and wanting it repealed, would be that a) the guarantee 
of State Militia's is no longer necessary, and b) it would put a final end 
to the "silly notion" that RKBA is protected.

>#2 - Typical idiot liberal. 

     Let's be careful how we sling terms.  There are quite a few "liberals"
who support the RKBA, and it doesn't do us any good to run them off
by being insulting.
     Certain elements of the gun-control establishment are working the
divide and conquer route.  We're doing ourselves no good if we help them
split ourselves up.

>Start another federal program. Since the
>problem is guns owned by criminals, not law-abiding citizens, why believe
>this new agency would be able to solve the problem of illegal guns when the
>FDA has no effect on illegal drugs?

     The FDA has also had its own share of problems.  But that's another
debate...

>Mike Tighe, (214) 497-4206
>tighe@convex.com

===========================================================================
|David Veal  PA146008@utkvm1.utk.edu  University of Tennessee             |  
|            veal@cs.utk.edu          Division of Continuing Education    |
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Newsgroups: talk.politics.guns,soc.culture.french