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Gun control debate: Background checks |
Bob Barr on CBS News
Mr Barr.
My name is Anthony Gregg and I live in San Mateo, California. I saw your interview tonight on the CBS Evening News. You hold the position that the CDC should not be responsible to look into violent attacks where guns are used. You went as far as saying that it is a 'Law Enforcement Problem'. Well I am writing this to prove to you that you are wrong.
I grew up in Los Gatos, California in a home where there were many assault type rifles and handguns. In my home growing up my brother and I played violent video games and we participated in mock army battles in our backyard. My brother even shot his best friend in the leg with a BB gun.
In 1994 my parents got into a huge divorce battle and my Dad ended up going to prison for three years. My Mom, brother and I ended up homeless living out of our car for a few weeks. This all happened in a two year span. Through all of this we still kept our guns. I knew where the key was and knew were all the ammo was.
In addition to all of this at home I was fat, really fat. I was teased almost every day when I was a Freshman and Sophomore in High School. I hated my life. I hated the people at school who teased me every day. Not once did I think about getting one of those guns and taking it to school. I would say that I was a perfect storm of anger and lethal resources.
When you come on the National news and talk about how gun violence is not a problem for a department like the CDC is extremely offensive and dead wrong. The CDC should study why someone like me who grew up with guns and violent video games didn't go on a rampage. The CDC is an acronym for Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Mental illness is a disease and the resources of the government are needed to understand it better. The resources of the government are needed to prevent things like the Colorado movie theatre shooting.
You folks at the NRA would insist to holding on to your guns even if someone went into a hospital and shot 1,000 babies. If that happened (God Forbid), you at the NRA would spin it and no progress would be made. This is how our country works. Our elected politicians are not working for us, but powerful lobbyists like the NRA. The mass shootings of innocent people does nothing to move the NRA towards sensible gun laws. If anything the NRA becomes more aggressive and conbative. Bottom line is that stricter gun laws is bad for you and the NRA. If this country had 100% support to ban guns, large capacity magazines, etc, you might be out of a job.
So, have you read the 2nd amendment recently? I have and I find it very interesting. After all the 2nd amendment is central to the argument of less gun control. Pro-gun enthusiasts are always talking about how it is writhed in the Constitution that it is our 'right' to bear arms.
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
A militia? It doesn't say every and all citizens of the United States? In case you don't know what a militia means, here is the modern definition.
The Militia Act of 1903 divided what had been the militia into what it termed the "organized" militia, created from portions of the former state guards to become state National Guard units, and the "unorganized" militia consisting of all males from ages 17 to 45, with the exception of certain officials and others, which is codified in 10 U.S.C. § 311. Some states, such as Texas and California, created separate state defense forces for assistance in local emergencies. Congress later established[57] a system of "dual enlistment" for the National Guard, so that anyone who enlisted in the National Guard also enlisted in the U.S. Army.[58]
Basically it means that a militia is the National Guard. How it translates to the 2nd amendment is the National Guard has an unobstructed right to bear arms, not every day Jane and John Does.
So there you have it. I don't ever to expect a reply from you or the NRA. I can be reached here
Thanks for your time
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