Gun Control Informational Forum 2/27

Last night I had the opportunity to attend a gun debate between 4 student groups on the UW campus.

It was quite interesting, but if you follow the gun control debate, it was much of the same talking points, just done in a much less professional manner. Here's how I would sum up the talking points of the debate:

College Republicans: Guns are good. They help save lives. Here's some statistics.

Socialist Alternative: THE WHITE MAN AND CAPITALISM ARE CAUSING ALL THIS GUN VIOLENCE! Here's some statistics.

Young Americans for Liberty: We have a right to have guns, all guns. Here's some statistics.

Young Democrats at UW: People are dying right now because of those evil black assault rifles that are only designed for mass killing as well as those evil magazines that hold more than 10 rounds. Here's some statistics

The debate in itself was poorly done. It was only one hour long and the first 30 minutes was taken up by opening statements. There was only one planned question, then time for two audience questions before closing statements. I may only be a little bitter because they didn't ask my question.

Before closing statements, the word "constitution" was used only once, and it was used within the word "unCONSTITUTIONal." If there was any reference to the the constitution, or "rights," it was spoken of briefly and the argument ended at "it's our rights, so there." If you can believe this, my question was on the purpose of the 2nd amendment. I was assuming that the answers would sound something like this:

College Republicans: The 2nd amendment was designed so that citizens could protect themselves from bad guys.

Socialist Alternative: THE 2ND AMENDMENT WAS DESIGNED FOR THE WHITE MAN TO OPPRESS THE SLAVES AND IT SHOULD BE ABOLISHED! CAPITALISM IS BAD!!

Young Americans for Liberty: The 2nd amendment was designed so that citizens could fight off a tyrannical government.

Young Democrats at UW: The 2nd amendment was designed so that Americans could keep single shot, muzzle-loading muskets locked in a safe with a trigger lock. There's no real purpose behind it.

Alas, I was never able to affirm my predictions. Maybe next time.

Washington Senate Bill 5737

Somehow I have yet to talk about guns on my blog (unless you count a video about shooting cops), which is very interesting. I'm not sure why, because I like them and think they are very important. Here's something that you should at least know about.

Washington State Senate Bill 5737 (SB 5737)

This bill is your feel-good legislation in response to the national outcry against gun violence. Somehow, the legislators in Washington think that by banning "assault weapons" from law-abiding citizens, we will all be safer.

Because I don't know who actually reads this thing, I don't know where you as the reader may stand on the gun issue. Either way, this is an important bill to be aware of.

Here's a link to the entire bill (it's actually pretty short, it wouldn't hurt you to read a bill, you know)

Here's a quick summary of the main parts of this bill:

First, the definition of an "assault weapon" is any semi-automatic pistol or semi-automatic or pump-action rifle or shotgun capable of accepting a detachable magazine, and also includes - a number of things that almost every semi-auto weapon has. (Read section 1 (20) for all the info)

If you are unfamiliar with what semi-auto means, it basically means that only one round is fired for every pull of the trigger.

This bill says that you may not manufacture, possess, purchase, sell, or otherwise transfer ANY "assault weapon." The exceptions to this are those that were legally owned prior to the bill (if signed), but in order to keep them, the weapons must be registered and remain on the person's property or at a licensed firing range. That's it.

Now, the good news is that the bill has a very rare chance of passing, and if it does, it will most likely be quickly seen as unconstitutional thanks to the Supreme Court case D.C. v. Heller.