NRA blood money leaves U.S. citizens unprotected

By Dorothy Inman-Johnson
Special to the Outlook

Valentine’s Day in Parkland, Florida, is a day we will not soon forget. Unlike the St. Valentine’s Day massacre of February 14, 1929, perpetrated by mob bosses, the perpetrator in this case is Marian Hammer, the National Rifle Association, and lawmakers who take their blood money to pass laws that put weapons of war in the hands of racists, the mentally ill, and children. Some states are even considering laws proffered by the NRA that would make it a requirement for high schools to have a class on guns and their use similar to driver’s education. It would require that a part of the school day be spent at gun ranges. For the NRA, this has nothing to do with safety or self defense. It is about making as much money as possible with gun sales, including war weapons banned from purchase by civilians in most civilized nations except the United States. As a result, the rate of gun violence and deaths is more than 500 percent the rate in other countries.

 
Yet the NRA is not satisfied, as it pours millions of dollars into campaign funds of mostly Republican legislators and congressional leaders to remove any existing gun control laws. Here are just a few of the most outrageous bills being introduced by gun loving lawmakers in the name of Second Amendment protection.

 
In South Carolina, a bill was introduced to allow legalized concealed carry permits in bars. It does not take much imagination to see that alcohol and guns in a bar would be a volatile mix that could greatly increase the body count for gun deaths.

 
A Georgia State Senator has proposed open and concealed weapons carry in bars and churches.

 
A Colorado Senator has proposed that all businesses that are open to the public be required to allow patrons to carry concealed weapons or the business must hire armed security officers based on a ratio of one for every fifty customers. We would soon be a police state and the NRA would be swimming in money.

 
A bill introduced in Missouri would allow criminal charges against any lawmaker who dared to sponsor any gun control bill, though over 90 percent of Americans favor sensible gun control measures like comprehensive background checks, and banning bump stocks and semi-automatic weapons that allow mass murders in minutes; as in the Las Vegas massacre, Newtown, the Pulse Night Club, and now a high school in Parkland. Even a majority of NRA members support these common sense protections against gun violence.

 
Fifteen states have introduced bills that would prevent the FBI enforcing federal gun control laws in their states. The bill would even give local law officers authority to arrest FBI agents for doing their job by enforcing federal gun control laws.

 
Florida is among 25 states receiving an “F” grade from the Gifford Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence; and for good reason. State Senator Dennis Baxley, who represents Sumter, Marion, and Lake Counties and is famous as the author of Florida’s controversial “Stand Your Ground” law, is now pushing for a bill that would allow anyone to carry concealed weapons on school campuses, even after the horrible massacre of students and teachers last week in Parkland, Florida. Gun bills proposed in the 2017 Florida Legislature were narrowly defeated thanks to a coalition of Democrats and South Florida Republicans. Those bills would have allowed Floridians with concealed weapons licenses to carry firearms up to the entrances of courthouses, openly display handguns, and carry at religious institutions, private schools, and daycare facilities. Others allowed concealed weapons in airport terminals, and on college and university campuses. The NRA is still trying to buy enough congressional and state lawmakers to get its number one priority passed. It would force every state to recognize gun carrying permits from any other state, even though some states require no background checks for criminal histories or mental illness, and give permits to under aged youth. Former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, a victim of gun violence in 2011, calls the bill “unthinkable”. It would allow anyone to carry loaded, concealed weapons anywhere in the United States; overriding state and local governments’ ability to pass laws protecting their residents. This bill passed in the U.S. House of Representatives; but, thankfully, the U.S. Senate did not follow their lead.  However, the Florida Legislature has already passed laws restricting local governments’ ability to protect its citizens from gun violence.

 
It is ironic that these same pro-gun Congressional and Legislative leaders barricade themselves and their offices behind metal detectors and armed security, disallowing guns in their premises; while feeling it is perfectly okay to allow gun and open carry permits for dangerous people in our churches, schools and childcare centers. We must give our thoughts and prayers to victims as we grieve with them; but we must do much more. It is time to act to stop the violence by demanding that our lawmakers value ours and our children’s lives more than the NRA’s blood money by passing sensible gun control laws.
Please submit comments to dotinman-johnson@hotmail.com