Terror gun control

Title

Terror gun control

Description

<b>New bill consistent, sound policy</b>

By:Unknown
Posted: 5/7/07

Following the Virginia Tech incident, governments have examined many of the legal practices for the sale of firearms. Some of the proposals have come under attack by gun advocacy groups such as the National Rifle Association, including a recent bill granting the attorney general the authority to prohibit gun sales to those on the terror watch list.

The terror watch list includes those suspected of being terrorist threats, even when they have not been convicted.

As reported by the Associated Press, NRA executive director Chris Cox wrote in a letter to Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez, "the word &#39;suspect&#39; has no legal meaning, particularly when it comes to denying constitutional liberties."

If Gonzalez and the Bush administration show any consistency in their policies, they will support the plan to deny Second Amendment rights to terror suspects, because they have had no problem denying other constitutional rights to those suspected of having terror connections. Those of us who pay attention might remember Guantanamo Bay, where it is a matter of procedure to deny due process and other rights to those accused of having terror connections, and sometimes even those who have been exonerated.

Although The Lantern appreciates the NRA looking out for our constitutional liberties, we wonder why all of a sudden gun rights get a special pass.

The Lantern believes the rights guaranteed in the constitution are created equal, and the fact that one might come in the Second Amendment makes it no more important than those in subsequent amendments. It is true that the political ideologies in the United States have latched onto certain rights to call their own. Some on the left have taken freedom of religion to mean absolutely no mention of God in public, ever, while some on the right have taken a well-regulated militia to mean an AK-47 in every home. Still, we should remember it takes a significant majority to amend the constitution, which means at one point in time the issues addressed by the amendments were not simply tools for partisan bickering.

The NRA is not at fault here, because they exist for the preservation of gun rights and it is their job to advocate against anything they see that would abridge those rights, just as the American Civil Liberties Union should not be attacked for fighting for the liberties of those detained at Guantanamo Bay.

In the end, it is probably for the good of the nation&#39;s security that the government have the ability to deny gun sales to those who might pose a serious danger, as the threat of terrorism is one ever growing in a world where the United States continues to make more enemies than friends. Those who support the NRA in opposing this bill, yet were silent when other liberties were denied for the same reasons, are hypocrites taking a stance based on politics rather than philosophy.

--

Original Source:<a href=http://media.www.thelantern.com/media/storage/paper333/news/2007/05/07/Opinion/Terror.Gun.Control-2896363.shtml> The Lantern - May 7, 2007</a>

Creator

unknown

Publisher

The Lantern

Date

2007-08-14

Contributor

Sara Hood

Rights

GERRICK LEWIS <lewis.1030@osu.edu>

Language

eng

Citation

unknown, “Terror gun control,” The April 16 Archive, accessed March 29, 2024, https://www.april16archive.org/items/show/1080.