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I don't know about individuals here on C-D, but I think that, for some gun rights enthusiasts, they see this issue in racial terms.
Only because the gun homicide statistics show a VERY huge difference in the crimes committed by race. If that were NOT so, it wouldn't be a racial issue.
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They'll be damned if they're going to lose their guns over "thugs".
Why should responsible law-abiding people lose any rights over "thugs," as you put it?
How many non-blacks(of which I mean white) have been killed in Chicago? How many of these non-black folks who were murdered were murdered at the hands of someone with a gun? I think you'll find that many of these "black boys/men" are murdered, due to their activities/gang affiliations, or those who are in the "wrong place at the wrong time" innocent bystanders, who happen to get caught up in the action.....because they live in the same neighborhoods where these gangs roam. The gun ban is not the problem in Chicago. Poverty/gangs are more apt culprits....along with an environment where people are afraid to speak to police(snitching), and the generational effect of violence(some families the son emulates the father by becoming a plumber, in some families the son emulates the father by becoming a Gangster Disciple).
Poverty in itself, does not create crime/violence.There's a strong element of mental illness amongst black boys and men who get involved with gang violence. In lieu of sending the non violent offenders to prison, it's best to simply support programs which seek to address the underlining mental health issues.
"Them" You mean black males like myself. I'm tired of getting harassed by the police for simply driving. I do more for my city than nearly all of my peers yet I'm a "suspect" because I'm black.
In truth, black men need to take back their communities by policing them and working directly with law enforcement to report criminal activity/drug dealing. Also, black men who reside in these communities need to band together and create non profit organizations, which provide mentorship to black boys/teens to help ensure that they have access to positive black male role models.
Resolution will only come about, when we, as black people begin to seriously address the violence, as a unified force.
Only because the gun homicide statistics show a VERY huge difference in the crimes committed by race. If that were NOT so, it wouldn't be a racial issue.
That could be true. There are also huge differences in socioeconomic outcomes, and the ethnic majority of people who insist on keeping their automatic assault toys have had a lot to do with those outcomes. But that's neither here nor there, to be honest. Race is an issue because as long as it was just a matter of black-on-black crime, the gun rights lobby can keep bankrolling politicians pockets and both can walk outside in public. All of that changes when it's deranged white guys using legally-bought guns to turn the classrooms of white suburbanites into makeshift morgues, and this last weekend pretty much proves that beyond the shadow of a doubt.
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Originally Posted by InformedConsent
Why should responsible law-abiding people lose any rights over "thugs," as you put it?
What rights - the right to own an assault rifle? Who said you ever had the right in the first place. You have no more "right" to own a gun that can inflict mass casualties than you do to own a stockpile of hand grenades and surface-to-air missiles. I'm sure you could find many law-abiding individuals who would do nothing more than show them off to their friends; it's the ones who would use them for nefarious purposes, however, that those who don't own them and don't have any interest in owning them worry about. Those who aren't firearms enthusiasts also have rights, and special interests to protect...like life.
Look, it all comes down to one thing: public safety. Law and order are things that the government has the authority to establish and maintain, and that outweighs your "right" to an AK. It really doesn't matter whether the victims live in your neighborhood or not. As I said, the right of the people to keep and bear arms doesn't mean all people, nor does it mean all arms. Sorry, but that's the way it is, bro. It's just a matter of finding the political will to break the political logjam created by gun rights activists.
What rights - the right to own an assault rifle? Who said you ever had the right in the first place. You have no more "right" to own a gun that can inflict mass casualties than you do to own a stockpile of hand grenades and surface-to-air missiles.
"The right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."
Sound familiar?
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As I said, the right of the people to keep and bear arms doesn't mean all people, nor does it mean all arms.
Really? Who does the Constitution specifically restrict from keeping and bearing arms, and which arms does the Constitution specifically exclude from that right?
"The right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."
Sound familiar?
A well-regulated militia. Sound familiar?
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Originally Posted by InformedConsent
Really? Who does the Constitution specifically restrict from keeping and bearing arms, and which arms does the Constitution specifically exclude from that right?
The Courts have allowed government to restrict firearms throughout the years in a number of ways. I haven't the time to go through all of the myriad examples.
Yes, however, "The right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed." People. As in "We the People." Not just a militia.
That doesn't make it right. The Courts have handed down a lot of misguided judgments over the years, some of which are later reversed.
Chicago doesn't have a gun ban, so I don't know WTF your talking about
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