Bobblehead Bob shoots craps

Does he ever listen
to constituents?

Communicating with Bobblehead Bob Goodlatte is like talking to a pumpkin head - you can see light in the eyes but know nobody is home (or even in the neighborhood). I'd written him about some reasonable ways to curb gun violence in America. His canned response didn't directly address my letter (did the staffer even read it?) and it may have actually been penned by some hatchling at the NRA.

Usually I condemn his drool and dribble to the trash bin and forget trying to communicate with the GOP drone, but this time I felt the issue was important enough to the children and law enforcement officers of our great nation to respond. Below is my less than articulate email composed in haste but not conviction. I hope he will read it here since I am sure my email will never escape the clutches of his staffer.

Dear Congressman Goodlatte:

I received your reply to my previous email about gun violence. There are some areas where we find ourselves in agreement. Violence in culture, inadequacies in our mental health system, and loopholes in current state and federal laws all need to be addressed. But, with all due respect, your response was inadequate and read like it might have been drafted by the NRA. It totally ignored the common element in these horrific events - guns! 

I am a gun owner. Neighbors and members of my family hunt and own rifles and shotguns. We are all law abiding citizens and want to preserve our right to keep and bear arms for legitimate self-protection and hunting purposes.

But, neither I nor members of my family can see a justification for allowing assault-style weapons with huge ammo clips on the streets where, even if legally purchased, they can fall into the wrong hands. These guns are designed to kill people in large numbers. Assault weapons are a dangerous threat to school children and police officers alike. A couple of years ago a spate of gun thefts in our area resulted in these weapons now being bought and sold in the criminal underground. 

We should have nationwide background checks for all sales, gifts and other ownership changes of guns. No exceptions. No internet sales. Stiff punishments for those who violate the law. There is nothing about background checks that threatens the 2nd Amendment rights of law abiding citizens.

None of our rights are without limits or responsibilities. Just as 1st Amendment freedom of expression is not unlimited in all situations and 4th Amendment protections against unreasonable search and seizure are continually redefined by courts because of changes in society and technology, the 2nd Amendment right to keep and bear arms is subject to reasonable limits. I believe the measures I've described are among those that are both reasonable and have some prospect of saving American lives from an epidemic of gun violence. 

I hope to see your leadership as my representative and chair of the Judiciary Committee bringing forth meaningful legislation to address gun violence in America.

Will this guy ever retire as he promised he'd do? Will he ever act with courage rather than blind partisanship?

Enough

Gabby Giffords' and Mark Kelly's commentary in USA Today announced a new campaign to curb gun violence in America. Their words make a lot of common sense that hopefully won't fall on too many deaf ears owned by the NRA:

Forget the boogeyman of big, bad government coming to dispossess you of your firearms. As a Western woman and a Persian Gulf War combat veteran who have exercised our Second Amendment rights, we don't want to take away your guns any more than we want to give up the two guns we have locked in a safe at home. What we do want is what the majority of NRA members and other Americans want: responsible changes in our laws to require responsible gun ownership and reduce gun violence.

Giffords and Kelly have launched a new PAC, Americans for Responsible Solutions, to help find ways to prevent gun violence while protecting responsible gun ownership. Check out what they have to say, join their effort, and make a contribution.

After all the killings including those at Virginia Tech, Gabby Giffords simple statement "enough"says it all. Only fools refuse to listen.

283 and counting

There was one in Harrisonburg a few days ago. And as of today, at least 283 across the United States of America since the Newtown massacre on December 14, 2012. That averages nearly 19 per day. We're talking about gun deaths. Afghanistan is safer.

Slate has partnered with @GunDeaths to, as much as possible given the haphazard national records, keep track of the toll of firearms on Americans. The murder of Ben Graessle was not on Slate's Gun-death tally, highlighting just how difficult it is to obtain up-to-date accurate information about this national tragedy.

Congress, are you awake and paying attention? President Obama, how about you? I won't even bother to ask about the folks convening in Richmond in a few weeks.

NRA floats a "good" idea

The NRA today called for "Congress today to appropriate whatever is necessary to put armed police officers in every single school in this nation."

Having an armed resource officer - a highly trained sheriff's deputy or police officer - in every school isn't such a bad idea. Malls have rent-a-cops. Government and private offices generally have security. Besides a resource officer in a school provides other benefits of community policing right in our schools. However, arming teachers or other school personnel, as some gun fanatics argue, is a horrible idea with far more potential for terrible consequences than saving a life.

The NRA didn't address how to pay the salaries and other costs for the security in schools. I suggest collecting a tax equal to 100% of the cost of the gun, to be collected at the point of sale, to be sent to an office within the Department of Homeland Security. These tax dollars will be directly distributed to local law enforcement agencies responsible for providing security in local public schools.

Of course, the NRA once again refuses to admit that guns are part of the problem and only can say that more guns are the solution. In this they totally miss the target.

So, in addition to beefing up security in our schools, how about these common sense steps:

• Banning the sale, importation, and possession of all semi-automatic and automatic weapons
• Banning the sale, importation, and possession of assault style weapons
• Banning clips and magazines that hold more than 10 bullets
• Banning armor piercing ammunition
• Providing federal grant money for localities to buy back and destroy all of the above dangerous weapons
• Requiring a background check on all sales of guns including private and gun show transactions
• Implementing stiff penalties with required prison time for anyone who violates these sensible gun laws
  
• Improving our mental health services in all communities
• Putting heavy moral pressure on all areas of the entertainment industry to be more responsible citizens in depicting guns and violence.

I never expected the NRA to fully address the problem of gun violence in our society and I certainly never expected them to look within for answers. But, Wayne LaPierre's press conference amply demonstrated just how far they are into the world of self-deception. Groups like Mayors Against Illegal Guns offer a far more balanced and sane approach that has a chance of actually reducing gun violence in the United States of America.

Blowin' in the wind: common sense gun laws

You can feel change, hopefully meaningful change, to enact common sense gun legislation finally has a chance to succeed in our gridlocked national capitol. This morning at 6:00 AM Joe Scarborough of MSNBC's Morning Joe, a deeply conservative (but not crazy) Republican, condemned the "toxic brew of a violent popular culture, a mental health crisis, and a mix of combat style weapons." Joe said "Friday changed everthing...." His passionate lecture to America:

Virginia Senator Mark Warner joined West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin in stepping back from their earlier support of (and from) the NRA. Warner said, "I’ve been a strong supporter of Second Amendment rights. I’ve got an A rating from the NRA. But the status quo isn’t acceptable." Opinion leaders like presidents, pundits, and senators have big microphones, but it is up to we the people to keep the wind in sails of positive change when it comes to laws on guns, mental health, and societal violence. I'll be writing Senator Warner to thank him for his change of heart and to offer my support as the lobbyists from the NRA and Gun Owners of America spew their lies and venom in what will be futile attempts of confuse the issue and Americans.

I've signed the petition and made a donation to Demand a Plan to End Gun Violence, an initiative of Mayors Against Illegal Guns. Co-founded in 2006 by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, the coalition has grown to more than 725 mayors, including Republicans, Democrats, and Independents, from major cities and small towns around the country. It has more than half a million (and growing) grassroots supporters and is the largest gun violence prevention advocacy organization in the country. Mayor Bloomberg, who is one of the more thoughtful people in the country on this issue, discounts the political power of the NRA and calls on Congress and the President to "stand up and do what is right for the American public."

 

"The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in times of great moral crisis, maintain their neutrality." It is time for common sense Americans to get off the sidelines and demand real action for real change.

Open letter to Goodlatte, Warner, Kaine

December 14, 2012

Dear Congressman Goodlatte, Senator Warner, and Senator-elect Kaine:

How many more tragedies have to touch American families before Washington gets serious about gun violence? As we have seen, guns and crazy assholes transcend state lines. It is a national cancer that must be treated with national, bipartisan action. Now!

Your flock is watching,
Belle Rose