I live halfway between Columbine and Aurora, scenes of the some of the biggest mass shootings in our country—both of them places I have been to in the course of day-to-day life.
I finally decided it was time to do something besides shake my head at the terribleness of it all and joined this rally at the state capitol, organized by Million Moms for Gun Control.
One argument that the “no restrictions on guns” side uses that drives me crazy goes like this. “If we outlaw assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, only the bad guys will have them.”
They’re pretending that they don’t know what laws do. Very few laws can actually reach out and stop the hand of a “bad guy,” whether he wants to get in a car intoxicated, write a forged check, or cook up a batch of meth in his basement.
Yet, we don’t throw up our hands and say, “No use making a law. They’re going to do it anyway.”
It seems to me we make laws to outline what is and isn’t permissible in our society. And to provide law enforcement with a way to trace, track, predict, and perhaps prevent some of these things from happening.
Take Sudafed. A perfectly lawful thing, if used correctly. A little red pill you take if your head feels stuffy.
It’s also a major ingredient in meth. When meth started to cause dangers to the community, congress rolled the following restrictions on Sudafed into the Patriot Act. Here are the provisions, from the FDA website:
If I am so tracked when I buy an allergy and cold remedy, why can’t people who buy big ammunition magazines be similarly tracked? And why can’t we have background checks for all sales, no matter who the seller and the buyer are?
After the Sandy Hook massacre, people seem newly invigorated to put reasonable limits on guns. But, we have to keep pushing because the NRA is sure enough going to push back.
That’s why I think of the song “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around.” Freegal has a wonderful version by Sweet Honey in the Rock. It’s worth taking a listen to all the songs on the album.
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| At a rally at the Colorado state capitol. Million Moms for Gun Control |
I finally decided it was time to do something besides shake my head at the terribleness of it all and joined this rally at the state capitol, organized by Million Moms for Gun Control.
One argument that the “no restrictions on guns” side uses that drives me crazy goes like this. “If we outlaw assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, only the bad guys will have them.”
They’re pretending that they don’t know what laws do. Very few laws can actually reach out and stop the hand of a “bad guy,” whether he wants to get in a car intoxicated, write a forged check, or cook up a batch of meth in his basement.
Yet, we don’t throw up our hands and say, “No use making a law. They’re going to do it anyway.”
It seems to me we make laws to outline what is and isn’t permissible in our society. And to provide law enforcement with a way to trace, track, predict, and perhaps prevent some of these things from happening.
Take Sudafed. A perfectly lawful thing, if used correctly. A little red pill you take if your head feels stuffy.
It’s also a major ingredient in meth. When meth started to cause dangers to the community, congress rolled the following restrictions on Sudafed into the Patriot Act. Here are the provisions, from the FDA website:
The Act allows for the sale of pseudoephedrine only from locked cabinets or behind the counter. The law:
· limits the monthly amount any individual could purchase
· requires individuals to present photo identification to purchase such medications
· requires retailers to keep personal information about these customers for at least two years after the purchase of these medicines.
If I am so tracked when I buy an allergy and cold remedy, why can’t people who buy big ammunition magazines be similarly tracked? And why can’t we have background checks for all sales, no matter who the seller and the buyer are?
After the Sandy Hook massacre, people seem newly invigorated to put reasonable limits on guns. But, we have to keep pushing because the NRA is sure enough going to push back.
That’s why I think of the song “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around.” Freegal has a wonderful version by Sweet Honey in the Rock. It’s worth taking a listen to all the songs on the album.
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