Since the election of Barrack Obama to his first term, gun owners in America have been on edge. If you doubt it, look at gun sales during the President’s first four years in office. During a massive recession, the firearms industry was running three shifts seven days a week to keep up with demand.
The President’s re-election coupled with the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut set in motion what has fueled those worries. Last week Vice-President Joe Biden met with various stakeholders to discuss proposals aimed at ending gun violence. Biden is leading a presidential task force on the matter.
But we have seen such task forces before. There is a constant desire by many in Washington to find a way to disarm the American public. Sure, that’s an extreme way to describe it–but ultimately it would be their desire. Gun owners know this. We are ever vigilent for any legislation which could erode rights guaranteed by the Second Amendment.
Gun owners were dubious of Biden’s task force from the beginning. Even when Biden welcomed members of the NRA to have a sit-down discussion, It seemed like window dressing from the start. A statement from the NRA after their meeting with the vice-President seems to confirm that.
The National Rifle Association of America is made up of over 4 million moms and dads, daughters and sons, who are involved in the national conversation about how to prevent a tragedy like Newtown from ever happening again. We attended today’s White House meeting to discuss how to keep our children safe and were prepared to have a meaningful conversation about school safety, mental health issues, the marketing of violence to our kids and the collapse of federal prosecutions of violent criminals.
We were disappointed with how little this meeting had to do with keeping our children safe and how much it had to do with an agenda to attack the Second Amendment. While claiming that no policy proposals would be “prejudged,” this Task Force spent most of its time on proposed restrictions on lawful firearms owners – honest, taxpaying, hardworking Americans. It is unfortunate that this Administration continues to insist on pushing failed solutions to our nation’s most pressing problems. We will not allow law-abiding gun owners to be blamed for the acts of criminals and madmen. Instead, we will now take our commitment and meaningful contributions to members of congress of both parties who are interested in having an honest conversation about what works – and what does not.
There is the rub and fear of legal gun owners in our country. The term “reasonable” is often attached to proposed restrictions. It’s a loose term and open to interpretation. It’s one of those words often used to offer the appearance of measured concern–but in reality hides true intention.
When Biden makes his report to Obama next week on measures to curb gun violence, I’m willing to bet the term “reasonable” will be used. If it were possible to truly define “reasonable”, I’m not sure America’s gun owners would be so worried. However, the question gun owners ask is where does “reasonable” end and how long before “reasonalbe” is taken a step further, then another and another? Suddenly what’s in place is well beyond what was once classified as “reasonable” at the start of the discussion.
The sad and ultimate truth is once we’ve reached that point nothing has been accomplished to curb gun violence other than disarming innocent, law abiding people. That is UNreasonable.