With the presidential election only weeks away, we find the Second Amendment (2A) prominently on the ballot. The positions of each candidate regarding the Constitution in general, and the 2A in particular, are starkly disparate. The results of this election could change the direction of the country even more profoundly than the 2016 election did. With so much at stake, how will a largely misinformed electorate vote?
Support for the 2A should not be along partisan lines and indeed it is not among most normal Americans. A 2019 Gallup poll showed only 1 in 5 Americans supported repeal of the 2A. However party elites, particularly in the Democrat party, have made gun control ( i.e. further restriction of your 2A protected rights) a central theme of their party. Consider the following points from the 2020 Democrat Party Platform:
- Democrats will enact universal background checks
- End online sale of guns and ammunition
- Ban the manufacture and sale of assault weapons
- Ban sale of high capacity magazines
- Incentivize states to enact licensing requirements for owning firearms
- Incentivize states to enact extreme risk protection order laws
- Pass legislation to require guns to be safely stored in homes
- Repeal laws that shield gun manufacturers from civil liability when their products are used in the commission of a crime
Presidential candidate Joe Biden further reinforces these ideas. Consider the following from the Biden/Harris campaign page. Joe Biden will:
- Hold gun manufacturers accountable by repealing the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act
- Ban the manufacture and sale of assault weapons and high capacity magazines
- Regulate possession of existing assault weapons under the National Firearms Act
- Require citizens to either sell their assault weapons and magazines to the government or register them under the National Firearms Act
- Restrict the number of firearms a citizen may purchase to one per month
- Require background checks for all gun sales (meaning private party transfers)
- Reinstate the Obama-Biden policy (reversed by Trump) of baring seniors who require help in managing their financial affairs from owning firearms
- Bar individuals convicted of a misdemeanor hate crime from owning firearms
- Extend the time limit in which background checks must be completed from 3 to 10 days
- End online sales of firearms, ammunition, kits, and gun parts
- Incentivize state extreme risk laws
- Incentivize state gun owner licensing laws
There are many more restrictions to your 2A rights spelled out on Biden’s page but for the sake of time I’ll stop here. It’s also worth mentioning that what Biden calls assault weapons and high capacity magazines are known to most normal Americans as modern sporting rifles, mostly the AR15 style platform, and standard capacity magazines.
Contrast these ideas to those found on the 2020 Republican Party Platform (the Republican Party resolved to leave their platform unchanged from 2016):
- We uphold the right of the individual to keep and bear arms, a natural inalienable right that predates the Constitution, and is secured by the Second Amendment
- We support firearm reciprocity legislation to recognize the right of law-abiding Americans to carry firearms to protect themselves and their families in all 50 states
- We support constitutional carry statutes
- We oppose ill-conceived laws that restrict magazine capacity or ban the sale of the most popular and common modern rifle
- We oppose any effort to deprive individuals of their right to keep and bear arms without due process
- We condemn frivolous lawsuits against gun manufacturers and the illegal harassment of gun dealers
- We oppose federal licensing or registration of law-abiding gun owners, registration of ammunition, and restoration of the ill-fated Clinton gun ban
Granted, Republicans don’t always behave in accordance with their stated values, but the difference between the two parties, at least regarding the 2A, is stark and the choice for gun owners should be clear.
We in California have experienced firsthand the devastating results of single party rule. Even more so when the ruling party seems to dislike citizens, holds no respect for the Constitution and generally seems to hate America. Should that party seize power at the national level, the country will likely be headed into a very dark period.
So as a gun owner your choices are clear. At the national level, seek out accurate information and vote your conscience. At the local level, refer to the SDCGO voter guide and do the same. Remember, in the words of President Obama: “elections have consequences”.
The right to self-defense is a basic human right. Gun ownership is an integral part of that right. If you want to keep your rights defend them by joining San Diego County Gun Owners (SDCGO) in San Diego, Orange County Gun Owners (OCGO) in Orange County, San Bernardino County Gun Owners (SBCGO) in San Bernardino County or Riverside County Gun Owners (RCGO) in Riverside. Support the cause by listening to Gun Owners Radio live on Sunday afternoon or on the internet at your leisure. Join the fight and help us restore and preserve our second amendment rights. Together we will win.
©2020 Joseph T Drammissi
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