Armed And Misleading

Having grown up in a family where using and owning guns was somewhat of a tradition ( I personally own two shotguns - one hand-made by my grandfather - and two rifles ) I can understand the sporting aspect of it as well as the "self-defense" side of it. However, I don't believe that everyone needs to own one.

I hold this belief for several reasons. I'll put aside the fact that felons have lost the right to own firearms are a part of their punishment by law, but some people don't have the training or the mental capacity to own firearms.

This didn't stop sellers at several gun-shows from allowing people that couldn't possibly pass background checks to buy guns.



New York City Mayor Micheal Bloomberg reports

Our investigators told the private sellers that they "probably couldn't pass a background check" -- and at that point, the seller should have sent them away. Because even private sellers are prohibited by federal law from selling to those who they have reason to suspect could not pass a background check.

Instead, 19 out of 30 private sellers made the sale.

Also, earlier in the year, Max Blumenthal attended gun shows in California and Nevada and showed how the reactionary Right, militia groups, and nazi "enthusiasts" are using these shows to not just pedal their wares, but push their ideological message.



So what is the answer to preventing some "lone-nut" from injuring or killing someone after they have purchased a gun illegally? What can be done to ensure that the hate-speech that is being literally channeled into our homes, our cars, and our places of employment each and every day doesn't trigger some unstable individual who has purchased a firearm illegally from injuring and killing someone? Is the answer to take away every gun from every home in the nation. Absolutely not. But there has to be some sort of reform to the process with which gun-shows operate. Because they are arming people who are potentially dangerous.