Yet Another Attack on Gun Owners
I just read an article tonight where a man wounded in a gang shooting is urging the state of Massachusetts to impose a $25 surcharge on the purchase of firearms in this state. The money would fund research into spinal cord injury. Let me get this out of the way first: the man who was injured has a tragic story. He’s a family man who was in the wrong place at the wrong time when a criminal gang member started spraying bullets. The man was hit by a round and is now paralyzed. He has a wife and four kids that he’s trying to support and wants to walk again. More power to him and I hope he achieves his goal. There’s only one problem: his political aim is as off as that of the gangbanger who shot him.
I own guns and plan to own more. I jumped through all the legal hoops of this state in order to be a legal gun-owner. I have both basic safety and tactical training under my belt. I’ve had a police officer tell me that I’m better trained than the majority of MA police officers (this after the aforementioned tactical training that he also took). Yet I have a limited selection of firearms I can choose for ownership due to bizarre legal rules from the AG’s office, I am often prejudged as a violent freak by those who learn that I hold an LTC and now I’ve got a victim of a criminal’s actions trying to tax me.
I don’t know of a friendly way to say this, so let me be blunt: I’m not your problem, the criminals are. You’re trying to extort money out of citizens who are legally allowed to purchase handguns. I can almost certainly guarantee you that the gangbanger who shot you did not come by that gun legally. While I know you’re trying to make a point by saying that the guns that this gangbanger bought came from legal gun owners, I can absolutely assure you that they didn’t come from me. If you want to really handle the issue of gun crime, you need to get past the issue of gun ownership and look at the deeper issues. When the “miracle of Boston” occurred, it wasn’t a result of gun laws but rather the result of community involvement, after-school programs and familial responsibility. Suffice it to say that no gangbanger from then or now walked into a store, purchased a firearm legally, and wandered outside to protect their colors/neighborhood/crew.
Let me now address your statements:
“It’s a privilege to own a gun,” Williams said in an interview. “The surcharge, if you know it’s going toward research for a problem caused by gun violence, most people wouldn’t have a problem.”
Bullshit. It’s not a privilege, it’s a constitutionally protected right. Even the District of Columbia recently had to admit this, and this is a place where private gun ownership has been outlawed, illegally, for decades. Just take a look at gun crime statistics: where the crime is worst tends to be where the laws are strictest, and where the crime is least is where citizens are allowed to exercise their rights (without your taxation, mind you). The ironic thing is that if you lived in a state where private gun ownership was accepted as legitimate, you would probably have had less of a chance of being shot because gun crime would be less prevalent (predators don’t like prey that have claws).
The other point:
A committee member asked Williams whether legal gun owners, who would pay the fee, are the same people who are shooting others on Boston streets.
Williams said that’s beside the point. “It’s still violence from guns, and they got the guns from somewhere,” the 39-year-old answered.
Why is this beside the point? They didn’t get their guns from me or anyone gun owner I know. You’re going to punish us with some random tax because of the rare case where a gun-owner is the VICTIM of a theft that includes one of their firearms? How is that legitimate? Certainly, their violation doesn’t match yours in terms of personal suffering, but they are also victims of crime. Why punish those who follow the law? Why not demand money from those who traffic in illegal guns? The state and feds benefit from busts on drugs, why shouldn’t others benefit from the busts on gun trafficking?
My last argument is the classic slippery-slope argument. Where does this end? If you can add a surcharge to a legitimate and legal purchase then can I? Can I get a $25 fee attached to the cost of fertilizer because some have used it as bomb-making material? Can I get a fee tacked onto the purchase of gasoline because of the accidents I’ve been in caused by negligent drivers? How about a fee on top of the cost of cable subscription service because people can get porn on those and porn cause violence towards women, supposedly? Your cause may be worthy (spinal cord injury research) but your approach to raising funds is insulting, inappropriate and irresponsible.
If you want my money for spinal cord injury research, all you have to do is ask and I’ll donate. Threaten me with taxes and punitive damages, and I doubt I’ll be as willing to help your cause.
March 15th, 2007 17:06
My son was also shot and robbed and he is now paralized. If you like to own some guns that is your business. But do keep on thing in mind, those guns that are being used in the commision of a crime were all owned at one time by someone who has legally purchased them and were stolen most likely out of their homes. So..my solution would be that those gun owners who store their weapons in a manner that it is possible for someone to get a hold of it, should pay a hefty fine, and that money should go to victims of gun violence and research. What do you think of that idea?
March 16th, 2007 20:57
Andrea: your idea sounds good on the surface but won’t, in my opinion, work. Perhaps its my cynicism, but judging by how state and federal governments manage their money, I’d be hard pressed to believe that any worthy cause would receive more than a token amount
(if anything) from fines against gun owners. Just look at how states have used money from drug raids, settlements against corporations or from federal subsidies and tell me you believe that any charitable/research organization stands a chance of getting their share?
More importantly, I don’t agree with your idea of further punishing victims of crime. I understand the intention of your suggestion and certainly agree that responsible gun owners must maintain control of their firearms at all times, however people who have their firearms stolen are victims of crime just the same as someone who has their cash or jewels stolen. Fining victims of theft for being victims hardly seems right.
I know that you want people to lock up their weapons in such a way that it wouldn’t be possible for “someone to get a hold of” them, but any thief who truly wants something will eventually get a hold of the item. Massachusetts already has laws regarding how firearms and ammunition must be stored. I have a safe for my handguns, lock up my ammunition separately and keep my rifles disabled by the use of state-approved locks. Any Massachusetts gun owner who doesn’t want to go to jail and pay massive fines (none of which any charitable organization sees) follows similar procedures for any weapon not under their direct control. But despite this, people still have their guns stolen in Massachusetts. Some would argue that this proves that gun locks and other storage requirements are useless – after all, criminals are tenacious. I’m not 100% sure I agree with that sentiment, but the argument is made by some.
Also, it’s not true that all guns used in the commission of crimes were legally owned at one time. Just like any item, there are many places from manufacture, transport to retail where they are stolen well before they are ever legally purchased.
I personally would be devastated if my firearms were stolen and used to commit crime. I do everything I can to prevent that. I think you’ll find that the majority of gun owners feel and act the same way. If fines are to be levied, they should be levied against the criminals who commit the illegal acts. Even more importantly, we should stop focusing on the loud and obvious things and start focusing on finding ways to prevent crime or, even better, prevent people from becoming criminals. It’s a higher and harder goal to achieve, but are the more worthwhile for the effort.
Thanks for commenting, and my best wishes to you and your son.