The Next Anti-Gun Targeted State Is…
In upcoming legislative sessions around the nation, the gun control elitists are introducing, reintroducing and forever pushing for further restrictions and outright bans on the legal ownership and possession of firearms. While those of us who live in out of control nanny states like California, Massachusetts and New York expect the annual onslaught of unconstitutional bills, all states are now being targeted. Up next: Kentucky.
The how and why is always the same. Capitalizing on a growing anti-gun base in urban centers, the elitists try to start the infringement ball rolling by introducing a so-called “common sense firearm safety” law that you’d have to be a soulless monster to oppose. Queue up Helen Lovejoy’s “Won’t someone please think of the children!” and you’ve heard the central theme of their message. The problem is, firearm safety isn’t what they are after.
Kentucky State Representative Jim Wayne of Louisville, one of the two high-density population centers in the state, has pre-filed a bill for the upcoming 2018 legislative session. The bill will require firearm owners to use a safe or cabinet or secure with a gun lock all firearms when anyone under the age of 18 is in the home. Failure to do so would be a Class B misdemeanor or a Class A misdemeanor if the under 18 year old uses it to kill themselves or harm any one else.
Wayne’s bill is another move straight out of the playbook of current Chicago Mayor and former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel’s playbook of “You never let a serious crisis go to waste”. Capitalizing on the deaths of children in the Louisville area, Wayne says “The idea is that we do want to have some sanctions on people who are irresponsible with guns.” He says “realistically”, nobody would be charged with a crime unless there was a child-involved shooting. But, he sums it up as: “The intent is not so much to punish people for having guns that are not in a secure position, but to educate the public,” Wayne said.
What kind of a monster must I be to oppose this? One that doesn’t believe this has anything to do with child safety or not punishing people for owning firearms.
First off, I know just about zero about Kentucky law other than like every other state, they already have child endangerment laws on the books. Wayne contends prosecutors are “reluctant” to file these charges and sometimes “sympathize” with the parents. Child endangerment runs the gamut of driving while intoxicated with your child in the car, leaving your child with sharp or heavy objects, letting them play next to an unsecured pool, leaving rat poison or bleach in easy reach or even leaving them in a hot car. Each case is absolutely horrific and tragic, as well as being a unique set of circumstances.
What kind of a child safety impact would this proposed law have? Zero. Imagine if you will a parent with a firearm learning of this new legal storage requirement and thinking — ‘Wow, I could get 90 days in jail or up to a year in jail if my child kills themself with my gun. I better lock it up!’ If the potential loss of their child’s life, or another life isn’t going to motivate a parent to secure their firearms, how is this going to “educate” them? You simply cannot legislate someone into being a good person, a good firearm owner, or a good parent.
Educating the public doesn’t mandate how firearms are stored and provide sanctions for not meeting the letter of the law. Education is provided to allow people to make the right decisions about firearm safety for their family and their situation. Two national programs already exist for this. The NRA (National Rifle Association) Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program is designed for parents, law enforcement, community groups and educators to address firearm safety with pre-K through 4th graders. The NSSF (National Shooting Sports Foundation) promotes firearm safety through a program called Project ChildSafe. This program also provides free gun locks and safety education brochures to law enforcement agencies around the country, which are given to the public at absolutely NO cost. There are 102 law enforcement agencies who currently participate in Project ChildSafe in Kentucky, 11 in the Louisville area alone. The tools to educate, increase safety and save lives are already out there, and it’s available to everyone for free.
Like every other state or municipality that has implemented so-called ‘gun safety storage’ laws, this tugging at the heartstrings bill is only the first step in a much broader campaign to eliminate Second Amendment protected rights. These laws only establish the foundation to confiscate firearm and eliminate your ability to protect your life and the lives of your family. Don’t believe it? Look at California, Washington, Oregon and Massachusetts for prime examples of how quickly you can lose your rights and your firearms.
And just to be perfectly clear about my position on firearms and children; there is ZERO excuse for allowing a child to have unsupervised access to a firearm. Good parents can and will do everything to protect their families. Keeping them safe with firearms is just part of it.
Bob
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Eddie Eagle GunSafe Program https://eddieeagle.nra.org
Project ChildSafe http://www.projectchildsafe.org
