As the new year begins, both the federal government and many state governments are considering gun control legislation in the aftermath of the tragic Newtown shootings of Dec. 14. New York has just passed more stringent laws on gun control. Connecticut Gov. Dan Malloy has formed an advisory commission to make recommendations for similar measures to be considered this spring in Connecticut.
Connecticut has long had a deep ambivalence about the gun industry. No state in the union has a longer history for gun production than Connecticut. Samuel Colt of Hartford (see photo in gallery), Horace Smith and Daniel B. Wesson of Norwich, Christian Sharps of Vernon, Christopher Spencer of Manchester, Oliver Winchester of New Haven, and Oliver Bidwell — who built the first pistol factory in the United States in Middletown in 1810 — are all among the most famous names in the history of guns and gun production in the U.S. Connecticut's nickname as the "arsenal of democracy" is well deserved.
Yet, when guns fall into the wrong hands, the results can often be tragic. As a result, despite Connecticut's long history of economic dependence on the defense industry in general and the small arms industry in particular, Connecticut has some of the toughest gun restrictions in the country, and they may get tougher.
The ambivalence felt by Connecticut residents can also be found to varying degrees throughout the United States and the world, as the following 12 quotations clearly demonstrate. See if you can match the quotations with the following list of people. ( Note: Some won't be used, and others may surprise you!)
A. Noah Webster B. Hubert Humphrey C. Adolph Hitler
D. John F. Kennedy E. Sen. Dianne Feinstein F. Charlton Heston
G. Robin Williams H. Dalai Lama I. Clint Eastwood
J. Richard Nixon K. Rosie O'Donnell L. Gandhi
M. Mario Puzo N. Sen.John McCain O. Rep. Paul Ryan
1. "Certainly one of the chief guarantees of freedom under any government ... is the right of citizens to keep and bear arms."
2. "Guns are an abomination!"
3. " I have a very strict gun control policy: if there's a gun around, I want to be in control of it."
4. " Among other evils which being unarmed brings you, it causes you to be despised."
5. "But if someone has a gun and is trying to kill you, ... it would be reasonable to shoot back with your own gun."
6. "In England, if you commit a crime, the police don't have a gun. If you commit a crime, the police will say, "Stop, or I'll say stop again!"
7. " Before a standing army can rule, the people must be disarmed, as they are in almost every country in Europe."
8. " If I could have banned them all — Mr. And Mrs. America turn in your gun — I would have."
9. "A lawyer with a briefcase can steal more than a hundred men with guns."
10. " Hey, I am a Catholic deer hunter. I am happy to be clinging to my guns and my religion."
11. " Among the many misdeeds of the British rule in India, history will look upon the act of depriving a whole nation of arms, as the blackest."
12. " I don't care if you want to hunt. I don't care if you think it's your right. I say, "Sorry, it's 1999. We have had enough as a nation. You are not allowed to own a gun, and if you do own a gun, I think you ought to go to prison."
(Answers: 1. B 2. J 3. I 4. F 5. H 6. G 7. A 8. E 9. M 10. O 11. L 12. K )
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"And, I know the sense of helplessness that people feel. I know the urge to arm yourself because that's what I did. I was trained in firearms. I'd walk to the hospital when my husband was sick. I carried a concealed weapon. I made the determination that if somebody was going to try to take me out, I was going to take them with me."— Dianne Feinstein 27 April 1995
“This is a matter of vital importance to the public safety ... While we recognize that assault-weapon legislation will not stop all assault-weapon crime, statistics prove that we can dry up the supply of these guns, making them less accessible to criminals.” “Certain forms of ammunition have no legitimate sporting, recreational, or self-defense use and thus should be prohibited.” “Every year, an average of 9,200 Americans are murdered by handguns, according to Department of Justice statistics. This does not include suicides or the tens of thousands of robberies, rapes and assaults committed with handguns. This level of violence must be stopped.” Can you guess who said all this? Obama? Feinstein? Stalin? NO. These are the words of Ronald Reagan. That's right. The prophet of modern conservatism supported reasonable and strong restrictions on gun ownership! How's that feel, conservatives?
“Certain forms of ammunition have no legitimate sporting, recreational, or self-defense use and thus should be prohibited.” He was referring to armor piercing bullets, which coincidentally, are illegal. In fact, the NRA helped craft the legislation banning "cop killer bullets" for which they were then pilloried by the left for fighting FOR cop killer bullets. "This level of violence must be stopped.” And for the most part, it has. It may come as a surprise to many, in fact I was surprised, to find out that since 1993 rate of violent crime is down about 50%, and murder rate about 49% , all while we have seen the largest increases in gun sales every year for the same time period. If more guns equal more violence, we should be seeing an increase in violent crime and murder, not a decrease.
"You won't get gun control by disarming law-abiding citizens. There's only one way to get real gun control: Disarm the thugs and the criminals, lock them up and if you don't actually throw away the key, at least lose it for a long time... It's a nasty truth, but those who seek to inflict harm are not fazed by gun controllers. I happen to know this from personal experience.
"Our nation was built and civilized by men and women who used guns in self-defense and in pursuit of peace. One wonders indeed, if the rising crime rate, isn't due as much as anything to the criminal's instinctive knowledge that the average victim no longer has means of self-protection."
There are those in America today who have come to depend absolutely on government for their security. And when government fails they seek to rectify that failure in the form of granting government more power. So, as government has failed to control crime and violence with the means given it by the Constitution, they seek to give it more power at the expense of the Constitution. But in doing so, in their willingness to give up their arms in the name of safety, they are really giving up their protection from what has always been the chief source of despotism -- government."
Also, it's a great thing that violent crime and murder have decreased in the past 20 years. This I'm sure we both agree on. But don't you know that the Federal Assault Weapons Ban was enacted in 1994? As Mr. Reagan pointed out, "While we recognize that assault-weapon legislation will not stop all assault-weapon crime, statistics [like those that you cited] prove that we can dry up the supply of these guns, making them less accessible to criminals.” While gun sales may have risen since 1993, the availability of the most dangerous guns, semi-automatic guns, began decreasing in 1994. This is why the rate of violent crime is down about 50%, and murder rate about 49%
"I'm a member of the NRA. And my position on the right to bear arms is well known. But I support the Brady bill and I urge the Congress to enact it without delay. It's just plain common sense that there be a waiting period [7 days] to allow local law enforcement officials to conduct background checks on those who wish to buy a handgun." -1991 As you point out, Reagan was anti-big government, but he was also pro-common sense. The Brady Bill (which I'm sure you are familiar with) was a common sense piece of legislation. The proposals made by the Obama administration are common sense, reasonable proposals. That is why they should be made law. That is why they will be made law.
In the best published study of mass shootings, it was found that 99 had occurred between 1980 and 2010. We know that a number of mass shootings have been stopped by armed citizens. All but one of the “successful” mass shootings occurred in areas where armed citizens are banned, so called "Gun Free Zones". A comparison of mass shootings stopped by 911 response vs mass shootings stopped by citizens indicates that when citizens are able to stop the killing, they prevent 84 percent of the deaths*. *Shootings stopped by 911 calls average 14.3 deaths. Shootings stopped by armed civilians average 2.3 deaths. Shootings stopped by armed civilians reduced fatalities by 84%.
i believe in banning the 30 round clips,i believe in having a permit to purchase ammo and also having a permit to purchase an assualt weapon.And i also believe closing the loop hole at gun shows,But i don't believe in banning the assault weapon in question. The AR-15 is no differant then a pistol.the AR just has a longer barrel and longer stock it does less damage then a 9 mm bullet.Believe or not a .223 round does less damage then a 9mm .40 .45 .12g shot gun.
We need to concentrate on getting the guns away from the bad guys not the good guy's. DON'T TREAD ON ME
In an article in The Daily Caller (1/18/2013) Biden said, “And to your point, Mr. Baker, regarding the lack of prosecutions on lying on Form 4473s, we simply don’t have the time or manpower to prosecute everybody who lies on a form, that checks a wrong box, that answers a question inaccurately.” So if they refuse to prosecute people who lie on a background checks now because they don't have "the manpower" why do they want universal background checks that will add to the workload exponentially?