With the deadliest mass shooting in our country’s history nearly three weeks past, the country is still coming to grips with the aftermath of such a tragedy, but for anti-gun lobbyists and politicians, it is the time to energize, get to work, blame law-abiding gun owning citizens and use this to further their political agenda.
Pro-gun Ohioans are disturbed by the fact that politicians utilize the wake of a tragic situation to prey on the emotions of a public that is grieving and disturbed by jumping in to change laws that will begin to strip citizens of the very liberties that the constitution so dearly protects.
With the wake of the Las Vegas tragedy fresh on the hearts and minds of many Americans, anti-gun advocate and California senator, Diane Feinstein latched onto the tragedy to push her anti-gun agenda by attacking gun accessories such as bump stocks. The question is, will this open up the possibility to begin banning gun accessories to ultimately push the gun control agenda?
This new agenda is hitting the Senate during the time that such pro-gun bills as The Hearing and Protection Act and National Reciprocity are working their way through the house. These acts were created to protect law-abiding citizens who wish to exercise their second amendment rights and with a switch in legislative priorities, these agendas could languish waiting for approval.
While much of this legislation may seem like it is far away, the citizens of Ohio are already feeling the effects as their own state senator Cecil Thomas has already been pushing to ban the bump stock accessory in the state of Ohio. This new bill would not only remove all bump stocks off the shelves but would also make it a fourth-degree felony to possess them.
After the bill was backed by Governor John Kasich who made the statement regarding the bill, “This makes a lot of sense to get rid of this, there has to be some common agreement that we’re not after taking away people’s second amendment rights.” After the governor showed support Cecil was quoted as saying, “I applaud the governor for having the courage to want to stand up to the NRA because it’s going to blow down to discussion relative to their position.”
After the announcement of the possible ban, the Ohioans for Concealed Carry urged citizens that by giving an inch they may be giving a mile. The OFCC says that banning gun accessories as a knee-jerk response to tragedy will not only do nothing to solve the problem but will give the government license to continue to slowly strip away the rights of its citizens.
If this ban were allowed to continue on state or federal levels, it would most likely be the starting point on a systematic removal of gun accessories that anti-gun lobbyists feel are not necessary or should be restricted. Some of the accessories probably next on the agenda would be high capacity magazines, bayonet lugs, collapsible stocks, high power rifles, Saturday night specials, accessories rails, and anything else that those who do not understand guns can claim is unnecessary and possibly dangerous.
With the NRA supporting regulations on bump stocks, the legislation may get the momentum it needs, and pro-gun state politicians may get a pass for supporting it. The CEO of the NRA Wayne LaPierre was quoted as saying, “The NRA believes that devices designed to allow semi-automatic rifles to function like fully-automatic rifles should be subject to additional regulations.”
Whether the NRA is trying to head off a gun control debate in the legislature or is wholly in favor adding regulation is unclear. Yet Ohio citizens are afraid that this small amount of support could possibly open up the floodgates especially if other tragedies occur.
Unfortunately, this domino effect is not unheard of as tragedies can often turn to panic as politicians grab an ahold of them to use for promoting their personal agenda. Again they are placing the blame for a senseless tragedy on the mechanism used instead of where the blame rests which is with the individual responsible for committing it. To penalize all the law abiding gun owners over the action of one is against what the principals of this country were founded on.
~ American Gun News
