Thursday, March 28, 2024
Tags Posts tagged with "Gun Laws"

Gun Laws

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Students across the country are speaking out and taking action in regards to their safety and their rights to protect themselves against potential gun violence throughout American schools. For weeks, students have been staging walkouts demanding lawmakers to take action and take a closer look at the gun laws that need to be changed. High schools across the country have been punishing students for walkouts and peaceful protest. Aurora high school students are facing detention, and will possibly be barred from school activities for walking out of school. This has parent upset; many high-schoolers across the country are now concerned if peaceful protest will affect their applications and disciplinary records when trying to apply to college. This has prompted colleges around the country to issue statements in support of these students and their American right to peacefully protest.

The University of South Carolina took to twitter to assure students that the home of Gamecocks will still welcome them, and supports them speaking out against gun violence.

“Any applicants or admitted students subject to disciplinary action solely for exercising their constitutional rights for by participating in peaceful, lawful protests should not worry about how it might impact their admissions decision.”

The Carolinian Creed is central to who we are and what we do, including when standing up for one’s beliefs in a peaceable, civil and lawful way.#UofSCapplicants and admitted students, you should not be concerned about how it might impact your admission.pic.twitter.com/IrN3TuFNfz

According to TheDepartment of Student Affairs and Academic Support, the Carolinian Creed is to “oppose intolerance by promoting integrity within our campus community. Our common values are formed upon the foundation of our creed, which emphasizes openness and civility.”

Most high school students are not old enough to vote, therefore the only way to voice their concerns is to put into practice the core element of Martin Luther’s mission: Nonviolent resistance and Civil disobedience. Glad to see University’s are standing in support of these future college students.

Source: University of South Carolina

Syllabus Magazine, the Carolina’s source for Music, Culture and Fashion

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Credit xroads.virginia.edu
On May 2, 1967, Black Panthers amassed at the Capitol in Sacramento brandishing guns to protest a bill before an Assembly committee restricting the carrying of arms in public. Photo: Walt Zeboski / AP

The NRA has been able to convince many Americans that the reason democrats and anti-gun organizations are fighting for more laws enforcing gun restrictions, is because these are the forces vying to take away your right as an American to bear arms. They have even gone as far as to convince people that it’s the media’s fault because mainstream media, “loves mass shootings” and this gets them ratings. The NRA leads the charge in the belief that, “guns don’t kill people, people kill people“, so it’s not more gun laws that we need – it’s more people laws. But, the NRA hasn’t always held this belief, and they didn’t always feel this way in terms of restricting access to guns. Most recently, Philando Castile’s mother called out the NRA for not coming to the defense of her son, who told a police officer he was carrying a licensed gun, but was killed in front of his child and girlfriend, because the officer ‘feared for is life’. Not only is the NRA flaky regarding when they speak out, but they are the pioneers of some of the gun laws that we have today. The NRA was also in favor of stronger gun laws in the sixties, when blacks wanted to arm themselves during the fight for civil rights.

According to Adam Winkler, author of the book “Gunfight: The Battle Over The Right To Bear Arms In America”, historically NRA leaders were in favor of gun control. Not only were they in favor of control, but the NRA lobbied for and wrote gun legislation. In 1963, after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the NRA found out murderer Lee Harvey Oswald purchased his murder weapon from an NRA mail-order advertisement. The President of the NRA at the time, Frank Orth, decided and agreed that mail-order sales of guns should be banned. In a statement, Orth explained,“We do think that any sane American, who calls himself an American, can object to placing into this bill the instrument which killed the president of the United States.”

In the sixties, the NRA took gun legislation a step further. They supported California’s Mulfold Act of 1967; this act banned carrying loaded weapons in public. This was a direct response to the Black Panther Party who marched on the State Capitol to protest this new gun legislation. As the Civil Rights movement grew stronger, more gun legislation was put into place. After the summer riots of 1967, the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr and Kennedy, Congress passed the Gun Control Act of 1968. This act added a minimum age limit to own a gun, included serial number requirements, and extended the gun ban for the mentally ill and drug addicts.

Credit xroads.virginia.edu

For most of the 20th century, the NRA lobbied and authored gun laws and legislation. These laws were put into place as the Black Panther party rose to power. By the 70s the NRA started to change their tune after the government raided the house of NRA member Kenyon Ballew. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives raided Ballew’s house, shooting and paralyzing him because they believed he had been stockpiling illegal weapons. After this, everything changed. Instead of creating gun laws, the NRA viewed any act against gun control as a threat to the 2nd amendment. According to an article in Time Magazine, “Today’s NRA could be summed up withwordsuttered by the Black Panther Party 40 years earlier: “the gun is the only thing that will free us—gain us our liberation.

While armed militia in Charlottesville are seen as “not so bad guys” by President Trump, armed Militia of the Black Panther party were viewed as a threat and caused the American government “to form a wholly new urban guerrilla, counterinsurgency, army-like” force: SWAT.And, we can go on and on to discuss how the government targeted member of the Black Panther to ensure they were either killed or jailed for life.

George Curbelo (center) at the protest in Charlottesville on Saturday. Photograph: courtesy George Curbelo

So don’t let the NRA fool you with 2nd amendment rhetoric. Take a look at their long history in order to see how they have created laws that have always aligned with the goals and bottom line of their organization. The NRA’s only interest, is self-interest.

Source: Medium,Time

God’s Kid. Editor-in-Chief of Syllabus Magazine. Concerned Citizen. Gamecock. MBA. Made in Charleston.

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In America, mass shootings have become an epidemic, and there appears to be no movement on how we should control guns getting into the hands of people who should not have them. Some lawmakers and proponents of gun rights organizations have tried vigorously to convince the public that tougher gun laws mean the government is trying to infringe on an individual’s right to carry a fire-arm. Those of us who understand the current plight of this country know that this is not the case.

So why are certain political representatives so adamant about keeping guns in the hands of whoever wants them? Perhaps its because these politicians are able to carry on with their luxurious lifestyles by being supporters of filthy rich pro-gun organizations. When you want to know why it seems to be so difficult to make common sense laws regarding gun rights, all one has to do is follow the cash.

Research organization called Center For Responsive Politics conducted some eye-opening research regarding who’s getting high dollar kickbacks from pro-gun groups in the U.S. In 2016, over $5.9 million in contributions were donated to Grand Old Party’s campaigns compared to only $106,000 to democratic contributions.

$5,900,000 $106,000

given to Republicans in 2016 election cycle given to Democrats in 2016 election cycle

Pro-gun groups love Republicans so much, that more than half of the members of the House of Representatives (235 out of 435) received money from the NRA and Gun Owners of America. Out of the 235 members of the House who received funds, only 9 were Democrats.

The Center For Responsive Politics gathered data for the last 30 years to examine what campaign contributions from pro-gun groups were allocated to Representatives while in office. The amounts are significant.

Check out the details below. Senator Paul Ryan, who has been in office over 18 years, has received the most money from pro-gun groups – over $300,000 during his career. Also, the 2016 political cycle saw more campaign contributions from pro-gun organizations than they have seen in the last 30 years. So, the next time you start wondering about why the government seems to be fighting against tougher gun legislation – just remember to follow the money.

NameAmountPartyDistrictYears in office
Paul Ryan$336,597RepublicanWisconsin, District 118
John Boehner$231,265RepublicanOhio, District 824
Don Young$195,272RepublicanAlaska, At-Large District44
John Thune$181,215RepublicanSouth Dakota, At-large District18
Pat Toomey$167,051RepublicanPennsylvania, District 1512
Ken Calvert$144,466RepublicanCalifornia, District 4224
Roy Blunt$143,543RepublicanMissouri, District 720
Denny Rehberg$138,959RepublicanMontana, At-large District12
Steve Pearce$129,250RepublicanNew Mexico, District 26
Saxby Chambliss$128,950RepublicanGeorgia, District 812
George Allen$127,556RepublicanVirginia, District 78
Richard Burr$124,550RepublicanNorth Carolina, District 522
Richard Pombo$122,694RepublicanCalifornia, District 1114
Pete Sessions$121,776RepublicanTexas, District 3214
Jim Inhofe$121,100RepublicanOklahoma, District 131
John Kline$119,887RepublicanMinnesota, District 214
Rick Santorum$115,942RepublicanPennsylvania, District 1816
John Doolittle$111,193RepublicanCalifornia, District 416
Ed Royce$111,120RepublicanCalifornia, District 3924
Dean Heller$108,515RepublicanDistrict 24
Ron Paul$108,453RepublicanTexas, 14 and 2212
Michele Bachmann$108,218RepublicanMinnesota, District 64
Rob Portman$107,727RepublicanOhio, District 220
Bob Goodlatte$104,900RepublicanVirginia, District 624
Martha McSally$104,445RepublicanArizona, District 22
Mike Coffman$101,693RepublicanColorado, District 68
Bob Barr$101,473RepublicanGeorgia, District 78
Collin Peterson$98,500DemocratMinnesota, District 726

Source: Politico

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