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“A well
regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of
the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” –
Second Amendment to the Constitution
of the United States
“We, the mothers,
are calling on Congress to enact common sense gun control legislation by
Mothers’ Day 2000 ... We call on Congress to require all handgun owners to be
licensed and that they be required to register their weapons with the proper
authorities. It makes sense.” –
From the Million Mom March web site
At the
risk of having some skip today’s column, I will reveal that it ends with the
supposition that organizers of the Million Mom March (“MMM”) have something more
in mind than common sense gun policy. It’s
a chance I’ll take because I want to start with my own position, bias if you
prefer, and don’t mind being judged in that context. I’d rather scare people
off than deceive them to make converts.
So here goes: I like the Constitution as it is. If you don’t, the
way to change it is to amend it. Seems simple enough to me, but some folks
aren’t above a little sleight-of-hand.
This is not to say the MMM marchers themselves want to mislead anyone; rather,
they should take a hard look at the movement’s leadership and their goals. It’s
OK to be used, but one should know what for.
The group’s
founder is Donna Dees-Thomases. On the MMM
web site, Ms. Dees-Thomases says the idea was born as she watched news coverage
of the horrific shootings at the North Valley Jewish Community Center in Los
Angeles last summer. “I felt ashamed. Ashamed because I've sat back while
others battle the gun lobby to protect our children.”
The facts of the
incident are a little different. Buford O. Furrow Jr., the man charged with
wounding five and killing a Filipino-American mail carrier, is a convicted felon
for whom it is illegal to possess any firearm. His stash of weapons were
largely illegal or illegally acquired in any event.
How much effect
would the MMM’s key proposed solutions – licensing
of handgun owners, registration of handguns, safety locks, limiting handgun
purchases to one a month – have had on a man like Burrow? Common sense says
“squat,” though perhaps MMM’s final proposal would: “No-nonsense enforcement of
gun laws.” And who has been the primary advocate of that? The so-called gun
lobby, led largely by the dreaded National Rifle Association and other gun-owner
organizations.
Dees-Thomases is
adamant that MMM doesn’t oppose private gun ownership and originally said the
march was intended to promote gun safety. Yet offers of assistance from the
Women's Shooting Sports Foundation were dismissed out of hand. “We assumed when
they initially said the march was about firearms safety, they truly meant it, so
we offered to help” said WSSF Executive Director Shari LeGate. “They rejected
our offer, sending the message that clearly this is politically motivated and
has nothing to do with gun safety.” The MMM subsequently revised its stated
goals.
Is it all
politically motivated? The MMM made a show of non-partisanship, proclaiming
that no politicians would be allowed on the podium. They weren’t, but messages
from both the President and Mrs. Clinton were broadcast on jumbo screen
televisions. If any other politicos were extended the privilege I missed it.
Barely reported
is the fact that, according to Dees-Thomases, the MMM organization will likely
apply for a tax-exempt status that would permit political activities. This will
at least be a political lobbying group and I predict they won’t stick solely to
their guns; the “Mom” label, a heart-tugger for most of us, will be slapped on a
wide range of issues. They will eventually call for a ban on private ownership
of firearms or come so close that you won’t be able to tell the difference. The
Constitution won’t get a more than a wink and a nod, except as a last resort.
If reducing gun
crime is the objective, and it should be, let’s focus on measures that would
stop the Buford O. Furrows of this world. And let’s seek leaders who are
forthright about their goals, motives, and methods.
© 1997 – 2002 Brent Morrison
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