If government wants to seize all of your rights, Second Amendment will be first to fall

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By Eric Noevere

Editor’s note:  Mr. Noevere is both a medical professional and a firearms expert. We appreciate his regular contributions to this newspaper.

USA — Why the media hysteria to severely curtail the Second Amendment?  Media pressure no doubt made the Republican-controlled Florida legislature, Senate, and Governor Scott cave.  They passed a law raising the age to buy firearms (NRA has already filed a lawsuit) to 21, and imposing a three-day waiting period. The process to arm teachers in Florida that was passed, is now so limiting and difficult that it won’t make a difference to prevent a future massacre.

THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE LEFT:  We know best, we will pass laws to make you behave the way we want you to, if this strips citizens of their rights . . . so what?

Guns in the hands of ordinary citizens are a threat to totalitarian states or wanna-be totalitarian states. Very hard for private citizens to legally get guns in Russia, nearly impossible in China, and impossible in North Korea. If government wants to strip you of all your rights, the right to keep and bear arms is a necessary starting point.

If you are demonstrating for liberty and the government sends in tanks, that government doesn’t want you throwing Molotov cocktails and shooting at their soldiers.  Russia has murder rate more than double (in 2015) what it is in the United States. Thinking of going to a Caribbean Island for a safe getaway? Most of these islands have murder rates much higher than the US and all have very restrictive gun laws.  The US Virgin Islands has the highest murder rate for Caribbean Countries/Territories (they have very restrictive laws) tops out at ten times the mainland US rate, and Jamaica is close behind with nine times.

When a mass shooting does occur, the media (including Fox News) are firmly entrenched in the ‘ban evil guns camp.’ If only we could get rid of the evil guns, we could go back to the camp fire and make a happy circle and sing happy songs all night.

Neil Cavuto on his show Feb. 26 show had an ex prime minister of Australia (very left wing Labour party) with him. Mr. Cavuto pointed out that Australia after a mass shooting in Tasmania in 1996 confiscated all privately owned  auto and semi auto rifles and shotguns  in that country and has not had a mass shooting since.

Neither Cavuto nor Rudd pointed out that Australia has about 8% of the population of the US, so one would expect these events to be very rare in a country with that small a population.

The current noise about banning semi auto rifles primarily directed at AR 15 type platforms overlooks the obvious fact that most mass shootings have been committed with handguns.

Per the website www.statistica.com between 1982 and 2017 there were 67 mass shootings (four or more fatalities) committed with a semi auto handgun, 18 with a revolver, only 35 with a rifle and 23 with a shotgun. For several decades, handguns have had more restrictions on purchase than long guns, so it is strange to see that they are the weapon of choice in most mass shootings.  What the Democrats and their close allies in the media really want is to take away all guns. Their elected leaders like Senators Schumer and Feinstein,  and Representative Pelosi  all have stated that this can be achieved in incremental steps.

FBI statistics show an amazing drop in all violent crimes since 1991 where they were at an all time high of 758.2 violent crimes reported  per 100,00 people, to an all time low for 2014 of 361.6 per 100,000. There was a small increase in 2015 and 2016 (386.3/100,000), but good news preliminary statistics show a 0.8% decrease for the first half of 2017.

Mass school shootings using the same criteria of four or more fatalities, there were  16 incidents from 1982 to February 2018. There were none from 1982 (starting point for data) to 1988, then sometimes one or maximum two since 1989. No trend since 1989. Sometimes three to four years go by without an incident. The fact that they occur at all is alarming but may not be totally preventable, since more gun laws have been passed on a national and state level since 1982. Of course, things like the Gun Free School Zones Act may actually facilitate these tragedies. Almost all mass shootings have occurred in gun free zones.

In the US deaths from drug overdoses in 2016 were 64,000. this is close to double the number of firearm deaths from all causes combined 36,252, about 11,000 of these were homicides, most of the rest were suicides, accidents were a few hundred.

There has been some media coverage of the opioid problem but nothing like the hysteria over the Parkland shooting. The opioid epidemic is destroying our country. It is not just the deaths but also the many more ruined lives, people in jail, people no longer able to work.  Where is the daily parade of talking heads on this issue on the talk shows?

The Justice Department on March 10th issued a press release stating that they had sent to Office of Management and Budget an amendment, which would classify bump stocks equipped firearms as “machineguns” and they would then become illegal per Federal law to possess, sell or manufacture. I don’t own one — why should I care? Well the next Obama could try and amend the definition again to include all semi-auto firearms. This goes around Congress, and sets a very dangerous precedent.

Locally North Carolina city governments — not wanting to be out done in illegal actions by the Federal government —  are trying to restrict gun rights. In Greensboro the mayor Nancy Vaughan wants to stop the Greensboro Gun and Knife Show from being held at the Greensboro Coliseum, by passing an ordinance.  This is in clear violation of North Carolina firearms preemption statutes and would be an illegal act.

In King City, they had illegally posted a city park as a Gun Free Zone, after Grass Roots North Carolina’s director Andy Stevens  (www.grnc.org) went to two council meetings and threatened to file a suit the signs came down. Grass Roots is a no-compromise state level organization and I am a proud member.

If you care about you gun rights now is the time to contact your state, national representatives, the President and tell them no new laws. Gun owners of America is leading the fight and deserves support go to  gunowners.org . They have lit up President Trumps Twitter and White House email causing him to back down on some of his gun control agenda such as raising  the purchase age on long guns.

Remember! Before President Trump became a populist conservative, he was a New York liberal.  He needs to be reminded it was pro-Second Amendment voters who got him into the White House! The same with U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who has been pushing some of the new gun control  legislation. For the sake of our country we cannot lose this fight.