Consider it an exercise in ying and yang philosophy. Government loves the revenue mechanism of taxation. In addition to garnishing an ever growing piece of the average American paycheck, government can tax behaviors. We have taxes on cigarettes, alcohol, and even property. Commerce is taxed. Investment is taxed. Labor is taxed. We even have a brand new tax that is levied upon an increasingly larger group of Americans for not purchasing a particular health insurance. (Hat tip to Justice Roberts.)
And while it is not difficult to grasp the government’s ever emphatic love affair with the 16th Amendment, it is also not too difficult to understand their undeniable disdain for an armed populace. Yes. We’re discussing guns now. The Federal government began true regulatory attempts in the 1930’s in response to “organized crime.”
After the Federal government put severe restrictions on the types, and styles, of firearms allowed to the general public, local governments began their assault. Locality after locality has filled their charters and governing documents with regulations, taxes, restrictions and outright bans on various arms. All for the same reason they separate us from our hard earned paychecks: For our own good.
Chicago has some of the strictest gun laws in the Nation. Next to Washington DC, Chicago is the most difficult locale to reside in if you are a gun enthusiast. Handguns, until recently, were completely outlawed. The ever decried “assault weapons” are nowhere to be found. Concealed Carry is nothing more than a quaint theory that is blatantly illegal. And yet, despite being the Liberal utopian dream of gun control schemes, the city saw one of its worst murder rates in history last year. Over 500 people shot to death, and countless others maimed. On a population basis, Chicago is more deadly today, than it was when Al Capone ran booze through the city’s speak-easy establishments.
Wrap your brain around that. Al Capone orchestrated the St Valentine Day Massacre. A bloodbath that gave way to naming the Tommy gun the “Chicago Typewriter.” The Purple gang fought with a group from New York called Murder Inc. (It was actually called Murder Inc. . . Kinda makes you pine for the days of honest advertising.) And yet, today’s Chicago is more deadly than the Windy City that hosted one of the worst groups of murderers this side of the Appalachians.
And, how did this happen? The Sullivan act in New York had a similar effect. In an effort to stop those nasty criminals from carrying guns, New York passed a law to ban the concealed carry of firearms. (Are you beginning to see the fallacy in this modus operandi?) It was as if the big city politicians actually thought criminals in their city would concern themselves with legal procurement and possession of a registered firearm before conducting a drive-by slaughter.
Yet, these ideas keep rolling. Today we have gun free zones. These are geographical sections of the country that are immune from the 2nd amendment. Areas that no-one (except on duty police officers and federal officers) may carry firearms. Ya know. . . Like schools, movie theaters, and Post Offices. (Let me be even more specific. . . Sandy Hook, Century 6, and any Post Office that makes the headline of a mid 90’s shooting spree.)
Amazingly, criminals ignore the “no-guns” signs. Shockingly, and astoundingly, the monstrous sociopaths who want to cowardly take the lives of defenseless victims don’t pay attention to the laws. Adam Lanza (the coward that shot defenseless children in Newtown, Ct) stole his guns from his mother. Connecticut already has an assault weapons ban. His rifle was found in his car. James Holmes (similar type of coward in Aurora, CO) fired a few rounds from his assault rifle, before it jammed. At that point he reverted to his shotgun – which would still have been legal under Senator Dianne Feinstein’s assault weapon ban. Most of the carnage in that theater was caused by Holmes’ use of an innocuous shotgun. Not an evil assault rifle.
And while we’re talking about mass murder, it might be appropriate to point out the worst school shooting in history was in the gun-control haven of Germany. One of the worst mass murders in this nation was September 11th, 2001. That tragedy was carried out with box cutters.
We could write a book on the stupidity of disarming law abiding citizens in an effort to stop criminals. But, if someone is incapable of noticing that criminals harbor a disregard for the rules, you may be speaking over their head. Unfortunately, we should be used to this absurdity from our “leaders.”
These are the same people that told us the 16th Amendment would only impact the super wealthy for the duration of the World War. This is the same group of people that told us the Alternative Minimum Tax would only impact the filthy rich. This is the same group of people that told us the middle class would be spared a tax hike with the “Fiscal Cliff of Doom” deal.
Washington rarely comes up with “solutions.” They come up with sales pitches. The Mad Men of the 1950’s would be proud of our leaders today who sell the American public goods they don’t need: like gun laws, higher taxes, and more government programs. In short, they sell “solutions” that lead to the need for more “solutions.”
It almost makes you pine for the days of Al Capone. At least you would be safer in Chicago.