"It has been asserted by many of our law makers that they desire honestly..."

 

 

Against Carrying Firearms.

   It is impossible to shoot any one unless we are armed, and the same holds good as to the other fellow. It has been asserted by many of our law makers that they desire honestly to break up the promiscuous carrying of firearms, and thus improve morals and reduce crime. This subject can be treated in many ways, and as a law breaking up the carrying of firearms would tend to the reduction of crime the subject may be regarded from a moral, as well as a financial stand point. We do not propose to deal with the moral side at all, but do propose to call attention to it as a matter of retrenchment in State expenses.

   Almost every criminal arrested, or tramp walking the country about, is armed with a revolver. The more irresponsible a man is the more sure he is to be armed. But too many of our better class of citizens indulge in carrying firearms. We know that the habitual carrying of such weapons makes cowards of the carriers, and on the slightest provocation th[e]y draw and fire, and then comes a criminal trial of great length possibly, and immense cost to the State. Now if our law makers are sincere we think pistol carrying can be broken up. Our plan is briefly. Require the person who sells pistols and dirk knives to be specially licensed for the purpose.

   Require the person buying to get a permit from the county court to do so.

   Require every person who owns a pistol or dirk to give it in for assessment.

   Require a list to be hung up in the county court clerk's office of all persons who own such weapons.

   Require the change of ownership to be noted on this list, and no person be allowed to purchase or trade for such weapon without first applying to the county court for a permit.

   Now as to the penalties.

   Prescribe a reasonable fine and imprisonment at this discretion of the court for breach of the law. The fine if small will be collected, and the law will be upheld.

   In addition, whenever a person is found carrying a pistol unlawfully, that is without license, deprive him of the right to vote for one year from conviction and order his name stricken from the registered list of voters.

   Require every owner of a pistol to pay a good heavy tax on his weapon. A law based on these lines will have the desired effect, and it should be tried.

[Staunton Spectator and Vindicator, Staunton, VA., Thursday, December 09, 1897. Vol. 74. No. 49. Pg. 2]

   I'm sorry, but it was very hard for me to get past that first paragraph. Especially after having seen the word "honestly" connected with the word "law maker". Fortunately, I had not been taking a sip of my morning coffee when I read it. Otherwise I'd have to be cleaning my computer screen, (yet again). With that having been noted, let's wade through the rest of this drool, shall we?

   First, the spewer of this drool never mentions the fact that keeping and bearing arms is a RIGHT. An inalienable natural right that is corollary to the reserved right of Self-Defense. Rather, the spittle splurted out by the author vainly attempts to paint the right as a liability. And not just a "liability" to anyone, no, no. But to the "state". Yes, that's right. To one of the very entities that We The People were intended to be defensively armed against. And this, in order to keep the "state" in check in case they had the notion of becoming tyrannical.

   We then witness the drooler spell out his/her treasonous scheme. Which, from all appearances, must have been noticed by comrade Stalin and his good buddy Herr Hitler. For both of those sinister beings had employed similar schemes during their reigns of terror.

   Followed by the dribbler having the audacity to bring up the term "reasonable". Which is of course a word that those corrupted by the influence of 'power'. Have very little, if any at all, understanding of. For to the 'power' hungry, "reasonable" means the people are either severely restricted, or totally disarmed. And this, in order that the 'power' hungry tyrant(s). Can then go about and carry out any plots or schemes that may have hatched in the dark recesses of their evil little minds.

   It is interesting to note, that all of these Constitutional violations had been put into effect in one way or another in different areas around the country. And the results, expressed by the author of the tripe above. Never did even come close to what was [supposedly] desired. The FACT is, that it made things much, MUCH worse.

   The fact that this spewing most likely came from an American is sickening. More so, in that it was in all probability part of a concerted scheme. For many of the newspapers in that era were hacking out the same type spewings. Which were in the time frame of the late 1800's and early 1900's. For there were far to many of the same type writings appearing in papers all around the nation. To allow one to dismiss it all as just being mere coincidence....