tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19614248.post2975280102985716643..comments2023-05-30T05:16:03.894-04:00Comments on The Barbershop: Dennis Byrne, proprietor: Troop surge in the 'hood?Dennis Byrne...http://www.blogger.com/profile/12684119518936854024noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19614248.post-54034461324745262192008-05-14T11:31:00.000-04:002008-05-14T11:31:00.000-04:00This month the U.S. Supreme Court is hearing a cas...This month the U.S. Supreme Court is hearing a case which could further erode the constitutional right to bear arms. Nationally urban mayors are joining a growing chorus demanding tighter “gun control” legislation to stymie the proliferation of gun violence in the inner-cities. Religious leaders and families of victims are positioned on podiums with elected officials to lament the incidence of gun violence in Chicago, in Oakland, in Newark, and so on. There is a call to ban ownership of guns and the retailing of firearms to make them inaccessible to gang members or drug dealers mired in a hip-hop culture which promotes a drug-gangster lifestyle. It makes such great photo-ops for law and order politicians or bleeding-hearts, that now the “our leaders” have mobilized the “grief” machines in the name of the “children” and begun to bus kids to state legislatures to demand that politicians disarm their parents and the gang-bangers in the neighborhoods.<BR/>This month the U.S. Supreme Court is hearing a case which could further erode the constitutional right to bear arms. Nationally urban mayors are joining a growing chorus demanding tighter “gun control” legislation to stymie the proliferation of gun violence in the inner-cities. Religious leaders and families of victims are positioned on podiums with elected officials to lament the incidence of gun violence in Chicago, in Oakland, in Newark, and so on. There is a call to ban ownership of guns and the retailing of firearms to make them inaccessible to gang members or drug dealers mired in a hip-hop culture which promotes a drug-gangster lifestyle. It makes such great photo-ops for law and order politicians or bleeding-hearts, that now the “our leaders” have mobilized the “grief” machines in the name of the “children” and begun to bus kids to state legislatures to demand that politicians disarm their parents and the gang-bangers in the neighborhoods.<BR/><BR/>Following an English example got us into the Second Amendment. Should we advocate mirroring current U.K. gun control to protect the general public from the dangers of gun ownership by individuals? Want a gun in the U.K.? :<BR/>• The U.K. government in 1997 passed the Firearms Amendment #2 Act of 1997 which effectively completely banned private handgun ownership. Under special conditions individuals may be issued a PPW ( Personal Protection Weapon) license. <BR/>• the current licensing procedure involves: valid photo ID, two character references from persons who have known you for at least two years( and who may themselves be investigated or interviewed as part of application process), approval by your family doctor, inspection of the storage area proposed for securing the firearm.<BR/><BR/><BR/>• A face-to-face interview is required on the premises with a Firearms Enquiry Officer (FEO).<BR/>• A thorough background check of the applicant is then made by the Special Branch of the firearms licensing department.<BR/>• Any person who has spent more than three years in prison is automatically banned for life from obtaining a gun license.<BR/>• Penalties for possession of a prohibited firearm without a certificate is a mandatory five year prison sentence and an uncapped fine.<BR/>• With the Violent Crime Reduction Act of 2006, England has now criminalized the use, sale, ownership, and manufacture of both “air-guns” and imitation firearms.<BR/><BR/>The Castle Doctrine is vanquished with the Second Amendment when government removes personal responsibility and self-defense from the freedom equation which is the basis of our covenant protecting individual liberty in America. Eroding those values is much easier than tackling the failed War on Drugs and the narco-economy which are the cultural cause of much of the shooting and gang violence in the urban metropolis. This failed policy has only exponentially expanded the number of Americans incarcerated for non-violent crimes. As usual, political elites in America are always quick to emulate some continental political-correctness to show their acculturation and finesse. All at the cost of jettisoning liberties taken for granted 300 years ago. <BR/><BR/>Ralph W. Conner<BR/>Former Mayor of Maywood, Illinoisgarveyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16135624375997361957noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19614248.post-18063021360288597622008-05-12T12:57:00.000-04:002008-05-12T12:57:00.000-04:00Dear Mr. Byrne,Your suggestion that the National G...Dear Mr. Byrne,<BR/><BR/>Your suggestion that the National Guard be used to patrol troubled Chicago neighborhoods in order to reduce violence is clear evidence of your insight into some of the critical socio-economic issues facing this Nation (Troup Surge in the hood? Commentary May 12, 2008; Chicago Tribune). Your parallel reference to the use of the National Guard in helping the United States military surge strategy succeed in Iraq, as evidenced by the apparent reduction in violence you see in Baghdad, must be viewed as an elegantly perceptive analysis of current events in that country. There is no doubt that the residents of such Chicago neighborhoods would readily welcome the security that accompanies the employment of hundreds of armed National Guard personnel selectively profiling individuals of various ethnicities for interrogation and, if warranted, incarceration. Surely, the infusion of millions of dollars to finance such “visible signs of authority” for the Chicago surge would be more than the funds currently allocated for youth summer jobs programs, after-school programs, and related community and faith-based programs designed to address the concerns of economically troubled communities, but, nothing works better than the fear of being killed, intentionally or randomly, by gun fire from military personnel walking the streets with really big guns. Your proposal has considerable merit, and will most likely gain acceptance and become adopted by other cities in Illinois, and eventually by other states. What works in Baghdad certainly will work here.<BR/><BR/>Sincerely,<BR/><BR/>Anthony Nappi<BR/>La Grange, ILAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com