header image

[Sign Up Now] to Receive Our FREE Daily SCVTV-SCVNews Digest by E-Mail

Inside
Weather


 
Calendar
Today in
S.C.V. History
November 25
1875 - Vasquez lieutenant Clodoveo Chavez reportedly killed by bounty hunters in Arizona Territory [story]
Clodoveo Chavez story


Out of Left Field | Commentary by Charlie Vignola
| Tuesday, Dec 25, 2012

charlievignolaI’d like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday, no matter what their denomination.

Sadly, the holiday season will never be the same to the people of Newtown, Conn., who lost so many of their loved ones in one of the worst mass shootings in modern history.

What is it about firearms that is so appealing to Americans – more so than the citizens of any other nation on earth? They’re so appealing that we as a nation are willing to suffer through more than 30,000 gun-related deaths per year just to keep them legal and plentiful.

It all dates back to the birth of America, a perilous time when foreign invaders threatened our very shores, inspiring our Founding Fathers to add the Second Amendment to the Constitution: “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.” That’s it, the whole thing, that one sentence.

You’ll notice the amendment opens with the phrase, “a well regulated militia,” framing the specific context in which we had the right to bear arms. To this day, there’s debate over the interpretation of this, although I’m not sure how or why.

It seems pretty self-explanatory, doesn’t it? At a time when we were fighting for our right to become a nation and enemy soldiers posed a threat on U.S. soil, the founders made it an enumerated right that guns could be in the possession of a “well regulated militia.” This was at a time when we didn’t have a National Guard, a standing army or even local police forces as we now know them. So of course it made sense for a well-regulated militia to be able to carry guns to defend our nascent country.

But it’s not 1776 anymore, and we don’t have Redcoats on the streets of America threatening our families. Nothing in that one sentence that makes up the entirety of the Second Amendment says you have the right to a lethal weapon if you are not part of a “well regulated militia.”

“Well regulated” is specific language, not a random phrase, and the key word is “regulated.” You know how Republicans detest regulations, and how they’re always looking for ways to deregulate everything? Well, the Founding Fathers didn’t care. They thought firearms were important enough to regulate, and they said so quite clearly.

It’s ironic that the people who are so paranoid about how dangerous the world is insist on allowing more and deadlier guns on the streets of America year after year – more than 300 million and counting – which, of course, makes the world more dangerous, thus justifying their demands for more guns. It’s a sick feedback loop, a Kafka-esque, self-fulfilling prophecy.

Look. You’re so concerned about self-defense? That’s the real reason you want to have the right to carry a gun? Fine. We’ve had tremendous breakthroughs in non-lethal weapons over the last 20 years, everything from tasers and guns that shoot rubber bullets to sonic weapons. If that’s your big bugaboo, let’s outlaw all lethal weapons in America unless you’re a cop, soldier, federal agent or security guard, and allow people to carry state-of-the-art, non-lethal weapons that will get the same job done without the possibility of killing innocent bystanders or committing mass murders. Would that satisfy the more reasonable members of the NRA?

What about hunters and their God-given right to kill innocent animals for food and sport? Well, maybe we could have them check out GPS-enabled guns from local departments of fish and game for use during the hunting season, sort of like a public library system for firearms, so we’d know who has them and what they’re being used for.

And perhaps as Chris Rock has suggested, bullets should be outrageously expensive, so people would really have to think twice before firing them.

Granted, these might not be perfect solutions, but they’re a start.

What about the more paranoid members of the NRA? The ones who listen to Alex Jones podcasts, don’t understand what’s so weird about the show “Doomsday Preppers” and are anxiously waiting for the black helicopters to usher them to FEMA camps where they’ll be chemically sterilized and brainwashed?

For those with more active imaginations, I’d like to point out a few facts. You know that ever-rising military budget you’ve always supported and the War on Terror you’ve backed all these years? Well, thanks to those, America has secret prisons, whisper-quiet predator drones that can attack civilian populations, warrantless wiretapping of all Americans’ phone calls and emails, not to mention satellites that can read a license plate from space, tanks and aircraft carriers, stealth bombers and battleships, and chemical and nuclear weapons. All of this courtesy of you, the American taxpayer.

Beyond that, thanks to the rise and popularity of social media, more than 1 billion people on Facebook have willingly given access to their circles of friends, political leanings and actual GPS locations at any given moment, all of which can be demanded by the government thanks to the Patriot Act that was rammed through after 9/11.

So if America suddenly becomes an Orwellian tyranny overnight? Good luck to Billy Bob and his good ol’ boy army storming D.C. with their rifles and having to contend with all of that.

Here’s the bottom line: Guns make our country more dangerous, and the more guns on the streets, the more dangerous it is. It’s not a debatable point. That’s why there are more gun-related deaths in America than in any other nation on earth by a factor of 10. It’s also true that we can’t just magically wish away the 300 million guns that already exist in America any more than we can magically deport the millions of illegal immigrants currently residing in America. So, what to do?

You’ve already heard the common-sense solutions, the ones we can agree on immediately: Outlaw assault weapons, ban high-volume magazines, and most importantly, close the gun show loophole that allows four out of every 10 guns in America to be purchased without a background check – a flaw so egregious that al-Qaeda members are encouraged by their leaders to take advantage of it.

Will addressing these issues solve the problem of gun violence in America? No, but they don’t have to. All they have to do is help minimize the problems, and just by doing that, we could save lives. Hell, if we save even one life, it’s worth it, isn’t it?

Obviously there are other contributing factors; cultural issues and dealing with mental health play big parts, as well. The truth is, we’ll never be able to regulate fully what’s in people’s minds, nor do we want to as a free society. But we are able to regulate consumer products, which is all that guns are, and on that score we can definitely make a meaningful difference.

The only question is: Do we have the collective will to see it through?

 

Charlie Vignola describes himself as a former College Republican turned liberal Democrat.  A resident of the Santa Clarita Valley since 1999, he works in the motion picture industry and loves his wife and kids.

 

 

Comment On This Story
COMMENT POLICY: We welcome comments from individuals and businesses. All comments are moderated. Comments are subject to rejection if they are vulgar, combative, or in poor taste.
REAL NAMES ONLY: All posters must use their real individual or business name. This applies equally to Twitter account holders who use a nickname.

8 Comments

  1. Sooo….”Guns make our country more dangerous”, but “Will addressing these issues solve the problem of gun violence in America? No”…

    Just curious, then, what’s the point of your article, other than another baseless attack on good people owning guns , devoid of statistics and wrought with emotion?

    “No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms. The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government” – Thomas Jefferson

    “The very atmosphere of firearms anywhere and everywhere restrains evil interference – they deserve a place of honor with all that’s good”– George Washington

    “Among the many misdeeds of the British rule in India, history will look upon the act of depriving a whole nation of arms, as the blackest.”– Mahatma Gandhi

    Men trained in arms from their infancy, and animated by the love of liberty, will afford neither a cheap or easy conquest.– From the Declaration of the Continental Congress, July 1775.

  2. Kevitivity says:

    First, some perspective: Swimming pools kill 100 times more children each year than guns (http://scienceblogs.com/deltoid/2001/07/27/levittpoolsvsguns/).

    Mr Vignol, Like freedom of speech, gun ownership in America is a civil right. Our founding fathers, like most Americans today (thank God) understood how important it is for a free citizenry to be able to defend itself.

    I urge you to move beyond your knee-jerk and emotional response to the Newtown tradgedy and instead focus on the real issue at hand, which is how we as a nation deal with mental illness in this country. Disarming the good guys helps no one.

  3. Kimji says:

    Thank you for the thoughtful commentary!

  4. Kevitivity says:

    There is far more evidence that anti-gun politicians are more dangerous than guns. New data, gathered by the Sac Bee, shows that even as gun sales are up dramatically in CA, gun deaths are down. http://www.sacbee.com/2012/12/27/5079151/california-gun-sales-increase.html

  5. DMV says:

    Progressive liberals make the U.S. more dangerous.. Since this is an opinion piece..

  6. DMV says:

    and again define Militia.. You use the term as if you know what it is.. Do you?

  7. Dennis says:

    Douchebag liberal.

  8. c.b. says:

    Should’t liberals of all people realize that banning things doesn’t make them disappear? Or are they too stoned with their illegally purchased drugs to understand

Leave a Comment


Opinion Section Policy
All opinions and ideas are welcome. Factually inaccurate, libelous, defamatory, profane or hateful statements are not. Your words must be your own. All commentary is subject to editing for legibility. There is no length limit, but the shorter, the better the odds of people reading it. "Local" SCV-related topics are preferred. Send commentary to: LETTERS (at) SCVNEWS.COM. Author's full name, community name, phone number and e-mail address are required. Phone numbers and e-mail addresses are not published except at author's request. Acknowledgment of submission does not guarantee publication.
Read More From...
RECENT COMMENTARY
Monday, Nov 25, 2024
The Thanksgiving holiday is all about gratitude. Being thankful for what we have and all the blessings we have in our lives.
Thursday, Nov 21, 2024
The holiday season is just around the corner and it’s one of the most magical times of the year.
Wednesday, Nov 20, 2024
Supervisor Kathryn Barger commented on Attorney General Rob Bonta’s announcement that he is pursuing additional monitoring and strengthened protections for youth in Los Angeles County’s juvenile halls.
Wednesday, Nov 13, 2024
I think we’re all glad that the extreme heat of the past few months here in southern California has passed, and we are now enjoying some beautiful fall days.
Monday, Nov 11, 2024
This week, I took my Oath of Office for my third and final term as Fifth District Supervisor.
Monday, Nov 11, 2024
As we conclude the 2024 Fall season, I would like to thank all the athletic directors, school administrators, athletic trainers and anyone else responsible for helping implement and navigate our new Health and Safety Bylaws.

Latest Additions to SCVNews.com
As part of Santa Clarita’s ongoing commitment to public safety, small dividers will be installed on Orchard Village Road in the coming weeks.
City Emphasizes Pedestrian Safety on Orchard Village Road
The Campaign for College Opportunity has named College of the Canyons a 2024 Champion for Excellence in Placement in Black Math Success.
COC Named 2024 Champion for Excellence in Placement in Black Math Success
The city of Santa Clarita will host the grand opening of the Valencia Community Center on Monday, Dec. 9 at 10 a.m. at the center at 26147 McBean Parkway in Valencia.
Dec. 9: Valencia Community Center Grand Opening
Join a community discussion on retail theft Monday, Dec. 16 from 4-5:30 p.m. featuring California State Assemblywoman Pilar Schiavo, Assemblymember Rick Zbur and a panel of industry experts.
Dec. 16: Community Conversation on Retail Theft with Pilar Schiavo
All For Kids is seeking foster families and now offers two virtual ways for individuals and/or couples to learn how to help children in foster care while reunifying with birth families or how to provide legal permanency by adoption.
Dec. 19: All For Kids Virtual Orientations on Foster Care and Adoption
As millions of motorists gear up for travel, the California Highway Patrol is gearing up, too. Starting at 6:01 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 27, and running through 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 1, the CHP will activate its annual Thanksgiving Maximum Enforcement Period.
Nov. 27-Dec. 1: CHP Maximum Enforcement Period
The 4th Annual Newhall Holiday Marketplace will take place 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 8 at the Newhall Community Center, 22421 Market St., Newhall CA, 91321.
Dec. 8:  Newhall Holiday Marketplace
College of the Canyons will enter the postseason as the No. 12 seed in the California Community College Athletic Association (3C2A) Women's Volleyball Southern California Regional Playoffs.
No. 12 Canyons Women’s Volleyball to Begin 3C2A SoCal Regionals
The Thanksgiving holiday is all about gratitude. Being thankful for what we have and all the blessings we have in our lives.
Ken Striplin | Thankful for Our Nonprofits
For the first time in The Master's University athletics history, a team has won the NAIA national championship. The women's cross country team finished ahead of Taylor University by one point to win the NAIA women's cross country national championship Friday, Nov. 22, at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Mo.
TMU Women’s Cross Country Wins National Championship, Men Fourth
The California Department of Public Health is warning the public to avoid consuming one batch of cream top, whole raw milk produced and packaged by Raw Farm, LLC of Fresno County due to a detection of bird flu virus in a retail sample.
Raw Milk Recall Due to Bird Flu Virus
The Acton Agua Dulce Arts Council will host the "Winner’s Circle Art Show" at the Acton Agua Dulce Public Library, starting Saturday, Jan. 11-Saturday, Feb. 22.
‘Winners Circle Art Show’ at Acton Agua Dulce Library
1875 - Vasquez lieutenant Clodoveo Chavez reportedly killed by bounty hunters in Arizona Territory [story]
Clodoveo Chavez story
The Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk has reported that there are less than 20,000 ballots remaining to be counted in the Los Angeles County area.
Election ’24 Recap: Less Than 20,000 Votes Remain to be Tallied in County
2003 - Ruth Newhall, longtime co-owner/editor of The Signal, dies in Berkeley [story]
Ruth Newhall
1931 - Fall Roundup held at Hoot Gibson's Saugus Rodeo [story]
Hoot Gibson's 1931 Saugus Rodeo
The Santa Clarita Valley Chamber of Commerce will hold its annual Awards + Installation event on Friday, Jan. 31 at the Hyatt Regency.
Jan. 31: SCV Chamber Awards + Installation Early Bird Tickets
The Valley Industry Assoction will host a Cocktails & Conversation event with Cameron Smyth on Thursday, Dec. 12, 5:30=7:30 p.m. at Margarita’s Mexican Grill, 23320 Valencia Blvd., Valencia, CA 91355.
Dec. 12: Cocktails & Conversation with Cameron Smyth
Following an extensive search, the Governing Board of the William S. Hart Union High School District has unanimously selected current Interim Superintendent Dr. Michael Vierra as the new Hart District Superintendent, filling the vacancy created when Mike Kuhlman resigned effective June 30.
Hart Board Selects Current Interim Superintendent to Fill Vacancy
"Christmas Carol: The True Meaning of Christmas" will be performed on stage at the Canyon Theatre Guild on weekends beginning Friday, Nov. 29 thru Monday, Dec. 23 at 24242 Main St., Newhall, CA 91321.
Nov. 29: ‘Christmas Carol, The True Meaning of Christmas’
The California Air Resources Board has approved a $34.94 million incentives funding plan that will continue support ongoing efforts to increase access to medium- and heavy-duty zero-emission trucks, buses and equipment, with a focus on small businesses.
CARB Incentive Plan Focuses on Fleets for Small Businesses
Preparing to decorate for the holidays? If you come across broken string lights that are no longer usable, instead of tossing in the trash you can now drop them off for recycling at one of the SAFE collection centers
Recycle Broken Holiday Lights at SAFE Collection Centers
The nonprofit Raising the Curtain Foundation will host a fundraising event, "Holidayland" with mid-century pop culture expert Charles Phoenix, on Sunday, Dec. 8 at 3 p.m.
Dec. 8: ‘Charles Phoenix Holidayland’ at Newhall Family Theatre
SCVNews.com