We’re winning
It’s that time of year where the Brady Bunch releases their state rankings on state by state gun laws. Good news:
From 2004 to 2005, only four states changed their “grade” – and three of those grade changes were demotions. And most state legislatures are currently considering firearm related legislation – but the majority of legislation are bills pushed by the gun lobby that threaten to increase firearm violence rather than decrease it.
Heh. And details on why:
The states that saw a grading change include Florida, which went from a “D” to an “F+” as the first state in America to pass a “Shoot First” law, sanctioning the shooting of innocent bystanders in the name of self-defense; Alaska, which went from “D-“ to “F+” for passing a law mandating that private businesses allow guns on workplace property; Kansas, which stripped local governments of the right to regulate firearms and droped from a “C+” to “C-“; and Illinois, which took positive steps to strengthen background checks at gun shows and required child safety locks be sold with new handguns and moved from a “B+” to an “A-.”
March 9th, 2006 at 10:29 am
The “Brady Brunch” thinks, no, they feel, in a way that is contrary to the law and the facts; things that have been known for a long time:
“Laws that forbid the carrying of arms…disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes. Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater … confidence than an armed man.” Thomas Jefferson, quoting Cesare Beccaria in On Crimes and punishment (1764).
March 9th, 2006 at 10:57 am
I love how allowing to shoot someone who is trying to kill you is changed to “shooting innocent bystanders.” Yeah, real accuracy and honesty from them.
March 9th, 2006 at 11:47 am
If they were really against “gun violence” their rankings would be based on resulting gun violence and not gun control laws. It’s hard to take their silly rankings seriously when areas with A+ rankings are the most violent, while those with F’s are generally the safest.
March 9th, 2006 at 1:12 pm
I love how they whine about 32 states having a D or an F, yet remain oblivious to the possibility that this means they, not everyone else, are the ones out of touch. How many states do they think there are in this country, anyway? I also checked Massachusetts, Illannoy, New York, New Jersey, That State That Shall Not Be Named, Hawaii and Maryland, and failed to identify a single state that got “better” than an A-.
March 9th, 2006 at 2:03 pm
Yeah, I’d say that if you live amongst a populace where 80%+ of the people don’t agree with your perspective you are either:
– Insane
– Genius
– Living in the wrong place
heh.