shooterx10
Member
- Joined
- May 8, 2003
- Messages
- 159
by bill barnes and burke strunsky
NRA out of S.F.
SAN FRANCISCO HAS long been a leader for justice, fighting apartheid and advancing same-sex marriage equality. Now, with 87 homicides so far this year – 56 of which involved handguns – it's time to continue this work for justice. We'll have that opportunity at the next election.
Thanks to the political courage of Sups. Chris Daly, Michela Alioto-Pier, Tom Ammiano, Bevan Dufty, and Matt Gonzalez, San Franciscans will consider a measure to make our communities safer by essentially banning private ownership of handguns and ending the sale, manufacture, transfer, and distribution of all firearms in the city.
For years the National Rifle Association has spent millions to spread misinformation: owning a handgun makes you safer, the Second Amendment protects an individual's right to own a gun, and meaningful firearm reform makes communities dangerous. When the NRA leaders can't buy politicians, they try legal challenges, aggressive media campaigns, and blacklisting efforts (go to www.nrablacklist.com).
The truth is, the Second Amendment doesn't apply to individuals. Since 1939, the Supreme Court has found that the Second Amendment doesn't give an individual a Constitutional right to own a gun. The amendment clearly focuses on granting that right only to a "well-regulated militia." Even though the NRA and its powerful friends convinced former attorney general John Ashcroft to opine that it did apply to individuals, federal courts have ruled it doesn't, upholding Washington, D.C.'s handgun ban in Seegars v. Ashcroft.
Handguns make our homes more dangerous. Scientific data indicates that, far from providing protection, owning a handgun makes it more likely that a gun-related death will occur that isn't in self-defense. The New England Journal of Medicine found that a handgun in the home makes it 43 times more likely that a friend, family member, or acquaintance will be killed than an intruder. According to data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, firearms are the second leading cause of death for kids 19 and younger. In addition, rates of successful suicide increase fivefold with a handgun.
Meaningful gun reform is one part of making communities safer. New investments in education, community development, and jobs are also needed to provide real alternatives to violence. Nevertheless, fewer handguns in the flow of commerce will make it more difficult to obtain one. A community conversation about the violence caused by handguns will lift our city up, as neighbors talk to one another about strategies to increase the peace in our neighborhoods.
More than 20 years ago, the District of Columbia enacted a similar handgun ban and is on its way to a 20-year low of homicides. Yet Republicans in Washington are working to repeal the law. It was the only vote counted by the NRA in deciding which candidates to support last year. The passage of our measure will help bolster national efforts for sound gun policy.
Since so much is at stake, the NRA, other pro-gun groups, and their savvy media machine will stop at nothing to prevent San Francisco from voting to make our communities safer, and local media coverage hasn't helped. That's why your support is so needed today. Recently in the San Francisco Chronicle, NRA attorney Chuck Michel said, "We're already in the process of putting together the petition for an injunction to try to keep it off the ballot." The NRA wants to silence San Francisco, but we're ready to speak up.
We won't win by spending more than the NRA, or by running a campaign of fear. We'll only win when you join us in a groundbreaking campaign of hope to make San Francisco safer, by going to www.stophandguns.com or calling the campaign at (415) 440-8903.
Bill Barnes is an elected member of the Democratic County Central Committee and a spokesperson for Ban Handgun Violence. Burke Strunsky, a former assistant district attorney, is the coordinator of Ban Handgun Violence.
Here is the link.
NRA out of S.F.
SAN FRANCISCO HAS long been a leader for justice, fighting apartheid and advancing same-sex marriage equality. Now, with 87 homicides so far this year – 56 of which involved handguns – it's time to continue this work for justice. We'll have that opportunity at the next election.
Thanks to the political courage of Sups. Chris Daly, Michela Alioto-Pier, Tom Ammiano, Bevan Dufty, and Matt Gonzalez, San Franciscans will consider a measure to make our communities safer by essentially banning private ownership of handguns and ending the sale, manufacture, transfer, and distribution of all firearms in the city.
For years the National Rifle Association has spent millions to spread misinformation: owning a handgun makes you safer, the Second Amendment protects an individual's right to own a gun, and meaningful firearm reform makes communities dangerous. When the NRA leaders can't buy politicians, they try legal challenges, aggressive media campaigns, and blacklisting efforts (go to www.nrablacklist.com).
The truth is, the Second Amendment doesn't apply to individuals. Since 1939, the Supreme Court has found that the Second Amendment doesn't give an individual a Constitutional right to own a gun. The amendment clearly focuses on granting that right only to a "well-regulated militia." Even though the NRA and its powerful friends convinced former attorney general John Ashcroft to opine that it did apply to individuals, federal courts have ruled it doesn't, upholding Washington, D.C.'s handgun ban in Seegars v. Ashcroft.
Handguns make our homes more dangerous. Scientific data indicates that, far from providing protection, owning a handgun makes it more likely that a gun-related death will occur that isn't in self-defense. The New England Journal of Medicine found that a handgun in the home makes it 43 times more likely that a friend, family member, or acquaintance will be killed than an intruder. According to data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, firearms are the second leading cause of death for kids 19 and younger. In addition, rates of successful suicide increase fivefold with a handgun.
Meaningful gun reform is one part of making communities safer. New investments in education, community development, and jobs are also needed to provide real alternatives to violence. Nevertheless, fewer handguns in the flow of commerce will make it more difficult to obtain one. A community conversation about the violence caused by handguns will lift our city up, as neighbors talk to one another about strategies to increase the peace in our neighborhoods.
More than 20 years ago, the District of Columbia enacted a similar handgun ban and is on its way to a 20-year low of homicides. Yet Republicans in Washington are working to repeal the law. It was the only vote counted by the NRA in deciding which candidates to support last year. The passage of our measure will help bolster national efforts for sound gun policy.
Since so much is at stake, the NRA, other pro-gun groups, and their savvy media machine will stop at nothing to prevent San Francisco from voting to make our communities safer, and local media coverage hasn't helped. That's why your support is so needed today. Recently in the San Francisco Chronicle, NRA attorney Chuck Michel said, "We're already in the process of putting together the petition for an injunction to try to keep it off the ballot." The NRA wants to silence San Francisco, but we're ready to speak up.
We won't win by spending more than the NRA, or by running a campaign of fear. We'll only win when you join us in a groundbreaking campaign of hope to make San Francisco safer, by going to www.stophandguns.com or calling the campaign at (415) 440-8903.
Bill Barnes is an elected member of the Democratic County Central Committee and a spokesperson for Ban Handgun Violence. Burke Strunsky, a former assistant district attorney, is the coordinator of Ban Handgun Violence.
Here is the link.
