Why Not Go State by State for Stricter Gun Laws?
by John Lawrence
Recently, with the overturning of Roe v Wade, red states are going one by one in enacting tougher abortion laws. Why not go the same route in blue states with regard to stricter gun laws? Forget the national Congress. They're dysfunctional and next to useless as long as Republicans control the House. But states in which Democrats control the state legislature and the Governorship should be able to implement assault weapon bans as well as many other severe gun control restrictions. States such as California and Michigan, in which this is the case, should go ahead with this legislation. Make it illegal to own an AR-15. Confiscate existing AR-15s. CNN reported: "A study published in January by a leading non-profit organization that focuses on gun violence prevention found that there is a direct correlation in states with weaker gun laws and higher rates of gun deaths, including homicides, suicides and accidental killings. The study by Everytown for Gun Safety determined that California had the strongest gun laws in the country. Hawaii topped the list with the lowest rate of gun deaths in the country while Mississippi led the country with both the weakest gun laws and highest rate of gun deaths. “What this project does, is show what we’ve been saying for years: Gun laws save lives,” said Nick Suplina, senior vice president of law and policy at Everytown for Gun Safety Support Fund. “We think this is going to be a really important tool for lawmakers, reporters and advocates that have been looking for the kind of visual tool that can make that case clearly.”
State government trifecta is a term to describe single-party government, when one political party holds the governorship and majorities in both chambers of the state legislature. One political party holds the governorship, a majority in the state senate, and a majority in the state house in a state's government. As of March 30, 2023, there are 17 Democratic trifectas,The following states represent Democratic trifectas: California, Oregon, Washington, New Mexico, Colorado, Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Maine. These states should get together or go singly one by one to pass stricter gun laws just as red states have passed stricter abortion laws. Then anyone who wants a gun can move to a red state and anyone who wants an abortion can move to a blue state. Ha! As ridiculous as that sounds, it's emblematic of the reality that we are not, contrary to Obama's statement, really one United States of America.
California is the state with the strictest gun laws, and it also has the seventh-lowest rate of deaths by gun violence. In addition to regulation on who can purchase a gun and what kinds of firearms may be legally obtained, California gun laws allow for funding to community programs that have reduced gun-related violence. Other states with strict gun laws include Illinois, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Hawaii, Maryland, and Massachusetts. Some of these states require background checks and a waiting period before someone is allowed to purchase a gun; some require that they undergo training first. New York recently passed more restrictive gun laws:
"Governor Kathy Hochul today signed a landmark legislative package to immediately strengthen the state's gun laws, close critical loopholes exposed by shooters in Buffalo and Uvalde and protect New Yorkers from the scourge of gun violence that continues to infect our nation and endanger our communities. Governor Hochul signed the bills at the Northeast Bronx YMCA flanked by Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Speaker Carl Heastie, partners in the legislature, Attorney General Letitia James and victims and survivors of gun violence.
"Gun violence is an epidemic that is tearing our country apart. Thoughts and prayers won't fix this, but taking strong action will," Governor Hochul said. "In New York, we're taking bold steps to protect the people of our state. I am proud to sign a comprehensive bill package that prohibits the sale of semiautomatic weapons to people under 21, bans body armor sales outside of people in select professions, closes critical gun law loopholes and strengthens our Red Flag Law to keep guns away from dangerous people—new measures that I believe will save lives."
Time magazine reported on March 12, 2023:
"Michigan lawmakers are aiming to pass an 11-bill gun safety package across the state this week, considering provisions that would require background checks on gun purchases, create safe storage laws, and establish extreme risk protection orders—also known as red flag laws. Democrats, who have control of the state government for the first time in some 40 years, hope to deliver on the promise of advancing gun safety following a Michigan State University mass shooting last month that left three dead and five wounded."
State of play: Five major gun control measures are under consideration as the Democratic-dominated Legislature hits the halfway mark this week in the 120-day session.
Details: Three measures advanced through a Senate committee Wednesday after a day-long hearing and party-line vote. The legislation would:
- Expand the state's "red flag" law to allow psychologists, teachers and others to ask a judge to temporarily seize a person's firearms if they pose a threat.
- Repeal current limits to allow civil lawsuits — including from the attorney general — seeking damages against firearm makers and sellers.
- Increase the minimum age to purchase a firearm in certain cases to age 21, up from 18.
Meanwhile, earlier this week, a House panel approved a measure to require a three-day waiting period for firearm purchases.
"State lawmakers in January passed and Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed into law a measure that would ban assault-style rifles and high-capacity magazines. Those who already own such rifles would face limitations on their sale and transfer, and would have to register them with the Illinois State Police by 2024. But that law – which came about six months after the Highland Park shooting – faced immediate lawsuits in state and federal court, arguing it violated the Illinois and US constitutions. A Macon County judge found earlier this month that exemptions to the law, including for law enforcement officers and armed guards at federally supervised nuclear sites, violated the equal protection clause of the state’s constitution. The Illinois Supreme Court agreed to fast-track the state’s appeal, slating oral arguments for May."
So fight these bastards all the way to whatever Supreme Court has jurisdiction. Keep on fighting them. Pass very creative laws. Tie them up in court. Do whatever it takes to get AR-15s off the streets. Gun violence is ruining this country. Nowhere else in the world do people have to put up with this type of situation.
