Sacramento, CA, May 18, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Firearms Policy Coalition Statement Following Tragic Santa Fe High School Shooting in Texas: Earlier today, ten of our brothers and sisters in Texas died because craven politicians and the gun control lobby that feeds them would rather attack firearm owners and our rights than address the systemic issues that confront our nation today.
Yet again we see the disastrous consequences of reliance on magical thinking and mystical “gun-free” zones. Yet again we see that evil and insane people intent on causing death, injury, and chaos simply ignore the thousands of federal, state, and local criminal laws that criminalize conduct including murder, terrorism, assault, and illegally carrying guns onto school grounds. Yet again our news outlets show us proof that the evil and insane will find a way to hurt or kill the innocent in so-called “gun free” zones until they voluntarily end their attack, commit suicide, or are stopped by a hero – often one who is armed.
Sadly, this tragedy was all-too-predictable, not because our Constitution enshrines the fundamental human right to keep and bear arms, or that tens of millions of people in America exercise it, or even that there are hundreds of millions of firearms in the United States, but because un-American billionaires and their shrill, marionette front groups for global paternalism have a vicious and relentless agenda of transforming our country into a police state that benefits their lust for power, control, and money.
Thus, to the enemies of freedom and opponents of individual liberty, we offer the following: As we have said before, all constitutional rights have social costs – sometimes tragic and heartbreaking ones. But as the Supreme Court so aptly held in McDonald v. Chicago , “The right to keep and bear arms, however, is not the only constitutional right that has controversial public safety implications. All of the constitutional provisions that impose restrictions on law enforcement and on the prosecution of crimes fall into the same category.”
Our Constitution stands for the proposition that it is preferable for the People to live in freedom at some risk, perhaps even at the cost of some innocent lives, rather than merely exist in an oppressive and tyrannical scheme that, as history shows, comes at the cost of millions of lives every century. Our social interests in public safety and order were weighed and balanced when the People established the Constitution, enshrined the Bill of Rights, and enacted the Reconstruction Amendments. Indeed, in our very social fabric is the conscious choice to value individual liberty and limited government powers at sometimes great costs, over an arrogant and false sense of security at all costs.
We recognize that some do not feel bound by our Constitution. And we are well aware that some would prefer to see much of our constitutional guarantees stricken from the books. There are, of course, vehicles for such change. Article V of the Constitution provides a lawful way for our country to evolve our fundamental principles and protections through a re-weighing of those things we as a country wish to protect.
But – and never forget this truth – our human rights do not come from the government, the people, or even the Constitution itself. Our rights, including the right to keep and bear arms, would exist with or without official constitutional recognition of them, with or without judicial enforcement of them, and with or without a desire for them to be exercised or respected. To be very clear, it is nothing short of domestic terrorism for gun control advocates and their wealthy elitist backers to continue their assault on our rights and property by using illegitimate and unlawful means, even if those efforts are joined by willing accomplices in our legislatures, courts, and executive offices.
To our members, supporters, and fellow advocates of freedom, we say this: Stay the course. Our cause of liberty is righteous, our goals just, and our labors necessary to preserving our unique and special Republic. Firearms Policy Coalition remains focused on defending and advancing individual liberty and, through these efforts, seeks to avoid yet another less-cold conflict to maintain the Union and our civil rights.
We will continue working to pass comprehensive legislation to restore access to the right to bear arms outside our homes throughout the nation. We will continue to press for strong federal preemption legislation to eliminate state and local restrictions on law-abiding people and access to constitutionally protected arms, ammunition, accessories, and training. We will continue to support important reforms of federal statutes and regulations that are in tension with the Constitution and put people at risk of severe criminal liability. We will continue to push for tax credits for firearm safety training and storage devices. We will continue to support real and effective firearm safe handling education in homes and schools. We will continue our legal action to oppose President Trump’s lawless executive actions on “bump stocks” that will turn law-abiding gun owners into felons. We will continue to fight against the specter of unjust ‘red flag’ restraining orders that separate people from their rights without even having an opportunity to oppose the action in a court of law. We will continue to oppose poorly-crafted, unconstitutional, and dangerous policies no matter where they originate or which political party may support them.
And we will continue to hold true to our mission of protecting the entire body of fundamental rights so that we, our members and supporters, and others may continue to defend the individual right to keep and bear arms for self-defense against unjust force—wherever it may come from.
Firearms Policy Coalition ( www.firearmspolicy.org ) is a 501(c)4 grassroots nonprofit organization. FPC’s mission is to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, especially the fundamental, individual Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.
Craig DeLuz Firearms Policy Coalition 916-378-5785 media@fpchq.org
