Obama to use Executive Action on Immigration

[buzzdog]

But that's how your supposed to change the Constitution - by Amendment. Don't like the Second Amendment limiting state gun control? Repeal it.

There are a lot of things short of repealing the Second Amendment that could be done to attempt to get a better handle on gun control. For example the vast majority of gun owners favor more stringent background checks to make it harder for mentally defective people and potential terrorists to buy a gun. But the NRA lobby owns Congress so any bill the NRA opposes never makes it to the floor. And the NRA pretty much opposes any and every piece of legislation that makes it harder for absolutely anyone to get a gun, in any way, shape or form.

I think if our founding fathers knew the degree to which Congress is controlled by the lobbyists they'd be appalled.

 

[Randolphkeys]

That's because Jefferson died before the passage of the 14th Amendment, which made the Bill of Rights binding on states, not just Congress.

Prior to the passage of the 14th Amendment, states could lawfully restrict rights to guns.

They could also squelch the freedom of speech, press, assembly, and religion, because only Congress was restricted from infringing on those rights. Same with rights under the 4th and 5th Amendment, etc.,

The passage of the 14th Amendment subsequently changed all that, so now, states can't regulate guns the way the Founders would have permitted.

But that's how your supposed to change the Constitution - by Amendment. Don't like the Second Amendment limiting state gun control? Repeal it.

The 14th amendment changed the U.S. significantly. There was no corporate personhood before the 14th amendment, which allows companies to build wealth and influence beyond one human possibly could in one lifetime. Now those corporations buy and sell our representatives in state and national elections. Founding fathers couldn't have seen that coming either.

 

[Kouki]

There are a lot of things short of repealing the Second Amendment that could be done to attempt to get a better handle on gun control. For example the vast majority of gun owners favor more stringent background checks to make it harder for mentally defective people and potential terrorists to buy a gun. But the NRA lobby owns Congress so any bill the NRA opposes never makes it to the floor. And the NRA pretty much opposes any and every piece of legislation that makes it harder for absolutely anyone to get a gun, in any way, shape or form.

I think if our founding fathers knew the degree to which Congress is controlled by the lobbyists they'd be appalled.

So why do so many people support the NRA, if seemingly one of the NRA's most important activities is blocking legislation that its members support?

edit nvmd, I thought more gun owners were in the NRA.

I just fucking hate how everything in this country is a black and white issue. Are you on the cops' side or the black peoples' side? Do you want to ban guns altogether or completely block legislation regarding guns?

 

[The Human Q-Tip]

There are a lot of things short of repealing the Second Amendment that could be done to attempt to get a better handle on gun control. For example the vast majority of gun owners favor more stringent background checks to make it harder for mentally defective people and potential terrorists to buy a gun. But the NRA lobby owns Congress so any bill the NRA opposes never makes it to the floor. And the NRA pretty much opposes any and every piece of legislation that makes it harder for absolutely anyone to get a gun, in any way, shape or form.

I'm not going to detail every issue, but the NRA pushed instant background checks very early on. The NRA's position -- which I think is correct -- is that someone should not be deprived of their right to own guns absent some court action. What the NRA does not want is someone being deprived of their gun rights based on some bureaucrat putting a name on a list, or a report of mental instability without any court verification or action.

The NRA absolutely supports better integration of state criminal/mental health databases and orders with the federal background check system.

I think if our founding fathers knew the degree to which Congress is controlled by the lobbyists they'd be appalled.

The NRA doesn't donate to candidates or to outside PAC's. It is influential because its members votes, and can influence the votes of other people. So in this case, it's not that Congress is "controlled by lobbyists". It's that Congress is influenced by voters who care a lot about that issue.

 

[The Human Q-Tip]

The 14th amendment changed the U.S. significantly. There was no corporate personhood before the 14th amendment, which allows companies to build wealth and influence beyond one human possibly could in one lifetime. Now those corporations buy and sell our representatives in state and national elections. Founding fathers couldn't have seen that coming either.

The 14th Amendment mattered for some aspects of corporate personhood, but not others. Corporations had legal rights before the 14th Amendment, and in fact corporate political contributions were prohibited for many decades after the 14th. was passed. That ban was eventually overturned (rightly, in my opinion) based on the 1st Amendment, not the 14th.