By Greg Campbell
TPNN Contributor
As President Obama tours the country on the taxpayers’ dime and discussing “weapons of war,” he becomes further and further entrenched in a war over weapons that is occurring all over America.
Obama chatted with people on a Google+ Hangout chat on Thursday, and as he attempted to defend his proposed policy of a ban on semiautomatic rifles by likening them to grenade launchers, the battle over gun rights was raging all across America and the bitter divide seems to be getting larger.
Recently, Ken James, Police Chief of Emeryville, California and the Police Chief Association’s Firearms Committee Chairman refuted the idea that a firearm is a “defensive weapon.” Calling such an assertion a “myth,” James stated,
“One issue that always boggles my mind is that the idea that a gun is a defensive weapon. That is a myth. A gun is not a defensive weapon.” He also claimed, “A gun is an offensive weapon used to intimidate and show power.”
However, as firearms are used every day in America by responsible citizens, including police officers, to protect themselves, the assertion that a firearm is a defensive tool cannot really be debated as they are frequently used in legally-defined cases of self-defense.
Rhetoric like this can often be found in states with strict gun control policies like California. As America is divided amongst the arguing between pro and anti-gun rights advocates, California is leading the charge in new, inventive ways to discourage individual firearm ownership.
“Democrat legislators in California are considering a measure that would force gun owners to purchase liability insurance “to cover damages or injuries caused by their weapons.”
When Assemblyman Philip Ting of San Francisco introduced the legislation on Feb. 4, ‘he equated it with requiring vehicle owners to buy auto insurance.’ And Los Angeles Assemblyman Jimmy Gomez, who introduced the legislation with Ting, said the measure could encourage gun owners to lock up their guns in order ‘to get lower insurance rates.’
In other words, those who actually go out and shoot their guns would pay a higher rate than those who simply unload their guns and lock them in a cabinet for safe keeping.”
While anti-gun rights advocates might seek to limit access to firearms, the pro-gun rights advocates are not going down without a fight.
As Day of Resistance rallies pop up all across America as an assertion of our Second Amendment rights, firearm manufacturers are getting in on the action and making their opinions known.
In response to the sweeping gun control legislation signed into law by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, many New Yorkers have sworn to disobey the registry requirements in defiance of the law. Firearm manufacturer York Arms has offered several options for New Yorkers who wish to purchase their products and have cancelled the orders for law enforcement and government agents. They recently stated,
“Based on the recent legislation in New York, we are prohibited from selling rifles and receivers to residents of New York.
We have chosen to extend that prohibition to all governmental agencies associated with or located within New York.
As a result we have halted sales of rifles, short barreled rifles, short barreled shotguns, machine guns, and silencers to New York governmental agencies.
For ‘civilian’ customers residing in New York: At your choice, we will:
Complete your order and ship to a dealer of your choice outside of NY.
Refund your payment in full.
Hold your items here for up to 6 months, at no charge – if you are in the process of leaving NY and taking residence in another state.For LE/Govt customers in New York: Your orders have been cancelled.”
