The Federal Government Shouldn’t Be Involved in Gun Laws
I don’t normally agree much with Jeb Bush, but in this instance, he got things right.
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said Tuesday that the federal government should stay out of gun regulations, calling for a greater focus on mental illness following last week’s on-air shooting of two journalists in Virginia.
“Here’s what I know to be true: Gun violence in the country has dropped significantly, but these sad cases of very public cases, like last week in Roanoke, Virginia, where a reporter and cameraperson was shot down by a person who was deranged, and I think that’s where we need to focus our issues, is the mental illness,†the Republican presidential candidate said at a town hall event at La Progressiva Presbyterian School in Miami.
“He bought a gun, apparently, legally. He had no criminal background record,†Bush said, referring to the Virginia killer. “I don’t know how you would solve that problem unless we began to identify people that had mental health issues, which this person clearly did.â€
Bush was campaigning in his home state, this time fielding questions from future voters on various issues.
One student asked, “Do you think there should be stricter gun laws and would it be beneficial for teachers to carry guns during school hours?â€
Bush responded first with a joke. “Wow. That’s a controversial subject. What do you guys do here? No packing?â€
He continued, saying that different standards apply for the gun culture in a rural area and in a large city.
“The federal government shouldn’t be involved in gun laws. The country is very different,†Bush continued. “If you go to a rural area where guns are part of the culture, to impose laws from Washington that are going to work for New York City or work in a rural area, makes no sense.â€
“Historically when this happens, the 99.9 percent of the cases of people using guns safely for their private pursuits, using them legally, their rights get restricted, and it doesn’t solve the problems of these isolated sad tragic cases,†Bush later added.
My concern about using mental illness as a determining factor for owning firearms is who determines when a person is mentally ill. What is to keep the government from saying that a person who believes in a literal 6 days of creation must be insane? Or for that matter to state the the Bible is the authoritative word of God to some people is insane. You should see some of the responses I have received online for stating that “sin” is the problem when things like gun violence occur. People do not want to believe in sin anymore. What is to keep President Obama from stating that if you believe that abortion or homosexual marriage is wrong you are mentally unstable?
Agreed on the concerns Mark. My main point of agreement with Jeb was that the federal government should not be in the position of gun rights. That should be a state issue.
I get your point, but I think we need to have some form of agreement between the States so that you do not get in trouble for carrying a firearm over state lines etc. This may need to be handled at a federal level. I live near the border of two other states. It would be nice to be able to carry a firearm across the border without any fear of repercussions.
I am concerned about the possibility of using mental health as a way of disarming the populace or at least your political opponents. For those not concerned about the possibility of being disarmed for their stance on moral issues, what is to keep the government from saying that those who want to keep their firearms as a means of checking a possible tyrannical government have delusional paranoia? They then could rule you mentally ill and try to remove your firearms.
Amen, Mark!
I disagree. Feds should be involved in gun legislation. They should be actively ensuring that the civil rights of We The People are not enfringed by the individual states.