The New Gun Week
Vol. 36, Issue 1682
June 1, 2001 Readers’ Forum

http://www.reedsway.com/Publications.htm

Gun Laws Compared to Hi-Tech Lynching

Dear Editor:

As we approach the new millennium, bigotry is alive and well in America. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas referred to his Senate confirmation hearing as a hi-tech lynching.
If you are a supporter the U.S. Constitution and a gun owner, your troubles have only just begun. The electronic and print media go into attack mode whenever there is a shooting. They constantly pump into the minds of the listening audience that the crime is the fault of the gun lobby and the right wing extremists. What about the criminal’s actions?

Self-righteous politicians, religious leaders and so-called community spokesmen crow for new gun prohibition laws. These media designated spokesmen weasel their way into the black community via black ministers in the name of fighting crime and protecting the children. These individuals advise it is not safe to keep a firearm in the home.

Unfortunately, a few of my black brethren have aligned themselves with these snake oil salesmen to disarm the very people they claim to protect. These same elitist limousine liberals who spread these lies in various communities across America have “24-7″ police protection at taxpayer expense. Some even have concealed carry permits. This is a double standard. There is something wrong with this picture.

For a number of years, youth in urban areas have been dying in the streets as a result of pistol packing thugs illegally carrying guns. There was no immediate call for more gun prohibition laws. Some municipalities passed meaningless so-called assault weapons bands. Then along came Columbine and all hell broke loose. Everyone from the White House to the outhouse made this sudden call for more gun prohibition laws. New organizations formed in the name of the children. Hollywood celebrities, TV talk show hosts, electronic and print media got into the act.

This was exploitation of tragedy at its lowest. It continues to this day. No one wants to address the issue of punishing people when they violate the 20,000 plus existing federal gun laws. They take the easy way out, blaming gun owners and every pro-Second Amendment organization in the country. Some municipalities have gone so far as to sue the gun manufacturers.

Today, most municipalities have some type of firearms registration system complete with a photo and firearms ID card. I wonder why? The following quote may answer the question. Eldridge Cleaver, the Black Panther Party (BPP) minister of information, noted in 1968: “Some very interesting laws are being passed. They don’t name me; they don’t say, ‘take the guns away from the ******s.’ They say that people will no longer be allowed to have (guns). They don’t pass these rules and these regulations specifically for black people, they have to pass them in a way that will take in everybody.”

Politicians are good at passing meaningless knee-jerk laws. Once passed they wash their hands like Pontius Pilate and leave it up to the police to enforce these unconstitutional laws. Their objective is not to fight crime, but to purposely drive a wedge between law enforcement and law-abiding citizens. Don’t blame law enforcement.

Part of the blame lies with us for the election of these gun-grabbing politicians. It is highly unfortunate to note that a majority of black politicians on the federal, state and local level support gun prohibition. These same politicians will cry racism at the drop of a hat. At the same time they continue to practice discrimination against gun owners. It just blows my mind.

In conclusion these laws have racist roots via the black codes a.k.a. Jim Crow laws. They are now being applied across the board. Given the history of gun prohibition, every black man and woman in America should be a member of a pro-Second Amendment organization. Why aren’t so-called civil rights groups fighting to protect this precious right of We The People? This is called discrimination and down right bigotry against a group of people: Gun owners.

Frank M. Reed
Cleveland, OH
PS: The above quote is not an endorsement of the BPP.