United States – -(AmmoLand.com)- If Second Amendment supporters are the most frustrated about anything (aside from the fact their rights are being wrongly attacked), it has to be the absolute refusal of the federal government to enforce existing laws on the books. Not only does it make the misuse of firearms a bigger problem, it also costs lives, and the cost in lives is then wrongly laid at the feet of Second Amendment supporters by the likes of Beto O'Rourke, Shannon Watts, and other anti-Second Amendment extremists.
Thankfully, there are elected officials who recognize this, and who aim to do something about that. One is Representative Ann Wagner (R-MO), who has introduced HR 5836, the Prosecuting Gun Crimes Saves Lives Act. While anti-Second Amendment extremists like to hijack the phrase “common sense” to push their agenda, often when it comes to banning guns, that should not dissuade Second Amendment supporters from describing this bill as being common sense.
That’s because this time, that phrase is the truth. When you look at Philadelphia or Chicago, it is clear from the history of Project Exile that enforcing existing laws could slash crime rates in a big way. Just look at the text of 18 USC 922 and 18 USC 924, and some of those tools can easily put a lot of bad guys away for a long time.
The fact that these laws are not enforced when it could greatly reduce the violent crime in urban areas should be a huge scandal. This failure isn’t just leading to our rights being wrongfully attacked (or infringed), it is contributing to the death and/or maiming of hundreds. Anti-Second Amendment extremists talk about saving lives, but the tools to save them are already available to federal prosecutors – they just have to be used.
It's understandable, given some of the absurdities we see in certain states, why there is a reluctance to enforce federal laws. The effective legalization and/or decriminalization of marijuana is another valid thing that should be considered in these efforts as well. But there should be no objection to enforcing the laws against people who have records of committing violent crimes or who are engaged in supplying guns to those involved in either the drug trade or violent crimes.
When it comes right down to it, Second Amendment supporters have a vested interest in seeing the misuse of firearms addressed. First, and most importantly, it is the right thing to do, given the clear harm and agony that the misuse causes to our fellow Americans. Second, by addressing the misuse, we can disarm one of the weapons anti-Second Amendment extremists use to take away our rights – simply because we prove them to be liars when they claim to be the only ones who care about saving lives.
Therefore, the common-sense approach is to contact your Representative and Senators and politely ask them to support HR 5836, as well as similar legislation like the Protecting Communities and Preserving the Second Amendment Act. In this case, it is just the right thing to do on so many levels.
About Harold Hutchison
Writer Harold Hutchison has more than a dozen years of experience covering military affairs, international events, U.S. politics and Second Amendment issues. Harold was consulting senior editor at Soldier of Fortune magazine and is the author of the novel Strike Group Reagan. He has also written for the Daily Caller, National Review, Patriot Post, Strategypage.com, and other national websites.
The post Below The Radar: Prosecuting Gun Crimes Saves Lives Act appeared first on AmmoLand.com.
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