Taking Aim at HR 45

HR 45, commonly referred to as Blair Holt’s Firearm and Record of Sale Act, has many members of society shooting holes in its intent. The act was initiated by Representative Bobby Rush of Illinois soon after he attended the funeral of 16 year old Blair Holt, who was killed by handgun fire in an attempt to shield a girl from gang violence on a school bus. Essentially, the act does the following:

* Prohibits possession of any handguns or any semiautomatic firearms that can accept detachable ammunition-feeding devices (excluding antiques) by anyone who has not been issued a firearm license.

* Requires all sales of those types of firearms to go through licensed dealers.

* Directs the Attorney General to establish and run a federal record-of-sale system.

* Requires the possessors of firearms to secure them (by secure gun storage or safety devices) when they are kept in locales where children might be capable of gaining access to those firearms.

Proponents of the the act maintain it is only meant to record who is purchasing and registering and transferring guns, not to surreptitiously infringe upon one’s Constitutional right to bear arms. Opponents, meanwhile, feel that the law is aimed punishing the weapon, not the weapon’s user or intent (e.g. criminals). Two common misconceptions circulating in mass e-mail blasts contend that: 1) an applicant must submit to a physical and mental evaluation at any time of their choosing; and, 2) households would be subject to searches for firearms to comply with the law. In reality, no evaluation is required and only vendors would be subject to searches.

As of now, the bill has no co-sponsors and, according to many sources, seems likely to die in subcommittee. Enacting it would run the risk of alienating roughly 80 million licensed gunowners, who also happen to be members of an influential group known as registered voters.

HR 45 goes against the very precepts of the 2nd Amendment: the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. The “people” includes all citizens pursuant to District of Columbia v. Heller, 554 U.S. 290 (2008).

Bottom line: It sets a dangerous precedent to widen the scope of civic authority to protect civilians against themselves. Think Germany or Italy in the 1930s, and you will have an idea of how this scenario could play out.

April 16th, 2009

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Senator Specter is Paying It Forward

Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter (R) is thankful. He has overcome a myriad of health issues ranging from cancer to open-heart surgery, and now wants to express his gratitude by getting approval for an unprecedented 34% increase for the National Institute of Health. The senator has long been a champion of the organization, but colleagues, critics and lobbyists alike are amazed at this coup. He promises the figure will be even higher if Rebublicans can gain back control of the Senate.

April 14th, 2009

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You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Verdict

The innovator of the cacophonous “Wall of Sound” recording technique in the 1960s will soon find himself facing another wall, this one composed of steel bars. Phil Spector was convicted of second degree murder Monday for the February 2003 fatal shooting of actress Lana Clarkson at his Alhambra mansion. The verdict means the sexagenarian music producer will face a mandatory sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole after 18 years. A judge is expected to sentence him May 29. This was the second time Spector stood trial on the charges. A 2007 trial ended with a jury deadlocked 10-2 in favor of conviction after hearing months of testimony.

April 14th, 2009

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Arrivederci

Thousands of those affected by the recent earthquake in Italy spent last Friday at a massive open-air funeral. Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said everything possible would be done to get people quickly out of tents and into hotels, including offering his own houses to some of the homeless. Tent cities have sprung up across the area to house the homeless; a spokesperson for the Italian Red Cross stated “these people are now in need of everything from food, water and basic goods to shelter, medical aid and psychological assistance, but they take this tragedy with dignity and most do not want to leave their homeland.” Four hundred volunteers are working on-site. Aftershocks hovering around 5.0 on the Richter scale continue to pummel the L’Aquila region. “In one tremor, whole streets came down,” reported the director of a local aid agency. “Even compared to previous earthquakes in 2002 and 1997, I’ve never seen such devastation.”

April 14th, 2009

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Chinatown II: Dehydrating Your Dollars

William Mulholland, the self-taught engineer responsible for Los Angeles’ first aqueduct and famously fictionalized in the 1974 Oscar-award winning film Chinatown, probably never knew the meaning of the word “conservation.” Yet now, almost 100 years since water first started to cascade into the southland, we find ourselves in the midst of the worst drought in over 3 decades. The mandate from Sacramento is to cut water consumption by 20%, and the Department of Water and Power’s plan (endorsed wholeheartedly by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa) proposes heavy fines for home and business owners that do not comply, commencing on June 1st. The current usage limit would also be lowered.

This past Wednesday, however, the Los Angeles City Council rejected the plan, stating it nebulously defined its purpose – is this a viable method to rationing, or is it just an avenue to spike already skyrocketing water rates? DWP General Manager David Nahai insists the former is true. A spokesperson for the mayor stands undeterred, stating the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which supplies 70 percent of the city’s water, would impose rationing on Los Angeles if the city fails to take action itself.

April 10th, 2009

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