23

The United States Constitution just took 23 consecutive hits today as Obama signed 23 executive actions (or executive orders?) under the guise of curbing gun violence: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/01/16/obama-urges-new-restrictions-on-assault-weapons-magazines-as-part-gun-control/.

This is the most egregious attack on the Constitution by the executive branch I have seen in my lifetime. Implementing such regulations is not supposed to be a function of the executive branch. It is something a monarch or dictator would do, not the president of a democratic republic. It was also incredibly tacky to do this surrounded by concerned children.

Such laws and restrictions would not have prevented the school shootings our nation’s experienced in recent years. By narrowing the legal avenues through which American citizens can obtain firearms, this fails to address the real issues at hand, such as mental health, the involvement of prescription drugs in nearly every school shooting, school security, and criminal behavior. Instead, it makes it more difficult for law abiding people to defend themselves, their families, and their property.

This is not about safety. This is about control. I’ve spent a lifetime dealing with narcissistic and sociopathic personalities and they always, always, always appeal to your sympathy in order to gain control. This is no different. When I hear things from Obama like, “if we save just one life, this will be worth it,” we are called to feel with our emotions and blindly follow rather than think from a standpoint of reason.

Our country and our freedoms would not exist without firearms. We would not have come to be in the first place or retained our status as a free country without them. That’s simply fact. Now our right to bear arms just took a monumental hit and some people honestly believe it’s a wonderful step towards a safer world. It is dangerous not only because of its infringement upon a constitutional right, but because it takes power from the people. It erodes our liberties. It is a jackhammer to our freedoms.

Now more than ever we must call upon our elected representatives to take action. These orders were signed with a blatant disregard for Congress and the will of the people. Those rejoicing over this “achievement” today will feel differently tomorrow when this leads to even more change that transforms us from a democratic republic into a top heavy, autocratic state of desperate dependency.

Stay calm, stay civil, but for the love of God, country, and our fellow citizens, let us rise up with one voice and demand that this appalling attack on the very structure of our nation and society not stand. If ever we needed a few good men and women with backbones in Congress, and in the general populace, it’s now.

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America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves. -Abraham Lincoln

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Many news outlets are now calling these “executive actions.” That is a vague concept but some pundits are arguing that they don’t have the punch of or aren’t legally binding like an executive order. Does that make the intentions any different? You can learn more about executive orders here: http://www.thisnation.com/question/040.html. Basically, they carry the same weight as if Congress enacted a law. Congress can alter them and the Supreme Court can stop them although it is rare to see either. But it is possible. They are also intended to address the functioning of the federal government, not to regulate or change society.

Our federal government was designed as a system of checks and balances so that one branch doesn’t have complete power over another. By design, Congress makes laws, the Supreme Court interprets laws, and the President (Executive Branch) enforces laws. Using executive orders to force policy and law on the other branches of government, and the people, is a gross misuse of presidential power. It oversteps the boundaries of the power a president is supposed to have. No wonder there is talk of impeachment and legal battles. To learn more about this power, see http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2001/02/the-use-and-abuse-of-executive-orders-and-other-presidential-directives.

http://nation.foxnews.com/gun-control/2013/01/16/obamas-23-executive-actions-guns lists the 23 executive orders signed. While some are arguing that they don’t affect the Constitution, these are an unprecedented intrusion into our right to bear arms and our privacy. There are also calls for a nationwide database of gun owners to be created. This is 23 steps closer to banning guns altogether. This won’t stop here.

See also https://wildninja.wordpress.com/2012/12/18/gun-control-is-not-the-answer/ for a survivor’s perspective.

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©2013 H. Hiatt/wildninja.wordpress.com. All articles/posts on this blog are copyrighted original material that may not be reproduced in part or whole in any electronic or printed medium without prior permission from H. Hiatt/wildninja.wordpress.com.