Craziness of the highest degree

icon_mushroom_cloud.jpgWhat are our legislative leaders up to? Let’s look at what Sen. Mitch Seabaugh (R-Sharpsburg), the majority whip in the Senate, is introducing in the way of public safety legislation.


Seabaugh and the Senate majority leader, Sen. Chip Rogers (R-Woodstock), have rolled out legislation that would make it legal to carry guns in a wider variety of public places and would make it easier for persons with criminal records and mental patients to obtain a permit to carry a concealed weapon. I kid you not.

Seabaugh’s bill would repeal the current prohibitions in state law against carrying firearms in public places such as sporting events, political rallies, non-secured portions of airports and bars. The bill would allow weapons to be carried at K-12 schools and college campuses (except for dormitories). The only prohibitions against carrying firearms would be in a government building, courtroom, jail, prison, or college residential housing.

Seabaugh said persons with permits would be allowed to carry weapons at the state capitol in general, but could not take those weapons into government agencies at the capitol such as the secretary of state’s office or the legislative chambers.

The bill would allow persons with a criminal background to obtain a gun permit if they have been “free of conviction” of any other offense for at least 10 years since their criminal violation. Mental patients would be allowed to apply for permits five years after their hospitalization.

Seabaugh and Rogers said they were not concerned that people with criminal records would be allowed to obtain a permit to carry a concealed weapon under the proposed legislation.

“That list of prohibitions against people who can receive a license really needs to be updated,” Rogers said. “You have some prohibitions on there that shouldn’t be on there.”

When asked by a reporter if he was concerned that the bill would allow weapons to be carried in bars that serve alcoholic drinks, Seabaugh said: “I’ll let the property owner make that decision.”

He added that he also supported the idea of allowing firearms to be carried into any government offices. “Personally, I don’t have a problem with it,” Seabaugh said. He characterized public concerns about the bill as “misconceived hysteria.”

Here’s the punchline: Seabaugh calls his proposed legislation “the common-sense lawful carry act.”

Seabaugh’s description, of course, is erroneous. This bill is located about as far from common sense as you can be and still remain within the confines of the Milky Way galaxy. It is full-blown, skull-bending craziness. It is just about the most ill-conceived legislation ever introduced in the General Assembly by someone whose name isn’t Bobby Franklin.

It probably is not a surprise that one of the bill’s supporters, Rogers, has plans to run for governor some day.


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2 responses to “Craziness of the highest degree”

  1. J.M. Prince Avatar
    J.M. Prince

    Here’s the Violence Policy Center’s accounting page on the carnage:

    http://www.vpc.org/ccwkillers.htm

    And oh BTW? Most gun owners do not support the crazy either:

    http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2009/12/11-4

    “Gun Owners, NRA Members Once Again Show Strong Support For Reasonable Gun Restrictions

    WASHINGTON – December 11 – A new poll commissioned by the Mayors Against Illegal Guns, and conducted by Republican pollster Frank Luntz, confirms surveys conducted as far back as 1989 which show strong support for gun violence prevention laws from gun owners as well as members of the National Rifle Association”.

    [More @ above link] and here is another story on the same polling mentioning the consistency of support for such non crazy things:

    opposingviews.com/articles/opinion-nra-doesn-t-represent-views-of-most-gun-owners

    NRA Doesn’t Represent Views of Most Gun Owners

    By The Brady Campaign , To Prevent Gun Violence -December 24, 2009

    And BTW: I’d mention that like the Bradys, I’ve owned guns all my life.

    JMP

  2. J.M. Prince Avatar
    J.M. Prince

    I’m thinking this kind of stuff will never even come up for discussion on the bill. It’s all about dogma & received religion.

    http://www.alternet.org/blogs/peek/shocking%3A_concealed_handgun_permit_holders_have_killed_9_law_enforcement_officers_and_108_citizens_since_may_2007/#145109

    “Shocking: Concealed Handgun Permit Holders Have Killed 9 Law Enforcement Officers and 108 Citizens Since May 2007

    Posted by Byard Duncan, AlterNet on January 12, 2010 at 11:00 AM.

    Here’s a pretty horrific set of statistics from the Violence Policy Center, an online resource that tracks news reports of incidents involving concealed carry firearms:

    Concealed handgun permit holders have killed at least nine law enforcement officers in addition to 108 private citizens (including 13 shooters who killed themselves after an attack) since May 2007…

    According to the site, law enforcement officers were killed in Alabama, Florida, Idaho, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Private citizens were killed in 21 states across the country, including New York and California.

    Obviously, this poses a big problem for concealed carry advocates, who have in the past argued that individuals who acquire permits “are law-abiding, upstanding community leaders who merely seek to exercise their right to self-defense.”

    The VPC’s detailed reports of incidents involving law enforcement fatalities paint a very different picture.

    In one such incident, Humberto Delgado Jr. allegedly shot and killed Cpl. Mike Roberts, a Tampa police officer, after Roberts discovered Delgado was pushing a shopping cart containing a AR-15 assault rifle, a Taurus .45 pistol and a .22 revolver. According to VPC’s document, Delgado also had a Glock 17 pistol in a backpack.” [More on story @ link]

    More @ the Violence Policy Center: VPC.org

    and here via the Huff Post 2 months ago: The numbers are steadily increasing, naturally!

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/josh-sugarmann/keeping-track-of-killings_b_360572.html

    I’d like to bet again that almost no significant discussion of the consequences of such legislation will ever be widely engaged in on the floor of the Leg or in committee. For all the same well trod idiotic reasons. But thanks for noticing!

    JMP

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