Here is my latest op-ed from the Philadelphia Daily News:
NRA distorts reality on guns
By BEN WAXMAN
I WENT TO college about four hours west of Philadelphia in a very rural area.
I knew many kids who hunted and owned guns. Now that I live in Philadelphia, I'm puzzled by the way politicians and the media treat the issue of gun control. The perspective of the average gun owner seems completely missing from the debate.
Last week, John C. Sigle, the president of the National Rifle Association, came to the Philadelphia area to denounce the renewed push for legislation to limit the number of guns an individual can purchase to one a month. According to Sigle, laws limiting gun purchases would negatively affect lawful gun owners.
Sigle claims to speak for all gun owners, but he is grossly exaggerating the impact of gun control on law-abiding citizens. My friends who hunted almost never mentioned gun control, gun laws or anything else connected to the debate on increased restrictions for firearms. The majority of gun owners simply don't follow the politics of gun control.
Here's a little secret the NRA doesn't want you to know: Most gun owners are almost never inconvenienced by gun laws. That's because most people who buy guns do not do it on a whim. A waiting period or one gun a month is only a problem for people who want a gun immediately.
There is one group of people who will be affected by the laws - those who live in neighborhoods wracked by gun violence. The easy availability of guns is clearly a major part of the problem. More enforcement can help, but we absolutely need stricter laws, too.
The best way to build support for these changes is to tell people in other parts of the state what's happening in Philadelphia. Until recently, we've been on pace to set an all-time record for murders in a single year. Mothers have lost sons, brothers have lost sisters, neighborhoods are filled with makeshift memorials. Setting aside all the rhetoric from both sides, it's a human tragedy of epic proportions.
Gun owners will respond to these stories, and we might have a chance at convincing them that they should help. The most important thing is to connect with people across the state and generate popular support for the restrictions on guns that we so desperately need to save lives now. Sadly, the human element is often lost because shrill voices dominate the debate.
A few weeks ago, the state gun-registration system was down for about a day for a software update. The NRA crowd in Harrisburg went berserk. Senate President pro tem Joseph Scarnati, a Republican from Jefferson County, actually said it was a "liberal plot from Philadelphia" to keep people from buying guns. Thankfully, Gov. Rendell refused to bow to the pressure and the update went ahead as scheduled.
There was an interesting story a few days later in the Inquirer. A reporter went to a gun shop and interviewed a few regulars. The majority basically said it was no big deal. So why do Republicans in Harrisburg spend so much time blocking gun control?
Like most things, it's about the money. The NRA gave more than $15,000 to various candidates, mostly Republicans, during the last election. Their lobbyists get paid to advance the most extreme position, not represent the views of average gun owners. As long as this NRA charade continues, there will be little progress toward stopping the flow of illegal guns in Philadelphia.
Guns simply are not the centerpiece of most gun owners' lives. The small inconveniences associated with increased gun control, like waiting periods or one gun a month, won't mean much to the average person. The NRA's screams against any form of gun control are just silly. *
Ben Waxman, a recent graduate of Juniata College, is a frequent contributor. He can be reached at benwaxman@gmail.com.
I can agree with much of what you write here.
It took me months to figure out what gun I was going to purchase. And, when I did know, it took me hours to complete the sale. So, to some extent, your analysis is partially correct. These are, sometimes, large purchases and not bought on a whim. Real, legal gun owners are more thoughtful than the NRA or the left gives them credit for.
Also, I was inconvenienced by a few hours by a strict interpretation of gun laws. But, when I purchased, I went to Cabela's in Hamburg, PA--perhaps one of the most reputable retailers in the United States. I didn't, and wouldn't, go to Jack's gun shop or whereever here in the City. Local gun shops are, perhaps, the only business I will not frequent if given the opportunity.
But, the NRA's position is to prevent what they consider the "slippery slope." To the extent you believe that average gun owners, however, do not support at NRA (while not necessarily agreeing with the NRA all the time), you do so at your own peril.
You fail to understand the main objection to the shutdown by "average folk." The primary reason Rendell was criticized was not because of the shutdown, but because of the timing of the shutdown--on the first weekend, or just at the eve of the start of hunting season. It was seen as a very spiteful time to shut the database down for "maintence" and upgrades when that could have been done all summer long! I agreed with this position. Rendell is not a saint, he was trying to prove a point and was playing politics--and maybe he was successful. But, the objection by hunters and trappers was valid.
I am working to elect Larry Farnese to the General Assembly. Unless otherwise expressly stated, this and every comment or blog I post on YPP and any action I take hereon is solely attributable to me and not Farnese or Friends of Farnese
"The start of hunting season"?
There's no such thing in Pennsylvania. Or rather, there are a bunch of them starting at different times of the year. Can't do the upgrade in mid-April--that's the start of spring gobbler season. End of June? That's when crow season opens. Of course there are birds and game for which the season is open year-round--maybe we should never do this upgrade.
It was not a legitimate complaint; it was a cheap gotcha by people who knew better and thought the rest of us wouldn't. (Never mind the question of how many hunters go to buy their guns the day before they go hunting.)
Yeah....
I think John is right here. If I remember correctly, the shutdown was at the start of dove season or something like that. It might be a valid argument if it was deer season or something, but there is no unified start date for hunting. Besides, why are people buying their guns on the day the season starts? They should be in the woods, not the gun shops.
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Wrong again.
See below.
Labor day weekend = sales and time to go to the gunshop. I was
Newly licensed hunters, mostly kids.
People who want a new gun.
Point is, September is a high gun sale month. I wonder why that is?
I am working to elect Larry Farnese to the General Assembly. Unless otherwise expressly stated, this and every comment or blog I post on YPP and any action I take hereon is solely attributable to me and not Farnese or Friends of Farnese
You point is evistorated by Rendell's own words:
"Those of us in the administration who worked on this probably made a mistake by not asking hunting and sportsmen's groups for their input, because had we asked, we would have found out that the days we chose were right at the beginning of hunting season."
The fall is often, in hunting circles, considered to be the start of the season. The links below show that very easily. And, I think dove and geese were the issue.
Yes, there are many hunting seasons interspersed throughout the year, but shutting things down at the start of the year is insensitive--according to Rendell. Crow hunting is not the bulk of hunting in PA and, doing that in the middle of a season is much different than doing that at the start.
http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/lib/pgc/digestpdfs/2007/small_game.pdf
http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/lib/pgc/digestpdfs/2007/deer_season.pdf
http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/pgc/lib/pgc/digestpdfs/2007/turkey_season.pdf
John, you can disagree. But, your disagreement obsures the point. You offer no response to the political aspect, but instead go right after hunters.
As for this: "Never mind the question of how many hunters go to buy their guns the day before they go hunting."
Some do. Someone whose child was just licensed would. September is a huge month for gun sales. Wonder why?????
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Ok, but was the response by
Ok, but was the response by Republicans justified? It's fine to defend the position that the shutdown could have been done at a better time, but that's not what the GOP in Harrisburg was saying. They claimed it was a "liberal plot from Philadelphia." Do you agree with that? Because that's really what we're talking about here.
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No, I don't
I'm talking about the "average folk" you discuss above and why they were pissed.
The politicans just mess things up with hyperbole.
I am working to elect Larry Farnese to the General Assembly. Unless otherwise expressly stated, this and every comment or blog I post on YPP and any action I take hereon is solely attributable to me and not Farnese or Friends of Farnese
Except
The outrage about the closure was completely manufactured by the Republicans. As I mention in my op-ed, an Inquirer reporter who visited a local gun shop after the shutdown and found that.....no one really cared.
Seriously, Gaetano, do you know anyone who was negatively impacted by the shutdown? My whole point is that most gun owners just don't care about this crap. They are much more impacted by healthcare, jobs, and other real issues.
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I don't.
But, do you honestly think the picking of the date was not a political move?
It was. That is the point I'm making.
Rendell is no saint. We all know this. Decisions are made with a motive--that is politics.
I am working to elect Larry Farnese to the General Assembly. Unless otherwise expressly stated, this and every comment or blog I post on YPP and any action I take hereon is solely attributable to me and not Farnese or Friends of Farnese
What was the motive?
Wait, you think that Rendell picked the date to piss off hunters? Huh?
I think Rendell most likely had nothing to do with the decision and it was an accident. There is not a conspiracy behind everything.
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Not a fan of Rendell
If I were, I'd have to turn in my AFSCME membership card. But which is it--did he deliberately pick that date for political reasons, or did he pick that date not knowing that it would be a problem? I'm pretty sure those can't both be true.
And I'm sure September is a huge month for gun sales, given how many of those hunting seasons start in October and November. But the database wasn't shut down for the entire month, it was shut down for three days, starting on a Sunday evening.
Maybe I'm into conspiracies
I think the date was chosen to stick it to Central, Northern and Western, PA and the NRA. The date may have been chosen by anyone in the administration.
I think Rendell's tactic to say he didn't know picking that date would be a problem is what politicans do--spin.
The biggest problem is, you have whack jobs come out and try and slam the governor, and the issue is obsured. Really, if I were the head of some hunting-advocacy group (not NRA), I would have sent a nice letter to the Gov's attention and, maybe made a stink.
I am working to elect Larry Farnese to the General Assembly. Unless otherwise expressly stated, this and every comment or blog I post on YPP and any action I take hereon is solely attributable to me and not Farnese or Friends of Farnese
Again, find me one person
Again, find me one person who actually cared about the shutdown and is not somehow connected to the NRA's political arm or the Republicans in Harrisburg.
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Ben, I've already answered your question--pay attention.
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Tone not neccessary
You've answered it, but I still don't think you are right.
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I really don't know what
I really don't know what else you want me to say. I've answered the question an hour ago. I presented my opinion. You disagree and presented yours. I disagree, somewhat, with that.
Unless something new happens, I'd say we're at a stalemate.
The "tone" is a product of what I consider to be a ridiculous question--"Again, find me one person who actually cared about the shutdown and is not somehow connected to the NRA's political arm or the Republicans in Harrisburg." That isn't an argument, it is showmanship . I really can't answer that question, just like you can't answer this question--
Find me proof that all of the 2,000,000 licensed hunters in PA were satisfied that weekend?
But, I cared about the shutdown. I'm not a Republican. I'm not connected to the NRA. I think hunters, who's fees pay for wildlife preservation, open space preservation and ecological preservation, should be considered. The Game Commission's operating budget is not supported by tax dollars, but by fees and private foundations. Read:
"Created in 1895 as an independent state agency, the Game Commission is responsible for conserving and managing all wild birds and mammals in the Commonwealth, establishing hunting seasons and bag limits, enforcing hunting and trapping laws, and managing habitat on the 1.4 million acres of State Game Lands it has purchased over the years with hunting and furtaking license dollars to safeguard wildlife habitat. The agency also conducts numerous wildlife conservation programs for schools, civic organizations and sportsmen's clubs.
The Game Commission does not receive any general state taxpayer dollars for its annual operating budget. The agency is funded by license sales revenues; the state's share of the federal Pittman-Robertson program, which is an excise tax collected through the sale of sporting arms and ammunition; and monies from the sale of oil, gas, coal, timber and minerals derived from State Game Lands."
If you want legitimate debate, ask questions that can be answered. Not questions you don't even know the answers to.
I am working to elect Larry Farnese to the General Assembly. Unless otherwise expressly stated, this and every comment or blog I post on YPP and any action I take hereon is solely attributable to me and not Farnese or Friends of Farnese
Getting back to the point....
Look, here is the point of my op-ed, which has gotten lost in this discussion:
Gun owners will respond to these stories, and we might have a chance at convincing them that they should help. The most important thing is to connect with people across the state and generate popular support for the restrictions on guns that we so desperately need to save lives now. Sadly, the human element is often lost because shrill voices dominate the debate.
If we go to rural areas, we can organize around this issue and find allies. That's the point.
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Gaetano, Why would Rendell
Gaetano,
Why would Rendell want to inflame parts of the State he would needs for the support of his big initiatives? And, if he really was going to stick it to people in other parts of the State, wouldn't he do it for something that actually had a tangible net benefit to him or his cause?
You are saying this is 'typical politician' or whatever. But what typical politician would stir up trouble for himself, over something that has little impact, right when he is trying to pass signature legislation?
I started this thread off by saying:
"You fail to understand the main objection to the shutdown by "average folk." The primary reason Rendell was criticized was not because of the shutdown, but because of the timing of the shutdown--on the first weekend, or just at the eve of the start of hunting season. It was seen as a very spiteful time to shut the database down for "maintence" and upgrades when that could have been done all summer long! I agreed with this position. Rendell is not a saint, he was trying to prove a point and was playing politics--and maybe he was successful. But, the objection by hunters and trappers was valid."
I was attempting to clarify something Ben did not seen to capture in his post. I provided that perception was the issue.
I think Rendell was trying to one-up groups like the NRA--using the power of the state in a legal way to stop gun sales for a period of time. Perhaps it was innocent. But, as none of us are Rendell or his adminstration--we're all guessing.
Rendell's biggest initiatives so far have been relatively non-controversial, except for casinos and, for some, putting tolls along I-80. I think he wants to pass gun control legislation. And, by shutting the system down that weekend, as opposed to the one before it, or the one before that, or the one before that, I think he may have wanted to gauge the reaction. In doing so, he caused a bit of a stir, but also fished out fanatics. He may have been testing the waters among the actual populace in a moderately political way. Rendell is not a dumb or uncalculating man. He just isn't. And, having worked directly with his office on this casino stuff, I know that for sure. As frustrating as it is, he is an excellent politician.
Just my OPINION, I could be wrong.
I am working to elect Larry Farnese to the General Assembly. Unless otherwise expressly stated, this and every comment or blog I post on YPP and any action I take hereon is solely attributable to me and not Farnese or Friends of Farnese