While proponents of the new voter ID laws claim that the collateral damage incurred by suppressing the freedom of Americans to vote is worth the cost because it will stop voter fraud.
The very same voter fraud where zero credible evidence has been demonstrated of fraud meaningful enough to alter any election. The only evidence offered to date has been what amounts to registration fraud perpetrated in six states by the Republicans. Most likely as a straw man to support their continued voter suppression efforts. Today there is either precinct, county, congressional district or a state wide database of all registered voters in all fifty states. In Florida this database is accessible to anyone associated with a political organization that requests it. The same political party that has been insisting that voter fraud is so rampant implemented draconian registration processes that would have disenfranchised a significant numbers of voters in the 2012 election.
Map of states with Voter ID laws
The very same political party that has been insisting that voter fraud is so pervasive that citizens must relinquish their Constitutional right to cast a ballot, argues that an individual right to buy, sell collect and use weapons of mass murder without ANY restrictions, registrations or background checks shall not be infringed. The list of documents required to vote in many states are inaccessible to many of the elderly or poor families in our state, yet any breathing, human without any training or background check of previous criminal behavior can purchase military style weapons in any quantity. Even when a background check is warranted that document must be destroyed within 48 hours. These guns will never be registered in any database accessible to another state or their law enforcement agencies. When it is necessary to trace a weapon involved in a crime the process relies on paper documents stored in boxes in individual jurisdictions. An investigator or detective must place calls to the gun manufacturer in many cases to begin the labor intensive task of following the trail of a weapon. Imagine if we had to tie up resources like that to investigate a traffic accident, a mugging or a burglary. We have implemented ‘stand your ground’ laws here so convoluted that if the Sandy Hook Elementary school massacre had taken place in Florida and a teacher or some of those 6 year children had rushed their assailant here he could have claimed self defense. Pediatricians in Florida risk being arrested and fined when, out of safety concerns for their patients, they ask the children or parents if they own a firearm. If they enter any of that conversation into their medical files to be available for other doctors to see they are in violation of the law. Luckily a federal judge has blocked that law, but our legislature hasn’t given up.
Isn’t the very reason the NRA fights for the 2nd Amendment so ferociously is that the very act of owning a gun somehow promotes individual safety? Their logic is that if everybody (i.e. the good guys) owns and carries a weapon the bad guys will go elsewhere. So if ‘everybody’ is packing here where is that ‘elsewhere’ that the NRA speaks of? I may not want my children or grandchildren to grow up where the ‘bad guys’ go and I’m not so sure I want us to be where ‘everybody’ is armed and dangerous even if they are ‘good guys’. Sounds like the weapons manufactures would like to sell more guns. By the way, where are the weapons manufacturer’s spokesmen after four mass murders this year alone (Spoiler alert, the NRA is actually the spokesmen, marketing and lobbying arm of the manufacturers)? A company that produces toys (Hasbro, Fisher-Price, Ideal, Mattel, etc.) when they’ve discovered lead or melamine in their product, they are responsible enough to come forward with a recall or a safety fix for their product. It’s not only the ethical thing to do it has the ‘side effect’ of being good for business. Recalls are issued regularly from automobile companies and are often sued when they act irresponsible. Good ethical policy translates into more business. We get crickets from the manufacturer of the most deadly of products. They rely on the NRA to help sell more guns, ethics be damned.
As is my constitutional right and with an ever growing headwind of impediments, I cast my vote on November 6, 2012, as I have done so many times in previous elections and no one died as a result of my right to vote. The right of an individual to own one to fifty weapons and stockpile unlimited amounts of ammunition trumps any other safety concerns in America in spite of 30,000 gun related murders and suicides each year. Apparently it trumps all other rights as well.
Just saw a not-so-funny bumper sticker on a pickup truck the other day that said ‘The voices in my head told me to go home and clean my guns’.
Map of states with concealed carry laws
Peace and have a Happier New Year.