Repeal Dangerous ‘Gun-free Zones’; Help Protect All Citizens

There probably isn’t a person on the planet with a reasonable amount of mental capacity who doesn’t know that murder is wrong and, except when somehow sanctioned and excused by government officials, also illegal. Logically then, gun-free zone signs are useless for providing any amount of safety whatsoever; all the signs in the world will never stop the murderous attacks of the deranged, psychopaths, or those who are consumed with hatred.

In actuality, gun-free zones embolden criminals by assuring that no one in the immediate area could possibly counter their attacks and assaults, giving them free rein to commit their heinous atrocities. “Gun-free zone” signs are a notice to all that law-abiding folks have been disarmed. So, guaranteeing the right to keep and bear arms everywhere, particularly on school campuses where the majority of mass shootings and rampages have taken place in the last couple of decades, would certainly eliminate what is in reality a government-guaranteed safe zone for criminals. And that’s just what Congressman Ron Paul’s (R-Texas) newly introduced legislation would do.

The Citizens Protection Act of 2011, H.R. 2613, would see the end of these no-risk environments for those who don’t respect life, the law, or signage, and leave armed citizens to resist or even prevent violence if necessary. The H.R. 2613 bill would repeal the Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990 and make it possible for permit individuals, including teachers, to carry firearms. Once-vulnerable citizens would no longer be sitting ducks with law-abiding and armed folks on hand.

The federal government has, since the 1990 Act, overridden individual states’ concealed carry permits, and constitutional carry as well, with the criminal statute, so another benefit of H.R. 2613 passage would be the elimination of the federal crime statute for those states that permit carry/concealed carry through the gun-free zones. Currently those who carry through the gun-free zones can be subject to fines and jail time if they forget to leave their usual weapon of protection at home when just driving through, or dropping the kids off or picking them up again.

Imagine the difference at Columbine, Fort Hood, Virginia Tech or more recently in Ohio if even one armed citizen had been at the scene from the beginning. And imagine the difference the presence of firearms would have made at an event like the Wisconsin State Fair in Milwaukee, where an unruly mob attacked families for no reason. Perhaps even the sight of a gun would have been a deterrent to the beatings and assaults that took place while those who summoned police waited for them to respond and help.

Congressman Paul’s H.R. 2613 has no co-sponsors and is sitting in the House Judiciary Committee, So, it will take enormous grassroots pressure to bring this one out of committee. Contact your representatives in both the House and the Senate and get them to co-sponsor and support this logical proposal that upholds the constitutionally guaranteed right to keep and bear arms. To avoid any more shooter crises the only response is to neutralize the shooter, at the scene and with at least equal force.

Thanks.

Your friends at The John Birch Society