While states like Alabama, Ohio, and Indiana are working hard to expand and protect the Second Amendment rights of their residents, the Rhode Island legislature is bucking that trend and attempting to implement new draconian restrictions on gun owners. In the Newport Daily News, local resident Robert King explains why the proposed gun restrictions are a bad idea, writing:
Letters to the editor
Proposed gun control bills in RI are bad law
Supporters of the gun control bills at the Rhode Island legislature this year claim they will reduce gun violence. Experience shows they will not.
Similar laws enacted in other states have completely failed. Worse, the laws have had serious negative consequences.
Is our legislature smart enough to learn from the mistakes of other states?
Law enforcement statistics show that the vast majority of crimes involving firearms are committed by career criminals. They pay no attention to gun laws, including magazine capacity limits.
Gun control laws only affect law-abiding Rhode Islanders, making it more difficult for them to protect themselves against armed criminals. One bill would limit the number of rounds to 10. No knowledgeable firearms owner thinks that he will never need more than 10 rounds to protect himself and his family in a home invasion, carjacking, random shooting or robbery.
A ban on a type of rifle purposely mischaracterized by gun control supporters as an assault weapon is not only unwarranted but makes good people less able to protect themselves.
Gun control advocates claim that these AR-style rifles pose a huge danger to Rhode Islanders is false. I can find no evidence that one of these rifles has ever been used in a crime in this state. Not one. But they have been the most popular rifle for the past 20 years for hunting, competitions and home defense, particularly by men and women who find them easier to use safely than a handgun.
How have magazine limits, firearm bans and other gun control laws worked out in other states? Terribly. Connecticut enacted a rifle and magazine registration a few years back. To date more than 85% have refused to register. The high level of noncompliance in New York State is similar.
Several years ago New Jersey required all magazines that held more than 10 rounds be turned in. Not a single one has been surrendered. What good is an ineffective law? The only thing these laws ‘accomplished’ is to create hundreds of thousands of felons in Connecticut, New Jersey and New York.
Trying to reduce gun violence by passing laws that those committing most of the violence will disregard, that the public has shown it will ignore and that make it more difficult for good people to protect themselves is irresponsible lawmaking.
If you are concerned about the loss of your ability to protect yourself and your family that these laws would cause, consider contacting your representative and senator. You can get their email and phone number by calling the canvasing office in your municipality.
Robert King, Middletown, Rhode Island
Action Line: If your state is looking to restrict your freedoms and take away what you’ve worked hard for, you need to push back, or find a new place to live. If you’re hoping to move, start your search for a new home with my Super States. Whether you’re moving or not, it’s time to get your gun and your training now. It’s a lot harder for politicians to take your gun away than it is for them to prevent you from getting a new one. Better to have one now. If you’re serious about the fight for your rights, I’ll be with you the whole way. Click here to sign up for my free monthly Survive & Thrive letter, and Your Survival Guy will regularly check in to keep you motivated. But only if you’re serious.
