National Carry Academy20 Gun Safety Quotes That Influenced Gun Laws
August 11, 2016
America has the highest rate of gun ownership of any country in the world.
There are about 310 million guns in the U.S. America also has one of the highest homicide rates of all developed countries at 4.7 murders per 100,000 people. Interestingly enough, violent crime rates have been steadily decreasing in the U.S. since the early 1990’s. Here’s more information: Gun Control Around the World.
Those that are Pro-Gun advocate highlight that the reason violent crime rates are decreasing is because more individuals are arming themselves. However, Anti-Gun advocates point to the high rate of homicide in the U.S. and state it is because so many individuals own firearms.
Here are the five major federal laws that regulate firearm ownership, carrying and sales and the quotes that led to the implementation of those laws:
(1)The National Firearms Act of 1934 restricts civilians from owning automatic weapons, short-barreled shotguns, hand grenades, and other powerful arms.
“I want to make it as hard as possible. Gun owners would have
to be evaluated by how they scored on written and firing tests, and have to pass the tests in order to own a gun. And I would tax the guns, bullets and the license itself very heavily. “ –Joycelyn Elders (b. 1933)
(2)The Gun Control Act of 1968 focuses on commerce. It prohibits mail-order sales of weapons, and requires anyone in the business of selling guns to be federally licensed and keep permanent sales records. It also prohibits knowingly selling a gun to those with prior criminal records, minors, individuals with mental health problems, and a few other categories of people. Additionally, it made It illegal to carry a firearm in a Federal Facility.
“We are inclined to think that every firearm in the hands of anyone who is not a law enforcement officer constitutes an incitement to violence. Let’s come to our senses before the whole country starts shooting itself up on all its Main Streets in a delirious kind of High Noon.” –Editor, Washington Post, 8/19/65.
(3) The Gun Free School Zones Act of 1990 made it illegal to carry a firearm in a school zone.
(4) The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993 requires licensed gun dealers to perform background checks. Background checks are not required for private gun sales (though, as mentioned above, it’s still a crime to knowingly sell a gun to someone with a criminal record). In the United States, civilians are not allowed to possess machine-guns, sawn-off shotguns and rifles, silencers, and armour-piercing ammunition without appropriate registration to ensure privacy, Section 103(i) of the Act prevents the Federal government from keeping the names submitted for background checks, or using this information to create any sort of registry of gun owners.
“If I were writing the Bill of Rights now there wouldn’t be any such thing as the Second Amendment… This has been the subject of one of the greatest pieces of fraud, I repeat the word ‘fraud’, on the American public by special interest groups that I have ever seen in my lifetime. The real purpose of the Second Amendment was to ensure that state armies – the militia – would be maintained for the defense of the state. The very language of the Second Amendment refutes any argument that it was intended to guarantee every citizen an unfettered right to any kind of weapon he or she desires.” –Warren Burger, former U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice, Parade Magazine, 1/14/90
“I think you have to do it a step at a time and I think that is what the NRA is most concerned about, is that it will happen one very small step at a time, so that by the time people have “woken up” — quote — to what’s happened, it’s gone farther than what they feel the consensus of American citizens would be. But it does have to go one step at a time and the beginning of the banning of semi-assault military weapons, that are military weapons, not “household” weapons, is the first step.” –ABC News Special, Mayor Barbara Fass of Stockton,CA, April 11, 1991,
“Mr. speaker, we must take swift and strong action if we are to rescue the next generation from the rising tide of armed violence. That is why today I am introducing the Handgun Control Act of 1992. This legislation would outlaw the possession, importation, transfer or manufacture of a handgun except for use by public agencies, individuals who can demonstrate to their local police chief that they need a gun because of threat to their life or the life of a family member, licensed guard services, licensed pistol clubs which keep the weapons securely on premises, licensed manufacturers and licensed gun dealers.” -Rep. Stephen J. Solarz, 8/12/92.
“There is no reason for anyone in the country, for anyone except a police officer or a military person, to buy, to own, to have, to use, a handgun. I used to think handguns could be controlled by laws about registration, by laws requiring waiting periods for purchasers, by laws making sellers check out the past of buyers. I think the only way to control handgun use in this country is to prohibit the guns.” –Michael Gartner, President, NBC News, in USA Today, 1/16/92.
“Why should America adopt a policy of near-zero tolerance for private gun ownership? Because it’s the only alternative to the present insanity. Without both strict limits on access to new weapons and aggressive efforts to reduce the supply of existing weapons, no one can be safer.” -Editorial, Los Angeles Times, 12/28/93.
“Should we have background checks, waiting periods? To drive a car you have to pass a test that shows you know how to drive your car safely, you should have to do the same thing with guns.” –Michael D. Barnes
“Banning guns addresses a fundamental right of all Americans to feel safe.” -Dianne Feinstein
(5) From 1994 to 2004, the Federal Assault Weapons Ban prohibited the sale and manufacture of semi-automatic weapons (in which each pull of the trigger fires one shot) with various military features such as large-capacity magazines and pistol grips. It was still legal to keep previously owned weapons. The law expired in 2004 due to a built-in “sunset” clause.
“This is a matter of vital importance to the public safety … While we recognize that assault-weapon legislation will not stop all assault-weapon crime, statistics prove that we can dry up the supply of these guns, making them less accessible to criminals.” -Ronald Reagan
“The great majority of Americans are saying they favor gun control when they really mean gun banishment … I think the country has long been ready to restrict the use of guns, except for hunting rifles and shotguns, and I think we’re prepared to get rid of the damned things entirely – the handguns, the semis and the automatics.” -Roger Rosenblatt, Time Magazine, 8/9/99.
“We have to fulfill what the real meaning of the Second Amendment is: reasonable access to guns for self-protection and for hunting. And there’s no room in America for these semiautomatic, automatic and other kinds of weapons that are simply designed to cause mass havoc.” -Alan Dershowitz
“Yes, people pull the trigger-but guns are the instrument of death. Gun control is necessary, and delay means more death and horror. “ –Eliot Spitzer
“If you reduce the guns and the ammo, you’ll reduce the murders.” –Michael Moore
“We have to start with a ban on the manufacturing and import of handguns. From there we register the guns which are currently owned, and follow that with additional bans and acquisitions of handguns and rifles with no sporting purpose.” –Major Owens, US Representative from New York
“It doesn’t matter if gun violence is down. We need to get guns and bullets and automatic weapons off the streets”. -Don Lemon
“I think that we should ban so-called junk guns. I think we should ban assault weapons like the weapons used here [in Fort Worth], yes. I think that the kinds of weapons that have no legitimate use for hunting or the kind of weapon that a homeowner would use, I think they should be banned, yes, those kind of weapons.” -Al Gore
“Assault weapons pose a grave threat to all Americans, but most especially to law enforcement officers on our city streets.” -Dianne Feinstein
“Semi-automatic weapons are not just about gun control, they’re about national security. You know that these weapons can shoot down airplanes, they can blow up railroads. This is really a whole national security issue.” -Jesse Jackson
20 Gun Safety Quotes That Influenced Gun Laws
August 11, 2016
America has the highest rate of gun ownership of any country in the world.
There are about 310 million guns in the U.S. America also has one of the highest homicide rates of all developed countries at 4.7 murders per 100,000 people. Interestingly enough, violent crime rates have been steadily decreasing in the U.S. since the early 1990’s. Here’s more information: Gun Control Around the World.
Those that are Pro-Gun advocate highlight that the reason violent crime rates are decreasing is because more individuals are arming themselves. However, Anti-Gun advocates point to the high rate of homicide in the U.S. and state it is because so many individuals own firearms.
Here are the five major federal laws that regulate firearm ownership, carrying and sales and the quotes that led to the implementation of those laws:
(1)The National Firearms Act of 1934 restricts civilians from owning automatic weapons, short-barreled shotguns, hand grenades, and other powerful arms.
“I want to make it as hard as possible. Gun owners would have
to be evaluated by how they scored on written and firing tests, and have to pass the tests in order to own a gun. And I would tax the guns, bullets and the license itself very heavily. “ –Joycelyn Elders (b. 1933)
(2)The Gun Control Act of 1968 focuses on commerce. It prohibits mail-order sales of weapons, and requires anyone in the business of selling guns to be federally licensed and keep permanent sales records. It also prohibits knowingly selling a gun to those with prior criminal records, minors, individuals with mental health problems, and a few other categories of people. Additionally, it made It illegal to carry a firearm in a Federal Facility.
“We are inclined to think that every firearm in the hands of anyone who is not a law enforcement officer constitutes an incitement to violence. Let’s come to our senses before the whole country starts shooting itself up on all its Main Streets in a delirious kind of High Noon.” –Editor, Washington Post, 8/19/65.
(3) The Gun Free School Zones Act of 1990 made it illegal to carry a firearm in a school zone.
(4) The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993 requires licensed gun dealers to perform background checks. Background checks are not required for private gun sales (though, as mentioned above, it’s still a crime to knowingly sell a gun to someone with a criminal record). In the United States, civilians are not allowed to possess machine-guns, sawn-off shotguns and rifles, silencers, and armour-piercing ammunition without appropriate registration to ensure privacy, Section 103(i) of the Act prevents the Federal government from keeping the names submitted for background checks, or using this information to create any sort of registry of gun owners.
“If I were writing the Bill of Rights now there wouldn’t be any such thing as the Second Amendment… This has been the subject of one of the greatest pieces of fraud, I repeat the word ‘fraud’, on the American public by special interest groups that I have ever seen in my lifetime. The real purpose of the Second Amendment was to ensure that state armies – the militia – would be maintained for the defense of the state. The very language of the Second Amendment refutes any argument that it was intended to guarantee every citizen an unfettered right to any kind of weapon he or she desires.” –Warren Burger, former U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice, Parade Magazine, 1/14/90
“I think you have to do it a step at a time and I think that is what the NRA is most concerned about, is that it will happen one very small step at a time, so that by the time people have “woken up” — quote — to what’s happened, it’s gone farther than what they feel the consensus of American citizens would be. But it does have to go one step at a time and the beginning of the banning of semi-assault military weapons, that are military weapons, not “household” weapons, is the first step.” –ABC News Special, Mayor Barbara Fass of Stockton,CA, April 11, 1991,
“Mr. speaker, we must take swift and strong action if we are to rescue the next generation from the rising tide of armed violence. That is why today I am introducing the Handgun Control Act of 1992. This legislation would outlaw the possession, importation, transfer or manufacture of a handgun except for use by public agencies, individuals who can demonstrate to their local police chief that they need a gun because of threat to their life or the life of a family member, licensed guard services, licensed pistol clubs which keep the weapons securely on premises, licensed manufacturers and licensed gun dealers.” -Rep. Stephen J. Solarz, 8/12/92.
“There is no reason for anyone in the country, for anyone except a police officer or a military person, to buy, to own, to have, to use, a handgun. I used to think handguns could be controlled by laws about registration, by laws requiring waiting periods for purchasers, by laws making sellers check out the past of buyers. I think the only way to control handgun use in this country is to prohibit the guns.” –Michael Gartner, President, NBC News, in USA Today, 1/16/92.
“Why should America adopt a policy of near-zero tolerance for private gun ownership? Because it’s the only alternative to the present insanity. Without both strict limits on access to new weapons and aggressive efforts to reduce the supply of existing weapons, no one can be safer.” -Editorial, Los Angeles Times, 12/28/93.
“Should we have background checks, waiting periods? To drive a car you have to pass a test that shows you know how to drive your car safely, you should have to do the same thing with guns.” –Michael D. Barnes
“Banning guns addresses a fundamental right of all Americans to feel safe.” -Dianne Feinstein
(5) From 1994 to 2004, the Federal Assault Weapons Ban prohibited the sale and manufacture of semi-automatic weapons (in which each pull of the trigger fires one shot) with various military features such as large-capacity magazines and pistol grips. It was still legal to keep previously owned weapons. The law expired in 2004 due to a built-in “sunset” clause.
“This is a matter of vital importance to the public safety … While we recognize that assault-weapon legislation will not stop all assault-weapon crime, statistics prove that we can dry up the supply of these guns, making them less accessible to criminals.” -Ronald Reagan
“The great majority of Americans are saying they favor gun control when they really mean gun banishment … I think the country has long been ready to restrict the use of guns, except for hunting rifles and shotguns, and I think we’re prepared to get rid of the damned things entirely – the handguns, the semis and the automatics.” -Roger Rosenblatt, Time Magazine, 8/9/99.
“We have to fulfill what the real meaning of the Second Amendment is: reasonable access to guns for self-protection and for hunting. And there’s no room in America for these semiautomatic, automatic and other kinds of weapons that are simply designed to cause mass havoc.” -Alan Dershowitz
“Yes, people pull the trigger-but guns are the instrument of death. Gun control is necessary, and delay means more death and horror. “ –Eliot Spitzer
“If you reduce the guns and the ammo, you’ll reduce the murders.” –Michael Moore
“We have to start with a ban on the manufacturing and import of handguns. From there we register the guns which are currently owned, and follow that with additional bans and acquisitions of handguns and rifles with no sporting purpose.” –Major Owens, US Representative from New York
“It doesn’t matter if gun violence is down. We need to get guns and bullets and automatic weapons off the streets”. -Don Lemon
“I think that we should ban so-called junk guns. I think we should ban assault weapons like the weapons used here [in Fort Worth], yes. I think that the kinds of weapons that have no legitimate use for hunting or the kind of weapon that a homeowner would use, I think they should be banned, yes, those kind of weapons.” -Al Gore
“Assault weapons pose a grave threat to all Americans, but most especially to law enforcement officers on our city streets.” -Dianne Feinstein
“Semi-automatic weapons are not just about gun control, they’re about national security. You know that these weapons can shoot down airplanes, they can blow up railroads. This is really a whole national security issue.” -Jesse Jackson