Pressure to end gun violence in every state

Nancy Varvil opinion echo published in the Santa Fe New Mexican newspaper:

Defeating the gun lobby's guns everywhere agenda

Speak up for gun safety by calling lawmakers.

New Mexico has the eighth-highest rate of gun deaths in the United States. Guns ! Not diseases, are the leading cause of death among American children, and firearm death rates are at their highest level in almost three decades, according to research from Every Town for Gun Safety.

A handy gun can make a family quarrel, a spell of depression or a child’s curiosity more deadly. And deaths are just the obvious damage from guns. Think of all the families of those killed and the lasting emotional damage to those who have observed gun violence.

We, as Americans, have a second amendment right to bear arms. But do we really think it is more important that we all have unlimited use of our guns - or, that we are safe from the havoc that full access to guns is causing? Maybe it’s time to voluntarily restrict some rights so that more of us can be safe from the violence that results from ready access to guns.

Would restrictions reduce gun violence?

Apparently, yes, restrictions can work to reduce gun violence. California has the most gun restrictions in the country and also has one of the lowest death rates from guns, according to research from The Science of Gun Policy by RAND and other groups. Since the early 1990s, California has cut its gun death rate in half, data shows.

In New Mexico, the legislators are heeding their constituents’ calls to do something. They proposed the following laws related to guns: 

• House Bill 9 controls unlawful access by minors; 
• House Bill 50 bans large capacity magazines for guns; 
• Senate Bill 95 sets standards for school safety from guns; 
• Senate Bill 114 bans concealed-carry in bars and restaurants;
• Senate Bill 252 prescribes law enforcement procedures related to use-of-force, and 
• Senate Bill 116 makes it a crime for any person under 21 years of age to purchase or possess an automatic or semiautomatic firearm or a firearm capable of accepting a large-capacity magazine.
  
  Although not all of these bills will pass.  Unfortunately, some have been set aside already. But at least New Mexico lawmakers are hearing their constituents — and now we must speak up to make sure they know what voters want.

For the safety and emotional health of all of us, let’s contact our legislators (nmlegis.gov/Members/Find_My_Legislator) to ask them to support measures to reduce gun violence in New Mexico.

New Mexico can become a leader in gun violence prevention.

Nancy Varvil is a native of the Arkansas Ozarks and has lived in Santa Fe for five years.

Michael Bloomberg excercising free speech to stand up for gun safety while National Rifle Association complains

Free speech in America is a right for all citizens to appreciate and enjoy. Therefore, when the US Supreme Court equated money with free speech, it made perfect sense for former New York City mayor and billionaire Michael Bloomberg to exercise his right under the Constitution, to give money for the purpose of fighting gun violence. It's his free speech right.

In other words, the National Rifle Association (NRA) has the right to support unmitigated access to assault weapons used to kill people, as interpreted by the Second Amendment. Likewise, Michael Bloomberg exercised his free speech rights to oppose unregulated access to guns used to kill people. He gave money to "Every Town for Gun Safety" and to oppose the unlimited sale of assault weapons.

Bloomberg's right to spend his money to exercise free speech rights has raised the ire of the NRA. Now, the NRA will be challenged by the grass roots movement that Bloomberg's free speech money is funding. Finally, the NRA will have competition over the influence they exhibit with politicians who, as a result of strong arm tactics aka "campaign donations" are left powerless to support gun regulations.

CNN reports -- Michael Bloomberg is investing a chunk of his personal fortune to minimize the influence of the National Rifle Association.

The former New York City mayor pledged $50 million to his new group Everytown for Gun Safety, an umbrella organization for his two other gun control groups: Mayors Against Illegal Guns and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. It aims to make the political climate more supportive of gun control.

The new organization plans to compete against the NRA by adopting its playbook. The NRA has built an impressive and effective organization that touts millions of members, a robust lobbying organization and a massive campaign arm.

"You've got to work at it piece by piece," Bloomberg told the The New York Times.

Thank you Michael Bloomberg.  Finally, somebody is standing up for those who are harmed and murdered in preventable gun violence. Rather than obsessing about Second Amendment rights, the Every Town for Gun Safety intends to prevent the useless loss of life because of zealots who believe guns are more important than protecting the lives of innocent victims.