by Stephon Johnson
June 2, 2022
Gavel in front of a pistol. Gun laws and legislation concept. Credit: Courtesy of: vhcal
It’s the nightmare of any Democratic-dominated state or big city. These already have issues with guns being imported from states with looser laws.
A U.S. Supreme Court case could forever alter how America operates in the decades to come.
In New York State Rifle & Pistol Assn. vs. Bruen, gun owners go virtually face-to-face with Democrat-dominated states and cities over the right to bear arms in public. The NRA and Co. is touting the second amendment as backup in their argument. States like New York and California don’t allow gun owners to carry in public, but are allowed to keep them in the home. That is not good enough for the NRA. They believe that the law violates the second amendment.
During Monday’s news conference, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said City Hall and law enforcement need to stay alert. He said he’s prepared to take on real guns, ghost guns and all guns.
“Open carry is a crisis,” the mayor said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” program. “Can you imagine being on the four train as someone openly carrying a firearm? And then, we need to have the coordination between our ATF. Right now, we only have 2,400 ATF agents in our entire country. About 60 of them are here in New York. We have to double their size.” Adams then discussed the scenarios of gang members and other dangerous individuals carrying guns in public.
Guns are at the forefront of the American conversation after two high-profile incidents in May. Most recently, 18-year-old Salvador Ramos allegedly shot and killed 19 children (and several teachers) at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Like the tragedy in Sandy Hook, Ramos shot and killed his grandmother before making his way to the school. Ramos had allegedly shown signs of erratic and threatening behavior online, but was never reported to the authorities.
Before that, a tragic, racist shooting occurred in East Buffalo where 10 people were killed and three were wounded outside of a Tops supermarket in the predominantly-Black neighborhood. The shooter, 18-year-old Payton Gendron, drove three hours from Conklin (a town just south of Binghamton) to East Buffalo for the specific purpose of killing Black people. Both Ramos and Gendron allegedly detailed what they were planning on doing in manifestos/comments written online.
In April, 62-year-old Frank James allegedly fired 33 bullets from a handgun (and threw smoke grenades) that hit 10, but left several dozen injured during the mass escape out of the 36th Street subway station in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. He’d also posted videos online showcasing erratic behavior.
The challenge to New York’s gun laws are part of a strategy by gun owners to allow public carry all over the United States. As of this week, 25 of the 50 states (Georgia being the most recent one) have codified it into law.
This comes after the NRA lost a federal bankruptcy request after the group attempted to reorganize in Texas. New York State Attorney General Letitia James can now continue her process of possibly dissolving the organization. The NRA filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy in early 2022 to, according to the AG, avoid “New York’s enforcement action.”
In a 2016 report, the New York State Attorney General Office found that 74% of guns used in crimes between 2010 and 2015 were imported from areas that have less restrictive gun laws. Chicago, a place that’s become the go-to talking point for political conservatives, has suffered a similar fate. A 2017 Gun Trace Report by the Chicago Police Department, the University of Chicago Crime Lab and then mayor Rahm Emanuel, revealed that 60% of all guns that were recovered in the city came from out of state. Twenty percent of them came from Indiana, a state that has weaker gun laws.
In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott said that he was declaring Uvalde a disaster area and that the state would provide as much help as the city needs.
“The community of Uvalde has been left devastated by last week’s senseless act of violence at Robb Elementary School and should not have to encounter any difficulty in receiving the support needed to heal,” stated Abbott. “This disaster declaration frees up the many resources available through the State of Texas and local jurisdictions to continue providing much needed support to all who were impacted and work in the community unencumbered by regulations unnecessary to respond to this tragedy. All of Texas stands with Uvalde, and we are prepared to provide support through all available means.”
Several days after the shooting, the NRA held its annual meeting at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston. According to Google, it would take someone four hours to drive from Uvalde to Houston. Just one hour less than Gendron’s ride from Conklin to East Buffalo.
This is what’s at stake, in some people’s eyes, when it comes to New York State Rifle & Pistol Assn. vs. Bruen. The line between fostering and not fostering an environment for mayhem.
“Outside a salon. In a supermarket. A subway. A school. Gun violence pervades every corner of our communities because guns are perversely fetishized and endlessly accessible in our country,” stated New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams. “There will be explanations uncovered and excuses put forward for this inexcusable violence, but all are enabled by the weapons in the hands of a shooter, and the people and systems that put them there.”
It’s the nightmare of any Democratic-dominated state or big city. These already have issues with guns being imported from states with looser laws.
A U.S. Supreme Court case could forever alter how America operates in the decades to come.
In New York State Rifle & Pistol Assn. vs. Bruen, gun owners go virtually face-to-face with Democrat-dominated states and cities over the right to bear arms in public. The NRA and Co. is touting the second amendment as backup in their argument. States like New York and California don’t allow gun owners to carry in public, but are allowed to keep them in the home. That is not good enough for the NRA. They believe that the law violates the second amendment.
During Monday’s news conference, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said City Hall and law enforcement need to stay alert. He said he’s prepared to take on real guns, ghost guns and all guns.
“Open carry is a crisis,” the mayor said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” program. “Can you imagine being on the four train as someone openly carrying a firearm? And then, we need to have the coordination between our ATF. Right now, we only have 2,400 ATF agents in our entire country. About 60 of them are here in New York. We have to double their size.” Adams then discussed the scenarios of gang members and other dangerous individuals carrying guns in public.
Guns are at the forefront of the American conversation after two high-profile incidents in May. Most recently, 18-year-old Salvador Ramos allegedly shot and killed 19 children (and several teachers) at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Like the tragedy in Sandy Hook, Ramos shot and killed his grandmother before making his way to the school. Ramos had allegedly shown signs of erratic and threatening behavior online, but was never reported to the authorities.
Before that, a tragic, racist shooting occurred in East Buffalo where 10 people were killed and three were wounded outside of a Tops supermarket in the predominantly-Black neighborhood. The shooter, 18-year-old Payton Gendron, drove three hours from Conklin (a town just south of Binghamton) to East Buffalo for the specific purpose of killing Black people. Both Ramos and Gendron allegedly detailed what they were planning on doing in manifestos/comments written online.
In April, 62-year-old Frank James allegedly fired 33 bullets from a handgun (and threw smoke grenades) that hit 10, but left several dozen injured during the mass escape out of the 36th Street subway station in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. He’d also posted videos online showcasing erratic behavior.
The challenge to New York’s gun laws are part of a strategy by gun owners to allow public carry all over the United States. As of this week, 25 of the 50 states (Georgia being the most recent one) have codified it into law.
This comes after the NRA lost a federal bankruptcy request after the group attempted to reorganize in Texas. New York State Attorney General Letitia James can now continue her process of possibly dissolving the organization. The NRA filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy in early 2022 to, according to the AG, avoid “New York’s enforcement action.”
In a 2016 report, the New York State Attorney General Office found that 74% of guns used in crimes between 2010 and 2015 were imported from areas that have less restrictive gun laws. Chicago, a place that’s become the go-to talking point for political conservatives, has suffered a similar fate. A 2017 Gun Trace Report by the Chicago Police Department, the University of Chicago Crime Lab and then mayor Rahm Emanuel, revealed that 60% of all guns that were recovered in the city came from out of state. Twenty percent of them came from Indiana, a state that has weaker gun laws.
In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott said that he was declaring Uvalde a disaster area and that the state would provide as much help as the city needs.
“The community of Uvalde has been left devastated by last week’s senseless act of violence at Robb Elementary School and should not have to encounter any difficulty in receiving the support needed to heal,” stated Abbott. “This disaster declaration frees up the many resources available through the State of Texas and local jurisdictions to continue providing much needed support to all who were impacted and work in the community unencumbered by regulations unnecessary to respond to this tragedy. All of Texas stands with Uvalde, and we are prepared to provide support through all available means.”
Several days after the shooting, the NRA held its annual meeting at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston. According to Google, it would take someone four hours to drive from Uvalde to Houston. Just one hour less than Gendron’s ride from Conklin to East Buffalo.
This is what’s at stake, in some people’s eyes, when it comes to New York State Rifle & Pistol Assn. vs. Bruen. The line between fostering and not fostering an environment for mayhem.
“Outside a salon. In a supermarket. A subway. A school. Gun violence pervades every corner of our communities because guns are perversely fetishized and endlessly accessible in our country,” stated New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams. “There will be explanations uncovered and excuses put forward for this inexcusable violence, but all are enabled by the weapons in the hands of a shooter, and the people and systems that put them there.”
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