Cicilline Bill Takes On Longtime Need for Responsible Gun Control Measures
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Durbin made his remark in 2000 to mark the one-year anniversary of the Columbine tragedy and the failure of the House to pass legislation that would have mandated background checks for gun buyers at gun shows; trigger locks; and the end to sales of high-capacity ammunition clips.
Just over a decade after Durbin delivered those remarks, Americans learned to their horror that a gunman, armed with those high-capacity ammo clips that Durbin warned about, sprayed bullet after bullet – 31 bullets in total -- through a crowd gathered to speak to their Congresswoman in Tucson. As the tragedy played out on TVs across the country, we learned that many had been injured and killed – among them, a nine-year-old girl whose laughter and dreams are now silenced forever.
Let’s be clear, the blame for what happened in Tucson lies solely with the perpetrator. But there can be little question that the number of innocent victims was increased by the shooter’s ability to fire a large number of bullets without having to stop and reload.
This week, recently elected Congressman David Cicilline announced he will continue his efforts to take on gun violence with legislation that calls for a 10-round-maximum – the same cap under the former federal assault weapons ban and the current standard for four states. Cicilline is no stranger to this issue. He helped found the Mayors’ Coalition against Illegal Guns and has seen first-hand, as a city mayor, the devastation these weapons can cause.
There will be some who will say Cicilline’s bill is taking away their Second Amendment Rights. No one is saying that people can’t engage in hunting or keep a weapon in their home (as long as it is safely secured), but like other Constitutional rights, the Supreme Court has recognized there are limits necessary for safety and the good of society. For example, despite the First Amendment, one cannot burn a cross on a front yard as that is a recognized form of hate speech.
In District of Columbia v. Heller, the Supreme Court struck down a law that prohibited handgun possession in the home. However, the court noted that “the right to keep and bear arms is not ‘a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any manner whatsoever and for whatever purpose.’” The Court in 2010 recently reaffirmed this in McDonald v. City of Chicago.
Granted, this bill probably faces an “uphill fight” in Congress given the power of the gun lobby, but isn’t it about time we all joined together and enacted reasonable, responsible measures to protect our citizens?
Rob Horowitz is a strategic and communications consultant who provides general consulting, public relations, direct mail services and polling for national and state issue organizations, various non-profits and elected officials and candidates. He is an Adjunct Professor of Political Science at the University of Rhode Island.
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Comments:
David Bibeault
8:21am on Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Another absolutely useless piece of legislation! Hey McFly, focus on cutting spending. The ONLY good thing about Cicilline in Washington is that he's in the minority party in the House so he can't do much damage and he can't do any more damage in Providence.
RI Taxpayer
9:48am on Tuesday, February 15, 2011
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I'm far from a Cicilline supporter. In fact, I still find it hard to believe that the voters in the first district considered him the best to represent them, but, I think having a 10 shot clip is a reasonable limit. In what scenario would you need more?
Gary Arnold
12:27pm on Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Watch and learn how the seeds of nothing are planted in the political garden, enter David Cicilline.
He will have his name attached to worthless legislation for the next 4 years, just as he did in RI.
His track record is an embarrassment and st a yoke around our necks for another 4 years. Whoever the voters were that voted for this waste is not excusable.
joe bernstein
6:51pm on Friday, February 18, 2011
Hey-ROB HORWITZ-it's not about deer,you fool.
It's about defending yourself.
Against whomever-a home invader or (God forbid)a government out of control.
If you want to rely on the mercy of others,good for you.
I'd sooner rely on a working firearm.
You'd be well advised not to try interfering with people like me.
We just want to be left alone.You social engineers have no place in the real world.
Ed Bowers
3:33pm on Tuesday, February 22, 2011
I have never accepted the concept of folks opposed to the 2nd Amendment. The actual meaning of gun control, to me, was best expressed by former Gov. Jessie Ventura. The ability to put two shots through the same hole. As to the theory that having a larger clip is somehow "unsafe", that makes not sense. When you have to defend yourself or your family or property you'd want whateve you needed to get that job done. Right now in the good ole USofA there are over 20,000 "gun control laws", how many do we need? Why, pray tell, do we not change all laws to include a mandatory sentence of 10 years for any crime committed using a firearm? And use it, not ignore the laws we already have. Gun control nuts are just that nuts. Compare all crimes here in RI to all crimes in say Texas you'll find the rate is lower there than here. Why? You can carry a weapon in Texas.