Although we did this as a lark, with tongue firmly in cheek, it captures
fundamental principles that need rekindling through legislation. The irony
helps make points we miss when we take ourselves too seriously. We're looking
for a mood that's just been missing lately. If you tear these apart on
technical grounds, instead of using them as springboards, you've missed
the point. On a more serious note, see specific model legislation for your state.
Experts are anticipating a flood of new anti-rights legislation from
people irrationally terrified of guns (hoplophobes). That flow should be met head-on with measures
blatantly supportive of individual rights, in defense of the personal liberties
we anchor for the rest of the world.
Sunshine Gun Laws are:
"An alternative to the withering onslaught
of non-stop rights-infringing unconstitutional
bafflegab you have grown to expect."
"A refreshing return to the spirit and vitality
that founded this nation."
§ POOR-MAN'S-GUN-BAN BAN
Congress shall make no law restricting a person who may drive an inexpensive
car, watch an inexpensive TV or eat inexpensive food, from buying an inexpensive
gun. It is the belief of Congress that a family living in a slum has as
much right to protect itself as homeowners in suburbia. Racist measures
seeking to allow only large expensive guns are a national disgrace.
§ PRESUMPTION OF INNOCENCE ACT
If a person who has obtained a court order of protection shoots the
person against whom the order is issued, and the shooting occurs within
the protective zone prescribed by the order, there is an automatic legal
presumption that the shooting is justified as self defense.
§ DOMESTIC ABUSE INTERVENTION PROGRAM
This offers free defensive shooting training for any woman or man who
has obtained a court order of protection against another person. Includes
free loaner gun and supply of ammunition. Anyone protected under such an
order is declared exempt from any firearm waiting periods, as previously
guaranteed under the Brady law (18 USC §922 (s)(1)(B), GLOA p.
164), for people who are under a recognized serious threat. Any attempt
to renew the Brady waiting period should include the exemption for anyone
in a life-threatening situation. A court order of protection automatically
qualifies for such exemption.
§ AMMO STAMPS FOR THE INDIGENT
The nation's poor need firearms safety training as much as any other
part of the populace. This bill would subsidize ammunition for training
and defensive use, for people below the federal poverty line.
§ HIGHER EDUCATION SAFETY INITIATIVE
Under this program, any state whose state university offers classes
in women's and men's self-defense, and firearms-safety training, will continue
to receive its federal highway funds.
§ THE AMERICAN PERMIT RECOGNITION PLAN
A U.S. citizen with a firearm permit cannot be prevented from exercising
that permit, as defined by its issuers, anywhere in the U.S., its possessions
or territories. (The U.N. version of this bill says, "anywhere in
the world.")
§ PEACEFUL ENJOYMENT OF FIRING RANGE ACTS
A person who knowingly moves within audible or shooting distance of
a firing range, or audible range of an airport, has no standing to bring
noise or operating complaints against a firing range or airport, and incurs
a civil fine by doing so.
§ DESIGNATED DEFENSE ATTORNEY
In the wake of lethal hostilities against attorneys, a tax credit will
be provided to all law firms that have an armed lawyer on site, with additional
credit for additional armed employees, if they are trained for tactical
response.
§ AFFIRMATIVE ACTION FOR CONCEALED-HANDGUN
PERMITS
Arguing that carry permits discriminate against the poor, and that the
ultimate goal of permits is to disarm minorities who cannot expend the
time or money to obtain them, this bill calls for unfunded federal mandates
to ensure diversity in permit issuance.
Basically, this says if a person has a gun, the person isn't a criminal,
and the gun isn't illegal, then that is not a crime, and there are no grounds
for arrest or harassment, based solely on the presence of firearms. Applies
the 14th Amendment—no state can deny the rights of an American citizen—to
the Second Amendment. See the complete description and draft language at https://www.bloomfieldpress.com/lostcry.htm.
§ RECORD KEEPING FOR JUSTIFIABLE HOMICIDE
ACT
Legitimate self defense is not a crime, and as a result, the countless
cases that occur go unreported in most statistical work. This bill requires
full data acquisition and disclosure of events where firearms are used
righteously.
§ NATIONAL SAFETY TRAINING AFFIDAVIT
To encourage education and safety, and incentivize responsible behavior,
anyone who can produce documents indicating they have received firearms-safety
training, will be granted a 2% credit on their current year's income tax.
The size of the credit increases as certificates for subsequent years are
filed. The cost of the training is, of course, also deductible.
§ WORK RELIEF TRAINING INCENTIVE
Paid time-off from work for concealed-handgun carry training and marksmanship
qualification is provided in this bill. Qualified marksman receive preferential
treatment for other government services.
§ SPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT
An ammunition and range building subsidy to encourage and enable wholesome
inter-scholastic shooting competition.
§ FEDERALLY FUNDED SHOOTING RANGE PROGRAM
Numerous federally funded indoor and outdoor ranges, operated under
contract by private enterprise, provide a clean, safe, wholesome environment
for enjoyment of the shooting sports, and emergency preparedness. Opens
virtually all federal ranges to citizens' uses, with access process spelled
out.
§ POLITICIAN AND CITIZEN EQUITY ACT
Any actions taken by any politicians to enhance their own ability to
keep and bear arms, or to be protected from harm by others, or to be exempt
from firearms restrictions, or any other gun something we haven't thought
of yet but that politicians may develop, shall apply equally to every other
American. The federal employees protection act, 18 USC 1114, which makes
it a greater crime to attack a federal employee than a regular citizen,
is repealed. We're in the same boat, brother.
§ HOW TO FIELD STRIP BASIC PERSONAL WEAPONS,
GRADES K THROUGH 12
The Iraqis and the Iranians, as well as Hamas, Hezbollah and the rest, we are told in the news, train their school kids and moms
to shoot AK-47s. Why should they benefit from training our families don't
get.
§ FEDERAL PROVISION OF SURPLUS FIREARMS
TO QUALIFIED PUBLIC RECIPIENTS
This is essentially under way, although haltingly, with the century-old
Civilian Marksmanship Program, and gets a boost here with new funding.
§ THE GUN-PROOF SCHOOL ZONES ACT
Schools shall maintain a tactical school-incident response team. In
the wake of wildly violent and premeditated atrocities at schools, and
threats by terrorists, teachers will all be trained in self-defense techniques,
with a core of educators, or at the school board's discretion, a team of
professionals, on site at any time school grounds are occupied, prepared
for armed response to armed attacks. The successful model of the Israelis,
which has all but eliminated terrorist attacks on schools there, shall
be considered in program design.
§ SAFETY TRAINING RECOGNITION ACT
Any organization that has trained at least 1,000 individuals in the
safe use of firearms shall be eligible for a grant, which may be used in
the study of more effective ways to teach safe use of firearms. Any individual
who has personally trained at least 100 people shall be eligible for a
similar grant. The size of the grant shall be proportional to the numbers
of people trained.
§ SCHOOL RECERTIFICATION PROGRAM
Any school seeking to maintain certification with a nationally recognized
school certification body, shall, as a prerequisite to scholastic certification,
include in its curriculum a minimum of one beginner, one intermediate and
one advanced class in firearms safety and use. The principal and the school
board members of a school may be held liable if a student from that school
suffers a self-inflicted gunshot wound, and the school had no gun-safety
program.
§ NON-CRIME PROTECTION BILL
A person must do something inherently wrong before being held guilty
of committing a crime. Possession of private property, in the absence of
any directly aggravating, harmful-to-others circumstances, is not illegal.
§ CITY LIMITS LAW
No city or other jurisdictional body shall make any law regulating guns
within its area of jurisdiction, that is suspected in any way of failing
to fully comply with the people's constitutionally guaranteed and inalienable
right to keep and bear arms.
§ ANTIQUATED EXCISE TAX REPEAL
The excise taxes on firearms and ammunition, in place since the 1930s and no longer
justifiable, are repealed.
§ SURPLUS AMMO DISPENSATION PROGRAM
The Pentagon, acknowledging that it makes—and then destroys—more ammunition
than it uses, will begin giving dated batches of small-arms munitions to
America's private and public ranges, for free on-range use.
§ FRIVOLOUS SUIT PROTECTION PLAN
Any group that is found to have frivolously sued another party in an
effort to subordinate the constitutional right to keep and bear arms, shall
be liable for attorneys fees and treble damages.
This law may be referred to as "The Balance of Power Act."
The policy of the United States is to help arm people and their governments
against threats to their personal or national safety. Funding for the arming
of foreign government authorities shall not take place without commensurate
arming of the civilian populations from whom those governments receive
their moral authority to exist and serve.
In enacting this important law, the Congress recognizes that the overwhelming
cause of inflicted deaths among innocent individuals is not from crime,
passion or wackos, but from savagery inflicted by government, or in its
name. The wisdom of providing a means for defending against such unprincipled
viciousness is self-evident, and in doing so, we live up to the principles
the Founding Fathers envisioned for the peoples of our own precious nation.
§ STUDY OF GLOBAL GUN PROHIBITIONIST ACTIVITIES
There shall be made available the sum of $210 million for a five-year
study on gun-repression and related tyrannical activity, of all governments
of the world, with respect to the availability of arms to the people of
the world. No nation shall be declared democratic, and cloaked with the
respectability of a dignified government, unless its people enjoy protections
equal to or greater than the U.S. Bill of Rights.
§ FEDERAL FIREARMS POLICY, PART I
The United States believes that a totally disarmed world, without weapons
of any kind in anyone's hands, in an age of true enlightenment, global
prosperity, enduring peace and crimelessness, might be nice.
Until such time, the United States stands for global disarmament, bad
guys first. When all the bad guys are certifiably disarmed, come talk to
the rest of us. Every effort that disarms bad guys has the unwavering support
of this country. Any measure that tends to disarm honest people, or restrict
their ability to keep and bear arms, is contrary to the purposes of the
United States, and is null and void.
Any politician who proposes disarming the public, even incrementally,
while leaving arms in the hands of the "proper authorities" or
criminals, shall be subject to prosecution for violation of oath of office.
§ INTERNATIONAL SECOND AMENDMENT POSTURE
OF THE UNITED STATES
No nation has the right to keep and bear arms unless its people also
have the right to keep and bear arms. Or do you secretly hold to the theory
that people are too stupid to responsibly have guns—or even to self-govern
really—and only the rulers should be armed? If the people are incapable or too stupid to keep and bear arms, by what measure are those in power better suited to keep and bear arms?
Permission to reprint this article is granted to non-profit organizations,
provided credit is given to Alan Korwin and Mark Moritz, Phoenix, Ariz.,
and please send us a copy.
Copyright 1999 Alan Korwin and Mark Moritz
For Publication, 1,916 Words
One-time North American Serial Rights
ALAN KORWIN is the author of seven best-selling books on gun law, including
"Gun Laws of America—Every Federal Gun Law on the Books, with Plain
English Summaries," and state gun guides for AZ, CA, FL, TX, VA.
MARK MORITZ is a certified firearms instructor and an attorney licensed
to practice in Arizona.
This paper is part of an ongoing series, click Position Papers on our
home page, or write or call for copies.