Housing Authorities Are Stripping The Poor of Second Amendment Rights?

On Wednesday May 26, 2010, The National Rifle Association (NRA) filed suit against the Wilmington Housing Authority of Wilmington, Delaware for prohibiting tenants from owning guns. Their argument is that such a policy is a violation of Second Amendment rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution specifically says, "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." Furthermore, in 2008 U.S. Supreme Court in The District of Columbia v. Heller, ruled that the Second Amendment secures an individuals right to own firearms. With that in their holsters, the NRA has also sued public housing authorities in San Francisco, Portland, Maine, Washington, DC and Newark, New Jersey.

While brilliant, the framers of the US Constitution were not visionaries in that they could predict that this would someday establish the land of milk and honey as the leader in per capita gun deaths among industrial nations. If they were, I am certain they would have added additional language to the protections to bear arms. Furthermore, the idea behind the Second Amendment had more to do with "homeland security". Our founding fathers wanted to make sure that our nation and it's citizens were able to defend itself from foreign invaders and a federal government gone rogue.

Who new that a proliferation of guns would flood our communities and ill-willed U.S. citizens would be toting them. Who new that this protection would make possible the assassinations of U.S. Presidents Abraham Lincoln in 1865, and of Presidents James Garfield, William McKinley, and John F. Kennedy. Or the murders of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Presidential hopeful Bert Kennedy. Or noted killings that include the Columbine High School massacre, The DC Beltway shootings, the Virginia Tech massacre. Who new that poverty would lead to crime and criminals would turn to guns as a tool to acquire their idea of the American Dream? Who knew that our nation would grow a large population of those overwhelmed with despair and other who are just deviant or disturbed and these individuals would turn to guns to ease their pain? Who knew we'd witness a time in which every couple of minutes someone in our nation is shot and killed and many of them are children?

One of the hardest decision a person must make is if they are willing to leave themselves vulnerable in such a cruel, violent, unpredictable and dangerous world. President Barack Obama is facing that very frightening question as he pledges our nation's adherence to plans to reduce and ultimately eliminate the number of nuclear weapons in our hands. All of the what if questions torment your mind. You want to feel safe. I get that. I am there with you on that.

Several months ago a small, family-owned liquor store was targeted for a robbery. Three men entered the store with guns and instructed the owner to hand over the money. Instead he shot one of the robbers to death and the other two fled, but were later caught by police. I am embarrassed to admit it, but I cheered the business owner who stood up for himself and would not be terrorized any further. He'd been robbed several times before. He was not charged for the murder.

So where is there to be a compromise. Legislation that stiffens the penalties for gun crimes has not worked. The illegal distribution of guns to youth and criminal-minded people continues.
Policies that strip poor people of "rights" that others have is not fair and that is the one point I do agree with the NRA. People want to be able to fight back, because they are tired of being afraid and tired of being a victim. Those in public housing often have more reasons than any other to be afraid.

None of this is mentioned in the Second Amendment. So I propose a new amendment. It goes like this....

Anyone caught using a gun for the purposes not intended and anyone caught selling or giving a gun to anyone underage, mentally impaired or having a criminal background that prohibits it, shall have all of their property confiscated, bank accounts frozen and their money taken. They will also be placed on a registry similar to that of a sex offender.

Anyone whose child gets a hold of their gun and uses it unlawfully and anyone who has a gun that is stolen shall have all of their weapons confiscated for being irresponsible and shall be prohibited from ever owning a gun again in life. Failure to comply will result in the above mentioned penalty.

Anyone who snitches on a person who unlawfully sells them a gun or who they know sells guns and turns them in is entitled to a cash award and will be free from paying federal taxes for 3 years. In order to collect on the money, the offender must be found guilty of the charge. The identity of the person snitching will be kept confidential.