Guns and Gun Violence

Following is a White Paper on Guns and Gun Violence

Dan Chapin for Congress

Sane Ammunition and Firearm Enforcement and Regulation

S.A.F.E.R.

A Sane Policy for Limiting Gun Deaths and Violence

A four-point plan to save lives and preserve Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. A reasonable plan to implement changes to benefit the majority of Americans. A call to action for concerned Americans to demand their government and their representatives address the failed security for the majority of Americans due to the threats and blackmail of a radical but vocal minority. A return to sanity where the average American can go to school, go to church, go to a movie, go to a concert, or merely walk on the street without the fear that they will be killed or maimed by a domestic terrorist who has unfettered access to weapons of mass injury and destruction no matter how unsuited they are to have those weapons or how unnecessary those weapons are for the security or well-being of our country.

  1. Mature Ownership – Limit the ownership and possession of firearms to those who possess the maturity, the responsibility, and the knowledge to safely possess and use those firearms.
  2. No Financial Burden for Victims – Ensure that those who are accidentally or intentionally injured by guns will not have to also suffer debilitating financial damage.
  3. Limit Weapons that are not Necessary for NORMAL Use or Security – Especially any weapons or accessories which are military style or have as one of their main uses, a military type of use.
  4. Identify Unfit/Dangerous Owners – Create and implement systems to identify those who, for the safety of society, should temporarily or permanently be denied possession of firearms. In addition, provide counseling and help for those who are, or become, mentally or emotionally questionable to possess firearms.

Legislative Solutions

Point One

  • Require all firearms to be registered. Without responsible ownership we cannot keep destructive weapons out of the hands of the dangerous or irresponsible segments of society.
  • Require all operators of firearms to pass a test of knowledge and skill to obtain a license to operate. Most activities that can cause harm to society need skilled operators.
  • Require universal comprehensive background checks for all gun purchase. If a background check cannot be completed in 5 business days the request will be denied.
  • Raise the age of gun ownership to 21.

Point Two

  • Require liability insurance to guarantee that those who are accidentally or intentionally injured by firearms will not suffer financial hardship or bankruptcy due to no fault of their own. Let the free market determine firearm responsibility just as it does with automobiles.
  • Promote fees on firearms and ammunition to create a revenue neutral system to oversee firearms and ammunition which will not penalize those who chose not to possess arms.

Point Three

  • Classify all military style weapons and accessories, or weapons that a main use would be military type of use, as militia weapons. This would include items such as AR-15 or similar weapon, magazines with a capacity of over 6 bullets, bump stocks or similar enhancements, silencers, enhanced ammunition, and body armor.
  • Weapons and ammunition classified as militia weapons would be required to be regulated (as per the Second Amendment). Citizens would retain ownership but the storage, use, training, and distribution of militia weapons and items would fall under the purview of the States National Guard units. Items would be stored in National Guard armories and use and training would be controlled by the local Commander.

Point Four

  • Reallocate $1 Billion from the defense budget to Home Land Security expressly earmarked to create a domestic terrorism unit which will track, enumerate, and investigate all reports of potential violence. This unit will work closely with federal and local law enforcement organizations and be responsible for keeping all parties informed of potential threats.
  • Not only allow but require the CDC to track and report on all violence that is gun related in the U.S.
  • Reallocate $1 Billion from U.S. military aid to Home Land Security expressly earmarked to create a mental health unit that would provide mental health services for troubled and potentially violent individuals. The unit would also create a website and hotline where individuals could go for help and citizens could anonymously report potential threats or individuals in need of assistance who could possibly injure themselves or others.

Gun Facts

  1. In the past 15 years Terrorist attacks by foreigners have accounted for approximately 78 dead and nearly 300 injured. In the same time span almost 500,000 Americans dead from guns and over 1,000,000 injured.
  2. A little less than 40% of U.S. households have a gun. However, only somewhere between 21% and 29% of Americans own guns.

  3. No one knows how many AR-15’s are in the country because we are not allowed to keep those statistics. One of the best estimates is that between 4 and 6 million have been manufactured since 1986. At the high end that could mean that 6 million Americans own AR-15 rifles. However, the people who own these types of weapons tend to own more than one. Even if you only figure the low figure of two per owner you reach a maximum of 3 million owners of an AR-15, which is less than .9% of Americans. It is not a democracy when less than 1% of the people dictate to the other 99%.

  4. Recent polling shows Americans are strongly in favor of stricter guns control measures. 97% favor universal background checks, 83% favor waiting periods, 77% believe better mental health screening and treatment would help, even 67% think assault weapons should be banned. Considering that 55% of Americans would be a clear mandate, the call for more responsible gun measures is a super mandate.

What can YOU do?

  1. Go to DanChapin.us and become a supporter for a candidate that will actually represent your values and policies in Congress. Inform friends, family, neighbors, and acquaintances of my candidacy.
  2. Become a follower of Dan Chapin for Congress on facebook.
  3. Educate yourself on the issues. Question everything, search for the truth and the facts behind the policies and actions of Congress and political parties.
  4. Share your knowledge, experiences, and ideas.
  5. Don’t let the powerful minority or economic royalists beat you down. Be persistent, demand your rights. Don’t let them discourage you.
  6. Don’t support candidates that accept campaign contributions from the NRA. Large campaign donations are nothing more than legal bribes.
  7. Don’t act in a tribal manner. Discover your own true interests and those of your family and society around you and don’t support candidates that don’t support those interests.
  8. Demand specific actions from your representatives and if they won’t give you specifics or fail to follow thru on those actions, then vote them out and replace them with true representatives.
  9. “Be the change you want to see” – Gandhi

For more information or to make a difference go to DanChapin.us

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