By Bill Quigley
Question: How does a mentally unstable man who was kicked out of
school and had run-ins with the law buy an assault weapon?
The weapon reportedly used in the mass murders in Tucson was an
assault weapon - a Glock 19, semi-automatic pistol, with an extended
magazine. That weapon was illegal to sell in the US from 1994 to 2004
under the Federal Assault Weapons Ban. It is now legal to sell and
own. The National Rifle Association reports there are tens of millions
of assault weapons is private hands in the US.
The federal background check for people purchasing such weapons only
prohibits selling such weapons to people who have been legally
determined to be mentally defective or found insane or convicted of
crimes. This man had not been found legally mentally defective or
convicted so he was legally entitled to purchase an assault weapon. In
Arizona he was legally entitled to carry the weapon in a concealed
manner.
The US has well over 250 million guns in private hands according to
the National Rifle Association. That is more, according to the BBC,
than any country in the world. In one year, guns murdered 17 people in
Finland, 35 in Australia, 39 in England and Wales, 60 in Spain, 194 in
Germany, 200 in Canada, and 9,484 in the United States according to
the Brady Campaign.
Does the US really need tens of millions of assault weapons and
hundreds of millions of other guns? We already put more of our people
in prison than any country in the world and we spend more on our
military than all the rest of the world together. How fearful must we
be?
Question: Why is there so little talk of terrorism?
Apparently when a mentally unstable white male is accused, terrorism
is not the first thing that comes to mind.
When Clay Duke, a white male, threatened Florida school board members
with a gun and shot at them before shooting himself, in December 2010,
he was mentally imbalanced.
When Michael Enright, a white male, was arrested for slashing the
throat of a Muslim NYC cab driver in August of 2010, his friends said
he had a drinking problem
When Byron Williams, a white male, was arrested after opening fire on
police officers and admitted he was on his way to kill people at
offices of a liberal foundation and a civil liberties organization, in
July 2010, he was an unemployed right wing felon with a drinking
problem.
When Joe Stack, a white male, flew his private plane into a federal
building in Austin, Texas, in February 2010, he was angry with the
IRS.
When a white male is accused of mass murder, terrorism is not much
talked of rather it becomes a terrible tragedy but not one where race
or ethnicity or religion need be examined.
Now, if the accused had been Muslim, does anyone doubt whether this
would have been considered an act of terrorism? US Muslims could have
expected increased surveillance and harassment at home and the places
where they work and worship. They could have expected a Congressional
inquiry into the radicalization of their people. Oh, Representative
Peter King (R-NY) has already started that one!
Bill Quigley is a law professor and Director of the Law Clinic and the
Gillis Long Poverty Law Center at Loyola University New Orleans.
More:
http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/mike-friends-blog/guns-and-terrorism
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Tommy
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