Federal Judge Overturns Washington DC Ban on Taking Handguns Out of the Home

On Saturday, July 26th, a Federal Judge, Frederick Scullin, overturned Washington D.C.'s ban on carrying handguns outside the home. An article that discusses the case can be found at The Huffington Post.

The ruling is not necessarily a surprise to anyone who follows the courts or studies public policy. However, Judge Frederick Scullin's decision will certainly start a new avalanche of accusatory and finger-pointing commentary from pundits on both sides of the aisle.

After studying the U.S.Constitution, American History and the History of Violence in America - does anyone still believe that gun control, in and by itself, can make the United States a peaceful nation?  Personally, I don't believe that a culture can be changed by laws. Cultural change requires a long-term commitment by the people living in the culture over several generations. Which raises the question: Is America up to the task?

Violence: The American Way of Life. I intend to write a series of articles on this topic in the coming months. 

Remember, an act of violence can take many forms. While most critics focus on the physical violence associated with handguns or assault weapons, many overlook the root causes of violent acts. Which can be mental illness, a lack of personal discipline or self-control, or something as simple as social media abuse. Social media is addictive for most people because it provides them with a sense of power. Not only do they have a medium that let's them be heard all over the world, it allows them to publicly bully others in an attempt to persuade other readers of the merits of their opinion.  

Meanwhile, let's see if anyone can tell me who is credited with making the statement below:

“I spent most of my time being a high-class muscle-man for Big Business, for Wall Street and for the Bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism. . . . I helped make Mexico, especially Tampico, safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefits of Wall Street. I helped purify Nicaragua for the international banking house of Brown Brothers in 1909-1912. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for American sugar interests in 1916. In China I helped to see to it that Standard Oil went its way unmolested.” Now, of course, we’re using the gun to make the Middle East and Southeast Asia “safe for democracy.”

The name of the author can be found in an article by John Kozy,  posted here.

Until next time...