What do you
think of this politician?
A follow-up to the KABA poll
June 14, 2003
KeepAndBearArms.com -- The politician who is the subject of KABA's most recent poll was former
President Ronald Reagan, now in death enjoying near-universal acclaim from gun
owners as the best president in our lifetime.
In
the midst of all the “conservative” sentimentality being expressed, we mustn’t
ignore some uncomfortable facts that anyone who considers himself a
Constitutionalist needs to reconcile—especially since the nearly 80% of you who
voted based solely on his actions deemed them “traitorous,” and the vast
majority of the balance deemed them “misguided.”
Now
that you know who we were talking about, how many of you want to take back your
vote? Why? Did the nature of his actions suddenly change? Are “gun control”
laws tyrannical? Does it matter who it is who imposes them?
The
edicts President Reagan endorsed and enacted could very well have resulted in
your death—or the deaths of people you love—or the destruction of your life if
found in defiance of them, if caught claiming the birthrights supposedly
guaranteed by the Constitution he swore an oath to defend.
It’s
not like he didn’t know better. “Ronald
Reagan: The Gun Owner's Champion,” reveals a man fully aware of the true
intent behind the Second Amendment, as well as its applicability in modern
times. As a young man,
he actually
used a gun to rescue a nursing student. He even “began
packing a .32 Smith and Wesson pistol, holstering the gun on every morning
for months and wearing it until he stepped into bed at night,” in response to a
threat. Yet in spite of this, he still imposed “gun control” on America.
The
KABA poll presented six “gun control” examples. Here are our sources:
Items 1, 2 and 4:
“Reagan last week declared
his support for a bill requiring a seven-day waiting period for handgun
purchases. He did so at a George Washington University ceremony marking the 10th
anniversary of the shooting that almost killed him and permanently disabled his
press secretary, James S. Brady.
“It is called the Brady
Bill, and Reagan said Congress should enact it without delay. ‘It's just plain
common sense that there be a waiting period to allow local law enforcement
officials to conduct background checks on those who wish to buy a handgun,’ the
former president said.’”
Item 3
and 5:
“It was Governor Ronald
Reagan of California who signed the Mulford Act in 1967, ‘prohibiting the
carrying of firearms on one's person or in a vehicle, in any public place or on
any public street.’ The law was aimed at stopping the Black Panthers, but
affected all gun owners.
“Twenty-four years later,
Reagan was still pushing gun control. ‘I support the Brady Bill,’ he said in a
March 28, 1991 speech, ‘and I urge the Congress to enact it without further
delay.’"
Item 6:
“All those magazines that
can hold more than 10 rounds will be legal to manufacture again. It will once
again be legal to import the group of shotguns administratively banned by Ronald
Reagan and the group of semi-automatic rifles similarly banned by the first
President Bush. (Both of these executive bans were codified in the 1994 law.)”
Since
the KABA poll was released, additional information has resurfaced concerning
President Reagan’s support for the 1994 “assault weapon” ban: “Kenneth
J. Cooper & Ann Devroy, Backers of Assault Weapons Ban Make Final Push for
Undecided Votes, WASH. POST, May 5, 1994, at A5.
Former Presidents Gerald R.
Ford, Jimmy Carter, and Ronald Reagan announced their support of the ban in a
letter.”
Finally, know that gun owners are not alone in mourning the passing of President
Reagan. A touching memorial tribute can be found
here,
written by people who professed to love him and call him “friend."
With this clear
evidence of Mr. Reagan supporting the Brady Bill, a ban on shotguns and
semiautos, and a ban on carrying firearms in public, it seems fair to ask:
Why
is NRA republishing
their 1983
resolution (issued, incidentally, 16 years after he signed the
Mulford Act) where they proclaimed “President Reagan has forcefully stood by
his convictions in support of the second amendment right of citizens to keep and
bear arms for any legitimate purpose, including self-defense; and…vigorously
rejects the myth that gun control is crime control…”?
And why is the
Second Amendment Foundation telling its supporters, “President Reagan knew
the value of gun ownership?”
Finally, some apologists are maintaining Reagan’s support for the Brady Bill was
the result of his being manipulated in his senility by opportunistic
anti-gunners and/or reporters. Some people will do anything to maintain their
illusions—or to convince others that the illusions are true. The fact is,
Reagan announced his support for the Brady Bill in 1991 and wasn’t
diagnosed with Alzheimer’s until three-and-a-half years later—in late 1994.
But this is a false argument anyway, as his support for the Mulford Act, which
ended the open bearing of loaded arms in public places throughout California,
took place a full 27 years earlier. The purpose of the poll and this
article are not to denigrate the memory of a man literally revered by millions
throughout America and the world. It is merely to establish the undeniable
historical record that—in spite of the special place he evidently held in the
hearts of gun owners—the man’s actions, as they related to the Second Amendment,
did not merit it.
It
was not our intention to offend anyone. We realize the options presented in our
poll were strongly worded—and that was intentional: only by having gun owners
characterize the actions of an anonymous subject could their true
assessment be determined.
Others have suggested that now is not the time for this information to come to
light. But the deception about Mr. Reagan’s Second Amendment legacy is being
perpetuated now—and through outlets that reach millions. Besides, for anyone
who is against these facts being presented, there will never be a “right
time.” And since when is there a “wrong time” for the reality?
The
strongest weapon we have in the fight to reclaim the free exercise of our right
to keep and bear arms is the truth. When confronted with painful truth, we have
two choices: accept it, or deny it and resent the messenger.
Our
struggle is far too serious for us to cede painful fact to comfortable
illusion. If denial and emotion-based belief systems prevail, we will not.
Related reading:
Reagan's
Assault Weapons Ban Legacy
At
this writing, we have been unable to locate a copy of the letter signed by
Presidents Reagan, Ford and Carter. A transcript, which appears credible, is
posted at Packing.org.
