House GOP - Assault Rifles on D.C. Streets But Not Pot

by: Bob Cull


Republicans advocate for local control with no interference from Washington constantly. They tell us that government is best when conducted from the lowest level and inherently corrupt and evil when it comes from the federal level.  Legislation approved in the House on Wednesday would seem to suggest that the local control is only acceptable when it conforms to their standards and should be overruled when it fails to do so.


Two recent amendments to a spending bill would strip local control from the city of Washington D.C. on the issues of gun control and possession of pot. One amendment would allow residents to walk down the street carrying a semi-automatic rifle while the other would jail the same individual if he was found to have a joint in his pocket.


An amendment to the bill introduced by Representative Thomas Massie (R-KY) would prohibit the city from enforcing any of its gun laws, including registration requirements and bans on certain types of weapons and high capacity magazines, as well as the current restrictions banning the carrying of guns on the street.


Massie’s amendment is similar to one unsuccessfully proposed by Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) which was defeated in the Senate and is a continuation of an ongoing effort by Congressional Republicans to gut all of the city’s gun regulations, which they claim infringe on the people’s Second Amendment rights.


“Criminals by definition don’t care about laws. They will get guns any way they can,” Massie said in defense of his amendment.  “Strict gun control laws do nothing but prevent good people from being able to protect themselves and their families in the event of a robbery, home invasion, or other crime. Studies indicate that murder rates rise following bans on firearms.”


Of course there is no evidence that any such increase in murders or any other crime occurs when guns are strictly regulated. In fact, there is evidence that the opposite is true, where there are more guns there is more violence, not less..


It seems that Republicans find pot to be much more dangerous than a semi-automatic rifle with a high capacity magazine on a crowded city street


Not to worry though, the President has announced that he will veto the bill if it reaches his desk with these two amendments intact.