NAACP President Calls for National Gun Confiscation

NAACP President Derrick Johnson calls for national gun confiscation in the United States in a column on Black Press USA this week.

Comparing recent school shootings to the violence and discrimination black students faced after the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision, Johnson wrote that “fear and terror still exist in our children’s classrooms” because of the “National Rifle Association and the politicians [sic] that support them.”

“Given the disproportionate damage gun violence is having on our communities, the NAACP has advocated for sane, sensible laws, to help eliminate or at least to decrease the damage and death caused by gun violence. Requiring universal background checks on all gun sales and transfers, banning military-style, semi-automatic assault guns, enacting tough, new criminal penalties for straw purchasers and gun traffickers, and allowing the Center for Disease Control to research gun violence as a major public health issue are just a few of the reasonable steps lawmakers could take to stem the tide of gun-related deaths in neighborhoods across the nation,” Johnson wrote.

There are so many things wrong with that statement it is hard to know where to begin. Obviously, the big problem with his statement is most of the deaths are will illegal guns and the violence continues unabated because our gun laws are not enforced.

Johnson thinks the Australian gun confiscation could work in the U.S. The only thing it would do is promote the illegal gun trade. One could bet the ranch that criminals and terrorists won’t give up their guns. It would only be aimed at legal gun owners.

The “Buyback” is UnAmerican

Former President Obama had cited Australia’s gun laws as a model for the United States, calling Australia a nation “like ours,” which it isn’t. On the campaign trail, Hillary Clinton said the Australian approach is “worth considering.” The media loves the idea.

The “buyback” was not a simple “buyback”. The guns were taken by force and threats. It is not acceptable under our Second Amendment.

Men were threatened with prison and gang rapes. All the media ads were threatening and abusive.

The Australian buyback was spurred by a Tasmanian terrorist who killed 35 people in a cafe in 1996. Mass shootings were rare in Australia.

Australia bought back 650,000 guns and followed it up with a ban on those guns – so-called assault rifles – automatic and semi-automatic rifles – and pump-action shotguns. The buyback came with strict licensing rules and a national gun registry.

The licensing required applicants to demonstrate a “genuine need” for a particular type of gun and take a firearm safety course.

It Wasn’t Successful

At the same time Australia was banning guns and experiencing a decline in gun homicides, America was more than doubling how many firearms it manufactured and seeing a nearly identical drop in gun homicides.

The Federalist pointed out that suicides and murder have not “plummeted” in the years after the gun ban. The murder rate overall is not down in Australia. Only serious crime saw a consistent decline post-ban but that changed quickly.

According to the Australian government’s own statistics, a number of serious crimes peaked in the years after the ban. Manslaughter, sexual assault, kidnapping, armed robbery, and unarmed robbery all saw peaks in the years following the ban. Most remain near or above pre-ban rates.

According to data from the U.S. Justice Department, violent crime fell nearly 72 percent between 1993 and 2011. At the same time, guns were being sold at far greater rates. This more likely suggests guns are a deterrent against criminals.

As far as suicides, Lifeline Australia reports that overall suicides are at a ten-year high. The Australian suicide prevention organization claims suicide is the leading cause of death for Australians 15 to 44 years old, the Federalist reported.

For every study they think is gospel, there is another that proves they are wrong.

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