Forums
New posts
Search forums
What's new
New posts
New media
New media comments
Latest activity
Classifieds
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Log in
Register
What's New?
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Search forums
Menu
Log in
Register
Navigation
Install the app
Install
More Options
Advertise with us
Contact Us
Close Menu
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Forums
The Water Cooler
General Discussion
Poll: Marijuana Law Reform
Search titles only
By:
Reply to Thread
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Raoul Duke" data-source="post: 2367582" data-attributes="member: 27529"><p>Interesting perspective on 2A rights & marijuana law reform:</p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/richard-feldman/gun-rights-marijuana-refo_b_1014802.html" target="_blank">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/richard-feldman/gun-rights-marijuana-refo_b_1014802.html</a></p><p></p><p><em>Gun rights activists are generally perceived as coming from the political right while marijuana reformers are typically thought of as belonging to the political left . Ironically, if they can get past their reflexive distrust of each other, the two groups would discover that their pursuit of civil liberties is quite similar. The violence associated with the black markets created by Prohibition of marijuana provides political cover and motivation to those seeking to permanently curtail our 2nd Amendment rights in the name of law and order. Gun owners should understand that much of the impulse to over-regulate and ban firearms would evaporate overnight--along with much of the crime--by joining forces with the anti-Prohibition forces to take away the lucrative black market for both drugs and guns by legalizing marijuana.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>To begin with, right/left-wing activists should understand that the expansion of federal power to curtail their favored liberties--to keep and bear arms on one side and to consume whatever substance consenting adult (or their physicians) desire on the other--began at roughly the same time. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF) was organized in response to the 1968 Gun Control Act. While its stated mission has been to support the nation's gun laws to prevent criminals and mentally incompetent people from acquiring firearms, the BATF has a history of what might kindly be termed "overzealousness." The completely avoidable carnage in Waco, TX and the recent revelations that the ATF has been one of the primary suppliers of weapons to Mexican drug cartels via ill-conceived operations that have resulted in mayhem and death, e.g. Fast and Furious, are among many examples of the BATF's dysfunctional approach to law enforcement.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em>The second movement enacted at the time that illustrates the view of Americans as children in need of federal supervision was the War on Drugs announced by Richard Nixon in 1971. Whatever inappropriate zest the BATF may be accused of pales in comparison to the victimization of our citizens by the War on Drugs; which is really a War on Drug Users, AKA Americans. The direct cost (51 billion annually) to our court and prison systems is well known. Less understood is the indirect cost in ruined lives, sundered families and the pervasive violence that surrounds the drug trade as it does any highly profitable black market.</em></p><p><em></em></p><p><em><strong>By ending drug prohibition we have a merging of the right and left down the pro-freedom, independent center of the road</strong>. What a powerful alliance these two movements could become. Gun rights activists could negate the emotional rhetoric for gun control while marijuana reformers would find powerful political and grass roots support to end the insanity of marijuana prohibition. Our nation is teetering on the verge of bankruptcy; let's stop digging our financial grave any deeper, let's learn from our own history for a change: end marijuana prohibition; stop wasting 100's of billions of dollars every year in policing, prosecuting, and incarcerating our citizens; stop funding drug gangs, ruining civil society and corrupting our law enforcement agencies on both sides of the southern border. This is a clear case where government doing less will mean doing more to lower crime, save money and help protect and preserve our civil liberties.</em></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Raoul Duke, post: 2367582, member: 27529"] Interesting perspective on 2A rights & marijuana law reform: [URL="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/richard-feldman/gun-rights-marijuana-refo_b_1014802.html"]http://www.huffingtonpost.com/richard-feldman/gun-rights-marijuana-refo_b_1014802.html[/URL] [I]Gun rights activists are generally perceived as coming from the political right while marijuana reformers are typically thought of as belonging to the political left . Ironically, if they can get past their reflexive distrust of each other, the two groups would discover that their pursuit of civil liberties is quite similar. The violence associated with the black markets created by Prohibition of marijuana provides political cover and motivation to those seeking to permanently curtail our 2nd Amendment rights in the name of law and order. Gun owners should understand that much of the impulse to over-regulate and ban firearms would evaporate overnight--along with much of the crime--by joining forces with the anti-Prohibition forces to take away the lucrative black market for both drugs and guns by legalizing marijuana. To begin with, right/left-wing activists should understand that the expansion of federal power to curtail their favored liberties--to keep and bear arms on one side and to consume whatever substance consenting adult (or their physicians) desire on the other--began at roughly the same time. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF) was organized in response to the 1968 Gun Control Act. While its stated mission has been to support the nation's gun laws to prevent criminals and mentally incompetent people from acquiring firearms, the BATF has a history of what might kindly be termed "overzealousness." The completely avoidable carnage in Waco, TX and the recent revelations that the ATF has been one of the primary suppliers of weapons to Mexican drug cartels via ill-conceived operations that have resulted in mayhem and death, e.g. Fast and Furious, are among many examples of the BATF's dysfunctional approach to law enforcement. The second movement enacted at the time that illustrates the view of Americans as children in need of federal supervision was the War on Drugs announced by Richard Nixon in 1971. Whatever inappropriate zest the BATF may be accused of pales in comparison to the victimization of our citizens by the War on Drugs; which is really a War on Drug Users, AKA Americans. The direct cost (51 billion annually) to our court and prison systems is well known. Less understood is the indirect cost in ruined lives, sundered families and the pervasive violence that surrounds the drug trade as it does any highly profitable black market. [B]By ending drug prohibition we have a merging of the right and left down the pro-freedom, independent center of the road[/B]. What a powerful alliance these two movements could become. Gun rights activists could negate the emotional rhetoric for gun control while marijuana reformers would find powerful political and grass roots support to end the insanity of marijuana prohibition. Our nation is teetering on the verge of bankruptcy; let's stop digging our financial grave any deeper, let's learn from our own history for a change: end marijuana prohibition; stop wasting 100's of billions of dollars every year in policing, prosecuting, and incarcerating our citizens; stop funding drug gangs, ruining civil society and corrupting our law enforcement agencies on both sides of the southern border. This is a clear case where government doing less will mean doing more to lower crime, save money and help protect and preserve our civil liberties.[/I] [/QUOTE]
Insert Quotes…
Verification
Post Reply
Forums
The Water Cooler
General Discussion
Poll: Marijuana Law Reform
Search titles only
By:
Top
Bottom