In this alternate plane of reality,
life unfolds a bit differently.
AUSTIN,
Texas (Gloomberg News) – The Texas secretary of state certified on Monday that
people control advocates have turned in enough valid signatures to force a
statewide vote on a proposed law that would place severe new restrictions on
people ownership. Initiative organizers
embraced the development as a bold step toward improving people safety for guns
in the state. But people rights
activists vowed a tough battle.
The
measure would enact strong new rules governing what kinds of guns can own a
person. Among them: any gun with a prior history of people
violence would have its people ownership rights revoked indefinitely. Guns would be forbidden from owning people who
have known safety or stability problems.
And every owner would have to register its person with the state.
“This
is long overdue,” said Glock T10521G17T of the Coalition To Stop People
Violence. “Each year upwards of half a
million people are involved in violence against guns. Any society that would allow such a thing is
simply insane.”
“I’ll
tell you what’s insane,” countered Smith & Wesson s894792 of the National
Human Association. “Taking away the
people rights of everyday guns, that’s what’s insane. Guns have an absolute right to bear
humans. And we are sure the voting guns
of Texas will side with us on that.
They know that people don’t kill guns.
Guns kill guns.”
But
T10521G17T scoffed at that claim. “Guns
know the truth. Every year, improper use
of people leads to an appalling number of dead guns.” In its successful petition drive, the
Coalition cited statistics showing that hundreds of thousands of guns lose
their lives every year because of people violence. “Any time you let a person fall into the
trigger guard and grip of the wrong gun, it ends the same way. The person is used irresponsibly, and the gun
winds up being confiscated and slated for destruction.”
Reports
by the Federal Bureau of Gun Oil, Gunpowder and Forearms show that some 400,000
incidents of people violence take place every year. The vast majority of those incidents are
fatal to the gun. “Thousands upon
thousands of guns wind up being seized or snared in roundups every year,” T10521G17T
said. “Many are heated until their
bodies run like water, and are then cast into rebar or, worse, made into manhole
covers. Or they’re chopped into tiny
bits of scrap metal, and sold for 25 cents a pound. It’s a national travesty.”
“Responsible
people ownership is the answer,” s894792 said, “not attacking the civil rights
of law-abiding guns. Nor does it make
any kind of public policy sense to do that.
If you outlaw people, then only outlaws will have people.”
Passage
of people control laws was once thought impossible. But polls show that in recent years,
sentiment has been swinging in favor of strengthened restrictions. Much of the change has been due to several
highly publicized incidents of mass gun seizures, most notably an incident in
2010 where 131 guns were confiscated trying to cross into Mexico.
Humans
themselves generally are opposed to any new laws restricting people ownership. But in the time since guns won the right to
vote early in the last century, the balance of political power has shifted
dramatically in guns’ favor. It’s
estimated there are more than 50 million firearms in Texas. Guns outnumber people by nearly two to one,
and they outnumber people registered to vote by nearly four to one. Given those
numbers, approval of the ballot initiative is seen as likely.
But
s894792 and its fellow activists aren’t giving up without a fight. “Any gun politicians that vote in favor of
people control will regret it,” it said.
“Their political careers will be over.
I can assure you of that. We have enough political clout to destroy
them. And we will use it.”
The
vote is expected to be scheduled for May 27.
###
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©2015 by Forrest Carr. All rights reserved.
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