Student Activist Emma Gonzalez's "Modest Proposals" on Sensible Gun Reform Now

Emma Gonzalez, one of the prominent progressive student activists who emerged from the Parkland Florida High School shooting, participated in a panel on "Guns, Violence and Student Activism: A Push for Change" before the  Education Writers Association conference at the University of Southern California.

Ms. Gonzalez  has progressed from perseverating on her fifteen school mates and two teachers who were slain by troubled expelled former student during her emotional "Six Minute and Twenty Second" speech at the March for Our Lives in Washington DC.

Responding to instances of gun violence, Gonzalez shot her mouth off opining that it was cheaper just to have a gun grab.  What was more memorable than the pat answer to take away AR-15s was her profane exhortation that people who wanted to shoot such firearms should join the Army and defend their fucking country (sic).


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Aside from the crudity of the comment, it is ironic that Gonzalez urges gun enthusiasts to defend America.  Gonzalez chose to attire herself at the big gun march in military gear wearing a Cuban flag patch.  Hmm.   Now she is advocating gun grabs by the government. Wonder where else this has happened? How about: Nazi Germany; Cuba; Venezuela

It is sad to see how the left continues to exploit Parkland High student activists like David Hogg and Emma Gonzalez to push for Gun Control.  These traumatized teens certainly had compelling stories when they could relate the travesty in which they had to endure.  But now that they opine on the political stage and advocate for broad public policy, it is no longer out of the mouths of babes and they are not bullet proof from criticism or skeptically challenging their suggestions.

Since the election of President Donald Trump, much of the radicalized Left in the Democrat party has sought to enflame their electorate through identity politics and mass movements.  The Women Who Hate Trump March the day after the 45th President's inauguration and the March for Our Lives in March 2018 were supposed to bring down the ramparts and inspire the masses to bring down this Presidency and his presumably backwards policies. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL 23rd) recently highlighted her alignment with the gun grabbing movement as an obvious wedge issue pitch for the 2018 Midterm Elections

Alas, both the Womens' March and the supposed students' March for Our Lives have not inspired sustained fulmination. If one looks to polling, the Blue Wave seems dubious and Trump Presidential approval ratings are increasing, despite a barrage of negative press from the mainstream media.

Using these students as tools to push for political change may well backfire.  David Hogg's profane pontifications to hurt those associated with gun rights (particularly the NRA)  has unwittingly spurred a multitude of new NRA memberships.  Emma Gonzalez's obscene observations about the AR-15 and seeming disparagement of serving one's country will reverberate in the minds of many newfound Great Revolt Trump voters  as did Senator John Kerry's (D-MA)  2004 "Get good grades or get stuck in Iraq" flak

Debbie Wasserman Schultz: "The NRA is just shy of a terrorist organization"

Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL 23rd) condemned the National Rifle Association as being just shy of a terrorist organization.  DWS said this in response to comments from the newly elected NRA President Oliver North, who attacked students of the Parkland Florida High School shooting of engaging in civil terrorism by using lawbreaking and intimidation to push for gun control.






The disgraced former head the of Democratic National Committee echoed the lead of Parkland Florida High School student activist David Hogg in gorgonizing the NRA to promote a gun grabbing policy, presumably under the guise of "common sense gun control" aimed at so called assault weapons.

Wasserman Schultz illustrates the tension in the Democrat Caucus towards Election 2018.  On the one hand, Democrats have strived to take advantage of reshaped Congressional districts (particularly in Pennsylvania and Florida) to put forth candidates and campaigns which would attract independent voters to regain control of the House of Representatives.  On the other hand, the swell of confidence over a presumed "Red Wave" compels some progressives to publicly embrace a radical wish list of impeachment and gun grabbing.


In the Salena Zito and Brad Todd best seller "The Great Revolt" (2018), one of the the significant segments of supporters of Donald Trump was "Girl Gun Power".  Second Amendment advocates will be energized to go to the polls in November for the mid terms if they fear that their constitutional rights are in danger. 

London Mayor Calls for Knife Ban on the Street to Control Violent Crime

Since the Firearm Act of 1997 essentially prohibited  British subjects from owning handguns and making certificates to own long guns an onerous and time consuming process, Britain has become the most violent country in Europe.  In fact, London had 55 murders in the first three months of 2018, which was more than New York City.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan (London-Labor) complains that budgetary cuts in policing have endangered public safety.  But Khan's knee jerk reaction is to suggest banning knives on the street, as if further weapons bans will work.  

This should be a lesson for public policy pundits who want to have what they term as "reasonable" Gun Reform Now, starting by banning the AR-15 assault weapon.  

When questioning progressives to define an assault weapon, they like to invoke Associate Justice Potter Stewart's obscenity threshold test "I know it when I see it."  When challenging the lack of effectiveness of the US 1994 Assault Weapons ban, as was measured through provisions of the enacted legislation, it is common to hear the "We've got to do something" rationale.   When it is noted that there are at least 330 million legal guns in the US and law abiding citizens are likely to be the only ones who would comply with a ban, gun grabbers' modus operendi is "We have to start somewhere." And dare one propose looking to root problems like mental illness or sudden jihad syndrome then epithets and accusations of NRA propaganda are invoked.

Dana Loesch on the March for Our Lives

David Hogg on the March for Our Lives

There is a highly publicized March for Our Lives being held on the National Mall.  It was precipitated by the Parkland Florida School Massacre.  It was supposed to be a student led memorial with an emphasis on school safety, but it serves as a vehicle for professional progressives to push for gun control using unimpeachable students as their mascots. 

Progressive groups, like ex New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's Everytown for Gun Safety, and even Planned Parenthood have been involved in bolstering and providing organization backbone for the supposedly student led March for Our Lives.  

Many celebrities, such as Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon have vowed to be there.  Wonder if they are bringing private security into the District of Columbia, which has extremely strict concealed carry laws? Even though Baltimore City Schools do not have enough money to heat some of the classrooms, Baltimore mayor Catherine Pugh is poneying up funds for six busses so that thousands of students can be bussed to DC for the political protest 

One of the survivors of the Parkland incident is David Hogg, who went from being an articulate student journalist who recounted the day's events to quite an outspoken activist for Gun Reform Now. Hogg even wondered "What if our politicians weren't the bitch of the NRA" in an anti-gun propaganda video.



These students seem happy to exercise their First Amendment rights to curtail the Second Amendment.  However, when it comes to safety, Hogg was chary about the new school rule that only clear backpacks would be allowed into school buildings because that might be embarrassing to girls who are menstruating.   OK, so vitiate the Second Amendment but kids need to express themselves and not feel embarrassed.

 During the one month nation wide memorial of the Parkland Shooting, some students were detained because they were off-message from Gun Reform Now (for example about protecting all lives, even the unborn). Many schools led the protests and would not countenance those who refused to choose sides. 

Living in the District of Calamity, one often experiencing citizens exercising their First Amendment right to free expression and petitioning their elected officials during marches on the National Mall.  But every January, hundreds of thousands of youths gather on the National Mall to try to save the lives of the unborn in the March for Life, which gets nary a peep of coverage from the media. Some Sacramento students, amongst others, have petitioned their schools to have a walk out to honor and protect life. It is dubious if the same standards will be applied as for the post Parkland protests 

These markers for the March for Our Lives clearly demonstrate that public schools have become centers for ideological indoctrination and progressive agitation rather than education or inculcating tolerance for a diversity of opinions. 

The bilious bloviations of a traumatized teen thrust into the spotlight (and does not know when to leave) ought to be taken in context, as well as the half baked public policy opinions. 

Martin O'Malley Exploits the Charleston Church Shooting

    

 Longshot 2016 Democrat Presidential hopeful Former Governor Martin O'Malley (D-MD) used the atrocity of nine people being shot at Emmanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina as an opportunity to sound hip, fund-raise off the the tragedy and pitch his pet issues. Soon after the shootings in South Carolina, the O'Malley campaign released an email denouncing the NRA, touting O'Malley's "F" rating with the Second Amendment organization, while asking for"support" to fight for gun control as well as his fledgling campaign.  

   

O'Malley's rhetoric repeatedly used the colloquial phrase "I'm pissed".  That does not sound presidential but then again President Obama used the "N" word when granting an interview to WTF podcasts, so perhaps deviancy has been defined downward.  Nonetheless, it seems garish to push for more gun control before the dead have been laid to rest.  But as Rahm Emmanuel posited don't let a crisis go to waste.

Sarah Palin on "If I Were in Charge"

Crackdown on Handguns?

After the Newton, Connecticut school shooting, NBC Meet the Press host David Gregory, wanted to score visual points for gun control advocates by brandishing a 30 round ammunition clip as he dressed down National Rife Association President Wayne LaPierre.  

Gregory checked with DC Metropolitan Police, who unequivocally informed him beforehand that this was a clear violation of law. Yet Gregory arrogated to do so anyways. Nevertheless, the DC Office of Attorney General exercised prosecutorial discretion in not seeking any punishment on the NBC News star host.  In a letter to NBC Attorney Lee Levine, the government proclaimed:

OAG has made this determination, despite the clarity of the violation of this important law, because under all of the circumstances here a prosecution would not promote public safety in the District of Columbia nor serve the best interests of the people of the District to whom this office owes its trust.

Yet in nearby Talbot County Maryland, the full force of the law was readied to be exercise to excise "hand guns".



Two six year old boys playing Cops and Robbers on a playground at White Marsh Elementary School were slated to be suspended as they dared to use finger gestures which mimicked guns.  Parents were incensed at pulling the disciplinary trigger on kids who were just playing.  Although there was probably a zero tolerance policy which mandated the suspensions, the penalty was quickly forgotten when the parents lawyered up and there was an outraged public.

It is likely that the kids would not have gotten into any trouble if they attended Sidwell Friends school, like David Gregory's scion does, as well as the First Daughters as did US Attorney General Eric Holder.


Progressives ignore the actual law because a prominent Lamestream Media type who is well connected can flagrantly violate real gun laws with impunity.  Yet little boys would have been suspended for playing cops and robbers with finger guns. As would be noted in George Orwell's Animal Farm, some of us are more equal than others.

If liberal leaders really want to deal with gun violence and the problem with handguns, maybe politicians from Chicago ought to consider the epidemic of violence with handguns in the Windy City, which has strict gun laws instead of fanning politically correct fears about guns without really solving the problem or respecting Americans' Second Amendment rights.