| Cleveland Gun Laws Fail: Another Teen Shoots Himself |
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| Written by Jeff Garvas | |
| Wednesday, 21 March 2007 | |
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On March 14th, the first day of statewide firearms preemption in Ohio, the City of Cleveland issued a press release titled "City of Cleveland Fights for the Right to Protect its Children". This release announces the city's lawsuit against Ohio's enactment of statewide uniformity for firearm laws. Mayor Frank Jackson argued in the release "Our gun laws were created to protect our children..." Ohioans For Concealed Carry has joined many scholars in arguing for years now that gun control laws do not protect anyone but the criminal by disarming those of us in society who follow laws. Cleveland police announced on Tuesday night that a 16-year-old Cleveland boy shot himself in the head while supposedly demonstrating to his girlfriend that the gun "couldn't" fire with its safety engaged. Most gun owners know that you: a) never trust a physical safety and b) never point a gun at something you do not intend to destroy, like your brain or another human being. Despite Mayor Jackson insisting that Cleveland shall illegally continue to enforce its draconian gun laws in defiance to Ohio's new statute, and without a court order staying the implementation, those very laws, all failed the City of Cleveland and the 16-year-old child who shot himself in the head. Those laws enumerated in the Frank Jackson Press Release include Possession of Firearms by Minors – Section 627.08 and Access to Firearms – Section 627A.02 (prohibits allowing a child access to a firearm) and Discharging Firearms – Section 627.20 and not to forget mandatory gun registration: Registration of Handguns - Section 674.05. Gun control can not ban bad decisions and legislators can not mandate common sense in our society. Intelligent responsible gun owners do not point a gun at their head and pull the trigger, and no amount of gun control, no matter if it is local, state, or federal, can prevent the tragic consequences of ignorance and stupidity. Despite these laws "still being enforced" by the Jackson administration you will hear in the days to come that this shooting demonstrates why preemption should not prevent the City of Cleveland from enforcing its gun control. Mayor Frank Jackson could hang up his ties to anti-gun coalitions and champion real change in Cleveland if he ordered Cleveland schools to teach Cleveland's children simple common sense gun safety. Then, only through educating kids instead of enacting reactionary legislation and closing our eyes, might we actually prevent a child from picking up a gun, pointing it at their head, and ending their lives. |