The Late 'Moderate'
Obituaries are describing the late Republican Sen. John Chafee of Rhode
Island as a "moderate." Oh,
really? In 1992 Chafee introduced legislation to completely outlaw the
private possession of handguns. All Americans would have been ordered to
turn over their handguns to the government. Anyone subsequently found with
a handgun would have faced up to $5,000 in fines and five years in prison.
When Chafee introduced this legislation, he acknowledged there were about
66 million handgun owners. About one in four US households had one or more
handguns. Almost none of these owners used their guns in any criminal
activity. Yet Chafee would have made them turn in their guns or become
instant felons, to be hunted down by a Gun Gestapo and punished with severe
fines and lengthy imprisonment. Given that so many Americans passionately
support their Second Amendment right to own handguns, one shudders to
imagine the consequences of a government attempt at mass confiscation.
Furthermore, a large and impressive body of scholarly research - most
notably that of John Lott of the University of Chicago - indicates that
private firearm possession is a major crime deterrent. Thus Chafee's
legislation would have left millions of Americans exposed to criminal
predators, and would have unquestionably driven up the numbers of
robberies, murders, and rapes nationwide.
This was police-state legislation, and it would have required a police
state to enforce it. A person who could seriously propose such a thing
might deservedly be called many names, but "moderate" is not one of them.
(Sources: Associated Press, Gun Owners of American, Independence Institute)
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