Gun Control in the Buckeye State?

Should we ban the AR-15? All semi-automatic firearms? Ban certain accessories? Close the so-called "gun show loophole"? (BTW, there is no such thing.) Raise the minimum purchase age? Register and heavily tax all guns and ammunition? Universal background checks? Require larger signage stating "No Guns Allowed" in schools? Create a "Gun Violence Awareness" month?

Let's say we do one, some, or all of the above. What will we do after the next massacre? What will we ban or restrict next? And then again after the next shooting? And the next?

Let's say we passed a Constitutional Amendment not only repealing the Second Amendment, but also authorizing the federal and state governments to use any and all means necessary to seize every firearm in the country. Now let's also pretend that can be successfully achieved and without igniting a civil war.

Consider the fact that any kid can go to a local drug store and inexpensively purchase every component necessary to make gunpowder. Steel pipe is readily available at any hardware store. It could be ignited by simply lighting a wick or with a simple electronic device. (Kids I grew up with, back in the 1970s, knew how to do all these things and that was long before Al Gore invented the Internet.) Pressure cookers can also be purchased at many appliance stores.

If that is too much trouble for a kid, he could simply acquire a few empty 55-gallon drums, load them into his parent's pickup truck or van, fill them with gasoline, and then drive to the target of his choice.

(Then what? Ban vehicles? Ban containers? Ban fuel? Boycott General Motors and Exxon? Well, we'll have to do something. Right?)

So, if it's that simple for kids, it's a lot easier for adults. Horrified at the thought? Yeah, me too.

Look Becker, nobody needs an AR-15 for hunting. Nobody needs a large capacity ammunition magazine. And nobody needs a bump stock.

I agree with those statements. I would also argue that nobody needs a sports car. Nobody needs a 12-cylinder engine. And nobody needs a lot of other things. Do you really want government deciding who needs what?

Hey Becker, everybody knows that the Second Amendment was written for hunting and not for the private ownership of military style weapons.
Really? Consider when the Second Amendment was written. It was added to the constitution that created the new government that was formed after the close of the Revolutionary War. The right to bear arms was written to guarantee liberty and guard against tyranny. It had nothing to do with hunting and had everything to do with military weapons.

Becker, are you nuts? Back then they only had muskets. That's what the Second Amendment protects. Right?
The authors of the Second Amendment may not have envisioned today's weapons, but they certainly envisioned battleships. Consider the fact that the world's most advanced weapons of war (battleships) were privately owned during and beyond the War of 1812.

Surely you agree that the federal government can legislate common sense gun control laws?
What do the words "Shall Not Be Infringed" mean to you? Prior to constitutional perversion, the Bill of Rights only applied to the federal government. (Take a look at the First Amendment: CONGRESS shall make no law...) The states always had full authority over such issues.

For more on this topic, see the January 2016 issue of The Becker Report.

Okay, Becker, you made your point. So, what are your ideas on how to prevent school massacres?
Well, I'm not going to pretend to have all the answers, but I have a few thoughts:

• Allow God back into our schools. Eliminate the liberalism that has infected our culture. Reverse the societal breakdowns that continue to decay the family nucleus. Since these are not likely options, I like the idea of interdiction; stepping up efforts to identify and neutralize threats before they occur.
• Building schools like embassies would be expensive but effective.
• A less expensive option would be to create courthouse style security. All kids and bags being checked would minimize the possibility of guns and bombs getting in. Multiple armed security guards could also be posted to stop anyone who attempts to simply shoot their way in.
• The best option is probably FASTER Saves Lives. This is a free training program for schools. It is sponsored by Buckeye Firearms Association.
• I also like the idea of allowing school staff, with Concealed Handgun Licenses (CHLs), to have the option to carry both concealed and secured. This also doesn't cost anything.
• Under current law, school boards have the authority to institute all of these security measures.
• Eliminate most, if not all, so-called "gun free zones." They are the most dangerous places in Ohio.

Let's imagine a conversation with a local school board:
Citizen: What is the school doing to keep guns out?
Board: We have a zero-tolerance policy.
Citizen: And how does that keep guns out of school?
Board: We have a "see something, say something" program.
Citizen: And that keep guns out of school in what way?
Board: We do ALICE training.
Citizen: How does ALICE training keep guns out of school?
Board: There is a sign on the door that says, "No Guns Allowed." We're considering making the sign larger.
Citizen: Have you considered armed security and metal detectors?
Board: Yes. We have a School Resource Officer (SRO) in the high school.
Citizen: Good. What if the SRO is indisposed, in the wrong place at the wrong time, or is the first guy to take a bullet?
Board: We're hoping that doesn't happen.
Citizen: What about metal detectors and SROs in the elementary schools?
Board: No. With all the state funding cuts, their unconstitutional funding system that those idiots in Columbus refuse to fix, all of the other unfunded mandates from the state, and repeated failed school levies, we just can't afford to do any of that.
Citizen: Well, let's just accept for the moment that all of that is true. Have you considered allowing staff, who have CHLs, to be armed?
Board: No. Other than our SRO, we don't want guns in school.
Citizen: Didn't we just establish that you are doing nothing to keep guns out of school?
Board: We don't want multiple people firing bullets everywhere. More people could get hurt that way.
Citizen: So, you think it's safer when only the bad guy is doing the shooting?
Board: Of course not. We have an SRO in the high school and we have great police protection. Their response time is three to four minutes.
Citizen: If the SRO is down and the bad guy is walking around the school systematically executing everyone within sight, how many people do you think could die during that three to four minutes?
Board: Sir, public participation time has expired. We are adjourned.

State Representative John Becker is currently serving his third term at the Ohio House of Representatives. He represents the 65th District in northwestern Clermont County, which includes parts of Loveland and Milford, all of Newtonsville and Owensville, as well as Goshen, Miami, Stonelick, Union and Wayne townships.