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Michael Moore’s 28th Amendment Is No Joke

AP Photo/Jae C. Hong

It’s easy to laugh at people like washed-up filmmaker Michael Moore. Whenever they speak, it’s like an unintentional stand-up comedy act. But there are times when we should take them a bit more seriously than they might deserve. Moore’s bid to introduce a 28th Amendment that would rescind the right to bear arms is one of these instances.

RedState’s Mike Miller wrote:

As the left continues its meltdown in the aftermath of several mass shootings and a couple of Second Amendment rights decisions by the Supreme Court, Moore has taken it upon himself to write his version of a 28th Amendment — there are currently 27 amendments to the U.S. Constitution — which if passed by Congress would do away with the Second Amendment and the rights it preserves and instead, put in place massive federal confiscation of legally-purchased firearms owned by law-abiding gun owners.

Moore’s amendment details a series of measures the government would take to disarm the law-abiding public. It is an authoritarian proposition that would ensure only agents of the state would realistically be able to carry firearms. Even if it’s coming from a circus clown like Moore, we should take it seriously because, unfortunately, he is not alone. Many progressives would love to implement a Constitutional amendment that would do away with the Second.

Section One of Moore’s proposal says, “[t]he inalienable right of a free people to be kept safe from gun violence and the fear thereof must not be infringed and shall be protected by the Congress and the States.

In Section Two, Moore’s amendment would “create a mandatory system of firearm registration and licensing for the following limited purposes: (a) licensed hunters of game; (b) licensed ranges for the sport of target shooting; and (c) for the few who can demonstrate a special need for personal protection.”

Anyone who wishes to own a gun would go through “a strict vetting process” that would include “a thorough background check, including the written and confidential approval of family members, spouses and ex-spouses and/or partners and ex-partners, co-workers and neighbors.”

Essentially, if the government interviews people who don’t like you, then the state could use that to deny you the right to bear arms. It is like combining red flag laws with New York’s now-defunct “may issue” gun licensing scheme.

Interestingly enough, Moore’s proposal for police does not call for as strict a process as what he wishes to subject the rest of us to. “Police who are trained and vetted to use firearms shall be subject to comprehensive and continuous monitoring and shall be dismissed if found to exhibit any racist or violent behavior,” Section Seven reads.

Also missing from Moore’s proposal is any measure or provision that would tamp down on the proliferation of illegally-obtained firearms. Given that the overwhelming majority of gun crimes are committed using weapons that were not legally purchased, would it not make sense that the government would be empowered to do more to stop these guns from getting into the hands of criminals? After all, progressives claim their laws would stop gun violence, don’t they? It is almost like they are more concerned about making sure law-abiding citizens are disarmed than they are about violent thugs.

Moore’s suggestions might seem extreme to us sane, rational folks. But if you look at the responses to his tweet linking to his amendment, you can see he is far from being alone on this matter. There are plenty of folks who would ignorantly support such a proposition. But even worse, there are many in positions of power who have no problem with what the filmmaker is suggesting.

Most of those seeking to disarm the public are taking a more incremental approach – pass a law here, pass a measure there – until they get to what Moore is describing. Each time a mass shooting occurs, they play on people’s outrage and grief to put forth measures designed to make people feel good without actually addressing the problem. We saw this in the aftermath of the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. Not a single anti-gunner pushed for measures that would actually deter and decrease these acts of violence; each provision of the bipartisan law they passed was targeted toward law-abiding citizens.

We know what their ultimate objective is – and it looks much like what Michael Moore posted. Yes, there are definitely times to laugh at these clowns. But in this case, we must take heed and ensure their vision never comes to fruition.

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