Sent to NeverAgain MSD, March 16, 2018. No response received.

Good morning,

We have tried reaching out to Never Again MSD through email, Facebook, Twitter, and a public invitation to write an unedited column delineating your positions and goals.

Perhaps a better option would an interview conducted by email, to be published at The Zelman Partisans.

News reports have already covered how you _feel_ quite  extensively. We are interested in what you _think_.

1. What would you say to a Jewish Holocaust survivor — disarmed by law and shipped off to a concentration camp — who questions your use of the phrase “Never Again” to advocate for disarmament?

2. Various people identifying as NA MSD members have spoken in favor of some gun control laws they believe will enhance school — and student — safety. One is “universal background checks.” 64% or murderers have prior felony convictions, and approximately 88% of firearms used to
commit crimes are stolen. Federal studies have shown that the majority of criminals already obtain their firearms through friends, family (both of whom would be aware of the prohibited person status), and black market sales, avoiding background checks altogether. What law do you propose to induce those felons to undergo background checks when obtaining stolen firearms?

3. The Supreme Court’s HAYNES ruling forbids forcing felons to
self-incriminate by reporting for a background check (or  weapons registration). What law do you propose to side-step that decision?

4. Estimates of gun owners in America range from 55 million to over 120 million. According to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report murderers make up no more than 0.0022% of gun owners (actually less, as that figure ignores the 88% stolen guns, which the killer don’t own). Why do you believe that tens of millions of people who committed no crime should be regulated because repeat offenders did commit crimes?

5. The Florida DCF has said that Nikolas Cruz was in their care as a “vulnerable adult due to mental illness.” If so, then legally he was a prohibited person who should not have passed background checks as he did. What law do you propose to induce government officials to properly report prohibited persons to NICS?

6. The “Fix NICS” bill in Congress was introduced post-Sutherland Springs shooting to address the failure of the USAF to report a prohibited person (that killer had been involuntarily committed, convicted of multiple felonies, and convicted of domestic violence; all of which made him a prohibited person). That bill would provide additional money to states, agencies, and department heads to do the job they are already paid to do. Do you support “Fix NICS,” or would you
support a bill that provided penalties for those who failed to do their jobs, resulting in horrific crimes like those at Sutherland Springs and Parkland?

7. News reports indicate that some NA MSD members support a ban on assault rifles. Does NA MSD as an organization?

8. Can you give a legal definition of “assault weapon”?

9. Some reports specifically call out AR-15 rifles. There are an
estimated 16,000,000 AR-15 pattern rifles alone in the US. What law do you propose to take all of them off the street?

10. Australia attempted a ban and forced turn-in of weapon post-Port Arthur. In the two decades+ since then, they have held multiple “amnesties” in an attempt to get Australians to turn in banned weapons, and in 2017 estimated they have achieved 20% compliance. In 1990, California required registration (not confiscation) of “assault weapons” and obtained a 2.33% compliance rate. The NYSAFE Act garnered less than 5% compliance. Connecticut’s magazine registration law was met with 4% compliance (including someone who registered 500,000 magazines allegedly in his possession). How do you propose to effect a real “assault weapons” ban in view of historic noncompliance with even registration?

11. Reports also indicate that NA MSD opposes armed teachers in schools, as they lack training. If a nineteen year-old mentally disturbed person could figure out how to operate a firearm, isn’t it possible that a responsible adult, already entrusted with the minds of youth, could also figure out how to use a firearm to protect them physically?

12. Some students interviewed have voiced discomfort with the possibility of being around an armed person at school. Florida has 1,784,395 CCW-licensed people at last count; 8.5% of the state’s population. Since 1 in 12 people you randomly meet on the street, mall, restaurant, or anywhere else in public is statistically likely to be armed, why is the thought of armed people in school more troubling than in a theater?

13. By law, Florida schools are gun-free zones. How well did that work on February 14, 2018?

14. In the case of the Parkland killings, federal, state and local
government failed to arrest or Baker Act a mentally ill person with a long history of violent acts and threats. They failed to report a seemingly prohibited person to NICS. On the day of the shooting, they failed to intervene, choosing to remain outside the building until long after the shooter departed. Do you trust those same agencies and personnel to enforce any new laws you succeed in passing?

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Carl “Bear” Bussjaeger
Writer, The Zelman Partisans
www.zelmanpartisans.com

About TZP: A group of Jews and friends who stand uncompromisingly for the right to keep and bear arms — and the entire Bill of Rights.
http://zelmanpartisans.com/?page_id=2