2A Watch: Jeb Bush Opposes 2nd Amendment Rights for "Gun Felons"
Jeb Bush attempted to remain relevant in Iowa this week by writing an op-ed in The Iowa Republican. In the piece Bush attacked Hillary Clinton’s anti-gun rhetoric, touted his pro-gun record as governor of Florida and staunchly defended the Second Amendment rights of most American citizens.Did you catch that last part?He defended the Second Amendment rights of most citizens. In the op-ed he openly advocated for “getting tough on gun felons” and touted legislation passed during his time as Governor of Florida that escalated sentences previously convicted felons received for committing a crime using a gun.Bush wrote in The Iowa Republican:
Liberals like Hillary Clinton always hold up gun control as a panacea to crime, even though the proposals they have put forward would have done nothing to stop any of the tragic shootings that have occurred recently in America. Gun violence is a serious issue that deserves our attention. But the proper response is to crack down on the criminals who use guns in crimes and to improve our national instant background check system so we can prevent people with mental illnesses from purchasing firearms.Once again, my record in Florida provides a way forward for America. In Florida, we got tough on gun felons by passing 10-20-Life. If a criminal used a gun in a crime, he or she received a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years. If the criminal fired the gun in the commission of a crime, he or she received a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years. And if criminal fired a weapon and wounded or killed another person, he or she was put behind bars for life. 10-20-Life had a profound impact on reducing gun violence in Florida and helped bring down our overall incidence of crime to a 35-year low.
Those familiar with my weekly column Felony Friday should be aware that I favor returning Second Amendment rights to felons for both moral and logical reasons. In December 2013 I explained my reasoning why I believe this in a column titled, Should Felons have Second Amendment Rights Restored Upon Release?
In order to attempt to understand the influence firearm prohibition can have on an individual it is helpful to ask yourself the following question. Can an individual be considered free if their ability to protect their life or provide for their family is impeded?If you agree that the answer to this question is no, then you would have to agree that previously convicted felons are not free.
The belief that felons' Second Amendment rights should not be protected is not unique to Jeb Bush. In fact, this is a rare area in the gun conversation where Democrats and Republicans agree.However, if we are to be a society that strives for equality under the law, then felons who commit a crime with a gun should be treated no differently. The felon is an easy scapegoat because there are few who are willing to stand up for the rights of felons who have served their time.The reality of the situation is that many felons - even some "gun felons" {Editor's note: such as past podcast guest Brian Aitken} - were convicted of non-violent victimless crimes, and are still not granted their freedom upon release from prison. Additionally, if the ones convicted of violent crimes are still considered dangerous upon release from prison, then they should not be walking the street at all. But to free someone from prison while restraining their 2nd amendment rights to self-defense is to say that that individual is not really free. He is still, in a sense, imprisoned by society.It doesn’t matter how many laws Jeb Bush or Hillary Clinton pass to infringe upon felons Second Amendment rights. Politicians of all stripes use this “tough on criminals” rhetoric to portray an image of strength. But these law are an illusion, they do nothing to make society safer. They only infringe upon the liberty of the felon who has paid his debt to society and seeks to follow the law, because the violent ones, who still seek to harm others, will not be dettered by gun control laws.Check out previous editions of Second Amendment Watch!The Lions of Liberty are on Twitter, Facebook & Google+Check out our YouTube Channel!Receive access to ALL of our EXCLUSIVE bonus audio content – including “Conspiracy Corner”, “Degenerate Gamblers” and the “League of Liberty Podcast” by joining the Lions of Liberty Pride and supporting us on Patreon!Join our private Facebook Group: The Lions of Liberty Forum
