DUMB UNDER THE DOME
We just have to ask, “Is there some dumb under the Dome?”
It’s pretty dang obvious that what goes on in Sacramento is a mystery, because it doesn’t make much sense to most clear-thinking Californians. Especially when it comes to guns and crime. Those of us who are required to follow the law are at the mercy of politicians who think we need help walking to the restroom – because we may get hurt or harm someone along the way.
Sound ridiculous? Of course it is, but as the saying goes, truth is stranger than fiction, which is why we are launching a new series called “Dumb Under the Dome” We want to call your attention to some of the more absurd antics – and policies the Legislature is fond of promoting.
In recent “Dumb Under the Dome” news, a bill by Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez to allow voters a chance to reinstate felony penalties for firearm theft recently reduced under Proposition 47, was “held” in the Assembly Appropriations Committee, which is a code word for “dead”. Prior to the passage of Proposition 47, stealing any type of gun was considered felony grand theft but Proposition 47 reduced the penalty to a simple misdemeanor for firearms that are valued at under $950. This is not smart in our book.
Melendez called out the “appalling hypocrisy” of legislative Democrats, stating they “consistently enact harsher gun control laws for law-abiding citizens,”and that“they made it easier for a lawbreaker to kill an innocent victim.” If passed, Melendez’s bill would have sent the issue of firearm theft back to the ballot as a stand-alone provision that voters could either reaffirm or reject. A similar bill by Senator Cathleen Galgiani met the same fate.
On the flip side, though, the Senate just went Minority Report on us by giving a thumbs up to SB 347, a bill based on predicted future crimes as explained by author Senator Hannah Beth-Jackson. The bill expands the 10 year prohibition on the owning of firearms to people whom she believes may commit a violent crime, by expanding the list to some with non-violent misdemeanor offenses. The Great (Hannah-Beth) Carnac says you may commit a crime in the future so therefore you should lose you gun rights for ten years. Now that’s more than just dumb – it’s flat-out wrong.
Are the politicians so clueless that they can’t see the stupidity of their actions or is it something more sinister? We will ask that question with every good bill that’s killed – and every bad one that’s got life. Keep posted as we track down more “Dumb Under the Dome” moments.