California: A New Way of Life

A few days ago my friend Quoc Ha (AKA Q, a superb photographer whose work you'll see in RECOIL Issue 9) photographed and posted some of the images he crafted for the Calguns Foundation. The Calguns Foundation is an organization working (along with the Firearms Policy Coalition and others) to fight the ongoing anti-firearm legislation in California. No sooner do they defeat one law proposed to further restrict Californians' gun rights than another is vomited forth.

When I say the Calguns Foundation (CF) is fighting this anti-Second Amendment legislation, I mean that literally. On September 19th the Foundation filed a Federal civil right lawsuit against the acts and policies of two bilious members of the California state government: Attorney General Kamala D. Harris and state Department of Justice Firearms Bureau Chief Stephen Lindley. The lawsuit says the “California Department of Justice's practice of denying individuals' fundamental rights protected under the Second and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution.” CF is using Q's imagery as part of an awareness campaign to further this fight.

Furthermore the lawsuit (Darrin Owen, et. al. vs. Kamala Harris, et. al. ) states the Department of Justice (DOJ), via the policies of defendants Harris and Lindley, “have been and continue to enforce a policy of forbidding many gun purchasers from taking possession of their lawfully-obtained firearms through what are commonly referred to as ‘DROS delays', sometimes for over a year or indefinitely.”

One would think that the recent recall of two Colorado politicians by voters would underscore how seriously our citizenry takes its Second Amendment rights. However transpicuous this is to us and those like us, the lawmakers who would infringe upon our constitutional rights either cannot see it or, more likely, they just don't care. How crass and inappropriate is it to leverage someone's murder to further a political agenda? How much more vile if the person doing so is the president of the United States, speaking not just in a public venue but an international one? The victims of a madman are not yet in the ground, the offices of recalled Colorado senators have not yet been cleaned out, but a national tragedy has been debased and marginalized by its conversion to a talking point, and odious state legislators stumble over themselves to follow suit.

Such actions, at the state level in California, at the federal level in Washington D.C. and elsewhere should be repugnant. Instead their appearance is a foregone conclusion.

Q's team did a fantastic job of putting together a campaign called “A New Way of Life,” intended to show what life in the Golden State will become should those laws pass. It is not a stretch to apply those same conditions to the rest of the country. The series of images show first the criminalization of law-abiding gun owners, then their registration and ultimately confiscation. I think it is an outstanding compilation of imagery, all the more so when you consider their team went from concept to execution in 3 days, working through the night to accomplish it.

“We are law-abiding Americans. We are patriots. We are fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, wives, husbands, brothers, and sisters. We are not criminals. We do not deserve to be treated like sex offenders simply because we exercise our Second Amendment gun rights. LIKE and SHARE if you agree, and FIGHT BACK NOW at www.DemandRights.com!” Quoc Ha

Take a look at Demand Rights; do what you can to sway California Governor Brown to veto gun control legislation. Consider donating to the Calguns Foundation (donations are tax deductible). Drop by Q Concepts and let them know you appreciate their work.