Almost every media source has claimed that President Barack Obama is planning to announce a gun control initiative that will urge Congress to toughen federal gun control laws and to use federal funds to reward states with tougher new gun laws.

Which makes me wonder if Obama is paying attention to how stringent gun control failed to make his home town of Chicago any safer?

So in the interests of providing a commonsense tutorial on gun control …

1.  It is crime control, not gun control that is the desired outcome.

2.  Legislators who believe that legislation will trump human nature, mental illness and a raw emotional response are either misguided or unrealistically optimistic. In most instances of criminality, the gun is a tool of intimidation and control. If a gun were not available, then a knife or a baseball bat would be used.

3.  Even though the United States Constitution’s Second Amendment was designed as a safeguard against governmental tyranny, the founding fathers recognized that our right of self-defense to be a God-given inalienable right that should not be abridged.

4. The “police” as well as other governmental agencies are charged with the maintenance of good general public order, but have no duty to provide protection to any particular individual citizen. Therefore it is unrealistic to believe that any governmental entity will be able to protect you and your family with any degree of certainty.

5.  The designation as some weapons as “assault rifles” based on their appearance is a distinction without a difference. The functionality of a semi-automatic weapon remains the same regardless of its cosmetic appearance.

6.  There are people who are afraid of guns and feel uncomfortable being around guns. They have chosen to grovel, beg and die – which is their choice. They do not have the right to tell the rest of us how to live our lives and protect ourselves and our families.

7.  There are no ways to toughen gun laws beyond what currently exists that will make criminals or crazies respect the law. The laws only impact and penalize law-abiding citizens.

8.  The exploitation of an individual like Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is shameful and pandering for the basest of political motives is both dishonest and despicable.

I am a member of the National Rifle Association (Endowment Level) and I do not believe anyone has a right to own or use grenades, mines, bazookas or other instruments of war any more than I believe that the Second Amendment permits you to own your own personal nuclear weapon.

For those who believe that high capacity magazines are evil, consider someone driving a truck into a crowd or using explosives – a deranged mind is a deranged mind.

Bottom line …

Politicians propose legislation as a solution to problems because that is what politicians do. Whether their motives are sincere or are merely a political calculation to generate media attention, campaign funding and voter support – the end result is the same: you cannot prevent crazy people from doing crazy things.

We have sufficient gun control restrictions and anti-crime laws on the books. Many of them have absolutely no effect as a deterrent to criminals and crazies.

And, if we were being honest, part of the problem is liberals pandering to criminals: preferring lighter sentences for minorities, illegal aliens and pushing release and rehabilitation rather than prison. Not to mention the continuing politicization of  prosecutors which has made us less safe as prosecutors cut plea bargains with dangerous and desperate men in order to insure a statistical conviction. It’s all about making the numbers, not reducing crime.  Parole and good-time sentence reductions are also problematical. And worst of all, are law enforcement officials like Los Angeles Sheriff Lee Baca who threatens to return criminals to the streets every time his department faces a budget review.

In the final analysis, it is far better to be armed when seconds count and the police are “just minutes away.” But this is America and unlike totalitarian states that is your personal choice.

-- steve