It is time to take back the streets, public places, and homes of America from gangs and criminals by enforcing existing gun regulations and, where necessary, passing reasonable and common-sense new regulations, without negating the Second Amendment rights of peaceful and law-abiding citizens.

America lost about 4600 troops, sustained over 100,000 wounded and amassed a debt estimated at between 1 and 3 trillion dollars. Americans are now being tasked with paying for these costs that contributed to the deficit that the current Congress seeks to reduce.

Did you know that MS is considering spending several million dollars to add armed police in every public school in MS? (SB 2659) Or that MS may allow school staff to conceal carry guns in public schools throughout the state, without requiring these people to undergo psychological evaluations prior to bringing guns into our schools? (HB 958) Did you know that schools are no safer with armed police/guards in schools (both Columbine and VA Tech had armed guards on the premises) and are in fact more dangerous and insecure? (see supporting evidence below) It's Up to You: You have the power to prevent this scary reality from being imposed on our children and school staff throughout our state by contacting your MS State Legslators (see www.votesmart.org for your MS State Rep. and Senator), Gov. Bryant, and Lt. Gov. Reeves(proposed SB 2659) and demanding they prevent more armed guards in our state's public schools. Our children and school staff deserve better. Act fast as legislation is currently pending before the MS State Legislature. Call, email, and visit in person, asking for no passage of two bills, SB 2659 and HB 958. MS cannot afford these costly, misguided programs and should instead be spending our very limited resources on improving public education and mental health services for all Mississippians.    The students, families, and people of Mississippi are opposed to reactionary responses to school shootings of adding more armed police in our schools with legislation such as SB 2659 (minimum cost of $7.5 million for armed police in schools) and HB 958 (school staff concealed carry). Ample evidence proves that armed police in schools do not make the students and school staff safer, but in fact result in exactly the opposite only furthering the unwelcoming and criminalized school environment where students and school staff not only feel unsafe, but are in reality more unsafe with the introduction of easy access to deadly force. There are better solutions to ensuring a safe and secure school environment than adding more armed guards to Mississippi's schools; we urge you to follow these solutions and not further endanger our state's students and school staff with legislation such as SB 2659 and HB 958. All students and school staff deserve to feel safe and secure at all times, but this misguided approach is not the answer. We ask that you not approve any harmful legislation such as SB 2659 or HB 958. MS cannot afford these costly, misguided programs and should instead be spending our very limited resources on improving public education and mental health services for all Mississippians.  Your Voice is Needed: Contact your MS State Legislators, Gov. Bryant, and Lt. Gov. Reeves to show your opposition to more armed guards in schools: Find your MS State Rep. and Senator here: www.votesmart.org (enter zip code in box) Gov. Bryant:  Phone: 601.359.3150 Online Contact Form: www.governorbryant.com/contact/ Lt. Gov. Reeves: Phone: (601) 359-3200 Online Contact Form: http://tatereeves.com/contact/ Email: [email protected] Serious Questions to ask Legislators proposing and/or considering armed guards/police in schools:   https://dl.dropbox.com/s/i2w0vdcj6rtxo2x/Questions%20to%20Ask%20-%20Post%20Newtown.docx?token_hash=AAGpuHEtmoMWGu_EmKXvwdg4gxwglZ5x55MC3rZ5UWRxpw&dl=1 Evidence and Resources Supporting the Opposition to Added Armed Guards/Police in Schools: See the recently released report on the very real consequences of police in MS's schools:             Handcuffs on Success: The Extreme School Discipline Crisis in MS Public Schools  www.aclu-ms.org/files/5713/5843/3850/Handcuffs_on_sucess.pdf Coalition Says Armed Police in Schools Wrong Answer For Stopping Gun Violence: www.advancementproject.org/news/entry/press-release-coalition-says-armed-police-in-schools-wrong-answer-for-stopp Summary to Issue Brief - Police in Schools are Not the Answer to the Newtown Shooting: http://b.3cdn.net/advancement/06b0d7e7baeb71779e_owm6b5o1j.pdf Education Under Arrest: The Case Against Police in Schools (Justice Policy Institute): www.justicepolicy.org/uploads/justicepolicy/documents/educationunderarrest_fullreport.pdf Fact Sheet: Dangers of Added Police in Schools (The Sentencing Project):  http://sentencingproject.org/doc/publications/jj_Police%20in%20Schools%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf Allies Opposed to Police in Schools: EDUCATORS National Association of Elementary School Principals and National Association of Secondary School Prinicpals (NAESP and NASSP) www.nassp.org/Content.aspx?topic=NAESP_and_NASSP_Comments_on_School_Safety_and_Gun_Violence_Prevention The principal’s first responsibility is to foster a safe, orderly, warm, and inviting environment where students come to school ready and eager to learn. To be effective, schools must be operated and perceived as safe havens. Research and countless studies have shown that the presence of armed school personnel, increased numbers of school resource officers (SROs), as well as the purchase of other visible school security equipment will not necessarily deter the kind of violence that took place at Sandy Hook. PARENTS National Parent Teacher Association (PTA) www.pwrnewmedia.com/2013/national_pta/gun_violence_prevention_agenda/ As the President conveyed in his remarks, our number one task, as a nation, is to protect our children. To achieve this, National PTA believes schools also must be completely gun-free.  The Administration’s recommendation to expand the school resource officer program therefore comes as a disappointment. JUDGES National Council on Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) www.ncjfcj.org/ncjfcjs-position-increased-police-presence-schools The NCJFCJ is concerned regarding the movement, as a result of the Newtown school shootings, to increase the security or police presence in schools. Many counties across the country experienced significant increases in minor school arrests when police began to be placed on camp...

On one Friday night in the United States more people are killed by firearms than are killed in a whole year in Japan where guns in the general public are illegal. It is time to catch up with the more modern countries of the world by passing a Constitutional Amendment that would ban firearms in the general public. Law enforcement officers, guards and people serving in the military would be exempt. Let's find out where America really stands on this issue.

A very dear friend of mine Jillian Holder was charged and convicted with complicity of murder and complicity to attempted murder in 2001. She was sentenced under the Ohio Revised Code 2923.03 (sub section (F) that states, “Whoever violates this section is guilty of complicity in the commission of an offense, and shall be prosecuted and punished as if he were a principal offender. A charge of complicity may be stated in terms of this section or in terms of the principal offense”. Though she did not murder no one or attempt to murder anyone she was given a punishment just as sever. This is not a question of punishment but one of what is the right punishment. Laws are made to protect us and a fare sentence of punishment should be a priority.

Dionte has been in Dallas County-Lew Sterett for 4 1/2 years and he is still there awaiting a retrial; Dionte was sentenced to Life in Prison and he is being wrongful accussed and with a continued bond over a million dollars;

freeing norman sheldrake

We've all watched the ongoing failure to legislate gun control in our Country. It hasn't been accomplished, and I doubt it ever will be. We've watched helplessly as thousands of people have been killed every year. There is, however a way that can eventually have a powerful negitive effect on gun ownership and a positive effect on communities without banning any type of weapon.

In April 2011, New York City Council Member Margaret Chin introduced legislation to criminalize the purchase of counterfeit trademark goods. This bill will make it a class A misdemeanor to purchase counterfeit goods, punishable by up to a $1,000 fine and/or up to a year in jail for repeat offenders. For years, the neighborhoods of lower Manhattan - especially Chinatown, SoHo, and Tribeca - have been inundated by vendors selling illegal trademark counterfeit goods. This trade has greatly impacted the quality of life in our community. Counterfeit vendors clog our sidewalks and streets; intimidate and harass local residents; destroy private property; and create a negative image of our neighorhood. This legislation would give the NYPD the power to issue a summons to individuals who are caught buying goods which they should know are counterfeit based on the cost or quality of the good, or the conditions and location of the seller or sale. While it is currently illegal to sell counterfeit trademark goods in New York City, it is not illegal to purchase them. Our laws are incomplete as long as they focus on the supply, but not the demand. The illegal counterfeit good trade costs New York City an estimated $1 billion in tax revenue each year. At a time when our city's services are being slashed, it is irresponsible for our city to forgo such much-needed revenue.

The violence and death caused by lack of regulations on firearms has to be stopped. The leadership of the Massachusetts government should take the lead in championing change starting locally, but driving change at a national level.

It is time we demand our elected officials do something significant about gun violence to keep our communities, families and children safe. After the horror of Newtown, we need comprehensive, common sense legislative action.

People are dying in the subways, and what does the MTA do? Remove service booths and agents from the stations. Since the removal of the service booths and agents, crime, particularly vandalism, has been on the rise within the stops, according to DNAinfo.com. More importantly, these stops are overcrowded and, as a result, people have tripped or been pushed onto the tracks. Without service agents to alert oncoming trains, people have been tragically hit and killed; 55 deaths on New York City subway tracks last year.