$50 for 50 by 50 #36: Safety For All – Vote Yes on Proposition 63

I’m turning 50 this year and instead of whining about it, I’m trying to do something positive by donating $50 to 50 different charities before I’m 50 years old.
This is not a charity, per se, but rather to support a California ballot initiative.

Normally, I’m dead set against the propositions. I do not believe that a 50% + 1 vote, which represent a tiny fraction of the state’s population, should be making decisions that affect the entire state’s population and sometimes beyond. People, as we all know, are often ill-informed and/or easily swayed and should not be put in charge of this kind of thing. This is why we have a representative form of government.

But sometimes a proposition comes along that I feel very strongly about. There are a few on November, 2016’s ballot including proposition 62, which would abolish the death penalty; proposition 64, which would legalize marijuana sales in the state; and, the topic of this post, proposition 63. The measure would prohibit the possession of large-capacity ammunition magazines and would require most individuals to pass a background check and obtain authorization from the California Department of Justice to purchase ammunition.

I am one of those liberals who wants to take your guns – freely admit it. I think the world would be a better place if all guns were rounded up, melted down, and turned into playground equipment. The second amendment is an antiquated idea based on the realities of the world 240 years ago; an idea that is just as out of touch with current realities as the idea of black people only being counted as 3/5ths of a human being or women not being allowed to vote. We changed those things when the world evolved. Why can’t we do the same with the second amendment?

Having said that, I understand that this is not something we will ever achieve, at least certainly not in my lifetime. So instead of advocating for an unrealistic nirvana, I will advocate to pass as many restrictions on the sale and ownership of guns as we can get. Proposition 63 will not solve the problem – it may not even help the problem all that much – but if anyone is stopped from buying ammunition that would have otherwise gone on to kill someone(s) it is absolutely worth it.

Join the cause at safetyforall.com.