Toledo Blade Columnist: ‘Special Squads of Police’ Should Disarm Americans

-By Warner Todd Huston

Since the VT shootings in Blacksburg, Virginia, we have seen all manner of wild-eyed, anti-gunners come out of the woodwork to cynically use this crime as a chance to beat their gun grabbing drums. But, proposing that we send government Stormtroopers to smash down the doors of every home with a gun in it to confiscate their Constitutionally legal firearms is a step I haven’t seen in a purportedly responsible newspaper. That is, until the Toledo Blade published a proposal for taking away our right to self-protection that included "Special squads of police" with unlimited powers to confiscate all guns. A hit squad that would traipse about the country invading homes at will and accosting peaceful citizens everywhere.

The author of this tyrannical proposal is Dan Simpson, who is described as "a retired Ambassador" and a "member of the editorial boards of The Blade and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. " He is a former US Ambassador to various African states… which can easily be read to mean one who thinks government knows best, darn the citizen’s rights, apparently.

The piece that oozes from his pen seems overly long, the first half being an attempt by this anti-gun advocate to make it seem as if he really loves guns. After all, he played Cowboys and Indians as a kid and also had a Red Ryder BB gun. Then, later in life, carried a .357 as a "diplomat". But after the hard to believe disclaimers are dispensed with, Simpson launches into his gun banning proposal.

Now, how would one disarm the American population? First of all, federal or state laws would need to make it a crime punishable by a $1,000 fine and one year in prison per weapon to possess a firearm. The population would then be given three months to turn in their guns, without penalty.

There is a major problem legally with this supposed diplomat’s plans. He never once mentions that the 2nd Amendment is a Constitutional right of the people to keep and bear arms. His proposal is completely illegal according to the Constitution of the USA unless a Constitutional Convention is called to consider amending the law of the land. One would think that an "Ambassador" would be interested in little things like following the law… but apparently not Mr. Simpson.

Worse, and as mentioned, he wants to form a veritable Stormtrooper army that will maraud throughout the country.

The disarmament process would begin after the initial three-month amnesty. Special squads of police would be formed and trained to carry out the work. Then, on a random basis to permit no advance warning, city blocks and stretches of suburban and rural areas would be cordoned off and searches carried out in every business, dwelling, and empty building. All firearms would be seized. The owners of weapons found in the searches would be prosecuted: $1,000 and one year in prison for each firearm.

… On the streets it would be a question of stop-and-search of anyone, even grandma with her walker, with the same penalties for "carrying."

Perhaps Mr. Simpson became too used to the despotic, all powerful leaders in the failed African states to which he was sent as Ambassador and their style of autocratic government made him envious. But whatever the case, Simpson truly has no grasp of the country in which he lives because he doesn’t mention any of it. No mention of the Constitution, our history, world history and the despots who ruled with an iron fist over an unarmed populace, or the principles upon which this country was founded make even a tiny appearance in his piece. Just his desire to hand all power to his hand picked goon squad who will roam about the country attacking law abiding citizens.

The hit squad Simpson envisions isn’t his only anti-gun measure, of course.

He proposes gun dealers still be "allowed" to sell guns but only to museums. He thinks hunters should still be allowed their gun but he has created his own ideas of a classified "hunting weapon" that will have to be locked up with the police except during "hunting season" — a vague notion in Simpson’s mind obviously. After all, "hunting seasons" are different all over the place and allow for hunting different types of game all year long. Obviously Simpson has no clue of what "hunting season" really means. His idea would necessitate a Federal Hunting law, and would take more power from the various states.

Speaking of hunters, Simpson appears to imagine that all hunters are mass murderers just waiting for their chance to kill all around them, too. But, that their murdering rampages might be a "lesser sort of issue."

There could conceivably also be a rash of score-settling during hunting season as people drew out their weapons, ostensibly to shoot squirrels and deer, and began eliminating various of their perceived two-footed enemies. Given the general nature of hunting weapons and the fact that such killings are frequently time-sensitive, that seems a lesser sort of issue.

Simpson also seems to imagine that Mexico and Canada would rush into the gun selling business once we illegally outlaw them and send our Stormtrooping armies throughout the country to confiscate US citizen’s firearms.

America’s long land and sea borders present another kind of problem. It is easy to imagine mega-gun dealerships installing themselves in Mexico, and perhaps in more remote parts of the Canadian border area, to funnel guns into the United States. That would constitute a problem for American immigration authorities and the U.S. Coast Guard, but not an insurmountable one over time.

Yet, both Mexico and Canada have stricter gun laws than do we, so how he imagines that they would suddenly both become the virtual WalMart of guns is hard to imagine.

All in all, Simpson has done nothing but reveal that he thinks he is smarter than everyone around him and that only HE should be allowed to make all the rules. He also imagines himself smarter than the Founders as well as more able than the Supreme Court to adjudicate what should be allowable under the US Constitution. Or maybe not on that last point as he doesn’t even seem to recognize that there is a Constitution.

It is no wonder that this man doesn’t understand Americans and their history, he seems quite unlike one.

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Warner Todd Huston’s thoughtful commentary, sometimes irreverent often historically based, is featured on many websites such as newsbusters.org, townhall.com, men’snewsdaily.com and americandaily.com among many, many others. Additionally, he has been a guest on several radio programs to discuss his opinion editorials and current events. He has also written for several history magazines and appears in the new book “Americans on Politics, Policy and Pop Culture” which can be purchased on amazon.com. He is also the owner and operator of publiusforum.com. Feel free to contact him with any comments or questions : EMAIL Warner Todd Huston


9 thoughts on “Toledo Blade Columnist: ‘Special Squads of Police’ Should Disarm Americans”

  1. sounds like al-qaida wants to have are guns taken away!too and leave us naked. maybe send him to iraq. with no firearm.

  2. If we let nuts like him take our rights to have a gun away, then we are nuts! he a ass and needs to get out of the USA. I spent 20 years in the ARMY so we have the right for good people to have guns and keep our 2nd Amendment rights!

  3. Another “Lame Brain”. Ship him back to Africa and let the “Brain Eaters” have’em over for Lunch.

  4. This would violate two of our ten rights in the bill of rights. Also, this is something that I would fight for. If I knew this was comming there would be a fire fight right here on my neighborhood streets. I know for a fact that I could kill two or three of these proposed storm troopers before they got me. Hell even more If I were to bobby trap the shit out of my house.

  5. It appears that Mr. Simpson is a prime example of the elitist, liberal left, U.N. attitudes that pervade the thinking of so many NWO, mental midgets who refuse to accept that the Constitution is the ruling document upon which the United States was founded; and that WE THE PEOPLE aren’t about to just roll over while mega-rich Industrialists attempt to assume control of the entire world; country by country. Thanks to the ruling by the US Supreme Court
    today, we now have a truthful understanding of what the 2nd Amendment actually means.

  6. The Toledo Blade has a history of printing this type of rubbish. I have been a citizen of Toledo Ohio for 42 years, and I am not the least bit suprised that this appeared in print. Although the man is obviously suffering from terminal ignorance, I still respect his right to express his opinion. And I intend to exercise my right by by giving him a piece of my mind.

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