Voter ID inspires public faith in the integrity of elections
Simply put, implementation of Voter ID would inspire public faith in the integrity of elections and encourage voter participation, while protecting the civil rights of those whose votes would be artificially diluted by the criminal acts of others.
Speaking of criminal acts, in the next few days, the Senate will consider Senate Bill 2036, legislation that would help protect and secure the Second Amendment rights of our citizens.
Senate Bill 2036 was motivated by a number of anti-gun actions initiated by the City of New Orleans shortly after Hurricane Katrina’s landfall in 2005.
As you may recall, in the aftermath of the hurricane, the city’s inhabitants lived without the rule of law for an uncomfortable period of time. With no electricity, no telephones and no way to contact emergency personnel, chaos ruled as private citizens found themselves with little or no police protection against roving bands of criminals. In fact, many were forced to take personal action to protect their belongings, becoming ultimately responsible for their own safety and that of their families.
News reports documenting Katrina’s destruction demonstrated how useful guns were to the ordinary citizens of New Orleans. I still recall signs painted on boarded-up windows that expressly warned criminals about the property owner’s possession of firearms. It was an effective deterrent.
Nevertheless, panicked politicians ignored the reality that gun ownership is paramount to personal safety and quickly embarked on an ill-advised confiscation of firearms from law-abiding citizens, using martial law as a justification. With the simple stroke of a pen mandating door to door searches for guns, the New Orleans city government eviscerated the second, fourth and fourteenth amendments of the United States Constitution.
Sen. Chris McDaniel
Leader Call
1/21/9
Magnolia Tribune
