Whoa. San Francisco just upped the ante in the nation’s debates over gun legislation in the U.S.
In a unanimous resolution, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors has designated the National Rifle Association a domestic terrorist organization. It also urges other local and state governments, as well as the federal government, to do the same.
Supervisor Catherine Stefani, who sponsored the measure, told KQED News, “The NRA conspires to limit gun violence research, restrict gun violence data sharing, and most importantly, aggressively tries to block every piece of sensible gun violence prevention legislation proposed on any level, local state, or federal.”
RELATED: The NRA told doctors to ‘stay in their lane’ and they responded with chilling photos to prove they belong in the gun debate.
According to KQED, NRA spokeswoman Amy Hunter voiced protest over the vote before it took place, saying, “This ludicrous stunt by the Board of Supervisors is an effort to distract from the real problems facing San Francisco, such as rampant homelessness, drug abuse and skyrocketing petty crime.” She said it was “shameful” that the board was “wasting taxpayer dollars to declare five million law-abiding Americans domestic terrorists.”
That statement did not deter any of the eleven board members from voting in favor of the resolution.
The official text of the resolution reads as follows:
WHEREAS, The United States is plagued by an epidemic of gun violence, including over 36,000 deaths, and 100,000 injuries each year, and
WHEREAS, Every day approximately 100 Americans are killed with guns, and
WHEREAS, There has been more than one mass shooting per day in the United States in 2019, and
WHEREAS, The gun homicide rate in the United States is 25 times higher than any other high-income country in the world, and
WHEREAS, On July 28, 2019, Gilroy, California became the 243rd community in the United States to be the victim of a mass shooting, and
WHEREAS, Stephen Romero, age 6, Keyla Salazar, age 13, and Trevor Irby, age 25, were murdered in the senseless act of gun violence that day, and
WHEREAS, There have been at least three mass shootings since the events in Gilroy, and the number continues to grow, and
WHEREAS, Reported hate crimes have increased by double digits since 2015, and
WHEREAS, There are over 393,000,000 guns in the United States, which exceeds the country’s current total population, and
WHEREAS, Our elected representatives, including the President, have taken an oath swearing to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.”
WHEREAS, The United States Declaration of Independence declared that life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are unalienable rights, and
WHEREAS, The United States Constitution specifically delineates that the country was founded to establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, and promote the general welfare, and
WHEREAS, The United States Department of Justice defines terrorist activity, in part, as, “The use of any…explosive, firearm, or other weapon or dangerous device, with intent to endanger, directly or indirectly, the safety of one or more individuals or to cause substantial damage to property;” and
WHEREAS, The United States Department of Justice further includes any individual or member of an organization commits an act that the actor knows, or reasonably should know, affords material support, including communications, funds, weapons, or training to any individual has committed or plans to commit a terrorist act, and
WHEREAS, The National Rifle Association musters its considerable wealth and organizational strength to promote gun ownership and incite gun owners to acts of violence, and
WHEREAS, The National Rifle Association spreads propaganda that misinforms and aims to deceive the public about the dangers of gun violence, and
WHEREAS, The leadership of National Rifle Association promotes extremist positions, in defiance of the views of a majority of its membership and the public, and undermine the general welfare, and
WHEREAS, The National Rifle Association through its advocacy has armed those individuals who would and have committed acts of terrorism; and
WHEREAS, All countries have violent and hateful people, but only in America do we give them ready access to assault weapons and large-capacity magazines thanks, in large part, to the National Rifle Association’s influence; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the City and County of San Francisco intends to declare the National Rifle Association a domestic terrorist organization; and, be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, That the City and County of San Francisco should take every reasonable step to assess the financial and contractual relationships our vendors and contractors have with this domestic terrorist organization; and, be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, That the City and County of San Francisco should take every reasonable step to limit those entities who do business with the City and County of San Francisco from doing business with this domestic terrorist organization; and be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, That the City and County of San Francisco should encourage all other jurisdictions, including other cities, states, and the federal government, to adopt similar positions.
RELATED: The ‘good guy with a gun’ is a deadly American fantasy that needs to end.
Seriously bold move. Whether other municipalities will follow suit remains to be seen, but one thing’s for sure. No one can accuse San Francisco of bringing a knife to a gun fight.
