Sue The Gun Manufacturers

Tonight I attended Duval County Public Schools' monthly Board meeting to give a speech, a first in a series, which I show below.

Good evening Duval County Public Schools Board Members. Thank you for taking my comments.

Fear lays like a shroud upon our schools. At first blush our schools are not much different than prisons – 6ft or higher fences, gates & doors locked, access via a single door and security guards with a weapon prominently displayed.

Even worse, this loss in liberty was preceded by a loss of many lives in Parkland FL.

We have “unalienable Rights” of “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of happiness” and “whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it?”

I want to exercise that right to alter our government; however, I cannot do it alone.

I seek to help everybody in this room and those watching on TV that we most act in a brave and bold manner to protect our children and our nation.

The MSD Act:

1. Does more to infringe on our children’s’ unalienable rights than protect them;
2. It fails to hold accountable those people that have directly and indirectly infringed upon our rights; and
3. It redirects dollars that could be invested in more accretive activities

This is not the first time a government entity has incurred costs from the use of unsafe manufactured products by its citizens. A large group of US government entities successively sued manufacturers 2 decades ago. This renowned lawsuit is known as the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement (MSA).

Should not our district sue the gun manufacturers?

Regrettably, we will most likely have to sue our state and federal government as the majority of the elected officials have arguably allowed themselves to be corrupted by the gun industry for example:

1. MSD act funnels money to the gun industry – more guns, ammo most be bought and 
2. Congress passed H.J.Res. 40 less than 2 years ago that it made easier for someone with documented mental health issues to purchase a gun.

In reference to the latter, in 2008 the US Supreme Court in the renowned DC vs. Heller opinion, which affirms that a gun may be owned for self-defense, the court states the Second Amendment right is NOT UNLIMITED.

For example, the majority writes, those with mental illness should NOT be allowed to have a gun. In short, our nation’s highest court says there must be people restrictions.

Regrettably, the burden falls on us. As I see it,  school districts are the only avenue to affect meaningful and lasting change.  I encourage DCPS to sue the gun manufacturers. I am confident others districts will join. We have case law at our back.  I believe and hopefully you do to that we must act to protect our unalienable rights, of life liberty & pursuit of happiness so we can remove the shroud of fear from our schools.