in·fringe·ment
inˈfrinjmənt/
noun
noun: infringement; plural noun: infringements

1. the action of breaking the terms of a law, agreement, etc.; violation.
“copyright infringement”
2. the action of limiting or undermining something.
“the infringement of the right to privacy”

If an act by a governing body, say a county, criminalizes an act that would in other circumstances be recognized as a by-product of a constitutional right, would that body be said to be infringing upon a constitutional right?

The county is Jackson. What they have done is to criminalize self protection if a firearm is used. Earlier this week, I wrote about a message I received from Kevin Jamison, President of the Western Missouri Shooters Alliance. It’s worth repeating.

Jackson County has an ordinance which prohibits shooting in the “urban tier” of the country. There is a map of this urban tier but it takes some effort to get. It does not exempt self-defense. The ordinance was slipped through last December without public notice. It does allow for ranges but does not define them and no county permit for ranges exists. This complicates some of the CCW instructors who have a home range. There was a hearing on a repeal sponsored by County Legislator Greg Grounds. The hearing was continued to 28 July, 2014 at 2:30 in the Jackson County Independence courthouse, in the basement. There were a great number of people there today. That always gets a politician’s attention.

The Jackson County Sheriff’s office says that they did not request this ordinance.

Let’s create a scenario. You are in a mall parking lot and you have your arms full of packages. You are parked nose-in against a concrete wall and have cars parked on both sides of you. A man walks up with a weapon and demands your money, car keys and says he’ll kill you if you don’t comply.

You cannot run. There is no where to go. Your exit is blocked by the mugger. From more of his statements, you believe he’ll kill you regardless of your compliance. You also have a CCW permit and have a pistol available. You are in fear of your life. What do you do? Comply and possibly die, or fight back? Many of us, in similar situations, would fight back using what we have available—throw the packages at your attacker, draw your weapon and fire.

You have just violated Jackson County’s new ordinance—firing a pistol, any firearm, withing the boundaries of Jackson County. It makes no difference that you were fully justified in defending yourself under the law. It makes no difference you were legally armed. It makes no difference, you have fired within the county and the Powers-That-Be are determined to get their pound-of-flesh because you exercised your right of self-defense.

It is an atrocity.

For those of you residing within Jackson County, remember the clandestine actions of your county government when you return to the polls. Vote the tyrants out!

***

Harry Reid said he was determined to go around the First Amendment after SCOTUS laid down the law on Obama’s attempt to violate Hobby Lobby’s First Amendment rights. Like other democrats, Reid believe the Constitution is an impediment in the path of their statist agenda. Too bad some of his own didn’t obey Reid’s marching orders.

Victory: Pro-Life Senators Vote Down New Abortion-Pill Mandate

By: Matthew Clark, July 16th, 2014 at 04:53 PM

Senate Democrats attempt to gut religious liberty and “reverse” the Supreme Court’s Hobby Lobby decision on the abortion-pill mandate has been defeated.

Pro-abortion radicals reeling from the Supreme Court’s decision in Hobby Lobby quickly jumped to extreme measures to push through their failing abortion agenda, even willing to gut a more than 20-year-old religious liberty law that had been passed nearly unanimously by Congress.

This effort to reinstate the abortion-pill mandate has failed.

It’s important to remember that the original HHS Mandate, which forced pro-life business owners to violate their faith by paying for abortion pills, was a regulatory action issued under ObamaCare, not a law passed by those elected to represent the people.  Yet, when the Left tried to pass the abortion-pill mandate through Congress, they couldn’t even muster the necessary votes to pass the pro-abortion Senate.

…

The American people’s voices were heard.  Over 75,000 Americans signed the ACLJ’s petition to defeat the new abortion-pill mandate and defend religious liberty in just a little over 48 hours.

Yet the left is not giving up on its dream of making every American pay for abortion.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid lamented that this pro-abortion bill only gained 56 of the 60 votes needed to invoke cloture (end debate), and promised another vote “before the year is out” (read: before the November elections).  In other words, Sen. Reid is signaling to his pro-abortion allies that he will make the abortion-pill mandate a central issue of the fall elections.

Harry Reid lost this time but he won’t give up on his attempts to destroy the Constitution. The left never gives up. They’ll chip away at the Constitution, one right at a time.