Gun Violence and Assault Ammo

"I am a strong advocate for the right of all law abiding Americans to fully enjoy the right to keep and bear [SIC] arms. I will support legislation that protects and advances this individual right and I will oppose any attempts to restrict the firearms industry or access to ammunition."

 - Gabriela Saucedo Mercer

Mercer Supports Gun Violence, Access to Assault Ammunition, 2nd Amendment Expansion

On Jan 8 2011, Gabriela Saucedo Mercer set up a booth at the Crossroads of the West gun show at the Pima County, AZ. Fairgrounds to publicize her run for Congress. It was the first anniversary of the near fatal shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords by Jared Lee Loughner, of  Tuscon, part of the district Saucedo Mercer is running to represent, and the gun show was the subject of criticism according to this article from the New York Times for it's apparent insensitivity to the anniversary.

Loughner was able to acquire weapons and ammunition after passing a background check but has been determined mentally unfit to stand trial. Loughner killed six and injured 14 in his shooting spree, and left Giffords in critical condition. When asked about the shooting, Gabriela Saucedo Mercer insisted that the shootings didn’t occur simply because Loughner had a gun. “What happened to Giffords is an unfortunate tragedy, but it was not about gun control,” Mercer said, apparently oblivious to the fact that it just as easily could have been her that day. “[Loughner] had references that said he was mental. What does gun control have to do with that? Nothing.” 

For Saucedo Mercer, who claims to be a Constitutionalist, her defense of the 2nd Amendment, indeed her unwavering conviction to it, is in stark contrast to her thoughts on the 14th Amendment. In this Nogales International article, Mercer "would not offer a solid yes or no on her support" for a constitutional change to the 14th Amendment, which grants citizenship to anyone born in the United States, but said she would like Congress to take up the issue because, “(The meaning of the 14th Amendment) needs to be discussed.” This opinion begs one to ask just what does it take for Saucedo Mercer to consider discussing the 2nd?   Recent events have made this issue topical once more. Another spree, in Aurora CO., has the nation talking about firearms and regulation again.  In a video report from NBC's Today show, reporter Jeff Rossen investigates how easy it is to buy online and on the street from private parties the same types of guns and ammunition allegedly used by Colorado movie theater shooting suspect James Holmes with no background check and no questions asked.    In the report, undercover buyers with hidden cameras obtain a variety of weapons and ammunition, including hollow point bullets, for cash, with no paperwork, no background checks, no oversight of any kind. The report concludes with the buyers acquiring a 50 caliber armor piercing sniper cannon, capable of taking out a tank or a helicopter, from the back a pick up truck.      This type of openness, this free market, if you will, of black market weapons and ammunition trade in the United States, allows for anyone, anyone to completely bypass existing gun laws. If you go to a store to buy a weapon, there is a waiting period and background check. If you go to a gun show like Crossroads of the West, or go online, you are free to purchase whatever you want, in any quantity you want, no questions asked, no matter who you are or what your intentions.     It is just this type of free market weapons trade that Gabriela Saucedo Mercer condones locally, nationally and internationally. Indeed, on her "Restoring America Project" Vetting form, she makes no secret of her strong feelings on the 2nd Amendment. On her Facebook page, as recently as July 2, 2012, Mercer uses a highly charged opinion piece titled "Congressmen urge the UN to trample the US Constitution" by the National Rifle Association (NRA) chief lobbyist Chris Cox to criticize her incumbent opponent, Congressman Raul Grijalva. The Cox article calls Grijalva and his colleagues "woefully ignorant" and "clueless" for appealing to the Obama Administration to join the United Nations in implementing "international gun registration requirements, bans on commonly owned firearms, tracking and registration of ammunition purchases,"  and some nonsense about "a new U.N. gun control bureaucracy."  She supports these incendiary claims despite information that suggests 91% of Americans say that there should be at least minor restrictions on gun ownership. "Grijalva continues to fight against America and our rights as citizens. rights...." Mercer says in her post.

Crossroads of the West Gun Show

It's easy to see why she sees Grijalva as such a threat, considering that he voted to "Close the Gun Show Loophole" and  "restrict show sales". On his website, Grijalva offers that "When the time comes, we owe it not only to the dead and wounded [of Aurora Co.] but to our national community to have a conversation about violence and weapons that is respectful, honest and productive. That conversation should neither start too soon nor be postponed indefinitely. When we have it, and we will, we should be careful not to rely too much on clichés. These attacks, like all violence, cause great pain, and that pain will not heal if we are not honest about it." Regarding recent events, as of this writing, on her Facebook page Mercer merely extends her "heart and prayers ... to the Aurora, CO community, victims, and families affected as a result of the horrific theater shooting" but offers nothing in the way of  legislative proposal, viewpoint on causes of the tragedy or ideas for solutions to prevent such an event from happening again.