Handguns 1976 General Resolution

WHEREAS, nearly three out of four murders are impulsively committed by previously law-abiding citizens during arguments with family members or their acquaintances;

WHEREAS, for every robber stopped by a homeowner with a handgun, four homeowners or members of their family are killed in gun accidents;

WHEREAS, the US Supreme Court has repeatedly held (most recently in 1939 upholding the 1938 National Firearms Act) that the Second Amendment to the US Constitution only prohibits Congress from restricting the right of each state to maintain an armed militia and does not create a right for individuals to own guns;

BE IT RESOLVED: That the 1976 General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association urges upon the government of the United States the passage of legislation which would prohibit ownership or possession of all handguns, except for: law enforcement officers; members of the armed forces; guards and messengers while on duty; licensed pistol clubs for on-premise use; owners of permanently inoperable handguns; and manufacturers, wholesalers, and dealers as merchandise only.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: That such legislation provide for strict control of handgun ammunition and specify security measures to guard against theft or exempted handguns and ammunition, a six-month period wherein handguns may be surrendered in return for reasonable compensation, and that the unlawful possession of a handgun shall be made a felony.