By Ashok Nilakantan
New York, Jul 12 (IANS): Oscar-winning Michigan documentary filmmaker Michael Moore has suggested the scrapping of the 2nd amendment and replacing it with what he calls his own 28th amendment to forever end gun violence in the US, which has claimed thousands of lives in the years past, the most horrific being the Buffalo, Texas and Chicago shootings in June and July this year.
Moore has proposed a Constitutional amendment to replace the Second Amendment, after calling for its full repeal last month. The proposal would still allow Americans to own guns, but protect the "inalienable right of free people to be kept safe from gun violence".
Michael Moore, 68, is an American filmmaker, author and political activist, best known for a series of documentaries -- often controversial -- which addressed major political and social issues in the US.
He won the 2002 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for 'Bowling for Columbine', which examined the causes of the Columbine High School massacre and the overall gun culture in the US.
He also directed and produced 'Fahrenheit 9/11', a critical take on the presidency of George W. Bush and the war on terror, which earned $119,194,771 to become the highest-grossing documentary at the American box office of all time.
In 2018, he released his latest film, 'Fahrenheit 11/9', a documentary about the 2016 US Presidential elections and the subsequent presidency of Donald Trump.
Moore tweeted the hypothetical '28th Amendment' on Sunday, which outlines serious testing and background checks before obtaining a firearm.
"All who seek a firearm will undergo a strict vetting process with a thorough background check, including the written and confidential approval of family members, spouses and ex-spouses and/or partners and ex-partners, co-workers and neighbours," the document read.
"A mental health check will also be required. There will be a waiting period of one month to complete the full background check."
Moore proposed the minimum age to buy a gun be 25 years, adding that there should be a yearly licence renewal process.
The 28th Amendment also lays out several types of banned firearms, and demands anyone who owns one of the restricted classes of weapons turn them into local law enforcement.
"This amendment specifically does not grant any American the ‘right' to own any weapon," Moore wrote, according to Mediate ITE , a web portal that has received a lot of hits since his tweet.
Last month, Moore spoke openly on his 'Rumble' podcast about his desire to repeal the Second Amendment in favour of the "right of all of us to be protected from gun violence".
He mentioned the Uvalde shooting and his 2002 documentary about gun violence, 'Bowling for Columbine'. In the wake of Uvalde, Moore is urging Democrats to be "brave" in their push for gun reform.
"I know that there are Democratic Party leaders who do not want me saying this. I make no apologies for it because I understand the history of this country, and I don't think we should be afraid to say this: Repeal the Second Amendment. Repeal the Second Amendment," Moore urged.
"You don't need a gun. If you're afraid of somebody breaking in, get a dog," Moore added.
Moore's 28th Amendment on Twitter has gained a lot of traction among those who fiercely demonstrate for a permanent end to gun violence. It's another question if the Congress takes notice of it at all, but it does seem to make sense.