Security at Home Act

[Geneviève Lasedri]

Impending invasion was in the air. Everyone could feel it. How soon it would occur was most likely beyond anyone's knowledge, but it was only a matter of time now. Something was about to break.

Geneviève saw little need to stand idly. And while most of the current senators seemed to be a bit too pacifist for her taste (They were at war, after all!) and would probably be egregiously contentious about her more aggressive policies, this one seemed like something that everyone with a little bit of sense should agree on. In the end, people counted on the Republic to defend their families. And if the Republic did not deliver on that pledge, then they were at the mercy of the Sith.

Behind every blade of grass.

"Let's keep this simple, shall we?" Lasedri opened upon taking her platform, that hat crowning her black locks as usual. "Our structure needs a little more integrity.

"As it is, the One Sith empire continues to threaten us every day and night. It's no more than a couple hyperspace jumps from here to there." That was all it took. And it was something she would be bringing into focus for another bill. "Distance is not really preventing them from attacking. Resistance is the key. If our enemies fear the cost of taking our worlds, then they will think twice about attacking. And we may even hold our ground with no restriction when they do.

"Thus, I find it necessary that we arm our people in the interests of preserving the Republic, and in their interests of protecting their families. There is no need to pretend any longer." With a tired sigh, she waited for the bickering to commence. There was always someone who had no idea what they were talking about, after all.

She knew what she was doing. She had led the Rebellion.

Bill 74981.1 Security at Home Act

1. The Department of Security shall submit a list of civilian-approved assault weapons.
2. All adult citizens of the Galactic Republic without a criminal record shall receive a voucher for one civilian-approved assault weapon.

[member="Faith Balor"], [member="Arcana Adasca"], [member="Cade Lee"], [member="Lanax Grayson"], [member="Adrik Turov"], [member="Macharius Solaire"], [member="Lionel Roux"], [member="Persephone Callas"], [member="Jack Sparrow"], [member="Aliannah Sophia Filia"], [member="Volko Hydori"], [member="Max Rumor"], [member="Thalia Rist"], [member="Valen Cerezo"], [member="Mark Crassis"], [member="Ater Notechis"], [member="Kralossk"], [member="Carlos Castillo"]

 

[Persephone Callas]

Persephone would be the one to ask the first question.

"Would each world be able to modify that list by manner of what brand and model its citizens are able to utilize?"

She had no issue with the bill. But she would rather it be Hapan design and manufactured if it was going to their citizens within the Hapes consortium.

What if they wanted to push their own arming bill within their worlds that worked just as well?

 

[Armand Temi]

Max stood up and cleared his throat which sounded a little like a house cat coughing up a hairball. Perhaps it was unusual to see a giant, vibrant pink Cathar in the Senate or perhaps it was an everyday occurrence, but either way, Senator Rumor did not appear self-conscious or afraid. He placed his large paws on the edges of the podium and growled in his deep feline baritone:

"Ladies and gentlemen of the Galactic Senate. I feel that it is imperative to allow our citizens to protect themselves in a time of war. The people of Nak Shimor would support this." He paused for dramatic effect and his long tail twitched behind him. He smiled and bared his long incisors.

"But being a criminal defense lawyer for so many years has allowed me access to the criminal mind on a firsthand basis. To give our citizens assault rifles would not be prudent. I am suggesting the bill is revised to limit the type of weapon to a blaster pistol only. We should not allow the good people of the Republic to choose from an array of military-grade weapons unless we want to divert some of our police forces into, not waging war against the real enemy, but protecting these citizens from themselves."

 

[Volko Hydori]

Volko Hydori was a fish. But he was no fool. Quickly he looked down at a data slate next to him and prodded his droid. He wouldn’t be speaking basic for this.

“Ladies and gentlemen of the senate,” the droid translated from the blurbs of a species whose biology was made to work underwater. “What we are looking at here is a bill with little forethought. The Planet of Manaan houses over one hundred billion people. Out of those population roughtly one third of them is under their respective species age to own firearms. Out of the remaining group maybe ten percent have criminal records.” He looked around the Senate while flashing his mandibles, “And perhaps around half won’t accept a weapon into their house. Regardless we are talking about the procurement of some 30 billion military grade weapons for one planet alone! With what money shall we use? Shall we skimp on education? On ecological relief? On the actual military which is tasked and trained to defend us? Should our citizens die in droves trying to protect their homes when our military cannot?”

He turned to the droid with an open palm and slammed his fist into it. The droid looked at him confused and then repeated the motion continuing on with the speech on behalf of the Selkath, “And how shall we get these weapons to the people. We will need to create an organization to run background checks to try and stop criminals from taking advantage of this. We will need a registry. We will need to send out vouchers. The Irresponsible spending of this bill is appalling when the Republic still hasn’t even paid reparations for the destruction of Ahto City. Twice!” A collective groan rose from the senate hall. They had grown tired of the Selkath mentioning reparations for Manaan at every turn.

The Selkaths two lobes on his face jumped up and his head shook, “Where is the provision to pay for this lavish expense?”

“Still I support the sentiment. Perhaps a provision to provide surplus equipment or decommission equipment to planetary defense forces would better suit us along with modifying the bill to allow the sale from national surplus to those planets who allow weapon sales to their citizens. Remember that planets have rights as well. We cannot force planets with no tolerance policies to arm their citizens.”

 

[Geneviève Lasedri]

Just as she had learned to expect: utter disagreement.

But first she would answer the senator from Hapes. "It will be a universal list. If you wish for your weapons to be approved by the Department of Security, then--by all means--send in a list."

As for the dissidents, she had some typical Geneviève words to give them. "Military-grade weapons, Senator..." Well, she had never seen this guy before. "Rumor?" A lawyer, eh? "You are aware that the military purchases weapons that are essentially modified versions of publicly available arms? We already screen criminals, besides.

"And as for how we shall pay for this, Senator Hydori," she continued, turning to face the representative of Manaan. If your people had weapons, perhaps your world would not have seen as much suffering at the hands of tyrants. Would the One Sith be able to dominate worlds as they had if they knew they would never be at peace in their new territory? "I don't know how much you know about guns. In my case, I've grown up around them all my life. And so I ask you what you believe to be the price of your standard blaster rifle, Senator. And then I shall ask you how much a school datapad costs for a child--which is already publicly funded, by the way.

"And may I remind you that this is not a mandate, but a voluntary program. If one does not wish to participate and claim a weapon, then they are completely entitled to refuse said service." This was still the Republic, and the people would still have their freedom.

Flicking on her pager, Gen signaled to one of her staff members in her office.

[member="Persephone Callas"], [member="Max Rumor"], [member="Volko Hydori"]

 

[Volko Hydori]

Volko Hydori laughed a little in a watery sort of way, as if his throat was clogged with mud. He started speaking, refusing to say the words in basic. “The average datapad for a student which contains most of their material costs 100 credits.” his droid began, “The average blaster rifle costs between 900 credits and 1,000. In addition the school systems are already in the budget. We don’t need to find new ways to pay for them. Taxes already do that. Your bill proposal isn’t in the budget. Therefore you need to find a way to pay for it. This is simple economics. You either have to raise taxes, which your bill not suggest is the case, or you need take from some other government department.”

He cleared his throat audibly and nudged at the droid who like wise imitated the noise. “This is basic civics.” Another clearing of the throat, loud and audible as to echo through the senate. “Then again, you may be right. If my people were armed we may have prevented the Republic from destroying our city twice.”

 

[Mark Crassis]

Mark Crassis sat back and spun his cane between his hands as if he was making a fire on the floor of his seat as he listened to the other senators talking. In truth, Crassis's mind was racing. With the recent development of the Galactic Republic Intelligence Ministry (G.R.I.M.), Crassis had been rather preoccupied lately, but the news of a new law being proposed had roused him from his paperwork.

Crassis wished that when he'd signed on for the director of G.R.I.M. position they had mentioned the copious amounts of paperwork.

"I feel," Crassis said rising to his feet, the majority of his weight shifting to the wooden cane until he'd gotten to his feet and was able to balance himself on his good leg, "that two questions need to be asked in regards to this proposed law." Crassis said raising a finger.

"(1) Do we really wish to arm the citizenry of the Galactic Republic and (2) How do we pay for it?" Crassis said whistling and shaking his head.

"With regards to the first question, I would say that we wouldn't want to arm all the citizens, or even those that volunteer....but that we should perhaps consider instating a planetary militia made up of these citizens. Giving assault weapons to civilians but not giving them the training to know how to use them could be.....dangerous." Crassis extended a second finger.

"As for question 2, funds would need to be raised or cut from other programs." Crassis said shrugging apologetically. It was impossible to snap your fingers and make money appear but if it was worth it they would find the money somewhere, they always did.

"If we gauge this to be important enough, cuts will need to be made to pay for it." Crassis said, and then added with a smile, "But don't even think of touching G.R.I.M.'s budget."

[member="Volko Hydori"] - [member="Geneviève Lasedri"] - [member="Max Rumor"] - [member="Persephone Callas"]​

 

[Faith Organa]

As usual everything they did centered around what they could afford to do she had no need to say anything everyone was voicing her own thoughts she looked towards Senator Crassis and made a mental reminder that she needed to get with him to talk.

She looked around for other Senators that often made their way into session, where was the flamboyant [member="Jack Sparrow"] for instance, he had found a bottle of rum more to his liking than the hallowed halls of the senate. Rumor had it that he was trying to court her mother, which Faith found..amusing.

[member="Volko Hydori"] @Genevieve Lasedri [member="Max Rumor"] [member="Persephone Callas"] [member="Mark Crassis"]

 

[Ater Notechis]

Ater was at best parochial and at worst selfish. How the proposed Act benefited the Republic was of no concern to her. Her adopted home-world was of importance to her and how the passing of any bill affected her standing. These were the factors she looked for when assessing others.

And if a bill harmed an awkward Senator then that could only be a good thing. And by awkward she meant liberals. And those that believed everyone had a choice. And hypocrites. And Force-users. And there's only one thing worse than a Jedi. And that's a former Jedi that is now a politician. She shuddered involuntarily and realised that she was no longer paying attention to the speakers.

So she returned to her datapad and continued to add information to the dossier she was compiling on each of her colleagues.

You don't get to be Director of the ISB without knowing a thing or two about the value of intelligence.

 

[Malok]

It was funny how long living made things difficult. Gripping a datapad was becoming a chore, rising unassisted from the Senate seat was a hassle...and stairs could go kark themselves. Yet Ned Rostu faced elderhood with a smile on his face and a willing soul. He would not rest until he was six feet below; and until then he would lend his voice to the people of Ruusan.

Today was like any other in the Senate. A bill was being proposed by the "exceptional" Prime Minister, and now it was time to deliberate and debate. Ned took his time reviewing the terms of the Bill, finding that it was very...patriotic in nature. However, one had to set aside sentiments in order to make the clearest of judgments; and so Ned put himself into the people of Ruusan's shoes. He thought about what would happen if the One Sith Empire came to their hallowed world. He pondered what would transpire if the trend of defeat after defeat continued. He grimaced at the thought of what would happen if this Bill existed.

Resistance was good. However, against a foe the Republic repeatedly lost against? This was a recipe for genocide. This Bill was not proposing the training of a new militia. This Bill was not proposing giving the people a new line of defense. This Bill was going to hand the people pea shooters and have them slain in droves.

As such, with a solemn tone in his voice, Ned addressed the Senate.

"My fellow Senators, it is with a heavy heart that I cannot vote in support of this Bill. While the spirit of this proposition is pure and patriotic, it is also the key ingredient for genocide. Only once has the Republic stalled the One Sith Empire's advance, yet dozens of systems have fallen to their clutches. Systems that were once members of the Galactic Republic."

"So let us think for a moment. If the Republic fails to repel the One Sith Empire once more, and this Bill is in effect, that world will be used as an example. We are handing untrained civilians weapons and expecting them to fight, yet that very act would cause more innocent deaths than our failing to defend them."

"I ask that you pardon the 'pessimistic' tone of my words, but the reality is that we are losing. Handing our civilians weapons and telling them to fight the monstrosities we fail to repel is simply asking them to die in vain. I cannot support a Bill that will potentially see Republican citizens massacred as an example. I cannot support a Bill that will cost unnecessary, Ruusan lives."

With that said, the Senator returned to his seat.

[member="Ater Notechis"], [member="Faith Balor"], [member="Mark Crassis"], [member="Volko Hydori"], [member="Geneviève Lasedri"]@, Max Rumor, [member="Persephone Callas"]

 

[Macharius Solaire]

The Senator of Denon pipped up. His holoimage flickered ever so slightly and a chirp in the audio sometimes popped. Macharius was not physically present at the Senate today. In fact he was away more often than anyone else who participated in these chambers. For good reason though. Denon was a very important world in The Republic, industrially, economically and militarily, it dwarfed most other worlds inside the sphere of influence. And it was a very busy job to see relations with other worlds, and his own company run smoothly. "If we are to arm every eligible citizen of The Republic who so chose to be armed. We need to also train them. Allaying fears of some Senators here is the least of the concern for it though. The practicality is what matters. If and when war breaks out with The One Sith and our worlds invaded; it will be by professional soldiers. Pointing a blaster is easy, but there's more to war than that. And if we are to avoid a slaughter as many here feel may happen. They need to be trained. I propose an addition to the bill that any who participate in the program take mandatory training before they take ownership of a weapon. Seems common sense to have them know how to use it, and maintain it. We should also think about including them to register if we need to draft new recruits".

[member="Geneviève Lasedri"] [member="Persephone Callas"] [member="Max Rumor"] [member="Volko Hydori"] [member="Mark Crassis"] [member="Faith Balor"] [member="Ned Rostu"]

 

[The End Narrator]

[SIZE=9pt]Weapons control in essence, perhaps more so forcing weapons down the throats of citizens who didn't desire them. Making the peaceful citizens, soldiers by proxy. The liberty and freedom of the very Republic being attacked from within by the very Senators who were sworn to protect and uphold those values. Alyesa waved her hand as she rose from her seat and stood before her coveted podium. [/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]"Really? Are we asking citizens who may or may not face threats on a daily basis to be soldiers by proxy? Are we mandating them to have arms regardless of their desire? If that is so, why doesn't this very Senate station more troopers and individuals from the Armed Forces on the ready within cities and towns?" [/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]She'd pause briefly.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]"..Oh but then we're appearing to be more like the Empire of old, are we not? If we take that route."[/SIZE] [SIZE=9pt]She gestured towards the Prime Minister. [/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]"More government control, military presence - That is just the start." [/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]She'd turn and look around the Senate floor.[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt] "Then we'd begin banning modifications to weapons and personalized systems for home defense when the Republic has been unable to respond in adequate time and in proper force." [/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]She’d gesture.[/SIZE][SIZE=9pt] “If a citizen chooses to be weaponless, so be it. If they choose to have a specific type of weapon, so be it. It is not our duty to mandate these things.”[/SIZE]

[SIZE=9pt]She pointed to [member="Ned Rostu"]. [/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]"I move to strike this bill for all its purposes and intent, not even allow it to move anywhere near this floor again. There is absolutely zero patriotism in this bill and it's aimed at control over citizens and their freedom rather than protect them."[/SIZE] [SIZE=9pt]She motioned to the floor. [/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]"If the Republic desires Security at home, pass a better budget directed at funding the military and defense measures - not limiting our own citizens from protecting themselves how they see fit."[/SIZE] [SIZE=9pt]She'd then gesture towards the Prime Minister. [/SIZE][SIZE=9pt]"And by all means, if you have proven statistical information backing any sort’ve reason, criminal or otherwise for such a mandate – please tell me or show me – as private and government sector numbers do not reflect such a need or desire by any stretch.”[/SIZE]

Perhaps the Senator from Ranklinge was on fire, formerly the Senator from Alderaan, Manaan and Carida respectively. Having held several dozen positions within the government only to see it attempt to control the citizens by fearmongering or other ill intents - well that was something she was completely against. She was here for the people - not for her own self gain.

[member="Macharius Solaire"] | [member="Ater Notechis"] | [member="Faith Balor"] | [member="Mark Crassis"] | [member="Volko Hydori"] | [member="Geneviève Lasedri"] | [member="Max Rumor"] | [member="Persephone Callas"]

 

[Sor-Jan Xantha]

"Cyrilla moves to second da motion made by da Honored Delegation of Ranklinge."

The lanky Gungan rose as he spoke, taking center stage on a platform in which he was easily distinguished from the planetary delegation of Cyrillians which served as his associates and political advisors. The eye stalks of the Gung moved to peer over at the senator from Ranklinge -- a senior veteran of the Republic political process, or so his entourage had told him -- and gave the woman a small nod in deference for her position.

As the Gung turned his attention and focus back to the woman who led the assembly, the career lawyer was stuck in a position where he couldn't have liked the proposed legislation even if he had wanted to. A jurist who had built his political capital through work with victims of domestic violence, a great deal of his supporters were part of the 'anti-blaster' or 'blaster control' lobby on Cyrillia. A vote for a measure such as this would cost him re-election, pure and simple.

Even still, Nemo himself didn't care for the bill for other reasons. So many reasons in fact. Financial implications, security implications, logistical implications, contractual implications...

...the Republic seemed to have quite an incestuous relationship with the major military contractors, with military personnel and even Jedi representing companies that did business with the war industry of the Republic -- allowing them to profit from all sides. It seemed a classic study in a conflict of interest. But it was worth it to wonder, if this bill were approved, who would benefit? ArmaTech? Merr-Sonn?

Nemo made a mental note to have his staff inquire as to whether any of the arms manufacturers had contributed to Prime Minister Lasedri's election campaign.

"Weesa believe it should be tabled in a committee to examines alternative forms of home space security," the Gung announced, elaborating on his own view of the motion raised by Senator Organna. "After which, dis bills could bees amended and tabled for da next session of dis assembly."

[member="Macharius Solaire"] | [member="Ater Notechis"] | [member="Faith Balor"]​

[member="Mark Crassis"] | [member="Volko Hydori"] | [member="Geneviève Lasedri"] | [member="Max Rumor"] | [member="Persephone Callas"] | [member="Alyesa Organa"]​

 

[Jamie Pyne]

The clawdite of Zolan stood up from her seat once the goofy sounding gungan had finished his speech. The bill being proposed here was weak. It had little ground to stand on given its lack of length. Typically in order to pass anything in the senate one would need to have a 520 page document that was filled with long, hard to spell and pronounce words that would indicate that miracles would be worked without so much as a drop in the bucket credit wise. That was simply how politics worked. Otherwise, you were on the side of the fence where political kickbacks got you both your job and your vote. Now that was where the money was. For the time being however, Amelia would need to take the role of a senator seriously, back which was profitable to Nubia, and maintain her composure for the play had just begun.

"Fellow senators. The bill being proposed here requires serious consideration. The question that is at the forefront of everyone's mind is "Do we provide subsidized arms to the citizens of the Republic? And if so, how do we both monitor the backgrounds of the hands those weapons go into, and how to we pay for such a thing? Alternatively the argument has been raised that arming the citizens is a recipe for disaster. Believe both concerns are valid. However I believe neither of these are the answer to our conundrum. The senator from Manaan makes an interesting argument regarding the debacle of Manaan. We don't need our citizens causing destruction due to lack of training, and after the Netherworld, the military simply does not have the manpower to arm, train, and assist with defending every single planet within the Republic. It simply is not feasible."

The "human" woman would reach down and press the button on her holoprojector which would illuminate the massive screen in the center of the floor to display her own idea. On it would be large, orbital stations, similar to those the Republic had ordered in the past to defend key worlds from invasion. Though the design would need to be brought up to current standards and code.

"My counter proposal to this: We construct planetary defense systems both on the ground and in orbit, beginning with key defensive and strategic planets within the Republic. This will provide hundreds of thousands of jobs, and while it will require a modest increase of taxes for each of the planets within the Republic, collectively it should not be astronomical, given the drastic influx of jobs it will provide to those workers. Furthermore, it will create additional jobs to man those defense systems, and also raise our citizens confidence in their safety, and that it is being taken seriously, rather than arming thousands of people who may not know the difference between the barrel and the trigger."

[member="Macharius Solaire"] | [member="Ater Notechis"] | [member="Faith Balor"] | [member="Mark Crassis"] | [member="Volko Hydori"] | [member="Geneviève Lasedri"] | [member="Max Rumor"] | [member="Persephone Callas"] | [member="Alyesa Organa"] | [member="Jon Jon Nemo"] | [member="Ned Rostu"]

 

[Cecily Demici]

Mistaken post