Posted 9/28/2024

Donald Trump is a convicted felon, and he ran for president of the United States and won. His win makes him the first convicted felon to become president of the United States. Donald Trump isn't the first felon to run for president. It happened a century ago in 1920 when Eugene V. Debs ran for president after being convicted under the Sedition Act. As President of the United States, a person is the Commander in Chief of the largest arsenal on planet earth. The "average" U.S. citizen loses their right to bear arms with a felony conviction, but nothing is written in the law to stop a convicted felon from overseeing nuclear warheads. When the 1968 Gun Control Act was drafted, the law that prohibits felons from possessing firearms, it may have been difficult to imagine this unforeseen scenario. It’s inexplicable how a convicted felon could be in charge of the Army, the Navy, the Marines, and the Air Force while not being able to own a gun themselves. Under federal law and most state laws, a convicted felon cannot legally own a firearm. Their control of the military is through executive authority and the chain of command, which is supposed to distinguish from personal possession. However, some presidents have been distancing themselves from the system of checks and balances, which is concerning. Some say former President Obama acted unilaterally when he bombed Syria and President Trump when he ordered the assassination of an Iranian general during his first term. They used the military as they saw fit when they decided, which relegates the military to their personal property. Also, it seems that though laws were passed to effectively eliminate convicted felons from participating in democracy by stripping them of the right to vote, another minor oversight was made: they can still ask for your vote. When lawbreakers can become lawmakers, there may be a conflict of interest there. A lot of employers disqualify people from certain jobs based on their criminal history, and it's doubtful a Secret Service agent or any member of the FBI is a convicted felon. It would be in the best interest of sanity and optics for this issue to be addressed.