Jeff Stahler for June 24, 2016

“Just say no.”

The crook should have bought one those military grade weapons that the NRA and GOP keep legal.

Even if he had a machine gun on his shoulder and a six-shooter on each hip, he’d be toast if the criminal drew a gun on him before he could react. Or do people believe that those who carry guns should hold them in their hands, pointing them at everyone they meet? In which case, you deserve whatever happens to you.

The reality is that if he thinks you have a gun, he won’t pull his.

The US is bounded east and west by oceans, north and south by allies. Few countries have this luxury, yet fear of the imaginary horribles reigns in the US.US politicians use fear to manipulate and have actually instilled a lack of faith in data and statistics that reveal a worldwide downward trend in violent crime.

Maybe he should try giving him a hug.

Criminals don’t follow the law, so mugging should be made legal. All citizens should give up their wallet, because there is no way to enforce these laws. Or if we upped the penalties for using a gun in a crime, make it harder to get guns and arm everyone who wants to commit crimes (or steal them from all those law abiding gun nuts) and made military assault weaponry unavailable to citizens, this scenario becomes less likely.

In an armed society, it is important to be polite.

It is even more important to get the first shot.And far less trouble.

These good guys with a gun hope the bad guys with a gun have the accuracy of an imperial stormtrooper.

“Just say no.”?#To what, bullets? Won’t work.

If the guy on the left had a gun, the guy on the right would have TWO guns. For those who spout about bad guys always having a gun… this is how they get them. The only thing to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun, too bad he got the drop on you and has your weapon now. Maybe we could talk about how to prevent this from the root cause, maybe you want more guns to flood the system. There is a problem where people can’t find work, can’t feed their families. People can’t get help with addiction, and the pharmaceutical companies have no issues making addiction worse. We have no problem putting out more deadly weapons and making it easier to get guns. But it all comes down to this scenario. What if that guy on the right had a decent job, or access to mental health facilities, or less access to weaponry.

An anecdotal story outweighs verifiable, repeatable statistical data on any gun issue?

There are some words I live by: “Avoid arguments with men carrying automatic weapons.” Unfortunately, this is from personal experience.

Remember, when seconds count, the police are just minutes away. I’d rather be armed than told by a socialist that victims must remain unarmed.

Pulling a gun on someone who already has one pointed at you is pretty much a guaranteed way to get shot. Over 90% of folks who try that, get shot, fortunately, not always fatally.

BTW; fully automatic weapons are NOT ILLEGAL!! They are just heavily regulated for those folks who DO own them, like my nephew, who owns two full auto firearms, LEGALLY! Regulating large capacity magazines, and improved background checks, as for folks with Concealed Carry Permits, or automatic weapons permits, would greatly reduce gun crime. It WILL take a while to get all those illegal, as in stolen, weapons out on the street already off the street, but registration and licensing is the best way to eliminate “straw sales” and other transfers of weapons to felons and others who can’t legally have them, now!

How do criminals get guns?I had a neighbor who was boastful of all the guns, rifles etc. he had and he ordered ammunition by the gross. He let everyone know if a burglar ever broke into his house, he would shoot them with one of his many guns.But then, he went on vacation, someone he knew broke into his house and stole most of his weapons and ammo.The thief was caught, but long after he had sold everything to persons unknown.

“Both Donald Trump’s claim that an armed bystander could have stopped the rampage in Orlando and the N.R.A. official Wayne LaPierre’s notion that it takes a good guy with a gun to stop a bad guy with a gun are ridiculous. Combat — real combat — bears no resemblance to their Hollywood image of war.

“The reality of a firefight is a form of madness: shifting silhouettes, dimly perceived, pop of weapons, freezing fear, trembling hands, most of all the stink: sick, sweet odor of blood mixed with the odor of feces and urine, stale sweat, cordite. Who and where is my enemy?

“Only training and long experience lead to the steadiness required to kill a terrorist armed with an assault weapon. More than likely the bystander with a gun will kill or wound only other innocents.

“Pretending that the citizen, probably carrying only a pistol or a revolver, can take on a madman firing 30 rounds a magazine is the height of fantasy.”-—Edward W. Wood Jr.

Right, and laws will put the fear of God into him.

^Wolfie, I also love the “movie version” where he bad guy holds the gun on it’s side, which is actually good, because there’s no way he’s going to hit anything, well at least that he’s “aiming” at. Of course with extended clips, he may eventually hit something intended after he’s hit 10 or 12 bystanders!

@Norm Harrison“And having even more guns will solve any problems? Talk about a lack of common sense.”.If you agree neither increasing or decreasing the number of guns will solve the problem that people who will not obey the law will hurt us if they wish, then there is really no reason to act as if the problem would be solved by disarming only those who obey the law. We need to seek solutions somewhere else..If the gentleman in the picture were holding a knife, the fellow would still wish he didn’t. The difference might be that he would know there was nothing he could with a knife that the knife-man couldn’t do better. .If he had a spear or a club, you might be more willing to resist, but you are not guaranteed to survive no matter what you do..Guns were equalizers, they made it possible for the small and weak to be as lethal as the large and powerful. We wish they weren’t misused, but wishing doesn’t solve any problems.

superposition said,“The US is bounded east and west by oceans, north and south by allies.”.Mostly true, but not completely sufficient.Mexico was our friend back when Pancho Villa used to drive La Cucaracha into the USA to rob banks and kill Americans.Mexico was unable to stop him..Other criminals come from Mexico every now and then and some of them are even violent.(They would come even if there were a wall between us, but that is a completely different discussion.)

“No one wants your guns.”.Obviously somebody does or criminals wouldn’t be getting stolen guns.." but I waste my breathe. www.hcn.org/articles/go-ahead-control-my-guns".breathAnd you had to breathe anyway..I wonder at your citation of Amy’s article including her concluding words:“The Second Amendment talks about a “well-regulated” militia alongside the “right to bear arms.” We have erred on the “right to bear arms” side of the equation for decades. It’s high time we paid attention to the well-regulated part.”.We haven’t really erred when we refused to turn a civil right into a privilege like a poll tax to be allowed to vote or a permit to be allowed to operate a newspaper..We err when we think the Constitution only gives members of militias the right to keep and bear arms. Some crazy militias were formed just because of such silly talk..“Bow hunters have to show proficiency before they can be licensed to use their bows, why not gun owners?”.Please notice she didn’t have to show proficiency before she could buy and use a bow. She had to do it before she could use it in hunting. (So she could kill Bambi.).The right to hunt is not guaranteed in the Constitution. Certain weapons can be forbidden for hunting and are forbidden. That is why she had to take the course to hunt during Bow Hunting Season. There is nothing which forbids requiring such training for hunting with a 22 or forbidding use of a multi-shot weapon. The problem with forbidding it is that the first shot is often not instantly fatal and the prey gets away to suffer and die somewhere else. .“In the past gun registration background checks denied guns to criminals from being at stores that used background checks.”.And if they had been arrested and imprisoned for trying to buy them when doing so was illegal because of their criminal pasts, they would not be free to commit more crimes..Instead, they had to go through the hassle of getting them illegally.So were they stopped from getting them or simply slowed?