Comments (23) Jump to Comments Form

1. 

   nomad2112 said, 4 months ago

   http://www.learnaboutguns.com/2008/10/04/criminals-for-gun-control-video-clip-part-1/

2. 

   magicman7 said, 4 months ago

   I agree nomad. It’s a shame people don’t actually take the time to LEARN about an issue BEFORE speaking out. If they did, they would truly understand the importance of protecting the Second Amendment and that the violence in Mexico is NOT being escalated by privte citizens purchasing legal SINGLE SHOT SEMI AUTOMATIC long rifles or handguns. When will the left learn that distorting the truth doesn’t make it become the truth?

3. 

   cdward said, 4 months ago

   What is the function of “legal SINGLE SHOT SEMI AUTOMATIC long rifles or handguns”?

4. 

   sandrino said, 4 months ago

   The founding fathers were thinking about single shot muzzle loaders that took 30 seconds to load when they wrote the second amendment. Also these masters of the English language wrote a clause making reference to the need of a militia. They weren’t thinking about our modern automatic weapons with armor piercing rounds. I suspect that the second amendment might not be so generous with the right to bear arms had the founding fathers realized how lethal weapons would become. They were also obviously limiting the right to bear arms by linking it to the need of an organized militia. At the time of the writing of the second amendment there was no standing army, now there is.

   Of course the same people who are constitution originalists will argue that the militia clause of the second amendment doesn’t mean what it clearly says and that the second amendment grants access to all sort of military grade weapons that were unthinkable in the 18th century. If they are going to make the original intent argument, gun owners should be limited to 18th century guns, otherwise the original intent argument is nothing but a convenient ruse to get what you want,

5. 

   Joe Allen Doty said, 4 months ago

   When the 2nd Amendment was added to the Constitution of the United States of America, foreign powers were still trying to get their Colonies back in the New World.

   The right to be arms and the need for a militia was for a civilian type local military guard.

   I consider the State National Guard units to be our local militia and their members should be the ones bearing the arms.

   The National Rifle Association changed from being a club for those who were merely hunters and occasional historical gun collectors. It is now a Political Action Committee.

   I don’t have a problem with a person who has a state issued hunting license having rifles and/or shotguns which they only use for hunting game which they will actually eat. And I don’t have a problem with a person having a license to carry a weapon for self-protection.

6. 

   Corosive Frog said, 4 months ago

   I just love NRA’s bullet head

7. 

   PlainBill said, 4 months ago

   ANandy, I’m sure the family of Steve McNair and the countless other families who have lost a loved one because some idiot with a gun are comforted by your words.

8. 

   dtroutma said, 4 months ago

   Andy- the words are “well REGULATED”, not “organized”. Muzzle loaders, swords, bayonets, and knives were the “arms” available at the time.

   “Single-shot semi-automatic”? A single shot is a bolt action with no magazine, or muzzle loader. Semi-automatic by definition is a magazine fed weapon with “high output” potential, one round per TRIGGER PULL, not per loading.

   The only “legitimate” and “well-regulated” militia in the United States is the Reserves or National Guard.

   Anyone else is nothing more than Crips or Bloods in cammo.

9. 

   dtriedel said, 4 months ago

   I can’t wait for my hand-held atomic weapon!

10. 

    Kingoswald said, 4 months ago

    As a European, listening to the NRA defending private gun ownership is bizarre in the extreme.

11. 

    Buzzy-One said, 4 months ago

    ANandy, a part of a well organized militia? If he handles a gun as well as his thoughts he’d hurt himself.

12. 

    TrickyPickle said, 4 months ago

    Well, in my country we have extremely strict gun control laws. It is exceedingly difficult to get a private license to carry. However, illegal shipments cross our borders regularly and end up in the hands of gangs and other criminal organizations. The result is that our murder rate has passed that of Jamaica. The criminals have all the guns, and the general public have none. Take from that what you will.

13. 

    Gladius said, 4 months ago

    Arguing about the type of weapons available at the time of the founding fathers is a waste. You CANNOT know how they would have reacted to modern weaponry, for OR against.
    I am personally in favor of weapons used for hunting. I am willing to listen to both sides as to home defence. Govenment personel and a very few others are the only ones who should receive concealed weapons permits. I am perfectly happy to discuss the exceptions. I do know that I’ve seen enough supposedly, trained, individuals act like idiots with firearms that I don’t want blanket permission to carry them in public.

    BTW If you do want to go into the historical purposes of a militia, you have to consider he views regarding standing armies. They are expensive and give the government a convenient tool of oppression. As a result early Americans preferred the idea of the citizen soldier who was not only permitted but expected to be armed indefense of the community. Also, in many parts of America, at the time, a firearm was a necessary part of day to day survival.

14. 

    NoFearPup said, 4 months ago

    I wish every American had at least one longarm in their gun-closet. Then everyone would have to learn to respect firearms, and not regard it as a means of retribution for some one dissing your girlfriend or crowding into your drug-territory.

    This fear of the legally-armed citizen could be an extension of the lib-mentality of hysterical paranoia; whether it be a pandemic, global warming, or someone flipping open a Bible and reading from it. Notice, though, that they aren’t worried about losing their unique American freedoms and rights(and responsibilities)…except those that limit their access to psychedelic drugs and pornographic material.

15. 

    believecommonsense said, 4 months ago

    that’s one bloody toon

16. 

    striper77 said, 4 months ago

    All you have to do is go back to what TrickyPickle said:
    It is exceedingly difficult to get a private license to carry. However, illegal shipments cross our borders regularly and end up in the hands of gangs and other criminal organizations. The result is that our murder rate has passed that of Jamaica. The criminals have all the guns, and the general public have none. Take from that what you will.
    This is the end result of all gun control measures. In general, people in larger cities with numerous gangs are in fear of the life’s. If the government took away the guns from all the law abiding citizens the gangs would still have theirs. The law abiding citizens would be a sitting duck at that point.
    By the way the government is not making any dent in the gang population. It is growing at an alarming rate.
    Just keep on trusting big government and the results will be the same or worse as they take away your liberties then promise to protect you while doing it.

17. 

    striper77 said, 4 months ago

    As far as Steve McNair goes it is said that he was lost. But the person whom killed him would still of had a firearm even if all the guns were taken away from law abiding citizens.
    Only law abiding citizens follow the law, not gang members, organized crime, obama administration etc.

18. 

    Gladius said, 4 months ago

    AN and NFP,

    I posted this once before. I was privileged to witness one of those, confortable with weapons, people on a firing range. Unfortunately, there was no range master; it was supposed to be self- policing. This idiot had a 7.62 assault style semi-automatic weapon. His buddy asked him a question and he turned, with gun, to answer pointing the loaded (safety off) weapon down the firing line. No I Do Not want my fellow citizens carrying weapons around me. Their intentions are not my problem. Their competence is.

19. 

    M Kitt said, 4 months ago

    And, Gladius, they’re constantly pushing for larger weapons and further deregulation making the threat of incompetence that much greater.

    Besides, so called “law abiding citizens” can easily become disgruntled when out of work or angered, next time some crazy drops a few people with a weapon think about how much more damage he or she could have done with a couple of grenades or a fully automatic rifle instead of a semi.

    I’ve made this argument before and was actually once replied to that total deregulation would level the playing field, personally I don’t even trust most of the public to not drive while intoxicated, access to military grade weapons is completely absurd.

20. 

    Gladius said, 4 months ago

    You can teach someone what is right and what they should do. You can’t make them do it. We have driver education courses all over the country. I still don’t trust my fellow driver. Cars are an economic necessity for most people. Gun’s aren’t. I’m willing to go along with their use for hunting and range work but I have no desire for widespread permission to carry them in public.

21. 

    dtroutma said, 4 months ago

    Glad, in my basic training class, a guy put a round through the range master’s tower post, it didn’t go well for him. I hunt, have concealed weapons permit (for striper) reasonably easy to obtain with a clean record and responsible training. I guess I’m a “lib” by these folks definition, but have also carried a gun in combat, and law enforcement.(never discharged it to enforce the law) I just cannot, as a responsible gun owner and user, accept the radical nuttiness of Wayne LaPierre and the No Rational Alternative folks. I think, like PETA and some environmental groups, they’ve done more harm than good to rights, and intelligent thought.

22. 

    NoFearPup said, 4 months ago

    Military grade? It’s no use…

23. 

    omQ R said, 4 months ago

    Gladius: “No I Do Not want my fellow citizens carrying weapons around me. Their intentions are not my problem. Their competence is.”

    Precisely my point. I have indeed met responsible gun owners but I discovered they were in the minority.
    Others on this forum have noted that they do not trust fellow road users because of high levels of drunken driving. I have taken to driving very defensively, especially late at night, as I simply do not trust my fellow road users, irrespective of the country I happen to be driving in.

    While I believe many can be responsible with guns or cars, I believe too many aren’t.

    Let me be clear: I’m not against gun or car ownership.
    But seriously, what exactly do you want to be armed with?

    I returned to the country of my birth in the 90s for 4 years.
    I had a gun pointed at me twice by drunken fools at a couple bbq parties. They were aware I was uneasy about guns and detested them so thought it amusing to point loaded ones at me. Most rural roads (and some urban) have their road signs peppered by gunshot.
    At the company I worked at, my brother & I were just about the only ones who did not have a firearm licence. Despite the company (I.T.) having a “hand in your gun at the door” policy with on-site gunsafes, they were never used except by one of my colleagues who was making a point (about responsibility). Most guns were kept in their owners’ purses, jackets, under their cars’ seats or glove compartments.
    (note: many cars are stolen or hi-jacked at gunpoint, so those guns are stolen too, into the hands of the criminals. Btw, hi-jacks often had the assailants opening fire from behind first to avoid a shoot-out confrontation since the likelihood of the driver being armed was high. On the other hand, many hi-jacks have been foiled by gun owners shooting the would-be hi-jacker. The trouble is, as one of my friends who was hi-jacked and didn’t own a gun said, “I was beaten and tortured on my driveway for about 10 mins until they were convinced I had no gun”. They expect people to be armed and want those too.

    More anecdotal stuff:
    One (of the few) episode in a trendy up-market pub while my work colleagues and I were having a work-dinner do: an armed drunk came into the bar. His gun was in his waist band behind his back.
    The pub’s noise dropped a few notches and I saw my colleague to my right take out his gun and lay it on his thigh, under the table. I also saw a few other patrons take out their guns, pointing them to the floor. All anticipating something. Now, this will be great news for those who think a crazed gun toting murderer will be soon brought down. All I thought was, “Oh s*, a frigging gun shoot-out in Dodge City!” Fortunately, the barman had the sense to defuse the situation.

    One would-be hero’s gun jammed. A few hundred metres from where I lived, a bank was robbed in plain daylight. The robbers casually sauntered across a plaza heading towards their getaway car about 100 metres away. The hero pointed and pulled the trigger but it jammed (clean your guns people!) One of the robbers came back, made the hero kneel and shot him dead point blank in the head. No-one else, despite the high personal gun-ownership and local populace’s bravado, not unlike ANandy’s “I pity those who live in constant fear of others. I am prepared to deal, as best I can, with a threat.”, made a move against them. They got away. On the other hand, many restaurants’ owners/employees/patrons have foiled armed robberies. On the other other hand, many restaurant & café owners/employees have been killed in shoot-outs with armed robbers.

    I witnessed several arguments, usually with “I’ll blow you away” style threats. Road rage incidents on the freeways were authentic OK corral shoot-outs.

    The USA is still far from reaching the levels of stupidity and crime which I encountered. While my country of birth was dealing with incredibly high rates of murder, rape and crime in general and it was understandable their reliance of firearms for their protection, it also led to more macho and a looser attitude towards arms by all, honest citizens or not; a vicious circle. And that is what I see in the attitudes in the USA.