Mass shootings happen in "gun-free zones" for a reason, which is also the reason that there are not more law-abiding citizens stopping mass shootings. Most people are like me, they leave their guns at home in a safe. The number of guns and percentage of households with guns does not equate to guns on the street.
Mass shootings happen in "gun-free zones" for a reason, which is also the reason that there are not more law-abiding citizens stopping mass shootings. Most people are like me, they leave their guns at home in a safe. The number of guns and percentage of households with guns does not equate to guns on the street.
A few years ago, I decided to look up the FBI's listed mass shootings in my greater metropolitan area. When most people hear the words "mass shootings" they think of the relatively rare spectacular and highly publicized events. That wasn't on their list. What was there was drug deals gone bad. Misuse of words is something you have commented on here in The Commentary. A shootout between drug dealers should not be conflated with a school, church or store shooting.
In this instance, the GGWAG wisely braced against a pole which reduces shaking and increases accuracy and if there had been another GGWAG he wouldn't have been a man with a rifle actively shooting terrified people eating at a table in the food court. I certainly wouldn't shoot at a man who was shooting at a man actively engaged in mass murder.
Get rid of the guns? It will have the same effect as gun free zones, more defenseless innocent people. But then in America, getting rid of the guns is not likely to happen. Perhaps some percentage of the population will willingly give them up, but there will be plenty left for the criminals. There is quite a market for stolen firearms being sold to felons who are prohibited possessors.
It's not "drug deals gone wrong" that are killing dozens of schoolchildren or country music fans or Jews at synagogue; it's young men who can buy weaponry of massacre. 18-22yo, AR-15. Every time.
The "only outlaws will have guns" thing doesn't move me. As you said, armed people will mostly shoot each other.
It's not the population that willingly surrenders them I want gone, it's those guys who make those videos yelling "come an' try to take away mah gun!!' I would like to see gone.
We agree on more than you might think. Our primary difference is that I go beyond zero trust in politicians (government), I expect deceit.
Take the current abortion brouhaha for example. The Arab story of the camel's nose come to mind. Roe v Wade began with a widely acceptable "Safe, available and rare." It progressed to the barbaric practice of partial birth abortion where they drill a hole in a fully formed fetus while some portion of it is still inside the woman. While not fully legal everywhere I cite it as an example of progressive creep. Politicians and activists always want more than they claim in the beginning. ALWAYS.
There are gun control things that I might embrace if I trusted government. I recently looked at a web page that listed "registered firearms" by state. They gave a number for Arizona, a state that formally has no gun registration. Firearm sales records are illegally being maintained past the date they are to be destroyed. As per Snowden, the government collects data illegally and keeps it forever. Gun registration makes nobody safer; its only purpose is future gun confiscation.
When government, military and police want to ensure that you are helpless to resist the first thing they do is disarm you. History tells us we might not want to be fans of that. Red flag. It will be abused for political purpose. The objectionable changes with the swing of the political pendulum. I don't think that the average 2nd Amendment fan, at least the ones my age, are World at War video game fantasizers who want a 15-minute murderous fame. We are dying off and the media is doing a fine job of promoting pusillanimous hoplophobia so resistance to disarmament of citizens will diminish. For the sake of my grandchildren, I hope it is not the dystopia of tyrants that I foresee.
If only politicians could be trusted. But they can't
Well I am not about to argue for trusting government. I trust corporations a hell of a lot less. Though the abortion thing is tangential and I don't want to argue about it.
I have no issue with firearms being kept in records. Sorry, but we have to license all kinds of things as long as we have or do them, like driving a car, practicing law or medicine; if I had my way there would be no national right to own firearms, that is supremely ridiculous, permits should only be granted on demonstration of need e.g. living in a high crime neighborhood or running a jewelry store. And, no, "I enjoy killing animals" is not a need.
History: Hitler made guns more available, not less, as the RKBAs claim. Right now parents are biting their knuckles because their kids are in school and some disgruntled kid could kill them. The RKBA answer is yet more guns.
The idea that an armed citizenry would inhibit tyranny is a fantasy. A hell of a lot of gun owners would side with the tyrant enthusiastically, liberated to shoot people like me. And those who would resist think they can go up against the US military and prevail? Really?
I don't see the media (plural: ARE) promoting disarmament. Unless you want them to be silent about the more than daily mass shootings.
All I hear is raising the age to buy a massacre weapon to 21.
I grew up in the south. I heard a lot of gun nuts. I had debates in steam rooms with guys who swore they were going to kill me in the parking lot. I'm sick of guns.
Mass shootings happen in "gun-free zones" for a reason, which is also the reason that there are not more law-abiding citizens stopping mass shootings. Most people are like me, they leave their guns at home in a safe. The number of guns and percentage of households with guns does not equate to guns on the street.
A few years ago, I decided to look up the FBI's listed mass shootings in my greater metropolitan area. When most people hear the words "mass shootings" they think of the relatively rare spectacular and highly publicized events. That wasn't on their list. What was there was drug deals gone bad. Misuse of words is something you have commented on here in The Commentary. A shootout between drug dealers should not be conflated with a school, church or store shooting.
In this instance, the GGWAG wisely braced against a pole which reduces shaking and increases accuracy and if there had been another GGWAG he wouldn't have been a man with a rifle actively shooting terrified people eating at a table in the food court. I certainly wouldn't shoot at a man who was shooting at a man actively engaged in mass murder.
Get rid of the guns? It will have the same effect as gun free zones, more defenseless innocent people. But then in America, getting rid of the guns is not likely to happen. Perhaps some percentage of the population will willingly give them up, but there will be plenty left for the criminals. There is quite a market for stolen firearms being sold to felons who are prohibited possessors.
It's not "drug deals gone wrong" that are killing dozens of schoolchildren or country music fans or Jews at synagogue; it's young men who can buy weaponry of massacre. 18-22yo, AR-15. Every time.
The "only outlaws will have guns" thing doesn't move me. As you said, armed people will mostly shoot each other.
It's not the population that willingly surrenders them I want gone, it's those guys who make those videos yelling "come an' try to take away mah gun!!' I would like to see gone.
We agree on more than you might think. Our primary difference is that I go beyond zero trust in politicians (government), I expect deceit.
Take the current abortion brouhaha for example. The Arab story of the camel's nose come to mind. Roe v Wade began with a widely acceptable "Safe, available and rare." It progressed to the barbaric practice of partial birth abortion where they drill a hole in a fully formed fetus while some portion of it is still inside the woman. While not fully legal everywhere I cite it as an example of progressive creep. Politicians and activists always want more than they claim in the beginning. ALWAYS.
There are gun control things that I might embrace if I trusted government. I recently looked at a web page that listed "registered firearms" by state. They gave a number for Arizona, a state that formally has no gun registration. Firearm sales records are illegally being maintained past the date they are to be destroyed. As per Snowden, the government collects data illegally and keeps it forever. Gun registration makes nobody safer; its only purpose is future gun confiscation.
When government, military and police want to ensure that you are helpless to resist the first thing they do is disarm you. History tells us we might not want to be fans of that. Red flag. It will be abused for political purpose. The objectionable changes with the swing of the political pendulum. I don't think that the average 2nd Amendment fan, at least the ones my age, are World at War video game fantasizers who want a 15-minute murderous fame. We are dying off and the media is doing a fine job of promoting pusillanimous hoplophobia so resistance to disarmament of citizens will diminish. For the sake of my grandchildren, I hope it is not the dystopia of tyrants that I foresee.
If only politicians could be trusted. But they can't
Well I am not about to argue for trusting government. I trust corporations a hell of a lot less. Though the abortion thing is tangential and I don't want to argue about it.
I have no issue with firearms being kept in records. Sorry, but we have to license all kinds of things as long as we have or do them, like driving a car, practicing law or medicine; if I had my way there would be no national right to own firearms, that is supremely ridiculous, permits should only be granted on demonstration of need e.g. living in a high crime neighborhood or running a jewelry store. And, no, "I enjoy killing animals" is not a need.
History: Hitler made guns more available, not less, as the RKBAs claim. Right now parents are biting their knuckles because their kids are in school and some disgruntled kid could kill them. The RKBA answer is yet more guns.
The idea that an armed citizenry would inhibit tyranny is a fantasy. A hell of a lot of gun owners would side with the tyrant enthusiastically, liberated to shoot people like me. And those who would resist think they can go up against the US military and prevail? Really?
I don't see the media (plural: ARE) promoting disarmament. Unless you want them to be silent about the more than daily mass shootings.
All I hear is raising the age to buy a massacre weapon to 21.
I grew up in the south. I heard a lot of gun nuts. I had debates in steam rooms with guys who swore they were going to kill me in the parking lot. I'm sick of guns.