The NRA's sincere and respectful response
The NRA's sincere and respectful response
Be sure to check out the response by Wayne LaPierre about the terrible event in Connecticut. Hopefully somebody here knows how to post the link from YouTube to show the response in its entirety.
Keep the families in your prayers.
J.O.
Keep the families in your prayers.
J.O.
I have been a life long member of the NRA. The event in CT has convinced me that there should be some restrictions on the ability of some nut case to fire off that many rounds in such a brief amount of time. It's hard to argue that the number of "mass" shootings has increased with the availability of these types of weapons. I have hunted deer, wildlife and upland game birds most of my life and have yet to find an occasion that required a semi automatic weapon capable of firing 30 or more rounds in instant. The NRA's position needs adjustment to support some type of controls on these kinds of weapons. If not it no longer is an organization that I can support. Reasonable minds must understand that no right is worth the price paid in CT.
Dave
It concerns me greatly that insane folks are finding it desirable to keep doing this over and over and over. I fear they will only find other ways to continue or escalate their heart breaking behavior through other mediums if their handy dandy assault weapons and bullets become harder to get. What can we do to eliminate the lunatics walking around loose among us? I see them sitting around hours on end playing video games where the hero fires thousands of digital rounds into hundreds of digital victims, and deciding it would be much more fun to do it in person.
Gary
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SOTD 99%: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, soaps & creams, synthetic / badger brushes, Colonial General razor, Kai & Schick blades, straight razors any time, Superior 70 aftershave splash + menthol + 444
- fallingwickets
- Clive the Thumb
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LOL@wayne...what an ass!
clive
yes, exactly. All the talk about guns but not a peep about mental health and the dark cloud it lives under. Its a disgrace that you have more insurance, acceptance and help for penile plastic surgery than you do for mental health issues, and again, no a word or outcry about thatWhat can we do to eliminate the lunatics walking around loose among us?
clive
de gustibus non est disputandum
It's easier to demonize the tool than it is to demonize the poor nut job wielding it. I have some FB friends who are all anti gun, and they just gloss over the guy who pulled the trigger and say that if he hadn't had access to firearms then none of this would have happened. To this I say BS.
-Tye
-Tye
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- rustyblade
- Shaving Paparazzo
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I am neither a fun advocate nor an anti-gun zealot. I am a city-raised kid right in the middle of the spectrum.
Can anyone tell me why any civilian needs an automatic weapon? They are not made for hunting, so that can't be the reason. They are, as far as I can tell, made for the express purpose of killing people. So why should civilians be allowed to have them?
Can anyone tell me why any civilian needs an automatic weapon? They are not made for hunting, so that can't be the reason. They are, as far as I can tell, made for the express purpose of killing people. So why should civilians be allowed to have them?
- GA Russell
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slackskin, as Dave Nolan, the founder of the Libertarian Party, was famous for saying, "The Second Amendment is not about duck hunting."slackskin wrote:Can anyone tell me why any civilian needs an automatic weapon? They are not made for hunting, so that can't be the reason. They are, as far as I can tell, made for the express purpose of killing people. So why should civilians be allowed to have them?
The argument is that the government should not have weapons to use against the people that the people do not have to use against the government.
A related concept is this: Today our police forces are made up of America's finest. Thugs are attracted to guns. If only the police have guns, thugs will want to join the police department. It wouldn't happen overnight, but the idea is that after forty years of gun control, America's police departments will be made up of thugs, like the Soviet Union's were.
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Well, first we need to know some terms because others would mislead by misuse of words...slackskin wrote:I am neither a fun advocate nor an anti-gun zealot. I am a city-raised kid right in the middle of the spectrum.
Can anyone tell me why any civilian needs an automatic weapon? They are not made for hunting, so that can't be the reason. They are, as far as I can tell, made for the express purpose of killing people. So why should civilians be allowed to have them?
Fully automatic- squeeze the trigger once and the gun continues to fire round after round until it runs out of ammunition or the trigger is released
Semi-automatic- one trigger squeeze for one shot. No different than many hunting rifles, shotguns, and handguns.
Full auto has been very tightly regulated since the 20s and to the best of my knowledge has never been used in crime since. Semi-auto is no different than many rifles used for hunting. Just because it's in military 'garb' makes it no more dangerous, nor do large magazines since with practice a small (or any) magazine can be changed in no more than 2 seconds. Even the FBI recognizes that fact. That's why they advised that the assault weapons ban made no difference to crime. It certainly would have made no difference at Sandy Hook school since they locked everyone in and no one inside could stop the shooting. The perp had a free fire zone and plenty of time for his evil. He could have changed magazines 50 times.
Who says military style semi-autos aren't used for hunting? Of course they are. I regularly use mine for hunting of small, medium, and large game and I know lots of other folks who do as well. I do so because when I hunt in foul weather I can open the gun up and have full access to the interior to dry it out. They make wonderful hunting guns. Too, they are used for competition. I know of lots of folks who use them for prarie dog shooting. One can put thousands of rounds through one in a day and as long as the sustained rate of fire isn't exceeded they stay relatively cool. I also regularly use mine around the homestead to dispatch vermin.
But the best reason for military style rifles is the first reason for the 2nd Amendment and the reason the founding fathers gave to explain it. It's to make politicians think twice before instituting tyranny. A nation of folks armed with potent firearms of the day is a definite "wait a minute" for anyone with designs of that nature. The 2nd Amendment IS NOT about duck hunting! The Japanese knew that in WW2. The "well regulated" militia mentioned in it? Ok, we need to know more terminolgy. Back in the day "well regulated" meant well trained. The militia was all able bodied males (check your sate laws for the ages), but basically the age of consent, into the 60s and anyone else who volunteered. Check your state law, it will tells you exactly who the militia is, and by the way, that law has never been negated in any state, the National Guard does not take the place of the militia. Louisiana is a special case since it hails to Napoleonic Law not English Common Law.
OK, for those who can check me and on what I wrote, also find the responsibilities of the militia members; that's probably you. The requirement is to have a firearm and 100 rounds of ammo in most states. By law. Being ignorant of the law doesn't mean you don't need to follow it. The penalty in states with English Common Law as the basis? Most are written this way, Anything deemed appropriate by a commander, up to and including death and confiscation of all assets. That's how seriously the Founders took the 2nd Amendment. Those laws are still in effect today. Ignorance is no excuse.
FWIW, In Maine I believe my legal obligation is complete next year at age 61. But in my case and in the case of many other ex miltary men, we took an oath to "Protect and defend the Constitution from all enemies foreign and domestic" many years ago, and that oath had no time limit on it. We can't do that with good intentions or harsh words.
Today, some of us take the 2nd Amendment just as seriously as the founders. Military style rifles and magazines have been flying off the shelves for the past 4 years and the pace has increased. Does that tell anyone anything?
Does that answer the queston?
BTW, no I'm not a lawyer. Just a common man with an interest in knowing what I need to know to be a responsible citizen which began at age 17. I know how to do research and I know where my local law library is. When I have a question I'm like a bulldog and I dig until I find the answers. I got up out of my chair; I checked. It just takes an interest.
OK, off the topic above.
Does anyone know what drugs the shooter was on? I haven't heard. I'd wager he was on one of the drugs that are known to warp the thinking of young folks. Ritalin is one of them. A Dr would probably know what class of drug I mean. In most mass shootings by young folks a Rx drug of that sort is involved. I'm not saying it was here, but I'd wager that type was involved.
Too, has anyone heard any more about the 2nd and 3rd doers that they caught? It was mentioned over the police radio transmissions. One was cuffed in the school and one was seen running away from the scene and into the woods. I've heard nothing more about that. Who were they?
How convenient that this would occur at the same time obama is pushing for the UN treaty on Small Arms. How convenient that before the childrens bodies were cold, politicians would try to turn this into political anti-gun fodder and mislead by saying we need laws we already have on the books. Surely they know, they wrote the things.
I grieve with everyone else about what happened, but I'm not guilty. Neither are the millions of other responsible gun owners. I didn't do it. I'm one of societies sheepdogs. I wish I had been there to take out the perp before he fired his first shot, but I wasn't and couldn't be because there is no reciprocity between Maine and Connecticutt. But why weren't laws in place to allow interested and trained teachers to carry responsibly and also be a sheepdog caring for the flock? There is technology available to allow this to be done safely (locked away yet instantly accessable).
For more on the last, google "gunman pearl mississippi" and read about it from many different sources. I bet you never heard about it. The media doesn't carry stories such as that since it doesn't push the agenda.
Flame away gents.
Brian
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Maker of Kramperts Finest Bay Rum and Frostbite
Or find it here: Italian Barber, West Coast Shaving, Barclay Crocker, The Old Town Shaving Company at Stats, Maggard Razors; Leavitt & Peirce, Harvard Square
Lots of better places to discuss this. SMF doesn't do politics (see the very first part of the very first rule,) and especially when it's an issue that will cause the thread to go sour.
Chris
Chris
"Je n'ai pas besoin de cette hypothèse."
Pierre-Simon de Laplace
Pierre-Simon de Laplace