Gun Rights and Politics

[Andrewr05]

Gun control is getting way out of hand. <_<

I am sure there are many people that wont agree with my points of view.

I have every thing from a .22 pistol to a .50 cal sniper rifle.

The last time I have fired any of them has been close to a year.

I have some that have never been fired.

They all stay in a locked safe or in a locked case.

I like collecting them and now I fear that I may have to hand some or all of them over to Government Agency.

The Government cant take away what they don't know you have...

[94Camaro]

A question to those who suggested an "audit system" where police could stop by your house an make sure your firearms and documentation are "all in order"-- do you not see this as a violation of the 4th Amendment and our right to privacy?

[LoArmistead]

 

Nobody has talked about mandatory training. I think this is actually a very good idea.

 

Hell I've brought it up before but no one seemed to care. Those billions of taxpayer dollars people are wanting to use to enforce tigher gun restrictions, targetting a population that will be minimally affected by it, I'd rather see that money go into the education system to train kids on the proper handling of a firearm - just like a lot of schools now provide Drivers' Educations courses. Once kids know the real dangers of the gun, and most importantly, that holding a firearm does not automatically make you badass, I think it will do a lot for society; not only will kids be better informed and less likely to do stupid stuff, but when they become adults they will also have the knowledge and comfort around a firearm to know when and when not to use it. Classes in school can use the blue dummy guns for training. They are the same size, weight, dimensions and parts as a full-sze Beretta, the only difference is they are blue plastic and can't fire a bullet. Using these dummy guns that other gun instruction courses use to train kids on the safe handling and operation of a gun would give society a much larger return on their tax dollars than forcing kids to take Theater and Underwater Basket Weaving courses while in school. To train these firearms courses, you can bring in former policemen and retired military guys. The Dept. of Education already has a large program that transitions former military personnel into the classroom to teach math, science and history courses. It's shown to be very successful, because military people are instilled with discipline that they in turn demand from their students. Since we already have these ex-drill sergeants and police officers going into the schools, we might as well allow them to teach one of the things they know well - firearms handling.

 

Leftists like to use the argument that teaching these kinds of courses will teach otherwise-unknowing kids how to use a gun, and will increase the likelihood of them using it for bad. There are all those studies out there that show that people who were raised responsibly around weapons are the least likely to use them to commit a crime. Plus, any idiot can learn how to shoot a pistol in five seconds even without a class teaching them how to use it.

 

Of course any kid wanting to take it would have to be a certain age and have to have permission from their parents, just as if they were taking a Drivers Education course. Those who are genuinely interested in the safe operating of a hand gun or rifle can take the class, and those who would rather learn how to weave baskets under water can take their class, too.

[Kingfisher]

I try and stay out of the politics but in this case I'd like to share a little bit about why America doesn't need a gun ban.

My cousin was a Chicago Police Officer and one day was helping a motorist asking for driving directions.

He was shot and killed by a man from an apartment window while assisiting the motorist.

 

The man who shot him was captured and arrested.

During the trial he was asked "why did you shoot the Policeman?"

He responed with "I had to shoot me a pig".

 

Sure, guns are weapons and kill people but I'll be damned(I would be shocked if things ever get this far but who knows) if there is a gun ban and the criminals are left with the weapons and the law-abiding citizens don't, where will that leave us?

 

I don't own a gun and perhaps never will unless I decide to receive proper training and deem it necessary.

I do admit I have plenty of friends and family who do and enjoy the priviledge.

At least I hope I will be allowed that choice and not have the feds tell me what is best for me.

[LoArmistead]

A question to those who suggested an "audit system" where police could stop by your house an make sure your firearms and documentation are "all in order"-- do you not see this as a violation of the 4th Amendment and our right to privacy?

 

That never crossed their minds because people in the UK don't have a right to privacy. I always knew Euro-laws were FUBAR, but I just learned today about the different squatting laws in Europe, and the outrageously liberal laws regarding squatting in the UK... If government has the authority to allow someone to squat in your house, and forces you to spend months in court to remove them, what the hell is the definition of private property to them? They have already taken their guns away, so it's easy to sit back and recommend "light restrictions and minor inconveniences in the name of the common good" on those of us who still have ours. London also has the highest number of public video cameras per capita than anywhere in the world. You can hardly go anywhere within the city without being videotaped by the government.

 

I'm not trying to bash the UK here, but I just heard 30 minutes worth of active squatting cases that were going on in London. In the US, if you came back to your summer house and found a hobo in it, you could boot their . out in a nano-second. In London, they spend tens of thousands of dollars and months in court to do it; sometimes it's even cheaper to PAY the squatter to leave YOUR house than it is to go to court.

 

But hey, they're OK with it, I am not one to judge.

[LoArmistead]

I try and stay out of the politics but in this case I'd like to share a little bit about why America doesn't need a gun ban.

My cousin was a Chicago Police Officer and one day was helping a motorist asking for driving directions.

He was shot and killed by a man from an apartment window while assisiting the motorist.

 

The man who shot him was captured and arrested.

During the trial he was asked "why did you shoot the Policeman?"

He responed with "I had to shoot me a pig".

 

Sure, guns are weapons and kill people but I'll be damned(I would be shocked if things ever get this far but who knows) if there is a gun ban and the criminals are left with the weapons and the law-abiding citizens don't, where will that leave us?

 

I don't own a gun and perhaps never will unless I decide to receive proper training and deem it necessary.

I do admit I have plenty of friends and family who do and enjoy the priviledge.

At least I hope I will be allowed that choice and not have the feds tell me what is best for me.

 

First of all, sorry to hear about that. It's terrible, but it goes to show what kind of people are out there.

 

I know a guy who has been a firefighter in Memphis, Tennessee (also known as "Memfrica," draw your own conclusions as to why) for the past 20 years. The stories I hear from him are outrageous. Some gangsters will catch a car on fire in the ghetto and call it in to 911. When the fire department arrives to put the fire out, the gangsters have taken up positions in buildings surrounding the site, and proceed to shoot guns at the firemen. So the firemen are huddled under their truck with bullets ricocheting around them, waiting for the police to show up and quell this ghetto bull crap. Firstly it's a prime example of why the "Great Society" isn't so great, but secondly, it goes to show you just what kind of people you can run into, particularly in urban areas.

[NCC10281982B]

thats fubar.

 

Also i agree with your other post about education Lo.

 

Back in like 5th grade we had a special segment called dare which dealt with Guns, Gangs and such. It think the program was a victim budget cuts.

[LoArmistead]

thats fubar.

 

Also i agree with your other post about education Lo.

 

Back in like 5th grade we had a special segment called dare which dealt with Guns, Gangs and such. It think the program was a victim budget cuts.

 

 

I remember D.A.R.E.! Is it not around anymore? I don't see the bumper stickers or the t-shirts so I assumed it went the way of the dodo bird.

[Kash]

Leftists like to use the argument that teaching these kinds of courses will teach otherwise-unknowing kids how to use a gun, and will increase the likelihood of them using it for bad. There are all those studies out there that show that people who were raised responsibly around weapons are the least likely to use them to commit a crime. Plus, any idiot can learn how to shoot a pistol in five seconds even without a class teaching them how to use it.

 

Hmm, that seems to be exactly the same argument conservatives use regarding $ex education and abortion. So it looks as though both sides agree that the notion of informing somebody about a particular subject isn't going to increase the likelihood of that person participating in such behavior. I find it intriguing that each side demonizes subjects closely held by each side yet they share the underlying concepts and rationalizations.

 

I remember D.A.R.E.! Is it not around anymore? I don't see the bumper stickers or the t-shirts so I assumed it went the way of the dodo bird.

 

Good, D.A.R.E sucked hard. It has all these incorrect notions of the dangers of drugs and tried to scare kids into not take drugs rather than properly inform them of the health and legal risks involved with drugs.

[Verran]

Good, D.A.R.E sucked hard. It has all these incorrect notions of the dangers of drugs and tried to scare kids into not take drugs rather than properly inform them of the health and legal risks involved with drugs.

Did you guys see that South Park where that really fruity dance "crew" came in to teach the kids about not smoking and the kids thought it was so lame that they started smoking just so they wouldn't be like them? That's how I think of DARE when I look back on it in elementary school.

 

The education thing makes a lot of sense. It seems like something that everyone can support. A better educated populace should have at least some positive effect on reducing accidental firearm deaths and injuries. Plus, it should help weed out a lot of the irrational fear of guns that a lot of people have (over time).

[LoArmistead]

Hmm, that seems to be exactly the same argument conservatives use regarding $ex education and abortion. So it looks as though both sides agree that the notion of informing somebody about a particular subject isn't going to increase the likelihood of that person participating in such behavior. I find it intriguing that each side demonizes subjects closely held by each side yet they share the underlying concepts and rationalizations.

 

I'm not one of "those people," so I can't say with absolute certainty, but I think a lot of them are against $ex education in school because they believe it's a private matter that is best left up to the family (even though it isn't always effective, seeing as how the south has the most bible thumpers and the highest teen pregnancy rate in the country). I think that problem roots itself much further back in time than the public school $ex education war, and is more of a genetic/societal problem spawning from the lifestyles of the people who first inhabited the southern colonies, than one that could simply be solved with a class. Thomas Sowell's Black Rednecks and White Liberals really made me look at this issue in a whole different light.

[NCC10281982B]

For some reason I'm reminder of this:

 

Son, a woman is like a beer. They smell good, they look good, you'd step over your own mother just to get one! But you can't stop at one. You wanna drink another woman!

 

Thats one birds and bees talk that gets a negative score.