It’s time to curb
escalating gun violence
I am a hunter and a gun owner. I have been around guns all my life and have taught both adult and youth firearms safety. I have always been an opponent of gun control.
But the recent events in Connecticut have infuriated and sickened me; as a father and grandfather, I realize that something must be done to curb our escalating gun violence. I sorely wish that I had an obvious solution, but I do not. Perhaps, though, it is time for members on both sides of the gun debate to be honest and to compromise — something not done often today.
I am certain that I will offend some of my shooting friends, but I personally feel there is no need for the “AR” style weapons; they belong only in the military. Is it time to outlaw these assault style rifles? And maybe also extended magazines? I personally would be willing to make such concessions.
Unfortunately, I don’t trust some of our elected officials. Some have proposed a total ban on “semi-automatic weapons.” That term describes the shotguns that hundreds of thousands of us safely use to hunt pheasants and ducks, and I shudder to think that my guns may be banned due to the ignorance of some politicians.
Many of us sportsmen have ambiguous feelings about gun control right now. Enacting more legislation may not help because we know that criminals do not buy guns; they steal them. They do not go through the hoops to acquire a permit to carry, as I did.
So will more laws help? I do not know. But I know that when innocent children are slaughtered in a school, it is time to re-examine our priorities.
Den Pluimer,
Breezy Point
Comments (10)
Add commentWell MR Pluimer, the banning
Well MR Pluimer, the banning of these so called "Assault" weapons, Magazines, etc. would be just the start.
First of all its not going to stop anyone from going on a killing spree if they want.
Second its an infringment on our 2nd Amendment rights.
As the NRA said yesterday, "The only way to stop a bad person with a gun is with a good person with a gun."
“Laws that forbid the carrying of arms...disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes... Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man.” (Quoting Cesare Beccaria)
E-mail from a friend who owns gun shop out East
The tragedy last week has really brought the nuts out of the woodwork. Tonite on the TV the talking heads were interviewing people that were saying that gun shows don't have background checks. so, there's ANOTHER target. Jugears and Biden are gonna introduce legislation by 1 January...............THAT ought to be a treat! Gonna fix everything, until the NEXT killing done with a propane bomb or a nailgun!
Had a lady call the shop today yelling at us that we should be ashamed of ourselves for our radio advertising promoting our handgun safety classes and responsible gun ownership! She accused of us of being responsible for the killings! Had another wingnut call yesterday and ask if we sold assault weapons. (I should have said, nope........sold 'em all, got none left!) When I told her absolutely not, I asked her if she knew what an asault weapon was. She said, of course. I then schooled her on what it REALLY was, not the political bastardization of the word. She said the gun used in CT was a machine gun. When I told her we sold MSR's, she asked what they were. I couldn't resist, so I told her. She screamed at me so loud they heard her on the other side of the shop. She then asked why we don't do background checks. I asked her why she asked. She said everyone knows that most gun shops don't do them. I told her EVERY gun shop does them. She said I was lying to her. She said that is the problem, no background checks and assault weapons. She blamed gun dealers for all of these killings. I asked her if the liquor store owner was responsible for drunk drivers and alcoholics. She said of course not. She continued berating me until I couldn't take it anymore, and politely hung up.
All of these self appointed know-it-alls have the solution and they can't WAIT to weild it over the gun owner's heads. They KNOW the "facts" and won't listen to ANYONE that does not march in lockstep with their beliefs.
The media
Today, the same elite media who no doubt send their own kids to private schools that employ armed security, just can't stop howling ridicule at the NRA's idea to give every student in America those same protections. Because the NRA's idea is so appealing, the media's going overboard, mocking it as bizarre, crazy, and out of touch.
In their zeal to rampage this left-wing agenda, the media has apparently forgotten that back in 2000, on the one-year anniversary of the Columbine shooting (which occurred with an assault weapons ban in place), President Clinton requested $60 million in federal money to fund a fifth round of funding for a program called "COPS in School," a program that does exactly what the NRA is proposing and the media is currently in overdrive mocking:
If schools go along with NRA
If schools go along with NRA suggestion and have armed guards at schools were would they be stationed? One at every door, one at every ground level window, one in every parking lot? The first one killed at Red Lake was the armed guard, 2 armed guards at Virginia Tech. and one at Columbine. The second amendment was put in place so that home owners could arm themselves in the home. They had muskets at that time not guns that shoot 30 shots or more per minute. Get you head out of the sand. The 2nd amendment is safe for you gun lovers. 99% of Americans would not agree with you 1% value life over guns.
Liberal Hypocrites
Liberals are bashing the NRA for the suggestion that trained armed guards be placed in every school in the country. Many critics point to the fact that Columbine High School had an armed guard during it's horrible tragedy (but the guard was having a cigarette at the time).
In April 2000 as part of his commemoration of the first anniversary of deaths at Columbine High School in his weekly radio speech President Clinton announced $120 million in grants, much of it for a program to place armed police officers in schools.
As the Associated Press reported at the time:
"In our national struggle against youth violence we must not fail our children; our future depends on it," the president said in his weekly radio address.
Clinton also unveiled the $60-million fifth round of funding for "COPS in School," a Justice Department program that helps pay the costs of placing police officers in schools to help make them safer for students and teachers. The money will be used to provide 452 officers in schools in more than 220 communities.
"Already, it has placed 2,200 officers in more than 1,000 communities across our nation, where they are heightening school safety as well as coaching sports and acting as mentors and mediators for kids in need," Clinton said.
None of that matters TJ. The
None of that matters TJ. The Liberal gungrabbers got their blinders on.
"The second amendment was put in place so that home owners could arm themselves in the home. They had muskets at that time not guns that shoot 30 shots or more per minute. Get you head out of the sand."
LOL, the Second Amendment was put in place to keep Government from getting out of hand. Back then they had Muskets and so did the other Armys or enemy. Today the enemy has full auto weapons.
Get it!
"99% of Americans would not agree with you 1% value life over guns."
Yea right. I dont shoot to kill, I shoot to live!
Another reason having nothing
Another reason having nothing to do with guns.
.Here is a perfect example of ONE of the many different reasons why we as a country are in the shape we are in. A sick and demented individual kills a 92 year old and is let back out onto the streets.
"Spengler was convicted in 1981 in the death of his 92-year-old grandmother a year earlier. Beat her with a hammer! He served time in prison and was released in 1998, Pickering said."
Whatever this sicko's reasons were for commiting ANOTHER crime doesn't matter didly!
What matters will not even be talked about on the Liberal Media. Why the Hell was he ever let out!
What would possess the mind of a person who is responsible for upholding the law and safety of
the citizens of this country to think this sick POS would EVER be ok to be allowed back on the streets. (he really should have been xecuted to begin with).
THE JUDGE AND WHOMEVER INVOLVED WITH THIS FREAK SHOULD BE IMMEDIATLY
HELD RESPONSIBLE!
Disbared and thrown in jail and given the sentence that the criminal would have gotten if he wasn't
a freakin pathetic chickensh!t for killing himself and was still around! All of them ARE responsible
for the crime that this wacko commited,,,
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/two-firefighters-shot-killed-wh...
they have DIRECTLY caused the killings of more americans by allowing
an obvious wack job the opportunity to due exactly what most wackjobs of this nature do best.
REPEAT CRIMES!
In doing so the the ensuing growth of the machine thru continued planned chaos expands.
Keep yer powder dry!
compromise
Den you say it is time to compromise, hinting at maybe we should be willing to give up a type of gun. but then you go on to worry that they may mistake your type of gun for one of the banned ones.
well lets look at some history, in nazi germany they didnt start out all at once taking everyone they thought was an undesirable. no they started with one segment, then went on to the next until they had all different types of people that they decided were undesirable, including a multitude of those that helped in their cause. at what point do you propose we finally stop compromising and stand up for what is right?
keep in mind that timothy mcveigh didnt use a gun. the terrorists on 9/11 didnt either. adrew kehoe didnt either in 1927 when he killed 45 children and adults and demolished a good portion of a school.
had this last idiot used a molotove cocktail as his choice of weapon the results may have been worse.
you said i dont know if they gun laws even work, well lets look at the shooter in new york that was a convicted felon, not allowed to own a gun yet he had 2. he murdered his grandmother back in the 80's with a hammer. he didnt use a gun then but he did when he killed 2 firemen and wonded 2 more. but the guns were not legal in new york nor was it legal for him to have them. now some say oh he got them thru the gun show loop hole. provie it first of all. and the so called gun show loop hole is just another way to make it sound like we need to stop them. what they are calling a gun show loop hole happens on a daily basis anywhere in the nation and no gunshow is involved.
if you want to compromise go ahead and just turn your guns in, but dont even think about looking to turn mine in or backing anyone that would try to take them.
Ah, another comon sense
Ah, another common sense Citizen!
Great Post Jim!
This is why we need the 2nd
This is why we need the 2nd amendment!
http://youtu.be/XMg0FQS6Fqo