Yee Hawww

[TyraNSX]

Last paragraph of the Doomsday Principle is very timely. Time to stock up. Goering, I mean Gonzales, is coming for us.

 

[docmental]

I have lived in 3 different countries in my life now, and the american way of life, the right to bear arms continue to disturb me. I can understand the historical significance of it to protect and one's innate sense to protect. But at what cost? Try and explain that to the parents of Columbine. Try and imagine if it has happens to your love ones. From a very visceral and gutsy point of view, being an ER physician, I've seen one too many sad stories of victums on the recieving end of it. Brother shooting sister, cousin shooting cousin. Actually happened to one of my nurses' 10 year old. Mom never recover from that....So, I'm sorry, there's got to be a better way than this. Too many lives and families has been ruined just for sake of the idea of the right to bear arms.

 

[TyraNSX]

Many of you are failing to see that the guns did not fail to properly secure themselves. Nor make themselves available for illegal purchase. It was the idiot owners. As far as Columbine goes, maybe if the parents had been more aware of their kids' lives and the guns and bomb supplies in their kids' rooms, that could have been averted. Both by getting them help and taking away the bombs & guns. But that would involve getting off your ass & actually raising your own kid, so we can't have that.

This country continues to legislate to protect the stupid people from themselves, who then go about ignoring the law. We currently have mandatory seat belt laws, mandatory bike helmet laws, and mandatory gun lockup laws when a minor is in the house. Why? Because stupid people who don't bother to think about consequences have been killed or severely injured in car crashes without seatbelts (usually because they get ejected), had TBIs or dead kids from crashes without bike helmets, and had kids shoot themselves or other kids with unsecured guns. If you don't believe me, ask me about the children of rocket scientists I have seen riding bikes in the dark, against traffic, no helmet, no lights, no reflector. And the idiot woman who had a perfectly good 2nd row seat in a minivan but sat a little kid on her lap in the front seat of a minivan. With an airbag. And the idiots with 2 little kids in a riced out, roached out Probe with one kid unsecured in back seat and one on the floor between the mother's legs on the passenger side. Really safe if they crash.

Smart people use their seatbelts without a law, slap a helmet on their kid, and buy a gunlock or safe in the first place. And they don't need a law or ticket to tell them to do it. Do not put all the blame on inanimate objects. Unfortunately, the right to be a moron & then sue someone else when the consequences rear up is all too alive and well in this country. Everyone is a victim, and someone else is always to blame. No one is responsible for their own (in)actions and ensuing consequences.

 

[H-carWizKid]

Many of you are failing to see that the guns did not fail to properly secure themselves. Nor make themselves available for illegal purchase. It was the idiot owners. As far as Columbine goes, maybe if the parents had been more aware of their kids' lives and the guns and bomb supplies in their kids' rooms, that could have been averted. Both by getting them help and taking away the bombs & guns. But that would involve getting off your ass & actually raising your own kid, so we can't have that.

This country continues to legislate to protect the stupid people from themselves, who then go about ignoring the law. We currently have mandatory seat belt laws, mandatory bike helmet laws, and mandatory gun lockup laws when a minor is in the house. Why? Because stupid people who don't bother to think about consequences have been killed or severely injured in car crashes without seatbelts (usually because they get ejected), had TBIs or dead kids from crashes without bike helmets, and had kids shoot themselves or other kids with unsecured guns. If you don't believe me, ask me about the children of rocket scientists I have seen riding bikes in the dark, against traffic, no helmet, no lights, no reflector. And the idiot woman who had a perfectly good 2nd row seat in a minivan but sat a little kid on her lap in the front seat of a minivan. With an airbag. And the idiots with 2 little kids in a riced out, roached out Probe with one kid unsecured in back seat and one on the floor between the mother's legs on the passenger side. Really safe if they crash.

Smart people use their seatbelts without a law, slap a helmet on their kid, and buy a gunlock or safe in the first place. And they don't need a law or ticket to tell them to do it. Do not put all the blame on inanimate objects. Unfortunately, the right to be a moron & then sue someone else when the consequences rear up is all too alive and well in this country. Everyone is a victim, and someone else is always to blame. No one is responsible for their own (in)actions and ensuing consequences.

Well said.

I would like to add the following-

The best preventative for gun violence, and gun accidents is proper education regarding firearms.

You may not own a gun, but if your kid's friends parents do, then your kid might just encounter one- I would rather a child encounter a gun knowing it is a lethal object, and not a toy to be played with than approaching it in ignorance thinking it is some cool thing from TV, or a video game. The only way they will have the proper understanding is through education.

do yourselves a favor- teach your kids about firearm safety so that they know to leave them alone.

I wish every gun owner was safety conscious- just like I wish every driver operated their car properly- but that just isn't the case, and no amount of "Gun Control" is going to change that, just like traffic laws don't stop violations.

My Dad hates handguns- He would never let me have toy guns when I was growing up- not even Lasertag, but he supported my gun education, and I grew up knowing full well that these things are not toys.

I remember hanging out with some friends of mine in the 7th grade. one guy retrieved his Fathers .357 from his parents bedroom to "show it to us". I left the house- I did that because my Uncle Steve (police officer) had taught me about guns. I knew exactly what a .357 was for, and what it could do.

One year later another kid at my school accidentally shot his cousin with a shot gun they had "sawed off". Fortunately the round was buck-shot, and the blast wasn't close range- the accident wasn't lethal- still what parents let their kids saw off a shot gun? Maybe you wouldn't, but some moron out there did.

It happens- everyday. Education could prevent it.

Folks, if you like guns or not- they are out there. If they were illegal than the bad folks could get them anyway. The only people who would be affected by gun abolition are the people who are willing to buy guns legally-

Educate your children- don't buy guns if you don't like them, and support your local law enforcement. Police officers are the ones who are meant to stand the wall and protect your safety, and security.

 

[matteni]

Well said.

I would like to add the following-

The best preventative for gun violence, and gun accidents is proper education regarding firearms.

Absolutely - there needs to be a debate over what types of weapons are going to be made legal.

- Hand grenades?
- Rocket launchers?
- 50 Caliber machine guns?
- Fully automatic weapons?
- Semi automatic weapons?
- Armor piercing bullets?

When was the last time you heard about a killing spree on US soil from a grenade or a rocket launcher? Aren't they illegal to own and acquire? Shouldn't the "bad guys" just have them anyway by this argument?

I think for many weapons there should be mandatory training to legally possess one. There should be a written test and then a proficiency test with that weapon. We don't let anyone drive a car or a truck do we? There is additional training required to drive a 18 wheeler vs a passenger car because of the risks to others - isn't there? If you can't aim and hit a reasonable target with a weapon - why should you be allowed to carry it? If you can't safely clean, carry, store, and secure a weapon - why should you be allowed to have it.

I am not against Americans owning guns. I am for fully responsible gun ownership that prevents the rights to own a weapon interfering with the rights to to be affected by it (killed, tax payer money paying for others, etc). Same should go for eating, smoking, gambling, etc. Most gun owners wouldn't accept higher requirements, higher taxes, regular re-certifications, etc to pay for their passion.

If I want to go really fast I go to the track. I pay a lot of money to do so and accept responsibility for my actions at the track. If something happens - I pay. I need to demonstrate my ability with an instructor before being allowed on the track by myself. I attend classroom sessions and constant safety reminders. If I own a "race only" car I am only allowed to operate it on the track and not on the streets where people are sharing the road. If gun owners used this same approach this country would be a lot safer place IMO.

 

[H-carWizKid]

Absolutely - there needs to be a debate over what types of weapons are going to be made legal.

- Hand grenades?
- Rocket launchers?
- 50 Caliber machine guns?
- Fully automatic weapons?
- Semi automatic weapons?
- Armor piercing bullets?

I am not aware of legislation that allows these weapons to be carried on the street- actually I am not aware of the legislation that governs these weapons at all. I have no interest in them.

If you are talking about the video- that was pretty obviously a firing range- the discretion of allowing a minor child to fire the weapon being demonstrated is questionable, but is it really a matter for the constitution?

When was the last time you heard about a killing spree on US soil from a grenade or a rocket launcher? Aren't they illegal to own and acquire? Shouldn't the "bad guys" just have them anyway by this argument?

I haven't- but we do worry about terrorists having those devices in proximity to airports... So it stands to reason that our theoretical "bad guys" could get them, and try to get them. A little research might show you that military grade weapons are more difficult to obtain than running down to the local Walmart- even if you are trying to purchase them legitimately.

I am not against Americans owning guns. I am for fully responsible gun ownership that prevents the rights to own a weapon interfering with the rights to to be affected by it (killed, tax payer money paying for others, etc). Same should go for eating, smoking, gambling, etc. Most gun owners wouldn't accept higher requirements, higher taxes, regular re-certifications, etc to pay for their passion.

your on track- but IMO you go WAY too far- and the statement that addresses gun owners being resistant to paying higher taxes is an assumption- within reason

we have the NRA to rep us on that- although I don't wholly agree with every position of the NRA- I support their ability to lobby for my rights.

If I want to go really fast I go to the track. I pay a lot of money to do so and accept responsibility for my actions at the track. If something happens - I pay. I need to demonstrate my ability with an instructor before being allowed on the track by myself. I attend classroom sessions and constant safety reminders. If I own a "race only" car I am only allowed to operate it on the track and not on the streets where people are sharing the road. If gun owners used this same approach this country would be a lot safer place IMO.

I am glad you are so responsible in your high speed driving. Kudos to you. What about the little asshole that buzzed by me at over 100mph last Friday on I-75 in a rice bomb that probably wouldn't pass state inspection? You want to take responsibility for him?

Me neither.

I also don't want to be held responsible for some yahoo gun owner who doesn't respect his deadly weapon.

Seem like inconsistant examples? The circumstances are similar.

I go to the gun range to fire guns. I buy ammunition to discharge. I pay the tax on the ammo. You want to raise the tax I pay on the ammo to cover for the actions of someone else who I probably don't know or associate with.

How about this, how about we impose a "track tax" that you can pay while you are being responsible so the rest of us don't have to pay for all damage done by the idiots who can't keep their speeding off the streets?

seem a little unfair?

I agree.

 

[TyraNSX]

There already is mandatory training and a background check and fingerprinting to possess one (at least in CT). People need to keep them secured and use them safely. But what bad guy is going to take the class & apply for a permit? If you are worried about other peoples' guns, especially if your kids are going to someone's house- talk to the other parents first! And teach your kid a healthy respect for guns so that they will do as mentioned above & get out of there before something happens. Which wouldn't be a concern if the other parent had locked it up in the first place. As far as sawing off a shotgun, how did they get their hands on it anyway? Again, parents might have to do some work to avoid these situations.

Given the glut of bad kids, neglected kids, and abused kids what we really need is mandatory parenting classes and a reproduction permit. But I guess that right is more popular and tougher to limit than the right to bear arms. And if little Timmy shoots up a school, it's not the parent's fault, it's the guns. It wasn't the gun that missed warning signs or left itself lying around or bullied Timmy and made him miserable. And if I had a kid I found out was screwing around with guns, he would be the unhappy recipient of a size 15 suppository really quickly. Now you can all chime in that the parenting class would teach me to not use physical punishment. Again, people need to learn there are consequences, sometime bad ones for doing or failing to do certain things. I think an ass kicking beats a shooting any day.