Foxnews and it's political arm- the GOP- think that it's not a good time to talk about guns, so soon after the murders in Aurora, Colorado.
Every moment prior to the killings was an excellent time to talk about how Obama plans to confiscate guns in his second term and that the ill-advised "Fast & Furious" gun-walking scheme was actually a grander scheme to give *reason* to revoke the Second Amendment but- for fuck's sake- let's NOT discuss gun control with gun-induced mayhem so freshly on the nation's minds! Let's wait until the ironic smoke clears. If people still want to talk about it then, well OK. Unless football season has started...
Gun sales are up this week in Colorado and elsewhere in the US. This is typical after these shootings we've become so used to. People suddenly want to protect themselves or want to buy up more guns and ammo in case Barack Obama suspends the Constitution. After all, he rammed that Healthcare down our throats- something Hitler or Stalin would have done...
But, I digress. Guns are here to stay. There are more guns than people in the US. I garaunfuckingtee that this country will not be disarmed until after the revolution. Regardless of who sponsors the revolution, the *winners* will not want a bunch of folks running around with guns like it's Somalia or Arizona. You can fill people's heads with the notion that bloodshed equals freedom but, if they still have that notion plus guns in their hands after they realize they've been played, you've got trouble on your hands. That's why swords are beaten into plowshares. It keeps the people from rising up again.
The victims in Colorado took one for the Second Amendment team. They took rounds as fast as that nut could pull the trigger from a magazine that held 100 rounds. They "took one for the team" because, for the gun nuts to retain the right to have such weaponry, we have to be victims of others who have the right to have such weaponry. I'm sure many gun nuts felt sad for the victims but, they felt sadder that the movie theatre deprived the victims of their right to defend themselves. That's what I gather from various idiots on TV and the internet. A ridiculous amount of heroes believe they personally could have stopped the armor-clad bastard with their pistol. Well, that is just insane. And, given that Colorado is gun country, we'll never know how many patrons WERE armed that night but did NOT pull their weapons out of wizened knowledge or outright frozen fear. A dark theatre, lit only by the screen, a smoke grenade explodes, SOMEONE starts shooting...what do you do?
A study after WWII claimed that as many as 25% of soldiers in that war never fired their weapon in combat. Fear would be a factor, as would not wanting to kill another human being. Despite training, one out of four combat soldiers would not fire their guns and X number more might shoot but, not exactly aim at anyone. Who knows? Yet 100% of internet commandos could take down an assailant armed with superior firepower and body armor. Idiots. They often talk about the foolishness of bringing knives to gunfights yet can't see how under-powered they are up against rifles or shotguns. Amazing.
I like guns. They're dangerous as all get out but, they can be a lot of fun! Gun nuts like to make the specious argument that people die in car accidents so, why don't we ban cars! Well, because that would be silly, that's why! The thing is we regulate cars for safety and try to keep people from misusing them but, despite our best efforts, people still speed, drive drunk and are just plain careless.
The thing is, we're not trying hard enough with guns. 100 round drum clips???!!! Who but a deranged asshole with dyed red hair needs that kind of capacity? Never mind hunting as I don't think the NRA bothers to make that argument anymore. The founders, with the 2A, weren't thinking about hunting with the right to bear arms. Hunting was how you got meat back then. As far as they envisioned, it would always be that way. The Founders could not imagine supermarkets.
And, given the muskets of the day, they certainly could not have envisioned AR15's with 100 round drum magazines. What they did envision- I believe- was the necessity of militias to protect the country as the new country was not fond of standing armies. Back in the day, you could still rally the townsfolk in times of crisis. It hasn't worked that way since. The world has changed a bit.
The second Amendment has to change too. It's like following the Bible. We don't sell our daughters into slavery or stone people for working on the Sabbath anymore despite that having been the word of God. I don't think he's actually come off that edict- not publicly- yet we don't do those things anymore. And we don't rally the townspeople when Japan attacks and threatens us and the world. We have standing armies for such eventualities and it's been that way for a few hundred years. Women can vote and the slaves that were 3/5ths of a person at the time of our founders are now African-Americans, citizens and 100% people.
Yes, we'd all be better off if there were no guns left in the valley, but, that's not going to happen, not in a good or easy way. Ironic but, the very people looking to enslave us are the ones who scream the loudest about having NO gun control. They are the ones we should fear. Eventually they will fear themselves.
3 comments:
I feel so sorry for the victims of that shooting and all the peripheral victims too.
I had to read the 2nd Amendment to see just what it actually said. Apparently it was included so that, should the need ever arise, the general citizenry could form an official, organised militia to deal with external threats. Like you say, there is no longer a need since the national armed forces came into being.
When did it become possible for people to buy military grade weapons, and why are the gun shops allowed to sell this stuff? The people who want to buy these weapons are exactly the reason why they shouldn't be sold. I wonder if the guy who made the sale gave any thought to why a, supposedly, ordinary guy would want such things, and I wonder if he sleeps at night.
Maybe regulating what can be sold would be the first step in regaining some sanity in all of this. Also, mandatory reporting to authorities of anyone buying, or attempting to buy, these high fire-power weapons.
Sadly, these mass killings are becoming a part of your culture. The biggest problem is, the perpetrators look just like you or me, (maybe not in this instance) so there's no way to easily recognise them. It's hard to spot an obvious loony in the dark anyway.
The assault weapons ban quietly expired under GW Bush's watch. In my opinion it's only been in the last 20- 30 years that we've really gone nutty about guns/self defense and it has EVERYTHING to do with marketing and $$$$$. Thirty years ago the NRA (National Rifle Association) was about protecting hunters rights, which I don't think were ever in danger. Now, every state but Illinois has concealed carry of handguns. While life and crime has accelerated in this time, concealed carry has done nothing to combat that. The NRA is just a powerful, wealthy lobbying group for gun manufacturers. There is ZERO legislation before congress to restrict guns but, NRA president LaPierre promises that Obama WILL repeal the 2A in his second term despite the fact that that would be unconstitutional. But, that's the way these idiots *think*. They actually believe that the part of the 2A that reads"...shall not be infringed..." means no restrictions whatsoever. Under the 2A (they believe) tanks, jets, nuclear weapons et al would be permissable and without restriction...as the founders clearly intended...
So, it's all about the money. The rules vary from state to state but, unless you have a special Federal license you can't own fully automatic weapons. With the sophistication of modern weaponry, I don't see why it matters. This kid had a 100 round magazine- something you don't need to hunt or defend your home with but is legal for some ungodly reason. It is insane.
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