Guns must be controlled in Georgia

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Guns must be controlled in Georgia

Letters to the Editor
Citizen-Letters-3
Share this Post
Views 2509 | Comments 58

Increasingly lax gun laws, passed by myopic politicians, are creating a dangerous situation for our citizens. In the last week, there have been 2 articles in The Citizen regarding gun violence. One was about an incident in Upson County (“2 gang members sentenced to 16 years for shootout in park”) where young people employed assault rifles. In the second case (“Officers chase, arrest carjacking, gun-toting juvenile”) the incident involved a car stolen in DeKalb and recovered in Fayetteville.

A couple of years ago, Time magazine ran a column regarding gun companies manipulating states concerned with gun violence by threatening to move (https://time.com/6206785/gunmakers-remington-ilion-firearms-economy/ ). Georgia’s successful attempt to lure gun manufacturing (including Remington to Troup County) by being a lax gun law state was a key part of that piece.

Georgia has the 11th loosest gun law in the nation. Per RemArms CEO Ken D’Arcy, “The decision to locate in Georgia is very simple: the state of Georgia is not only a business-friendly state; it’s a firearms-friendly state.”

As has been reported for the last couple of years, Remington is gradually moving its international headquarters to our neighbor city, LaGrange. That move has created and will create some jobs and, despite extensive tax breaks, may eventually generate some tax revenue. However, that does not mean that guns are good for us as patriotic Americans, Georgians or citizens of Fayette and Coweta County.

For a prime example, Remington’s semi-automatic rifle (an Uzi type) was the weapon used to murder little kids at the Sandy Hook Elementary School. The Georgia firm manufacturing arms has new ownership and is now known as RemArms.

In the state of Georgia alone, 100,000 students have reported depression (https://www.freeyourfeels.org/). Nearly 6 million of our American children ages 3-17 have diagnosed anxiety (https://www.cdc.gov/childrensmentalhealth/data.html ). An incredible 3 million adolescents have seriously thought of suicide. That’s 19% of our teens aged 12-17. And almost half of them (9%) have already attempted suicide.

Bullying has increased due to electronic communications. School after school has been raising a red flag regarding cyberbullying issues and the deteriorating mental health of our students. These trends are leading to more violence in our schools. And students are being arrested for gun possession

Prayers will not help. We are a much more religious state versus most others. Yet, Georgia’s age-adjusted death rate is 17.7/100K, versus Illinois at 14.1/100k. In other words, there are 25% more gun deaths per capita in Georgia versus Illinois, a much less religious state.

And neither will loose gun laws, Kemp’s ill-conceived NRA promoted solution. Designed to eliminate the license now required to carry a gun in public, SB 319 was passed and signed into law by Governor Kemp. But four of the five states with the laxest gun laws have more gun murders per capita than the national average. Having more guns is simply leading to more firearm deaths.

As Georgians, we must start looking realistically at gun violence and stop moving in the wrong direction. Let’s do much stricter background checks, stop gun sales to minors, regulate gun show sales, and restrict assault rifles sales.

Jack Bernard

http://universalhealthreform.wordpress.com/

Peachtree City, Ga.

Letters to the Editor

58 responses to “Guns must be controlled in Georgia”

  1. Stranger Than Fiction Avatar
    Stranger Than Fiction

    I join all of the N.R.A members in sending my thoughts and prayers to the brave law officers mowed down in Charlotte yesterday and to their grieving families.

  2. Stranger Than Fiction Avatar
    Stranger Than Fiction

    A call to responsible gun owners – There must be a method to prevent gun violence, accidents, suicides, etc. other than administering punishment after the fact.

    For any of you who are not beholden to the NRA or reflexive impulses to reject any forward thinking, what are some viable ideas? Responsible gun owners are in the best position to offer preventive remedies that are practical and not overly onerous. I would like to hear from you on this forum.

    1. the_wing_t Avatar
      the_wing_t

      You want a viable idea? Bring back God and prayer into schools. Let this generation of young people know the Good News – that Jesus died to overcome our sins and that no person is too far gone to be reached by the love of God. This young generation is so lost, looking for love, acceptance, and fullness through so many false gods. Bring back discpline to our young people. Let teachers appropriately discipline (yes – paddle) kids in school when they need it……since parents at home obivously aren’t doing the job and instilling morals, values, and respect for authority at home. Finally – increase punishments on the parents of kids who use the parents’ firearms to commit crimes. Responsible gun owners are already taking precautions…..punish those who aren’t.

      1. Stranger Than Fiction Avatar
        Stranger Than Fiction

        HI Wing – I like the idea of making parents responsible for their children’s misuse of guns. I also like the idea of building morality in the younger generation. I differ from you in using Christian theology because, if you believe polls, 80% of evangelicals have sold their souls to a godless prophet. It is hard to teach morality when the standard bearer is immoral. There was a time even a single generation ago that Christians were concerned about morals more than power.

        However, I agree that helping children find love, acceptance and fullness would be a great asset. I consider keeping teens off of social media to be a good starting point.

        Keep the ideas coming!

    2. the_wing_t Avatar
      the_wing_t

      Oh – one more – hire retired veterans to police our school grounds, armed fully with the weapons of their choice. If you want a deterrent to school shootings – put a good guy with a gun in the school in a very visible position every day.

      1. Stranger Than Fiction Avatar
        Stranger Than Fiction

        Interesting idea. The incidence of school shootings is very rare, so there would be a lot of vigilance from our vets with little need to act.

        How would you fund it? Would you use school tax money, police money, or some other funding source?

        1. the_wing_t Avatar
          the_wing_t

          Maybe instead of flying illegal aliens into this country and paying them to live here, the Feds can subsidize this. Or we can do away with the Dept of Education completely (since it’s a state right anyhow) and divert those funds to school security.

    3. ToSirWithLove Avatar
      ToSirWithLove

      STF,

      Forward thinking requires you address the problems and not treat the symptoms.

      Does a gun cause a person to want to kill themselves or does the desire to kill oneself lead to the use of a gun to do so? If a gun isn’t available, there are a multitude of other methods. In England, hanging is the method of choice. Fortunately for them they recognized a problem and expanded mental health access and their rates have improved, but they are still high. Using your logic, I’d guess you’d suggest common sense rope laws.

      How do we address your limited scope of gun suicides? We address the issue of getting people the mental health access they need before they reach the point of wanting to take their life. I’ve yet heard you propose anything that would stop someone from seriously contemplating suicide.

      Violence is strongly associated with drug and alcohol usage and abuse. Background checks should include recent history of drug or alcohol abuse or domestic violence and be grounds for denial.

      Unfortunately, in this country drug abuse flourishes and being a crime along comes drug dealers bearing arms to protect their business interests, from the addicts they’ve created, and also from their competition. The gangs that distribute there products take up arms to combat rival gangs. Look at how many drive by’s occur in Atlanta. We need to give our children and alternative to entering the drug or sex trade in order to get the finer things in life. We need families and organized activities to replace the gangs that form the basis of their social structures. This is organized crime and needs to be addressed as such.

      I don’t know if you saw the chase of the armed 14 year old, but I’m surprised there wasn’t a fatal traffic accident. So much for your tightly controlled access to cars and licensing. He didn’t buy that firearm legally either. Let’s blame his parents for failing to secure it. So, what was this kid actually up to here in Fayette County? Yea more laws regulating lawful gun owners is the solution in your mind.

      When you make guns illegal to own, guns trafficking will replace drug trafficking. Right now, across the unsecured boarder, Drugs come in, Guns go back. Why, because Mexico severely restricted the sale. There is only 1 gun store in all of Mexico and months of background checks before you can go into it. Yes, it’s all commonsense laws with predicted unforeseen consequences. Innocent people can’t defend themselves, the police are controlled by the cartels, and six times the number of people is murdered per capita than in the wild west US.

      So as to what to do first. Shut down the border. No drugs in, no arms out. The immigrants crossing are the distraction to permit the cartel to move the illicit contraband across the border while all the border agents are dealing with the undocumented. From there we can focus on the other issues outlined above.

      1. Stranger Than Fiction Avatar
        Stranger Than Fiction

        Lulu – Thanks for your responses. I really like the idea of vastly expanding mental health treatment, especially to at risk demographics. How would this be funded? Georgia has stubbornly refused to enlarge Medicaid even though the federal government picks up 95% of the tab. Would you be for tax increases or can you think of other options?

        Your idea of giving kids a chance for a positive life also seems attractive. One alternative for this is guaranteed free vocational training so that anyone in our state can learn a trade. Again, this would probably require public funding, but I would think it would offer a positive ROI.

        Drugs are a much harder problem to solve, and we have tried for decades to reduce it. I’m unsure of any new methods that might work, but I’m sure open to anything with promise.

        I would love to shut down illegal immigration, but Congress must shut the asylum loophole for this to be effective, and both sides seem to use it as a political wedge. Right now, the GOP has been the biggest impediment, but in the past the other team has been the problem. It is ultimately our fault because we elect congressional representatives who will not fix the problem, and we don’t require it of them.

        Again, thank you for your responses.

        1. My.02 Avatar
          My.02

          Strange Fiction – you ignore the factual and very common sense solutions put forward by To Sir and WingT that would work to reduce gun violence.
          Progressives have nothing other than heavy-handed Big Government actions to disarm peaceful citizens.

          This is also the second time in these comment pages that you deflect blame for the immigration crisis from Joe Biden to Republicans, so once again you need corrected. If you would truly “love to shut down illegal immigration”, you would demand it now from Biden, who has absolutely failed to uphold his primary Constitutional duty to protect the United States and its citizens.

          Biden opened the border in words and Executive Actions during his first week in office, and has refused to enforce existing immigration laws since then.

          House Republicans passed HR2 over a year ago, which would compel reversal of Biden’s Executive Orders and make the fixes to asylum policy you claim we need. Yet it sits on Democrat Senate Leader Chuck Schumer’s desk without a vote.

          It is past time to secure the border and deal with the massive issues of unchecked illegal entry into the US.

          1. Stranger Than Fiction Avatar
            Stranger Than Fiction

            Until the asylum law is changed by congress or ruled illegal by the Supreme Court, nothing substantial will change at the border. Anyone can show up, say they are persecuted in their home country, and then the U.S. is required to give them a hearing.

            You may blame or praise any president you wish, but it will change nothing fundamentally. It is the GOP’s major wedge issue (just as abortion access is the Democrats), so Republicans will make no meaningful moves to correct it. But you already know that.

          2. Doug Tucker Avatar
            Doug Tucker

            Asylum (from whatever) is the “main draw” for migration. However, I think our overall concern is not being able to secure our borders. Maybe we need to contract Mexico.

          3. Stranger Than Fiction Avatar
            Stranger Than Fiction

            I thought that the “big, beautiful wall” on our southern border completely financed by Mexico would have solved the problem. A certain segment of our population loves fanciful answers to real life questions.

  3. MsV Avatar
    MsV

    Guns aren’t the problem. Pharmaceuticals that cause mental issues is the true problem. Guns are like cars. Inanimate objects.. objects can’t do anything negative or positive without a human behind these objects. Also no man has the right to remove the rights of other men to protect themselves from harm. It’s that simple. The only complex part is the chemicals of the brain.

  4. Rebuttle5 Avatar
    Rebuttle5

    You’re right, Esbeban. Gun shows have the same regulations as the state of Georgia—there are none! Because gun lovers take this bonehead approach to the implementation of reasonable gun laws, shootings in Georgia will never go down. Nobody cares if people are shot. It’s common sense that limiting access to firearms would cut down on shootings. It’s been proven in other states. One of the reasons nobody cares to change this in Georgia is that it’s primarily Black people who are being shot. The police should be leading the charge for gun control because it would undoubtedly make their lives safer to have fewer guns on the street. Georgia’s approach to firearms is sheer lunacy. It should be a privilege to own a gun, not a right guaranteed by the outdated and ambiguous “well-armed militia” clause in the Constitution.

    1. Esteban Avatar
      Esteban

      The same laws and regulations apply at a gun show as anywhere else – stop in at a local gun store and ask them what you need to do to buy a gun, you’ll be surprised to find out that there is Federal background check and legal forms that carry serious penalties for lying. This is also true at a gun show. Did you honestly not know this?

      Actually, the data more often show that more guns = less crime, bad guys are afraid when the law abiding are armed.

      Police are somewhat divided on “gun control” but I will note that many of the prominent Police chiefs who have spoken out in favor of it are in blue cities and wouldn’t dare say otherwise.

    2. the_wing_t Avatar
      the_wing_t

      Rebuttle – you sir or ma’am – do not have the foggiest idea of which you’re talking about. You are all up in your feelings and emotions and you sure as heck aren’t letting facts get in the way of your emotional swirl you’re in. That’s sad.

      Have you ever purchased a firearm? I have. In fact I just purchased several more recently……some of them I even purchased legally. (Yes, I kid). There are regulations and laws and background checks. There’s forms to fill out – but here’s the problem: you have to be HONEST and have CHARACTER. I filled out the forms honestly and correctly and I walked out with my new Glock 43 personal carry in about 15 minutes. Criminials – they don’t care about honesty and morality and values and ethics. No laws passed are going to stop them from obtaining a gun through illegal methods.

      The problem is – bleeding-heart liberals want to pass more laws and restrictions to make it tougher for good, honest, law-abiding folks like me to buy firearms. Guess who that will stop or slow from getting firearms??? Good law-abiding citizens. Guess who it won’t stop? The criminal who doesn’t care about laws or values – he’s going to buy it regardless. THAT my friend is why we need good people like me carrying firearms – to deal with the perps, thugs, and riffraff who don’t value others’ lives and property. If good people all carried guns and weren’t afraid to use them – maybe the thugs and riffraff would think twice about committing crimes, knowing they were likely to see the smoking end of a firearm seconds before that beautifully crafted piece of hot lead enters their body and shreds their organs and sends them to meet their maker.

      1. Doon Avatar
        Doon

        Marvelous.

  5. Jim B62 Avatar
    Jim B62

    You don’t know what you’re talking about. The Sandy Hook weapon was a Remington Bushmaster AR-15. It was certainly not “an Uzi type”. That rifle was manufactured in Llion, New York, not Georgia, as Rem Arms had not yet considered the need to move.
    Several States have enacted new restrictive gun laws – California, New York, and Illinois for starters. None of those laws have reduced gun crime. Why would they work elsewhere? For some reason liberals cannot grasp the notion that criminals do NOT obey laws. All these gun laws do is hinder and obstruct (infringe) the law-abiding citizenry from exercising their second Amendment rights. The 2nd A is not about hunting.
    Do people hunt with AK-47’s or M-16? No. Very few people own an AK-47 or M-16’s. Those are fully automatic (like an Uzi..) and very difficult and expensive to purchase. Do people hunt with the semi-auto version of those rifles? Yes. More than you’d like.
    And what does religion have to do with all this? That’s a long reach there and sketchy at best. Just throw whatever you can at the argument and maybe some of it will stick. Only a liberal mind will latch onto that.
    We don’t need more gun laws. The ones we have are fine – just start enforcing them. And the same can be said about all the other laws the Democrats fail to enforce. THAT will save more lives than restricting people’s rights.

  6. Fiona66 Avatar
    Fiona66

    Bernard is a liberal .. He’d hand everything over to the government he trusts so well. They’d never go against their citizens, would they???

    I wonder if he feels this way now that illegal aliens have the right to carry a gun?

  7. the_wing_t Avatar
    the_wing_t

    “Increasingly lax gun laws, passed by myopic politicians, are creating a dangerous situation for our citizens.”

    Your entire letter is based on a false premise. Please provide evidence to back up your claim that the lax gun laws (and state specifically which laws) are creating a dangerous situation.

    I would counterargue that the breakdown of our moral structure and the breakdown of the traditional family are causing the dangerous situation. My proof would be the high percentage of violent criminals who come from single parent (aka – no father present) homes. I would also cite the high percentage of young black men committing these violent crimes – and the extraordinarily high percentage of black children born out of wedlock as well as the glorification of rap / gang culture – leading to a lack of morals and values in these communities – as the reason for the danger you opine about.

    Your turn Mr. Bernard – back up your claims so we can understand where you’re coming from.

  8. Derwin0 Avatar
    Derwin0

    Somehow I don’t think the individuals that did those crimes were legally allowed to have guns in the first place. So how exactly is disarming law abiding citizens going to prevent those crimes?

  9. Tchr1 Avatar
    Tchr1

    I’m all about gun control, but if you’re going to lead with bans, you can forget it. Might I suggest universal background checks for all transactions, raising the age to buy a gun to 21, etc. Bans? Idiotic . . . . . . . . . . .

  10. vics1966 Avatar
    vics1966

    I have always thought that assault type weapons should require an extra level of review when purchased, maybe even posting a bond by the buyer…I was brought up with hunting guns and personal pistols with license to carry and saw no practical reason to hunt with an AK47.
    In reality it is always the choice of the individual to do bad with weapons of any kind…people need to change.

    1. Esteban Avatar
      Esteban

      What is an “assault type weapon”?

      1. vics1966 Avatar
        vics1966

        Military style…not against them…have believed that an extra level of review or license might be a good idea…sort of like license for motorcycles and double axel trucks.
        They are a level up from most weapons and apparently the new normal for Americans includes vast numbers of immature, troubled young men.

        1. Tchr1 Avatar
          Tchr1

          “As Georgians, we must start looking realistically at gun violence and stop moving in the wrong direction. Let’s do much stricter background checks, stop gun sales to minors, regulate gun show sales, and restrict assault rifles sales.” What does “restrict” mean? If it means ban, we can’t even start a discussion.

          1. Stranger Than Fiction Avatar
            Stranger Than Fiction

            Ban vs. restriction is a distinction without a difference.

        2. Esteban Avatar
          Esteban

          “Military style”? What does this mean – can you provide something specific?

  11. MyCatBill Avatar
    MyCatBill

    While we agree on the urgent need to decrease gun violence, you miss badly on the solution.

    We’ve seen low / no-bail laws, “slap on the wrist” judges and prosecutors, and the Defund The Police movement reduce consequences for criminal behavior. Would you support mandatory, lengthy prison sentences for those convicted of illegal possession and / or use of a gun?

    Drug use and mental problems, gangs and some cultural elements that glorify violence, are also drivers of crime and illegal gun use.

    The number of guns is an irrelevant red herring. It’s what criminals do with the guns (usually illegally obtained) that is the problem.

    Similarly, you mislead by using state statistics for murders per capita, rather than the big cities where most of the deadly violence occurs. Take out the big city numbers and see how “unsafe” these states are.

    You also make a huge mistake by conflating “religious” Georgia vs Illinois on gun deaths per capita, since it is highly unlikely the illegal gun activity in both states is caused by those who are “religious”. Look to Chicago and Atlanta for where the majority of gun deaths occur.

    Not surprisingly, it is the rising incidence of crime itself that drives law-abiding citizens to increasingly arm themselves for self and family protection.

    We cannot continue to elect soft-on-crime politicians, judges and prosecutors, and we must fully support our local police forces in order to keep our communities safe.

    1. Stranger Than Fiction Avatar
      Stranger Than Fiction

      Hi Bill – I certainly agree with you that we need to find an answer to gun violence of all stripes. Even though per capita violent crime rates are dropping in America and are far lower than when Reagan was president, many still buy into the myth that violent crime is on the rise. Also, per capita gun deaths in rural counties are higher than in urban counties. This is largely a function of suicide – which also needs attention in any discussion of gun violence.

      The conviction of the parents of the adolescent shooter in Michigan is a good start. Any gun purchaser whose gun ends up in a crime should be prosecuted along with the perpetrator. Perhaps this would get the attention of careless gun owners who do not secure their weapons. Smart technology that requires facial recognition (like a cell phone) would also be a good idea. And a few grand lawsuits against the gun manufacturers for careless distribution (like Purdue Pharma for opioids) would get their attention. Of course there are many other strategies that could be helpful.

      We seem to have tried most of the strategies to punish shooters with long prison sentences, etc., but I’m always open to a novel strategy that could be effective.

      Most of all, we need not throw up our hands and say that nothing can be done. Even though violent crime is decreasing across our country, even one senseless murder is too many.

      1. ToSirWithLove Avatar
        ToSirWithLove

        So you’re saying that we should lock up all the parents of adolescents that cause a traffic fatal accident.

        Did you also know that most car thefts are by adolescents, and that 4 times as many cars are stolen than guns?

        Considering there are more guns than cars, I’d say gun owners are far better at securing their firearms than most car owners. I guess you think car owners should be locked up to failure to adequately secure their car instead of holding the thieves responsible.

        If facial recognition is so effective, maybe you should be trying to convince auto manufacturers to use it to try and reduce the number of car thefts. Considering so many aspects of a car are already computer controlled, at least it is fishable without adding significant cost.

        Facial recognition on a gun makes no sense, in that it will not prevent its theft. It will not prevent the thief from disabling after it is stolen. It just another ill-thought-out scheme by people that don’t understand that a gun is a simple mechanical device for striking a cartridge to ignite a propellant to launch a projectile down a hollow cylinder.

        If people respected their neighbors, there would be no stealing, or murder. A gun doesn’t kill someone, a person pulls the trigger with the intent of harming others or themselves. The gun is a means to an end. It is not typically the cause. Perhaps you dream of going back to the neanderthal days where the biggest and strongest dominated the weaker.

        So it’s ok to kill someone so long as you don’t do it with a gun? You are too fixated on the gun to see your own myopathy. “We seem to have tried most of the strategies to punish SHOOTERS…” Perhaps you too fixated on guns to notice we have a crime problem. We have more than twice the number of people expiring from drug overdoses than from bullets. And how many of people are murdered in direct and indirect drug related crimes.

        We have a problem in this country, and until people wake up and see it’s the moral decay of our country, and lack of drug and mental health intervention as a good starting point. The entertainment industry promotes violence for entertainment and make Christianity an extremist cult demanding FBI surveillance instead of combatting the drug crisis. We celebrate the destruction of the family, where morals should be learned, instead relying to the street to teach our kids right from wrong.

  12. Ney Avatar
    Ney

    I appreciate Mr Bernards heartfelt opinion, but I must disagree. As a retired female veteran and legal gun owner it’s not the guns, but the people. By your premise we should also ban cars, knives, and every and all nicotine products and junk food. Why not medical personnel also? The problem is society has changed in the US. No amount of laws will change that, except for the ones that prosecute people who break the law. Unfortunately our legal system in US is in disarray. We are currently in a push pull situation, and until that settles we are hosed. Juveniles with weapons should be prosecuted as adults, and their guardians also held accountable. Money earmarked for gang deterrent programs. Incentivize fathers in the homes. More mental health counselors in schools. These things will be more helpful then outlawing guns. Responsible gun owners don’t go around killing for no lawful reason.

    1. Stranger Than Fiction Avatar
      Stranger Than Fiction

      I like the policies you suggest for gang deterrence, mental health treatment enhancement, and incentivizing parents to be more responsible.

      I also like your analogy to cars . We don’t ban cars because they can be dangerous , but we insist that every car is registered and that every driver must show proficiency in operating the car before they are given a license. That would be a great start for gun owners. To continue with the analogy, annual licensing and taxes on guns would be a great idea as well as yearly checks on their operation-worthiness (financed by the taxes on the guns).

      Like with seat belts and mandatory child seats , requiring safety locks, storing ammunition away from guns, keeping guns away from children, etc. should be required with stiff fines for any violations and repeat offenders prevented from gun ownership. Just like police intervene when they see people operating cars in a dangerous manner, officers should be given wide latitude to intervene when people dangerously wave firearms, possess a firearm while intoxicated, etc.

      Many, many gun owners are responsible will not object to “rules of the road” that enhance safety for everyone. I’m sure many other safety ideas could be implemented as well.

      1. MyCatBill Avatar
        MyCatBill

        The better analogy to cars and guns would be that progressives want to ban sober drivers from driving because drunk drivers cause crashes that kill themselves and others.

        Only the liberal mindset thinks keeping law-abiding citizens from their Constitutional right to own a gun to defend themselves will reduce gun crimes. Criminals don’t give a (darn) about your gun laws.

        Add in the complete disrespect for law enforcement and attempts to defund police by progressives, and it appears their goal is complete anarchy. Time to vote only for those who will uphold law and order.

        1. Stranger Than Fiction Avatar
          Stranger Than Fiction

          Kitty – How silly of me to seek responsibility from gun owners. If a kid finds a loaded gun and shoots himself, it’s just a Darwinian experience. If he gets his parent’s unsecured firearm and shoots up the school, the headline will pass in a week, and we can soothe it with thoughts and prayers. If someone breaks in to a car and steals a gun, you would never blame the gun owner who left it so enticingly.

          Since about 20 veterans suicide each day in America and 73% use firearms to kill themselves, I suppose that they, like John McCann and other POWs, are just “losers” who deserve little sympathy.

          You know, my right to obtain an arsenal, carry it around and wave it anytime I want, and eschew any responsibility for the consequences makes me a great man. Don’t we all feel so very proud?

          1. Mike King Avatar
            Mike King

            STF, as a responsible gun owner and one who realizes that guns have had an everyday presence in the American household since long before the birth of our nation, I have to say the fault is simply not an abundance of availability, but a sheer lack of responsibility for a small minority of us gun owners.
            How we go about insuring the responsibility knowing that individual rights (think the 2D Amendment) themselves carry the same burden of responsibility no different from any other of our inalienable rights.

          2. Stranger Than Fiction Avatar
            Stranger Than Fiction

            Mr. King – I realize that the vast majority of gun owners are very responsible. However, that does not preclude reasonable regulations no different from automobile operation or protecting the public from a vicious pet. Laws and rules are rarely created for the responsible. Above, Kitty makes a foolish argument because he is myopic and egocentric, maintaining that his rights are paramount regardless of any consequences.

          3. ToSirWithLove Avatar
            ToSirWithLove

            If a 14 year old takes an unsecured kitchen knife and goes on a rampage in their school stabbing people, would you also hold the parent responsible for failing to adequately securing the knife?

            The problem with 20 veterans a day killing themselves is that they aren’t getting the support they need to treat their conditions and want to take their own life. You are blind as to what the real issue is. 100% percent of those vets needed help and didn’t find it.

          4. MyCatBill Avatar
            MyCatBill

            Fiction – If you “realize that the vast majority of gun owners are responsible”, why do you rant against all gun owners? That makes no sense (see sober / drunk driver analogy above).

            I am speaking for the rights of those responsible gun owners, not just myself. And I believe there should be severe consequences for criminal use of a gun, so you’re wrong there as well.

            Worse, you make a horribly unfounded assumption about my views of veterans, and especially of those who take their own lives. I personally support, and want our government to fully support, the men and women who serve and protect our country. Shame on you.

            To top off a series of ridiculous statements, you blame the person who “enticingly” left a gun in their car for it being stolen, not the thief. That logic doesn’t work for someone who assaults a bikini-clad woman, nor should it. But here you are.

            I enjoy reading and responding to thoughtful comments that challenge my own understanding and beliefs. Unfortunately, your emotion-driven rants are just tiresome. Do better.

          5. Stranger Than Fiction Avatar
            Stranger Than Fiction

            You are right, Catman. Our great country is powerless to prevent gun violence, so we must increase our punishment machinations after the fact.

            Like you, I’ll dust off my thoughts and prayers for the unfortunate victims. That surely will compensate for our inactivity and be great consolation to their families, especially the veterans.

            Enjoy polishing your firearm this afternoon. After all, your rights are always paramount.

  13. Stranger Than Fiction Avatar
    Stranger Than Fiction

    U.S. firearm laws in the 21st century are analogous to slavery policy in the early 19th century. When our country eventually joins the civilized world of western democracies and eradicates this calamitous “peculiar institution,” people will be asking why it took so long. Heller will be viewed just as we now view Dred Scott, and Justice Scalia will be derided just as Justice Taney is today.

    I thought Sandy Hook would have been the tipping point, but, like slavery, some beliefs are so ingrained that they defy rationality. But I believe in America, and one day we’ll listen to our better angels.

    1. ToSirWithLove Avatar
      ToSirWithLove

      STF, funny you should mention slavery policy since it was that which barred slaves from possessing firearms. How better for one to keep slaves, then to prevent them from possessing firearms. So, what does that say about a government that wants to prohibit ownership of firearms of its peasants? As my previous piece awaits moderation, I’ll mention our politicians wishing to enslave us focus our attention to firearm body counts while ignore and facilitate the flow of narcotics into this country that kills twice the number of people in this country than by guns.

    2. Esteban Avatar
      Esteban

      STF – what change in our firearm laws do you dream of/expect to someday be enacted?

      1. Stranger Than Fiction Avatar
        Stranger Than Fiction

        Hi Esteban – See my post above for just a few suggestions.

        1. Esteban Avatar
          Esteban

          So, a woman who is robbed at gunpoint of her weapon is now liable for the crime committed by the guy who would have murdered her if she didn’t hand over her purse?

          And technology that doesn’t exist yet should be implemented?

          Can we sue Ford if someone uses their SUV to mow down people like the Dancing Grannies too? There is no “careless distribution” by arms manufacturers – all their products go to Federal Firearm Licensees – perhaps you should sue the Feds.

          This is some silly stuff.

          This is some pretty

          1. Esteban Avatar
            Esteban

            I will moderate my rant above – a gun owner who has been negligent should be held accountable, I’m just not Ok with any situation where your gun is misused is your fault. I can come up with quite a few examples if I have to, but I’m in agreement where the gun owner was irresponsible.

          2. Stranger Than Fiction Avatar
            Stranger Than Fiction

            Esteban – Like you, I am interested in reasonable laws that will not penalize responsible people. Currently, I think these are missing completely or far too lax in regards to firearms. Far too many guns are stolen because they are not properly guarded and safety features are ignored, especially around minors.

            I believe that technology can be a strong safety measure. The same technology that uses facial recognition on a cell phone can be incorporated into a firearm. There is no reason that we can’t be resourceful.

            I also believe that gun manufacturers should be at the forefront in making sure that their product is as safe as possible and not placed in the hands of the irresponsible. Purdue Pharma was put out of business for wantonly ignoring the safe distribution of their medication, not because they produced bad medication. The risk of losing money always gets the attention of corporations and generates novel ideas to promote safety.

  14. ToSirWithLove Avatar
    ToSirWithLove

    More than twice the number of people die from drug overdoses than from firearm inflicted mortality. Drugs distribution is highly controlled and licensed than firearms yet more than 70,000 people died in this country from Fentanyl, and the problem is still growing, as the vast majority of it comes across our southern border. The same year placed gun deaths at roughly 48,000 lives, with more than half by suicide.

    Yet the left in control of the leftist in control of the government is pushing to take your means of protection away, while encouraging the elimination of police to protect you. All the while facilitating the steam of illegal narcotics to flow across the border.

    If the government can’t stop the flow of illegal fentanyl across the border, how can we expect them to stop illegal guns (once they are outlawed) from also coming across? If criminals can get drugs and sell them, what makes you think they won’t do the same thing with guns?

    What we really need is some border control!

    https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/cdc-says-drug-overdose-deaths-reached-highest-record-last-year-rcna28129

    1. the_wing_t Avatar
      the_wing_t

      Sir – stop it with all your “facts”. Bleeding heart emotional libs can’t handle or rebutt them and you’re going to hurt their feelings!

  15. NoSoup4You Avatar
    NoSoup4You

    Esteban… you are correct 6 times! Taking away legal guns will only increase crime and gun deaths. Illinois, with some of the most restrictive gun laws in the US, has been selling more legal guns the last 2 years than nearly every state! Anyone who STILL lives in the Land of Lincoln knows eventually they will need to defend themselves against the criminals that don’t get arrested or prosecuted for anything.

  16. Esteban Avatar
    Esteban

    Can you define “assault rifle”?

  17. Esteban Avatar
    Esteban

    Also pretty sure that a lot of cities and states with strict gun laws – heard of Chicago? – have extremely high gun violence and murder rates.

  18. Esteban Avatar
    Esteban

    I’m pretty sure that Federal Firearm Licensees can’t legally sell a handgun to anyone under 21 or a long gun to anyone under 18.

  19. Esteban Avatar
    Esteban

    Also pretty sure that killers weren’t going to leave their guns at home just because they didn’t have a license. “Damn, I was going to kill some people today, but I’d be breaking the law because I don’t have a permit.”

  20. Esteban Avatar
    Esteban

    Also pretty sure that background checks are federally mandated and controlled.

  21. Esteban Avatar
    Esteban

    Also pretty sure that the Uzi is an automatic weapon, not semi.

  22. Esteban Avatar
    Esteban

    Pretty sure that the same laws and regulations apply at gun shows as anywhere else. Am I wrong or what did you mean by “regulate gun show sales”?

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