December 14, 2013

More Guns In The Hands Of A Raving Fringe

On the one-year anniversary of Sandy Hook, and one day after the latest school shooting, there are still many Americans who are passive on the issue of gun control. In fact, many Americans who don’t own guns, and some who don’t even like guns at all and wish they didn’t exist, are still apathetic to the issue of firearm proliferation in this country. For decades the percentage of households with a firearm has decreased while the number of total firearms has increased. That means being quiet on this issue, being indifferent when a few resolute lawmakers attempt something as seemingly practical as universal background checks, leads to a hoarding of arms by a few raving lunatics. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying every household with a firearm is occupied by crazy people. But what I am saying is that there is a fringe minority in this country who are amassing large stockpiles of guns and ammunition. Can you honestly tell me that you don’t care about this?

∼ Continue Reading ∼

• • •

September 22, 2013

Louisiana GOP State Rep. Says Go To ‘Gun Friendly’ Coffee Shops Instead Of Starbucks

Maybe it’s because I don’t live in the South, but I’ve NEVER seen someone openly carrying a weapon in a store. I live in Pennsylvania, which is (according to Wikipedia) an “anomalous” open carry state, which apparently means it’s mostly up to local jurisdictions. But tell me, do you honestly consider yourself to be in greater danger when shopping at your favorite store sans firearm? Again, I must make it known that it’s entirely possible I’m ignorant to people’s lifestyles in other parts to the country. Maybe in some states it’s commonplace to see people openly carrying a firearm in a Starbucks, but it’s just not the case where I live. But because I know there are parts (I’d like to assume a majority) of the country where open carry is not a common practice, that makes the right-wing gun nut freak out over Starbucks all the more ridiculous.

∼ Continue Reading ∼

• • •

September 18, 2013

When Police Bullets Hit Bystanders: Why The NRA’s ‘Arm Everyone’ Is Pure Madness

The National Rifle Association (NRA) and gun fanatics across America want the rest of us to believe we are a more civil society if we are armed to the teeth. If every citizen could model his or her life on the teachings of John Rambo, adopt a philosophy of “shoot first…second…fiftieth, ask questions later,” America would be a much safer nation.

∼ Continue Reading ∼

• • •

September 16, 2013

The AR-15 Semi-Automatic Assault Rifle Was Used At Sandy Hook, Aurora, And Now The Navy Yard Shooting

EDIT: Early reports indicated an AR-15 was involved in the Navy Yard shooting. That turns out to be false, but it hardly changes anything. If Aaron Alexis was able to so easily kill 12 people without an AR-15, I don’t want to think what would have happened had he used an assault rifle (yes, that’s what it is). The amount of carnage possible even with less potent weapons lends even greater support to banning assault style weapons.

∼ Continue Reading ∼

• • •

September 15, 2013

Reports Of Gun-Control’s Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated

Over on The Atlantic, Molly Ball has announced “The Death of Gun Control.” She says that any serious efforts on gun control ended when the Senate voted down enhanced background checks back in April. And if that wasn’t the death of gun control, the recall of two pro-gun-control Democrats in Colorado on Tuesday made it official.

∼ Continue Reading ∼

• • •

August 13, 2013

Does The Second Amendment Simply Say, ‘A well regulated Militia shall not be infringed’?

It’s true that we all carry baggage when engaged in a debate. We all have our own ideas about how things should work and what things mean. So when it comes to a debate on guns and the Second Amendment, my baggage is “regulation.” A gun rights advocate will haul around their “unfettered access to firearms” attaché.  So it’s likely our interpretations, in a parsing of the Second Amendment, will be quite different.

∼ Continue Reading ∼

• • •

July 22, 2013

NRA, ALEC, Want You To Stand Your Ground, Wild West Style

The National Rifle Association (NRA) and the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) — I just love these names — want you to stand your ground like it’s still the 19th century Wild West — unless your are black of course. I don’t see the NRA saying if Trayvon Martin had a gun he could have defended himself. What was that saying again — “The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun, is a good guy with a gun.” Was Trayvon Martin the “bad guy” because he didn’t have a gun?

∼ Continue Reading ∼

• • •

May 9, 2013

NRA’s Wayne LaPierre Says ‘We Are In The Midst Of A Once-In-A-Generation Fight’

During the National Rifle Association’s (NRA) annual celebration of gun violence (and rights), otherwise known as their national convention, executive vice president Wayne LaPierre made it clear that he believes the NRA and gun owners are in a war. “We are in the midst of a once-in-a-generation fight for everything we care about,” said LaPierre. Many of us on the left label the gun crazies as one-issue voters, and with that single statement, LaPierre has confirmed it.

∼ Continue Reading ∼

• • •
1 2 3 4 … 9