Tag: 2nd Amendment

Can 2nd Be Fixed?

Shooting after shooting…..death after death….it seems to be a vicious cycle that we cannot get out of…..like it is stuck in some diabolical short story………yes, we have those that call for massive gun control, something I do not completely agree with…..and then there are those that think people need assault weapons to protect their home and family….another completely biased statement…….

Is it possible the 2nd amendment can be fixed?

Retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens argues in the Washington Post that the debate over the 2nd Amendment and the right to bear arms can be settled with the addition of five words. Here they are, inserted into the amendment in bold:

  • “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms when serving in the Militia shall not be infringed.”

In his essay, which is an excerpt from his new book, Stevens writes that those words get back to what the original drafters had mind. It wasn’t about personal self-defense—”the notion that the states were concerned about possible infringement of that right by the federal government is really quite absurd.” Instead, the amendment was intended to protect “the citizen’s right (and duty) to keep and bear arms when serving in a state militia,” he writes. This stemmed from states’ concerns about a national standing army running roughshod over them, he explains. Recent court opinions have lost sight of this and curbed the government’s ability to “minimize the slaughter caused by the prevalence of weapons in private hands.” Click for his full column.

This could fix the “problem of guns”……but it could also open up a whole new bunch of “fixes’ to our beloved Constitution……and that would be something that is not gonna happen.

What do you, my readers, feel about this?

Happiness Is A Warm Gun

The debate still rages!  On and on…….guns and more guns…..so many opinions and so many arguments…..pro and con….the whole idea of “I am right and You are wrong” is just silly…opinions are like…..(you fill in the blank)…….but there are a few situations that I would like to address…AGAIN!

Recently the BIG story on the Right was the Connecticut law that some feel is a step toward confiscation…..remember?  NO?

Here is how it is seen on the Right……….

The State of Connecticut is now demanding that gun owners across the state turn in all newly-banned, unregistered firearms and magazines or face felony arrest.

The State Police Special Licensing & Firearms Unit began mailing out notices to gun owners who attempted to register their firearms and accessories with the state but did not do so in time for the Jan. 1 deadline of Connecticut’s newly enacted gun control law.

Last year, the New York Police Department began confiscating guns which were previously registered but are now banned under New York’s newest gun control law.

The NYPD knew exactly which gun owners to target by using the city’s centralized firearms registry which was already in place.

Connecticut’s anti-gun politicians want their own registry so they can eventually confiscate firearms in the exact same manner.

I know that some are so concerned that they may have to register their guns and then the government will know where to go to confiscate them……Am I right?  This is a silly argument……guess what?  There is already a registry.  How do you think the cops know who and where the gun used in a crime belongs?  Chew that up for awhile.

Moving on……I also read a story about a year ago about a town in Georgia that would make gun ownership mandatory………

A small Georgia town may soon require every household to own a firearm — a law that, if passed, would make it the second town in the state to mandate gun ownership.

City council members in Nelson, a town of 1,300 people north of Atlanta, unanimously approved the proposal at a meeting this week. Citizens now have a chance to review the proposal before the council takes it up again in April.

Okay it is mandatory that every household should own a gun….how will they enforce this…..would there be a list of those that do not have a gun?  That sounds a lot like a registry to me…..how about you?

I bring all this up because of another article I read about guns and insurance companies……

Insurance companies could face tougher penalties if they impose higher rates, refuse to issue or cancel auto or homeowner policies because of gun ownership, under a measure backed by a House committee Tuesday.

Florida law already prohibits such action, but Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fort Walton Beach, said his proposal (HB 255) would provide a remedy other than with the state Office of Insurance Regulation by allowing a policyholder to sue if an insurer took such an action.

This is the story I wanted to comment on but as usual I got a bit sidetracked……sorry about that……..it is perfectly okay for insurance companies to either deny or increase your rates because of the dog breed you may own.  Breeds like Dobies, Akitas, Rots, Pits and even Great Danes……….but they cannot ask about the guns in a home……..explain to me where is the logic in this?  In my life I have had the pleasure of the company of a Dobie and a Akita.  The Dobie would do whatever I told her to do…..she was a good babysitter when my granddaughter was visiting, she prevented her from putting her hand in a moving fan and she made her stop jumping on the bed…….the Akita would protect my daughter with his life….he was not aggressive until you entered my home or yard without permission….those two dogs did whatever they had to to protect the family….what if my granddaughter had found one of my guns, who was going to protect her?  My point is…..dogs are more reliable than a gun….and about a million times more loveable……

Gun owners cannot be discriminated against…..but somehow okay for it to happen to a dog owner?

The NRA has done an excellent job at selling a brand of bullsh*t….everything is about the ownership of guns and the protecting of the owner’s ‘rights’………someone needs to start a lobbyist organization that protects the ‘rights’ of dog owners…or maybe instead just a little rational thought could be established and a lot cheaper…….

Thoughts?

Gun Sanity?

Gun Sanity…………..Now there is an oxymoron if there ever was one!  There are not any real logical opinions just emotional ramblings of paranoia……..

There has been a raging debate on the 2nd amendment for decades now……my views on guns is well documented….but for those that feel they have better things to do than read my opinions………. I will give you the short synopsis…….

I own guns….I have no problem with people owning guns….I have a problem with assault weapons for personal use…if you need a 30 round clip to protect your home and family I suggest a shotgun more coverage and damage….if you like shooting them then join the Army I am sure they will let you do all the shooting you like……..’stand your ground laws’…….stupid…….killing is killing…laws made for people that are not capable of standing up for themselves they need an equalizer….carry laws…..another huge piece of crap…..just away for some to extend their inadequacy in the penis area…….the NRA…a money generating entity that serves NO one but the gun industry………gun confiscation…..why worry about something that will NEVER happen it is like worrying the sun will not rise every morning……a worthless waste to time and energy……NO need to try explain why I am wrong because like you I Am NOT!  But of all the STUPID laws concerning guns…this one is at the top of the list……

Shootouts could get a lot quieter in Iowa if a new bill ever becomes law. House lawmakers voted 83-16 last week to legalize the purchase of silencers for guns, but the state Senate is unlikely to consider it, the Examiner and Globe-Gazette report. In debating the measure, Republican Rep. Matt Windschit said it would “expand the freedom and liberty Iowans deserve” and protect them from the “danger of instant and irreparable hearing damage.” But Democrats said it would provide “intimacy” for a mass murderer and make schools, theaters, and malls less safe. Broad bipartisan support carried the bill, with urban Democrats logging the 16 “no” votes—even representatives in Cedar Rapids, where gun-range noise remains an issue. But the Democrat-controlled Senate sounds uninterested: “It is my plan not to take up any firearms legislation this year,” said Senator Rob Hogg, a Democrat. “I see nothing urgent about this.” If the law ever does pass, Iowa will join 39 states that let private citizens use a silencer, 29 of them only for hunting. Other states are “diligently” organizing similar bills, says the Examiner; Georgia’s Senate last week approved a bill allowing hunters to use silencers, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

What possessed an individual to wake up one morning and say….”I think silencers on privately owned guns is a good idea?”

This is the most MORONIC piece of bullsh*t legislation I have ever seen…….please someone out there explain the logic and yes, the sanity, behind this type of stupidity.  Beyond that….did you see that 39 states, yes that is a three and a nine states,  allow this already…..why?

Is Anyone Listening?

Geez, the pathetic ass clowns in Washington have seen fit to shut down the government to make a point….so what shall we post about these days?

Remember Newtown?  I ask because we Americans have a very short memory, especially if it does not involve us directly….we are very sympathetic in the moment and then we slip into apathy……

After Newtown there was a whole conversation about background checks, expanding them which everyone was in favor of several years ago and then the NRA decided that it was not a good idea and began buying votes in Congress…..and being the dutiful whores of special interests Congress went along willingly……

A recent survey by researchers at UC-Davis have found an astounding amount of people that favor background checks……

The survey found that most respondents (55.4 percent) supported a comprehensive background check requirement, with 37.5 percent strongly favoring it. Of those who favored comprehensive background checks, the strength of their support corresponded to the degree that respondents agreed it is too easy for criminals to get guns, recommended more severe sentences for illegal firearm purchasing and provided higher estimates on the prevalence of illegal gun sales by other retailers.

By wide margins, respondents endorsed three existing policies that deny handgun purchases to individuals convicted of aggravated assault involving a lethal weapon or causing serious injury, armed robbery, or domestic violence. They also strongly supported six of nine potential denial criteria proposed in the survey. The percentage of support for existing (*) or proposed criterion for denial of handgun purchases are detailed below:

  • *Aggravated assault, involving a lethal weapon or serious injury, 99.1 percent
  • *Armed robbery, 99.3 percent
  • *Assault and battery on an intimate partner:/ domestic violence, 79.6 percent
  • Publicly displaying a firearm in a threatening manner, 84.8 percent
  • Possession of equipment for illegal drug use, 80.7 percent
  • Assault and battery, not involving a lethal weapon or serious injury, 67.4 percent
  • Resisting arrest, 53.1 percent
  • Alcohol abuse, with repeated cases of alcohol-related violence, 90.1 percent
  • Alcohol abuse, with repeated cases driving under the influence (DUI) or similar offenses, 70.7 percent
  • Serious mental illness, with a history of violence, 98.9 percent
  • Serious mental illness, with a history of alcohol or drug abuse, 97.4 percent
  • Serious mental illness, but no violence and no alcohol or drug abuse, 91.2 percent

“Respondents very strongly supported an array of criteria for denial of handgun purchase by wide margins and in some cases nearly unanimously,” Wintemute said. “Support fell below a two-thirds margin in a single case: resisting arrest.”

And now I am going to do something that I have NEVER seen a right wing blogger or news person do before……I will give you the other side of this debate……….

This is taken from a statement made by the National Shooting Sports Foundation………

Anti-gun researcher and activist Garen Wintemute and his colleagues at the University of California at Davis have begun sending out surveys to firearms retailers across the country. 
A letter accompanying the survey, signed by Dr. Wintemute, claims the aim of their research is to better understand “the unique perspective of firearms licensees on important social issues and the firearms business itself.”

Dr. Wintemute, who serves as the director of the Violence Prevention Research Program

at UC Davis, is perhaps best known for authoring the anti-gun report “Ring of Fire: The Handgun Makers of Southern California.” More recently, Dr. Wintemute and his team conducted “undercover operations” of gunshows for their  report, “Inside Gun Shows: What Goes on When Everyone Thinks Nobody is Watching.”Given Dr. Wintemute’s history, it is clear that this firearms retailer survey will be used as a tool to justify and support legislation to curb the lawful commerce of firearms and the individual rights of law-abiding Americans.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) — the trade association for America’s firearms industry — is urging extreme caution should retailers decide to participate in this survey. NSSF is encouraging all sportsmen, gun owners and firearms enthusiasts to contact Dr. Wintemute and his research team to politely express their objections to this agenda-driven,  anti-gun research.

Read the cover letter and survey.

Come on…you have to admit that a statement from a group that makes its cash from the firearm industry would have anything good to say?  We would have better conversation if everyone was willing to state both sides of the issue even if you do not agree with what is said……..

A 2nd Look At The 2nd?

Ah the weekend and I can post on something besides the craziness that is our politics…….

We have been beat about the head and shoulders with the 2nd amendment and the pros and cons…….personally, I think that for gun ownership there should be a firearms course or military experience before it is sold to a person….but as you know anybody with cash can buy a gun, either legally or otherwise……that can be scary when considering the consequences of ignoring safety ….and then there is Iowa…..many different questionable issues have been discussed and some even have passed to become law……but of all their foolishness this one is the craziest……

Not being able to see what you’re shooting at is no barrier to obtaining a gun license in Iowa, the Des Moines Register finds. Gun permit changes that took effect in 2011 allow even people completely without vision to carry guns in public, and while disability rights groups argue that banning blind people from obtaining weapons permits would violate the Americans With Disabilities Act, some law enforcement officials in the state fear for public safety. “If you see nothing but a blurry mass in front of you, then I would say you probably shouldn’t be shooting something,” one sheriff says. Some states require people to provide “proof of vision”—or pass a target-shooting test—before they can obtain gun permits, although Texas passed a law in 2007 to help legally blind people hunt, CNN reports. The superintendent of the Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School says some people classed as legally blind could safely handle gun, though he’s not sure if it’s a good idea to try. “Although people who are blind can participate fully in nearly all life’s experiences, there are some things, like the operation of a weapon, that may very well be an exception,” he says

Yes you may own a gun and shoot it even if you are blind!  Does anyone else see a problem in the making here?

Guns And The 2nd Amendment

I guess it is no secret that my conserv friends think I am a Liberal…..I am more than that because to me a liberal is just a conserv that has been arrested….I am progressive meaning I want the country and government to progress forward to the future….and yes I am a radical….meaning I want real change to improve the country, not this willy nilly reform that we have had for the last 50 years…….but for some reason when I mention guns or the 2nd amendment all my friends get their conserv hackles up and tell me about how much safer the country with guns, or how much crime rate falls with the ownership of guns, or how it will be unconstitutional for any messing with gun laws……

Okay let me be clear!  Even though I am on the Left politically….I have NO problem with gun ownership and I in NO way condone the  “take my guns away” laws that some see lurking everywhere….In fact I have guns….blackpowder, shotgun and a pistol….I hunt but prefer bow hunting to guns…..so please believe me that I do NOT want to take your beloved guns away and would not support any action to do so….

I do have a problem with assault weapons and extended magazines…….there is NO need for either!  And NO one needs 20 or 30 weapons….if they are for a collection then lead the barrels and hang them on the wall!

I mean if one wants such for “home protection” and needs multiple bullets to get the job done…… then I suggest that if they are that bad of a shot to spend a little cash and get a shotgun….you get more coverage for the bang.  And if one would use such to hunt then I also suggest the local supermarket and save themselves the aggravation of trying to bag the game.

There is NO logical need for assault weapons and extended magazines in society…..if one feels that they cannot exist without these weapons then I have another suggestion…and if one wants to play Rambo…..JOIN THE MILITARY and live out your perverted fantasy.

See!  Not all us Lefties want to steal your cherished guns!

I just wished ALL Americans were as paranoid about the other amendments and their possible loss as they are over the 2nd.

Gun Rights And The “S” Word

Daily Agitator

From time to time protesters take to the streets to remind everyone of there God given right to “keep and bare arms” and  yesterday was NO exception to the rule…..as reported by CNN:

They’re angry at the government and are demonstrating in the Washington area against what they see as the trampling of the Constitution. Their specific fear: Americans’ right to bear arms under the Second Amendment will be taken away.”We’re in a war. The other side knows they are at war, because they started it,” said Larry Pratt, president of the Gun Owners of America. “They are coming for our freedom, for our money, for our kids, for our property. They are coming for everything because they are a bunch of socialists.”

There is that “S” word again!  All the hyperbole is nothing but emotional hysteria.  I try to shrug off all the lame socialist rhetoric as coming from the mouths of morons….but sometimes stuff has to be addressed……..

For one thing…Obama signed a bill that allows guns to be carried in National Parks and one of the protests was in a Virginia National Park…up until the signing of the bill guns were prohibited…plus these people are secured by the government to be able to tote their guns , you know the thing the Constitution says you can do…….so thanks to the guy that is a socialist these people were allowed to parade around with their nuts in a holster…….When has Obama even hinted at the possibility he would reach for more gun control?  See!  Stupid!

The Brady Group for gun control gives Obama and his admin an “F” on gun control…..do not hurt yourself, that means he gets a failing grade on gun control……See!….Stupid!

We keep hearing about “they” will take our freedoms….which ones would that be?  Apparently the government is NOT taking their freedom to be an idiot away from them…..Just once I want one of these babbling morons to say what liberty or freedom I will lose…….(pause here for thought)….never mind they would give themselves a migraine try to come up with an answer……..emotional, hysterical horsesh*t is all they have…….but then again these are the people who watch Dog the bounty hunter, the UFC and wrestling….need I say more?

Gun Nuts Rejoice!

This was a article on the latest decision by the Supreme Court on the 2nd amendment, written on straightrecord.com

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia rests much of the 5-4 majority opinion of the court in D.C. v Heller on the alleged right to have the right to one’s defense of one’s self defense. Supposedly, if one has a gun, one can protect oneself against attackers, intruders and all sorts of evil-doers.

We were struck by two factors–how borderline illiterate so many of the gun-nut bloggers are (not just on this issue, but others as well) and how many expressed macho boasts, such as “you’ll have to pry my gun from my dead, cold hands,” aping the John Wayne-type post of the late National Rifle Association figurehead, Charlton Heston.
If anyone were ever in favor of gun control, knowing such people are out there with guns in their hands is justification enough.
But since our mantra is to be informed, we checked out to the best we could what is known about the success of gun possession in fending off various criminals.
The evidence is sparse, and what there is of that is old, but it puts the lie to the claim that personal possession of a gun is an effective defense.

But since our mantra is to be informed, we checked out to the best we could what is known about the success of gun possession in fending off various criminals.
The evidence is sparse, and what there is of that is old, but it puts the lie to the claim that personal possession of a gun is an effective defense.
Although one would presume that a person who uses a gun successfully to repel an intruder or an attacker would then report the incident to the police, if for no other reason than to seek to put the perpetrator in jail.
A cursory search turned up no research, not even U.S. Justice Department tracts based on voluminous federal, state and local crime reports, that compares the claims of self-defense with police reports of such claims.

Another chant of gun nuts is that if guns are taken away from them, only criminals will have guns. Federal statistics show that 340,000 crimes each year involve the theft of firearms, two-thirds of them during household burglaries. It appears it is legitimate gun owners who are supplying the criminals with guns.