Democrats: Support gun owners!

[Peak_Oil]

Remove this wedge issue. US citizens own 200 million guns. If the republicans can say that they will defend the 2nd amendment, they'll get the votes of a very large number of somewhat-liberal types who want to be able to go to the range on the weekends.

Take this issue away from the republicans! Support private ownership of firearms in a very explicit manner. Tell your local representatives that you support gun ownership. Hell, tell them you support CCW in your area. Wake up the party and tell them that there are votes to be had from the millions of gun owners who would change their minds about us if we just trusted them with the ability to defend themselves.

[Jack Schitt]

1. I support the Second Amendment...

but I don't support private ownership of guns like AR33's, AK-47's, M16's, M4 Carbides, etc.

Seriously...what do you need an assault rifle for??????

[Columbia]

4. What's the 2nd Amendment for?

[Jack Schitt]

6. The second amendment was made before assault rifles.

Assault rifles came into existence about 200 years later. ;)

When the second amendment was written, the only guns that existed were single-shot rifles (muskets) and single-shot pistols. Not automatic AK-47's.

[Columbia]

12. And the first amendment was written before the Internet

You haven't answered my question about what the 2nd Amendment was for yet.

[Jack Schitt]

13. Um...

The internet is still our voice, therefore, it's protected under the first amendment. ;)

I'm not going to argue this.

[Columbia]

17. Again, what is the 2nd Amendment for?

Just a question.

[Is It Fascism Yet]

24. oh so what

the second ammendment was made before terrorists too! now they are roaming the southwest deserts because shrub doesn't think border guards are important. you might have to defend yourself from terrorists at any moment. i know you think you won't have to, but those people who took the plane down over PA didn't know in advance they were going to have to do combat either. shrub is not protecting anybody but his own worthless ass. we might not like to realize it but we are responsible for our own protection. furthermore, the second ammendment was meant to protect us from an overthrow of democracy in favor of tyranny, something we are more in danger of than ever before. lastly, let us not forget, that if you make weapons of any kind illegal, only those folks who are law abiding will give a damn. The criminals don't care.

[slackmaster]

29. The National Firearms Act is still in effect

If you want an automatic AK-47 you'll have to come up with quite a bit of cash and pass a federal background check; all that is possible only if you live in a state that allows them.

[Peak_Oil]

5. Jesus Christ.

Would you do me the favor of explaining to me the difference between an SKS, and AK-47, and a Ruger Mini-30? One is an "assault" rifle, and the other two are not.

Also, what is the problem with owning one and not the other?

Cheat sheet located at www.strawman.com.

[Jack Schitt]

9. Um...

An AK-47 can shoot many bullets per minute. I don't know about the other two, but I'll ask you this: what the hell do you need an assault rifle for? To blow the hell out of a deer until there's nothing left of it? To hunt sparrows? Chipmunks? To shoot that damn neighbor's cat? To rob the local 7/11? To protect yourself from terrorists?

Seriously? In all reality...tell me.

[Peak_Oil]

18. OK, let's do this.

You admit you have no idea what the difference is between an AK-47 and any of the others. How may bullets is "many?" What kind of bullets are they? Are they armor-piercing, cop-killing, evil, communist bullets? What are the characteristics of an assault rifle? What are the characteristics of a NON-assault rifle?

I'm going to go out on a limb here and judge you now. You are ignorant of facts. It seems to me that you're even PROUDLY ignorant of facts. Isn't that interesting? I think it is. I would strongly suggest that you go to a shooting range some day and just stand there and look around. Gather information for yourself first-hand. See how the people there comport themselves.

I think you're afraid of something you know very little about.

[Is It Fascism Yet]

25. for self defense against terrorists of any description

[Mr.Green93]

30. no one needs a machine gun to hunt traps

[darkism]

2. Ugh

First it's supporting guns.
Then it's supporting the death penalty.
Then it's supporting a ban on gay marriage.
Then it's taking away a woman's right to choose.

Let's all keep sliding to the right and joining the crazies to gain votes!

The people should wake up and COME to US, not US going to THEM.

Unfortunately, that will never happen...

[Columbia]

3. Look at your list

Only one is about supporting rights instead of taking it away.

Supporting rights is not a right-wing issue.

[yorgatron]

7. liberal doesn't always mean anti-gun

i went to the range with a friend of mine last week.he's just as liberal as i am.he's also gay.he also believes in the right to keep and bear arms.

[Peak_Oil]

11. No doubt.

I have personally convinced no less than three of my extremely liberal friends to purchase firearms and store them safely and securely in homes that have 5-7 year old children in the house. None of them has gone bananas and shot up the local 7-11 when they were out of Slurpees.

Shooting skeet is fun!

[Peak_Oil]

8. What?

Please. How do you go from supporting gun owners to all that baloney? Seriously, I'd love to see how the logic works. Or, is this the slippery slope argument again?

[LisaL]

15. Exactly. Why don't we all just join a Republican Party?

LOL.
If we have to support everything they do (even if we don't believe in it) than what exactly is the difference between us and them? Why just not have one big happy Republican Party?

[Peak_Oil]

21. Interesting.

Are you against private firearm ownership because Republicans are for it, or are you against private firearm ownership for other reasons? Or is it easier to make sense of the world when you divide it into us and them?

I think Republicans (for the most part) are for ownership of private property such as a house or a pair of shoes. Are you automatically against those issues, or do you weigh those issues on their own merits?

[Abelman]

10. It's not gun 'control'

It's gun 'safety' or 'education.' I personally feel that firearm safety should be taught at a very early age. I also feel that it should be taught in public school.

People should learn to respect the power guns have so that they don't fear them. I grew up around firearms and I was taught to respect them. I used to be in trouble if I aimed just a capgun at a real person.

Guns aren't the problem. People not being taught to respect and care for them are.

I do also think that there should be a waiting period for purchasing them, and that anyone who purchases a firearm should be required to take a safety course first.

[d_b]

14. Hmm

I don't know of too many Democrats who said 'we're coming to steal your guns'. But I do know that it's insane to NOT have SOME laws in place that keep nutcases/criminals from obtaining these weapons.

Again, it's the right's propaganda that keeps killing us.

[Quadrajet]

22. You've always been able to buy "assault rifles"...

After talking with several gun collectors I've come to the realization that assault rifles have always been on the market and would continue to be even if the ban stayed in effect. From what I understand, all the ban did was allow an assault rifle to still be produced, but have only 3 assault rifle characteristics...almost all of which are cosmetic.

Folding stocks (cosmetic)

Pistol grips (cosmetic)

High capacity magazines (mfgrs produced millions of these before the ban went into effect and were still for sale as the ban ended)

Silencers

Flash suppresors

Check out this Guardian article for more info. I included some quotes below.

The ban, enacted under Bill Clinton, outlawed Uzis, AK-47s, and other brands of guns produced after 1994; accessories that made rapid firing easier (such as higher capacity ammunition clips, pistol grips and folding stocks); and silencers. Guns that incorporated the banned features but that were manufactured before 1994 remained legal.

America's gun makers soon found ways to exploit this weakness, increasing their output before the ban went into effect, and producing weapons that were very slightly adjusted to comply with the regulations.

"They just banned the cosmetic features," says Sanford Abrams, the owner of Valley Gun, down the road from Mr Shiflett's shop in Baltimore. On the rack behind him are about 25 types of assault rifle, all perfectly legal. Most sell for between $1,000 and $1,500 (£560-£830). There is an Uzi in the back of the shop, also legal because of loopholes in the law; and, 10 years after the ban on high-capacity magazines went into effect, Mr Abrams still has an almost inexhaustible supply.

[chookie]

16. A miserable wedge issue

It bugs me that homicidal criminals have better access to cop-killing hardware, and it bugs me that psychos and the unstable have easy access to lethal means to settle their petty gripes.

But soft....

Notice how the "exchange guns for food, etc " is just happening with urban blacks? Smart blacks see through this, always have..... Interesting they are also introducing this "liberal program" into Iraq. "Give up your guns and we will not flatten your home, or, we will apologize profusely if we do so if we have our intelligence skewed...." Think this BS is playing better in Falujah than in Peoria? Think again.

The second amendment also holds "true" for those of us who oppose the smirkistas and fascists. They HOPE we are just appeasing sprout-sucking pussies -- not accurate. If you are not comfortable with protecting yourself -- cool. In my heart of hearts I yearn to be led by MLK, and not HAVE to react to violent rednecks. Sure hoping voting still matters, somehow....

[Is It Fascism Yet]

28. with you all the way on that

the second ammendment is largely what has protected this country until now from tyranny. and when our second ammendment rights are gone, everyone who has spoken against our little caligula is subject to repatriation with flourescent lightbulbs in gitmo. the second ammendment is the only thing that keeps us free. hitler's first move of aggression was to disarm the populace before oppressing them. the taliban disarmed the populace before oppressing them. it's always the first move, and if you think the democratic party is against your second ammendment rights, just wait until shrub is lameducking his way through his second term and wants contitutional ammendments for a third, then you will see the repubs want to take your guns. it was never about hunting, i hate that when people say its about hunting. i personally have never owned a gun, mostly vegetarian and wouldn't dream of hunting, but i would never want to live in an unarmed society.

[DELUSIONAL]

19. I own a rifle -- not an assault weapon -- these should be illegal

we aren't hunting alien monsters or defending ourselves from same.

I'm a military brat my dad taught me how to shoot when I was a kid.

But I still don't like guns -- however if the fundies decide to come for the liberals -- we will need to be armed.

Seems not to coexist with Gandhi -- but I have no cognitive dissonance about self defense and pacifism.

[Columbia]

23. No such thing as an assault weapon

[Is It Fascism Yet]

26. yes we are

[Peak_Oil]

27. Assault rifles can kill alien monsters?

Seriously, what's with the anti-firearm slant here? I'm kind of surprised by it. What is everybody afraid of?

I have a rifle in my closet right now that would be an assault rifle if it had a flash supressor on it. It doesn't have a flash supressor, so it's legal.

Originally, it had a muzzle break on it. Personally, I can't tell the difference between a muzzle break and a flash supressor. The guy I bought it from couldn't tell the difference either. This whole assault rifle canard is over cosmetic bullshit as far as I'm concerned. What's the difference between an assault rifle and a rifle?

[Is It Fascism Yet]

20. we do, we do!

or at least a lot of us do! i am all for preservation of second ammendment rights, so are many. that's the trouble with the democrats they try too hard to please everybody and much of the time end up pleasing nobody.

[demokatgurrl]

31. I'll do better than that- I'll buy a gun.

Someday I may need one.

[seabeyond]

32. i do, i always have.

i want to allow women to chose what to do with their bodies, i want people to make the choice of wearing a seatbelt, i want to allow a person to have the choice of owning a gun. i am not much into telling everyone else how to live their lives

break law with gun, go to jail. have an abortion and it scars you for life, make amends, dont wear seatbelt and it effects your life, yours to deal with

the nanny mentality, vs the christian mentality. one side telling you how to be spiritual in life, the other side telling you how to be a responsible person, their version. both equally offensive