tag:www.thedonovan.com,2012://1/tag:www.thedonovan.com,2009://1.10291-2012-01-06T18:23:05ZComments for Okay, it's full of simplistic aphorisms...We're the Military and Airpower Guys of Jonah Goldberg of National Review Online + a stray we found wandering around looking lost. All original material JHD, BHD, JR, WT, and KA 2003-2010Movable Type 4.12tag:www.thedonovan.com,2009://1.102912009-01-16T15:48:57Z2009-01-16T15:51:39ZOkay, it's full of simplistic aphorisms...The Armorerhttp://www.thedonovan.com Anybody got any to add? Attacks to make?
40 Random thoughts on Guns and Gun Control
1. Banning guns works. Which is why New York, DC, Detroit & Chicago cops need guns.
2. Washington DC's low murder rate of 69 per 100,000 is due to strict gun control, and Indianapolis' high murder rate of 9 per 100,000 is due to the lack of gun control.
3. Statistics showing high murder rates justify gun control but statistics showing increasing murder rates after gun control are "just statistics."
4. The Brady Bill and the Assault Weapons Ban, both of which went into effect in 1994 are responsible for the decrease in violent crime rates, which have been declining since 1991.
5. We must get rid of guns because a deranged lunatic may go on a shooting spree at any time and anyone who would own a gun out of fear of such a lunatic is paranoid.
6. The more helpless you are the safer you are from criminals.
7. An intruder will be incapacitated by tear gas or oven spray, but if shot with a .357 Magnum will get angry and kill you.
8. A woman raped and strangled is morally superior to a woman with a smoking gun and a dead rapist at her feet.
9. When confronted by violent criminals, you should "put up no defense - give them what they want, or run" (Handgun Control Inc. Chairman Pete Shields, Guns Don't Die - People Do, 1981, p. 125).
10. The New England Journal of Medicine is filled with expert advice about guns; just like Guns & Ammo has some excellent treatises on heart surgery.
11. One should consult an automotive engineer for safer seat belts, a civil engineer for a better bridge, a surgeon for internal medicine, a computer programmer for hard drive problems, and Sarah Brady for firearms expertise.
12. The 2nd Amendment, ratified in 1787, refers to the National Guard, which was created 130 years later, in 1917.
13. The National Guard, federally funded, with bases on federal land, using federally-owned weapons, vehicles, buildings and uniforms, punishing trespassers under federal law, is a "state" militia.
14. These phrases: "right of the people peaceably to assemble," "right of the people to be secure in their homes," "enumerations herein of certain rights shall not be construed to disparage others retained by the people," and "The powers not delegated herein are reserved to the states respectively, and to the people" all refer to individuals, but "the right of the people to keep and bear arms" refers to the state.
15. "The Constitution is strong and will never change." But we should ban and seize all guns thereby violating the 2nd, 4th, and 5th Amendments to that Constitution.
16. Rifles and handguns aren't necessary to national defense. Of course, the army has hundreds of thousands of them.
17. Private citizens shouldn't have handguns, because they aren't "military weapons'', but private citizens shouldn't have "assault rifles'', because they are military weapons.
18. In spite of waiting periods, background checks, fingerprinting, government forms, etc., guns today are too readily available, which is responsible for recent school shootings. In the 1940's, 1950's and 1960's, anyone could buy guns at hardware stores, army surplus stores, gas stations, variety stores, Sears mail order, no waiting, no background check, no fingerprints, no government forms and there were no school shootings.
19. The NRA's attempt to run a "don't touch" campaign about kids handling guns is propaganda, but the anti-gun lobby's attempt to run a "don't touch" campaign is responsible social activity.
20. Guns are so complex that special training is necessary to use them properly, and so simple to use that they make murder easy.
21. A handgun, with up to 4 controls, is far too complex for the typical adult to learn to use, as opposed to an automobile that only has 20.
22. Women are just as intelligent and capable as men but a woman with a gun is "an accident waiting to happen" and gun makers' advertisements aimed at women are "preying on their fears."
23. Ordinary people in the presence of guns turn into slaughtering butchers but revert to normal when the weapon is removed.
24. Guns cause violence, which is why there are so many mass killings at gun shows.
25. A majority of the population supports gun control, just like a majority of the population supported owning slaves.
26. Any self-loading small arm can legitimately be considered to be a "weapon of mass destruction" or an "assault weapon."
27. Most people can't be trusted, so we should have laws against guns, which most people will abide by because they can be trusted.
28. The right of Internet pornographers to exist cannot be questioned because it is constitutionally protected by the Bill of Rights, but the use of handguns for self defense is not really protected by the Bill of Rights.
29. Free speech entitles one to own newspapers, transmitters, computers, and typewriters, but self- defense only justifies bare hands.
30. The ACLU is good because it uncompromisingly defends certain parts of the Constitution, and the NRA is bad, because it defends other parts of the Constitution.
31. Charlton Heston, a movie actor as president of the NRA is a cheap lunatic who should be ignored, but Michael Douglas, a movie actor as a representative of Handgun Control, Inc. is an ambassador for peace who is entitled to an audience at the UN arms control summit.
32. Police operate with backup within groups, which is why they need larger capacity pistol magazines than do "civilians" who must face criminals alone and therefore need less ammunition according to law makers.
33. We should ban "Saturday Night Specials" and other inexpensive guns because it's not fair that poor people have access to guns too.
34. Police officers have some special Jedi-like mastery over handguns that private citizens can never hope to obtain according to lawmakers
35. Private citizens don't need a gun for self- protection because the police are there to protect them even though the Supreme Court says the police are not responsible for their protection.
36. Citizens don't need to carry a gun for personal protection but police chiefs, who are desk-bound administrators who work in a building filled with cops, need a gun.
37. "Assault weapons" have no purpose other than to kill large numbers of people. The police and military need assault weapons. You do not.
38. When Microsoft pressures its distributors to give Microsoft preferential promotion, that's bad; but when the Federal government pressures cities to buy guns only from Smith & Wesson, that's good.
39. Trigger locks do not interfere with the ability to use a gun for defensive purposes, which is why you see police officers and soldiers on guard duty with one on their duty weapon.
40. Handgun Control, Inc., says they want to "keep guns out of the wrong hands." Guess what? You have the wrong hands.]]>
tag:www.thedonovan.com,2009://1.10291-comment:83026Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2009-01-18John of Argghhh!http://www.thedonovan.com
A lesser problem was "We don't allow people to drive automobiles without certification...why shouldn't firearm ownership require a demonstration of proficiency?"
Not to mention that (at least where I've lived) you aren't required to have a license to own or purchase a car, only to operate it on public thoroughfares - and there are exemptions to that for farm vehicles and the children who operate them.
Operating a vehicle on a public street is a priviliege, as the courts have held numerous times. Not a right.
The same is not true of firearms, and much of the tension in our segment of society is those who wish to morph it into a privilege, vice a fundamental right.
Mixing the two actions can thus become problematic. That said - licensing concealed carry is, in a sense, analgous to the driving paradigm, in that you can argue it doesn't restrict your right to own the weapon on your own property, but does license you to "operate" it in public spaces.
Still lots of problems with that view, such as for people who don't own the space the live in, and what are the rights between landlord and tenant in those situations, etc. But now I'm just rambling.]]>
2009-01-18T14:54:20Z2009-01-18T14:54:20Ztag:www.thedonovan.com,2009://1.10291-comment:83023Comment from steveH on 2009-01-18steveH
How was it wrong?
The wrongest (I know it's not a word) part was the " lots of people die in firearms accidents" assertion.
Which is just not true. Recreational shooting is a very safe sport. And if injuries involved are any indication, it is not "easier to misuse than to use properly". Heck, you can easily train an elementary school age child to be a safe (supervised) shooter in a couple of hours. With reinforcement.
I agree with you that education is important, and should be as close to universal as possible. Something like driver's education in high school, at least as far as being universal.
Learning to be a safe shooter isn't hard at all. It's not a complex issue, there are a very few simple rules involved.
A lesser problem was "We don't allow people to drive automobiles without certification...why shouldn't firearm ownership require a demonstration of proficiency?"
Driver's licensing and motor vehicle registration are primarily government "revenue enhancement" programs. You're certainly right, though, that motor vehicles are demonstrably more dangerous than civilian-owned firearms.
The problem with what you seem to have been advocating is that it's hard to find a firearm owner registration system that hasn't been abused by the controlling agency to a greater or lesser degree. There are better ways to deal with the education and competency issue than looking toward government solutions.]]>
2009-01-18T06:23:00Z2009-01-18T06:23:00Ztag:www.thedonovan.com,2009://1.10291-comment:83015Comment from Josh on 2009-01-17Josh
Exactly. And the levels of stupidity people achieve never fail to amaze me.
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2009-01-18T04:12:16Z2009-01-18T04:12:16Ztag:www.thedonovan.com,2009://1.10291-comment:83014Comment from Justthisguy on 2009-01-17Justthisguyhttp://enemiesofthelibrary.blogspot.com
Well done, Gunner! John, you tell him I said that, hear?
2009-01-18T04:12:14Z2009-01-18T04:12:14Ztag:www.thedonovan.com,2009://1.10291-comment:83013Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2009-01-17John of Argghhh!http://www.thedonovan.com
Three days ago, Gunner brought me a foreleg. I'm pretty sure a coyote foreleg.
And from the overall condition and context of both the foreleg and Gunner - I think it was a trophy, being presented for the bounty.
And it was an adult sized foreleg, not an easy one.]]>
2009-01-18T03:35:46Z2009-01-18T03:35:46Ztag:www.thedonovan.com,2009://1.10291-comment:83012Comment from Justthisguy on 2009-01-17Justthisguyhttp://enemiesofthelibrary.blogspot.com
P.s. Or, as I say to my kitty when I let him out at night, "Be careful out there; there is an endless supply of bad humans!"
2009-01-18T03:29:53Z2009-01-18T03:29:53Ztag:www.thedonovan.com,2009://1.10291-comment:83011Comment from Justthisguy on 2009-01-17Justthisguyhttp://enemiesofthelibrary.blogspot.com
Well, to be pedantic, sometimes people do smart things with guns and kill people who have it coming.
There are some right awkward bastards out there.
2009-01-18T03:24:13Z2009-01-18T03:24:13Ztag:www.thedonovan.com,2009://1.10291-comment:83006Comment from BillT on 2009-01-17BillThttp://www.thedonovan.com Heh.
Consumer advocates estimate that there have been at least 33 deaths and 84 serious injuries in recent years from stoves that suddenly tip over and burn or kill someone underneath.
Most of the victims have been children scalded by whatever is bubbling on top of the stove, or elderly people trying to get something in or out of the oven.
Neither guns nor stoves kill people -- people doing dumb things with guns and stoves kill people.
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2009-01-17T20:18:25Z2009-01-17T20:18:25Ztag:www.thedonovan.com,2009://1.10291-comment:83002Comment from MAJ Mike on 2009-01-17MAJ Mike
Governments prefer unarmed peasants.
2009-01-17T15:44:27Z2009-01-17T15:44:27Ztag:www.thedonovan.com,2009://1.10291-comment:83000Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2009-01-17John of Argghhh!http://www.thedonovan.com2009-01-17T15:20:32Z2009-01-17T15:20:32Ztag:www.thedonovan.com,2009://1.10291-comment:82996Comment from Josh on 2009-01-17Josh
How is it wrong? I'm just saying that the proper use of a firearm (proper safety protocols, how to shoot straight, etc), requires some learning and practice, like any other tool. What is wrong with that statement? Do you propose that every person instinctively knows how to properly and safely use a firearm? I know that I had to learn. I learn fast, but I wasn't double-tapping targets in the head at 25 yards the first time I picked up a gun. I just took my friend to the range for the first time the other day, and he started to do something unsafe (I don't even remember what it was anymore) but I was there and pointed it out to him, and now he knows. I'm not talking about stuff I "saw on TV", I'm just talking about practical experience and common sense. ]]>
2009-01-17T14:46:43Z2009-01-17T14:46:43Ztag:www.thedonovan.com,2009://1.10291-comment:82993Comment from steveH on 2009-01-16steveH
Josh, everything you've learned on TV or in the movies is wrong. And your statement is an example what someone is likely to "learn" from them.
For starters, shooting sports are safer for the participants (and observers) than most popular participant sports. Period.
For as long as records have been kept in the U.S., since at least the early 1930s, accidental gun-related deaths have decreased, both in terms of rates and raw numbers, up to the present time. The latest numbers from the CDC are for 2005: 786 total, out of a population of 286M.
Just for a bit of perspective; accidental motor vehicle-related deaths for the same year were 45,343.
Oh yeah, consider this: Total number of .22 rimfire rounds sold in one year in the U.S? Approximately 4 Billion. Consider that number.]]>
2009-01-17T05:46:13Z2009-01-17T05:46:13Ztag:www.thedonovan.com,2009://1.10291-comment:82991Comment from Josh on 2009-01-16Josh 20. Guns are so complex that special training is necessary to use them properly, and so simple to use that they make murder easy.
Guns ARE easier to misuse (not so much for the purposes of murder, but rather in accidental shootings) than to use properly. I believe that most everybody should have access to firearms, in fact I think it is a citizen's responsibility, but I also believe that we need both cultural and legal changes.
We don't allow people to drive automobiles without certification (in fact, I believe we need more thorough testing, like Germany) because they can be extremely dangerous if misused...why shouldn't firearm ownership require a demonstration of proficiency?
And I firmly believe that parents need to be raising children with a healthy respect and understanding of firearms as tools that can be used and misused, instead of teaching them that firearms are mysterious magical devices to be feared. Nobody ever dies in a kitchen stove accident, but lots of people die in firearms accidents. Every single American child is taught how a stove works and how it can hurt him. If EVERY child were taught how firearms work and how they can hurt them, nobody would accidentally shoot themselves or anybody (or anything) else. ]]>
2009-01-17T04:40:22Z2009-01-17T04:40:22Ztag:www.thedonovan.com,2009://1.10291-comment:82981Comment from Yu-Ain Gonnano on 2009-01-16Yu-Ain Gonnano2009-01-16T20:27:06Z2009-01-16T20:27:06Ztag:www.thedonovan.com,2009://1.10291-comment:82970Comment from 11B40 on 2009-01-1611B40
I'd rather get caught with my gun than without it. ]]>
2009-01-16T17:25:13Z2009-01-16T17:25:13Z