dagblog - Comments for "Yes, it's about Guns, because Treating Guns like Favorite Toys is Killing Us"

You should see a doctor about

PeraclesPlease — Mon, 20 May 2019 17:19:47 +0000

In reply to Of course that's entirely

You should see a doctor about that...

Of course that's entirely

ocean-kat — Mon, 20 May 2019 16:50:55 +0000

In reply to You realize this is a 7 year

Of course that's entirely appropriate. Like the Jubilee year or a seven year itch.

You realize this is a 7 year

PeraclesPlease — Mon, 20 May 2019 15:34:35 +0000

In reply to this makes almost no sense,

You realize this is a 7 year old thread???

this makes almost no sense,

progunner — Mon, 20 May 2019 14:37:27 +0000

In reply to Yes, it's about Guns, because Treating Guns like Favorite Toys is Killing Us

this makes almost no sense, yes the world is saddened by tragedy but that's not a reason to stop people from owning a firearm, you also have a few things wrong with your facts about guns. the bushmaster 5.56 NATO "military-style" rifle was never used in the military and has only been used once in the police force WHEN THEY NEEDED AN ACCURATE FIREARM and that was in the '70s. no .223 bullets aren't meant to bounce around till they hit bone, its just a glorified .22 (which is a tiny caliber round) going reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally fast, yes hollow point bullets split up inside of a person body but it's only to disable a person and to stop ricochets. I know people on this chat will give me shit about this but IDRC

Thank you, LULU, for this

AmericanDreamer — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 16:03:10 +0000

In reply to Dreamer, that is an

Thank you, LULU, for this information, which enhances my highly limited knowledge of guns. The letter I sent is highly improvable. I hope you and others will write better ones!

Dreamer, that is an

A Guy Called LULU — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 19:21:29 +0000

In reply to (sent earlier today)

Dreamer, that is an affective, well intended letter and I agree fully with the intent. This comment is in no way meant as a rebuttal to that intent but just to throw out a few points about guns.

Buying an AK-47 has nothing to do with hunting.

I agree with that in the case of an AK-47 but while an AK is correctly considered to be an assault weapon, so is the Bushmaster which was used in the recent killing. They are, though, very different weapons. The AK fires a big slow round. It is a fairly crude weapon with sloppy action and lower accuracy than the M16 which is the military Bushmaster. Its sloppy, loose, high clearance mechanics allow the AK to be inexpensively built then dropped in the mud and picked up with reasonable confidence that it will operate just fine. That is one of its military advantages. The M16 has closer tolerances and its bullets have less total energy, part of which must be used to operate the automatic loading of the next round and the cocking of the firing mechanism. A bit of sand might make it quit at a very inopportune time. It is a much better, much more versatile weapon except, when it doesn't work in its real life military environment.
The Bushmaster fires a much smaller round more accurately and at a much higher velocity. The smaller round is cheaper and the high velocity allows for much flatter trajectory thus smaller corrections when the range of the target changes. It also kicks a lot less. These are all advantages of this "assault weapon" over the AK assault weapon when it is used for hobby target practice or for hunting.
My point is that just because it was designed as an assault weapon and fits the current definition of one does not mean that the Bushmaster is not a very good choice for many kinds of legitimate hunting.
The term "assault weapon" is somewhat of a bad-connotation term that in actuality is often used in ways that make it a strawman with no legs to many people who are sane sportsmen or hunters but not likely to ever be maniacal killers of humans.

Again, purchasing this type of ammunition has nothing whatsoever to do with hunting. Barring its sale will save lives

"Cop killing" ammunition is a term for armor piercing ammunition. Such ammunition is made of very strong steel or other compound enabling it to maintain its shape after impacting armor and thus penetrate further. In a light weapon like a Bushmaster the maximum armor that it might penetrate is the body armor that a cop might wear, thus the name "Cop killer". At much range, like with a sniper shot, the armor piercing round would likely have slowed enough that the cop's body armor would stop it. That's good. Across a room a standard round would probably take out the cop even if he had armor. Standard rounds will kill at any range if they hit an unprotected body.
The other common type round is a slug or a soft tipped bullet or a soft lead hollow point. These are expected and intended to expand on impact and use all their energy within that body, tearing a bigger and bigger hole as it goes part way through. They are actually better killers of an unprotected body than an armor piercing round that might pass through the body leaving a small exit wound rather than one the size of an apple if it exits or a large jagged piece of lead inside if it doesn't.
Many serious gun users load their own rounds. This can be for economy or, in the case of a target shooter, to get maximum uniformity so as to make every round perform exactly the same thus giving more consistency. These persons must either save their old casings which can be recycled a few times or buy new ones and use molds to cast soft lead bullets. Other type bullets, full metal jacket is a familiar term, would be beyond the means of most to fabricate and all the separate parts would need be bought. Armor piercing is another step up the ladder of difficulty. These types of bullets possibly could be regulated to some extent, greater over time as the enormous stockpile is deleted.
So, if ammunition is restricted but not outlawed, the most available kind, a standard lead bullet, the kind not being suggested to be restricted, would be the most deadly in likely close-range rampage killing scenarios, but at least the late-to-arrive first responders would have a better chance if hit.

Restrictions on high-capacity magazines for handguns as well as semi-automatic rifles would also seem to be a prudent measure we can and should take nationally.

The Bushmaster's standard clip can be very quickly ejected by sliding the right hand forward hitting a small lever at the point where the clip enters the rifle and then the continued hand motion pushes the clip out and lets it fall to the ground. Another clip is then easily and quickly inserted and the shooter can start pulling the trigger again. If the replacement clip is easy to access the whole operation should take about two seconds. Large capacity clips must have longer and stronger springs to keep the heavier load of unfired rounds pushed into loading position and are quite a bit more likely to cause the weapon to jam.

Just sayin'. Nothing is simple.

Appreciate this and all your

Aunt Sam — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 18:14:04 +0000

In reply to If you have no objection I

Appreciate this and all your efforts.

Gotta say, I agree totally with the concept you note about speaking with your elected officials at least once annually. Truth is that most seldom, if ever, even acknowledge we do have an obligation to sustain and nurture our democratic processes. I do believe that the mess and chaos that is our government today is a direct result of the apathy and irresponsibility of We, The People.

If you have no objection I

AmericanDreamer — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 17:50:48 +0000

In reply to Excellent. If you have no

If you have no objection I would like to print this out and use as an example to assist others in composing their own letters.

Sure, if you wish, although if I were writing it now I might weave into it suggestions from trkngmom (screwed up the spelling on that, I'm pretty sure), such as on cash-back for returns, and, building on what ocean-kat wrote, note that millions of right-thinking gun owners as well as non gun-owners support these and other kinds of reasonable, safety-enhancing restrictions. A few of the comments, having to do with particulars on where Senator Warner has been on the gun issue, and my background, are not going to be relevant for other letter-writers. Please feel free to improve upon what I wrote in these or any other ways of your choosing. Thanks.

Congressional offices on the one hand tend to view letters that were obviously individually written by constituents as evidence of somewhat greater commitment on an issue than, say, petition signatures or previously-composed letters written by advocacy groups which require somewhat less time. Many congressional offices have staff sift through many letters and present to the member, daily, a "representative" sample, of letters the staffer thinks are particularly worth the member's time to read for various reasons, usually short ones. On the other hand, Congress often is moved, when it is moved, by organized pressure, pressure from mobilized groups of citizens saying and doing smart and sensible things. Not an either/or but a both/and matter. Different kinds of "contact your member of Congress" advocacy can be effective, in different ways. Doing one doesn't in any way preclude doing others as well.

The Quakers have, I believe, a belief/tradition that says if, as a citizen, you have not made a personal visit to speak with your elected officials at least once a year, you are not fulfilling your obligation in that regard. Something like that. A friend of mine, like me not a Quaker, shared that with me. So he is trying to set up a meeting for the two of us for us to share a concern, probably with a staff person instead of the member. Gotta try to walk the walk...

Excellent. If you have no

Aunt Sam — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 17:24:46 +0000

In reply to (sent earlier today)

Excellent. If you have no objection I would like to print this out and use as an example to assist others in composing their own letters.

Did you also send to your members of Congress and President Obama? I also urge you to send to your local newspaper.

Your letter could encourage others to contact and publish. Just think, it could be the impetus for dozens of others to take proactive and positive action.

Thanks for sharing.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- With his

AmericanDreamer — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 17:11:13 +0000

In reply to Yes, it's about Guns, because Treating Guns like Favorite Toys is Killing Us

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- With his wife, Juli, looking on at the postgame news conference and his young children close by, Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim's final remarks were not about his milestone 900th career victory.

Instead, he was thinking about two 6-year-old boys who were buried Monday, victims along with 18 other children and six adults in a shooting massacre last week at an elementary school in Connecticut.

"If we cannot get the people who represent us to do something about firearms, we are a sad, sad society," Boeheim said Monday night. "If one person in this world, the NRA president, anybody, can tell me why we need assault weapons with 30 shots -- this is our fault if we don't go out there and do something about this. If we can't get this thing done, I don't know what kind of country we have."

.........

"Jim Boeheim earns 900th win as Syracuse stops rally", nd (last night or today), at: http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=323520183