dagblog - Comments for "Hate And The "Patriots": Like Watching One Long Horror Movie, Wondering Who Dies Next."

And, for awhile, I was on the

ocean-kat — Fri, 13 Jun 2014 08:26:22 +0000

In reply to I know that Michael Moore has

And, for awhile, I was on the side of the "responsible gun owners" and of the mind that whatever their reasons, they should not be penalized for the actions of a few.

I and many other responsible gun owners don't have any problem with some "penalties" in order to make society safer. I'm actually planning to get a higher powered hunting rifle and would have no problems if the process had some annoying delays. Universal background checks? I've passed one before, not a big deal. Waiting period? Two weeks or even a month is fine with me. I can't imagine an emergency that requires me to get that gun I'm buying immediately. Taking away all my guns if I beat my wife or girlfriend? I've never hit my wife or girlfriends.

I can't think of any proposal made by reasonable gun control advocates that would unduly penalize responsible gun owners. They'd at most be a minor annoyance.

Our constitution and supreme court will not allow for much law making.

I think both the constitution and the Supreme Court would allow such laws. Scalia made it clear when deciding individuals have a right to bear arms that the right was not absolute and some gun control laws are legal. As for brandishing in public there is a video out there in which some tv news pundit asked Scalia as an originalist is there any gun law that would be constitutional. He reffered to state and city laws in colonial america banning what was called "a frightening." It was illegal to carry a large ax down city streets since it could be seen as frightening to peaceful citizens. Seems to me that that would apply to open carry laws as well.

If I have time I'll try to find the video clip later

edit to add:

http://nation.foxnews.com/justice-scalia/2012/07/29/justice-scalia-guns-...

Here's the video, at about 7 minutes Scalia, as an originalist, expresses his view that there are limitation on guns that are constitutionally permissible because there was gun control in colonial times. While he refuses to get specific at one point he refers to laws banning carrying very dangerous weapons like a large ax. To me that sounds like carrying military style assault weapons so at least that type of open carry could be banned and possibly pass constitutional muster even by Scalia. While I'm sure I would favor more strict gun control than Scalia he does make it clear in this video and in DC v Heller that some limitations are allowed by the 2nd amendment.

Also since Heller several states gun control laws have been appealed to the Supreme Court and been denied, in effect upholding the lower court ruling that found these laws constitutional. Let's not assume that all gun control legislation would be found unconstitutional even by this extreme right wing court.

Thanks for the update. It

Verified Atheist — Thu, 12 Jun 2014 18:05:58 +0000

In reply to The NRA quickly retreated

Thanks for the update. It almost feels like it could've been an article in The Onion.

Alas, no. It seems the

Verified Atheist — Thu, 12 Jun 2014 18:04:58 +0000

In reply to Did you see what happened

Alas, no. It seems the universe is trying to conspire against my optimism…

"The NRA apologized; said it

Michael Maiello — Thu, 12 Jun 2014 18:04:52 +0000

In reply to Did you see what happened

"The NRA apologized; said it was a staff member who spoke without authority."

"We'd like to apologize, our employee went off half cocked without the safety on his mouth. Move along, nothing to see here."

Did you see what happened

CVille Dem — Thu, 12 Jun 2014 18:01:16 +0000

In reply to [The NRA] now sits silent

Did you see what happened when those long-gun-carrying loonies claimed to tear up their NRA cards after the "insult" that you noted above? The NRA apologized; said it was a staff member who spoke without authority. So, no, they are still crazy, and when one of their own makes a sane comment they disavow it tout suite.

The NRA quickly retreated

rmrd0000 — Thu, 12 Jun 2014 17:50:09 +0000

In reply to [The NRA] now sits silent

The NRA quickly retreated from sanity.The organization apologized to Open Carry Texas for not supporting the right to carry assault weapons in public. The NRA blamed the moment of coherence on a wayward staffer. The NRA is as trapped by the gun crazies as the GOP is captured by the Tea Party wingnuts

Thanks for this. Glad to see

Michael Maiello — Thu, 12 Jun 2014 14:25:41 +0000

In reply to [The NRA] now sits silent

Thanks for this. Glad to see the NRA did say something. Now, to move the goalpost on them... they created the crazy so they need to own up to that.

[The NRA] now sits silent

Verified Atheist — Thu, 12 Jun 2014 13:29:22 +0000

In reply to I know that Michael Moore has

[The NRA] now sits silent about the extremists whereas it once would have condemned people carrying assault rifles in public for no reason at all.

I'm not typically one to defend the NRA, but in their defense, they've recently made this statement:

The second example comes to us from the Lone Star State, which is second to none for its robust gun culture. We applaud Texans for that, but a small number have recently crossed the line from enthusiasm to downright foolishness.

Now we love AR-15s and AKs as much as anybody, and we know that these sorts of semiautomatic carbines are among the most popular, fastest selling firearms in America today. Texas, independent-minded and liberty-loving place that it is, doesn't ban the carrying of loaded long guns in public, nor does it require a permit for this activity. Yet some so-called firearm advocates seem determined to change this.

Of course, the reason I remembered them making this statement is exactly because they typically do stand idly by while the crazies act all crazy.

Gun control kept the murder

rmrd0000 — Thu, 12 Jun 2014 12:11:58 +0000

In reply to Hate And The "Patriots": Like Watching One Long Horror Movie, Wondering Who Dies Next.

Gun control kept the murder rate low in the Wild, Wild West. I think many of the citizens in those old west towns would find our laws insane.

I know that Michael Moore has

Michael Maiello — Thu, 12 Jun 2014 12:07:50 +0000

In reply to Hate And The "Patriots": Like Watching One Long Horror Movie, Wondering Who Dies Next.

I know that Michael Moore has made this point already but there was a time when the NRA was an outright responsible gun ownership organization, one that stressed training, safety and sanity. That was a long time ago. It now sits silent about the extremists whereas it once would have condemned people carrying assault rifles in public for no reason at all. That ship has sailed.

That said, we all know responsible gun owners -- people for whom compliance with the laws where they live is such the minimum standard of decorum that we need hardly worry. People who know that every time you carry a gun in public there is a chance, however small, that it will be used and that it is a deadly weapon that can ruin multiple lives with a single shot.

And, for awhile, I was on the side of the "responsible gun owners" and of the mind that whatever their reasons, they should not be penalized for the actions of a few. But the few has grown numerous, if not as a percentage than at least in absolute terms. As with so many other compromises that we make in society. I'd like to see brandishing in public banned.

Our constitution and supreme court will not allow for much law making. We have to win a social fight here. Ostracize the gun geeks!