ITT, Get learned up on Assault Rifles so you can argue with your neighbors.

[SP1966]

Let's see if what they come up with, or what passes if anything at all, is as substantive as the last "assault weapons ban." For all the running of the mouth they do they can't take a couple hours to educate themselves and don't know anything about the item(s) they wish to control. At least their ignorance will be my bliss.

We have elected officials who are concerned Guam may capsize, education isn't just a problem for our children!!

[HILMAN76]

http://christopherfountain.wordpress...-journal-news/


Enjoy!

[mslman71]

I was unaware all firearms had to be registered in NY.

There is no registration here. There is public access to carry permit holders but that's it as far as I know.

[so-tex]

I was unaware all firearms had to be registered in NY.

There is no registration here. There is public access to carry permit holders but that's it as far as I know.

I am glad that you brought this up. Did you ever notice that the states that have more restrictions ie; licensing and registration permits have higher crime rates.

[SP1966]

http://christopherfountain.wordpress...-journal-news/


Enjoy!

Thank you! That is a thing of beauty!!! F'ck 'em all!!

[jjonas74]

I'm definitely not a bodybuilding mastermind... I do know guns.

I can tell you that calls to ban assault weapons, the public will blindly fight to ban them, again. The Brady Laws were for Handguns, and a "Cooling Off" period. A premeditated crime often takes planning that is going to last longer than that.

As for the types of weapons, many people choose a military styled weapon because it is a simple and cheap alternative to high end guns (when stripped of all the rail systems and goodies). Secondly, I am in the military and over the last 19 years... I have taught the "Sharpest Marbles" to shoot with enough accuracy to qualify as a Marksman, and maintain their weapons in operational condition.

So, to the person asking why one would need an "Assault Rifle" the answer is to defend against armed intruders, home invaders, people with malicious intent, with accuracy. They are easy to learn how to use, and training is widely available, simple design and durability are incorporated, and let us not forget that anything used by the military has been tested to the ends of the earth. These weapons are designed to perform in many conditions by most people, that until their adulthood, never even held one.

If anyone chooses to murder, it is a decision, and if someone chooses to do this, they will kill with a more primitive tool (such as a baseball bat, or a knife,... if needed) to get another weapon.

"That Guy" at Sandy Hook, made a decision to pull the trigger. It was a decision he made, each time, after he killed his mother to get these weapons.

Alright, I will now continue my quest for knowledge about bodybuilding...

[so-tex]

I'm definitely not a bodybuilding mastermind... I do know guns.

I can tell you that calls to ban assault weapons, the public will blindly fight to ban them, again. The Brady Laws were for Handguns, and a "Cooling Off" period. A premeditated crime often takes planning that is going to last longer than that.

As for the types of weapons, many people choose a military styled weapon because it is a simple and cheap alternative to high end guns (when stripped of all the rail systems and goodies). Secondly, I am in the military and over the last 19 years... I have taught the "Sharpest Marbles" to shoot with enough accuracy to qualify as a Marksman, and maintain their weapons in operational condition.

So, to the person asking why one would need an "Assault Rifle" the answer is to defend against armed intruders, home invaders, people with malicious intent, with accuracy. They are easy to learn how to use, and training is widely available, simple design and durability are incorporated, and let us not forget that anything used by the military has been tested to the ends of the earth. These weapons are designed to perform in many conditions by most people, that until their adulthood, never even held one.

If anyone chooses to murder, it is a decision, and if someone chooses to do this, they will kill with a more primitive tool (such as a baseball bat, or a knife,... if needed) to get another weapon.

"That Guy" at Sandy Hook, made a decision to pull the trigger. It was a decision he made, each time, after he killed his mother to get these weapons.

Alright, I will now continue my quest for knowledge about bodybuilding...

Great post, and repped. I would like to add that I have more accuracy with any of my bolt action rifles than any so called 'assault weapon'.

[so-tex]

Thank you! That is a thing of beauty!!! F'ck 'em all!!

Yep. I just messaged her on her facebook acct.

[kh971]

I just ordered an AR10 for hunting hogs, where multiple rounds are necessary in a very short period of time.

I have other weapons for target practice and others for home defense.

[commonguy001]

http://christopherfountain.wordpress...-journal-news/


Enjoy!

A fitting response to her 'article'

[JonnyStead]

I know I may get shot to **** for asking this - but I'm just a curious Brit. I don't have an agenda and I'm not 'anti-gun' per se, so here goes -

Why do people in the USA REALLY want to have guns? is it because of the whole 'independence' thing? in which case - it would take some pretty ballsy country to try to invade the US (albeit most of your troops are abroad acting as 'World PD' which you dont get enough credit for).

Is it because you fear your own government? really? can that be it? you dont think you couldnt deal with that peacefully these days? and anyway if Obama went mental and unleashed the military on you, you'd be toast anyway -

Or is it that you fear each other? in which case wouldnt you be better off lobbying for properly resourced law enforcement than all 'tooling up'? Surely that's not the answer?

As I say I am just curious - but I'd really welcome your views. I'm not looking to start an argument - just keen to hear views thanks for indulging me

[Bushmaster]

I know I may get shot to **** for asking this - but I'm just a curious Brit. I don't have an agenda and I'm not 'anti-gun' per se, so here goes -

Why do people in the USA REALLY want to have guns?

There are too many variables to say "Everybody wants guns for X reason." Some like to hunt, some like competition shooting, some like collecting and trading, some want one for either personal or home defense etc..

And some want guns just because..

I have one of those evil AR-15's in my closet with several 30 round magazines. At the moment it is completely unloaded and locked in it's case, and has been for almost a year since the last time I shot it. But I know it's there, and the next time I get the urge to shoot holes in a paper target I know that I'll have a lot of fun with it.

[taf1968]

I know I may get shot to **** for asking this - but I'm just a curious Brit. I don't have an agenda and I'm not 'anti-gun' per se, so here goes -

Why do people in the USA REALLY want to have guns? is it because of the whole 'independence' thing? in which case - it would take some pretty ballsy country to try to invade the US (albeit most of your troops are abroad acting as 'World PD' which you dont get enough credit for).

Is it because you fear your own government? really? can that be it? you dont think you couldnt deal with that peacefully these days? and anyway if Obama went mental and unleashed the military on you, you'd be toast anyway -

Or is it that you fear each other? in which case wouldnt you be better off lobbying for properly resourced law enforcement than all 'tooling up'? Surely that's not the answer?

As I say I am just curious - but I'd really welcome your views. I'm not looking to start an argument - just keen to hear views thanks for indulging me

"The right to keep and bear arms (and to not have that right infringed)" is written into our Constitution as the 2nd Amendment . . . right up there with the right to free speech, freedom of the press, protections against illegal searches/seizures, etc. It's a cornerstone of the foundation of the country and so it's pretty vehemently revered/protected--except for a small % of the population who would rather it not be in there or feel it does not apply to anyone outside of the military.

The origins were that the founding fathers knew that a govt needed to have a rational fear of the people or else it would be tempted to overreach and impose its tyranny. So the 2nd Amendment has an important element of providing a means for the people to protect themselves against tyranny and suppression at the hands of a corrupt govt. However, it's also rooted in the belief that Americans have the right to defend themselves in general, to hunt, etc. So we want guns because we have a constitutional right to own them--and they are part of our culture where learning how to use a gun for sport, for protection, or for sustenance/survival is seen as a necessity. Law enforcement can't (and won't) be there in time to protect the public. That's just reality. It's our right to have those tools at our disposal for a variety of reasons and uses, so we're not willing to give that up. And the vast majority of gun owners are highly responsible--criminals/lunatics never are.

Hope that helps.

[VoxExMachina]

I know I may get shot to **** for asking this - but I'm just a curious Brit. I don't have an agenda and I'm not 'anti-gun' per se, so here goes -

Why do people in the USA REALLY want to have guns? is it because of the whole 'independence' thing? in which case - it would take some pretty ballsy country to try to invade the US (albeit most of your troops are abroad acting as 'World PD' which you dont get enough credit for).

Everyone has their own reasons, and many don't own a gun at all. But as has been stated, this country was formed upon the basis of personal freedoms, and people in the US tend to take their freedom pretty seriously. In fact, we've taken the freedoms of many people around the world pretty seriously over the last hundred years. So, we tend to take a dim view of anyone, especially our own government, taking away any of those freedoms.

It can be difficult for anyone overseas to understand, and the 2nd amendment may seem unnecessary to those who live or have grown up in a different environment. But remember that this country is relatively "young" by European standards. We are really only a generation or two from having to populate the entire western half of the nation, which involved hunting for sustenance, guns for protection against wild animals, the need to protect yourself when you lived in a highly rural area with little or no police or law to speak of, etc.

Ironically, I'll point out that the 2nd amendment exists largely because of British tyranny. So I blame you.

[mslman71]

I know I may get shot to **** for asking this - but I'm just a curious Brit. I don't have an agenda and I'm not 'anti-gun' per se, so here goes -

I don'd mind questions that aren't 'leading.' A genuine curiosity is cool.

Why do people in the USA REALLY want to have guns? is it because of the whole 'independence' thing? in which case - it would take some pretty ballsy country to try to invade the US (albeit most of your troops are abroad acting as 'World PD' which you dont get enough credit for).

A small part of it. One of those things that doesn't matter, until it does.

Is it because you fear your own government? really? can that be it?

Absolutely. You should fear anyone that has rule over you. I especially fear those who have power over me who are geographically and democratically removed from me. It would be a cold day in hell before i could actually get to the president to "have a chat" and air my concerns yet in theory he has the power to all but eliminate the human race from existence.

you dont think you couldnt deal with that peacefully these days?

It is dealt with peacefully. Perhaps you should ask our government and police forces the same. Why do you need weapons, couldn't you just deal with us little people peacefully? Last time I was in europe, and it's been a while, I was struck by the number of military personnel working at the airports with weapons more suitable for the battlefield than crowd control. Seeing troops operating as policemen makes me nervous.

and anyway if Obama went mental and unleashed the military on you, you'd be toast anyway -

No. Not really. The military is made up of people that come from all of these places that he would be unleashing them on. If you were military, how keen would you be acting on orders to slaughter people in your own town? In addition, military assets are distributed geographically and by state. We have (had) laws that limit what the federal government can do with the military within our own borders. These have been slightly eroded over the recent 15 years but in general there are checks on this. No individual has the authority to go mental and unleash the military and if he tried he'd be quickly removed.

This is a different scenario than a general deterioration of the country or some type of division.

Or is it that you fear each other? in which case wouldnt you be better off lobbying for properly resourced law enforcement than all 'tooling up'? Surely that's not the answer?

I don't want to pay an order of magnitude more taxes for what would amount to a small increase in general safety no to mention that I don't care to have police forces effectively operating as paramilitary organizations. Each person has the choice to defend himself in the way he sees fit and by owning a weapon takes upon himself the responsibility of understanding the laws that go along with it as well as the risks. We have a habit of reporting crime rates so when we spend 2x, 10x, whatever, and we see a 10% or 25% reduction we think YIPPEE more police = safer streets. But, if you want to carry on looking at it by odds (which isn't the right way) say, assuming purely random chance, homogenous, how much good does it do you as an individual if the odds drop from 1 in 15000 days to 1 in 25000 days? The two are already relatively improbable and pushing this mean out doesn't really change a whole lot from an individual's day to day perspective. It's rather like buying two lottery tickets instead of one. Sure, your odds of winning double, but they are still small. The same reasoning holds from the opposite viewpoint.

Almost all people are reasonable and law abiding and simply want to go about their business and be left alone. It's true here just like everyone else in the world I imagine. I don't know how the news makes it out, but there is not regular gunfire in the streets and people aren't dropping like flies. Firearms accidents and deliberate murders take place. Car accidents happen and people die or are injured there as well. We're a large country with a lot of people and the news only makes it money when it picks out things that are dramatic and news worthy.

[Singe03]

I know I may get shot to **** for asking this - but I'm just a curious Brit. I don't have an agenda and I'm not 'anti-gun' per se, so here goes -

Why do people in the USA REALLY want to have guns? is it because of the whole 'independence' thing? in which case - it would take some pretty ballsy country to try to invade the US (albeit most of your troops are abroad acting as 'World PD' which you dont get enough credit for).

Is it because you fear your own government? really? can that be it? you dont think you couldnt deal with that peacefully these days? and anyway if Obama went mental and unleashed the military on you, you'd be toast anyway -

Or is it that you fear each other? in which case wouldnt you be better off lobbying for properly resourced law enforcement than all 'tooling up'? Surely that's not the answer?

As I say I am just curious - but I'd really welcome your views. I'm not looking to start an argument - just keen to hear views thanks for indulging me

I have some Brit friends who have asked me the same question, even friends from the northern part of the US don't understand, let me see if I can get some coherent thoughts out. I'm not going to go in to "reasons" so much as maybe trying to help you understand how I personally see it.

I learned to shoot when I was 4, a real simple single shot .22 rifle and spent some great times with my dad and grandpa just out plinking away either on our property or at the range. I started shooting handguns, .22 single action not much older than that, by 12 I could easily pick up and shoot (or unload and make safe) any firearm I came across, so could virtually every kid I knew. We grew up understanding them, getting safety drilled in to us, and knowing for certain what our fathers would do to us if we ever "messed up".

The reason I say the above is that I have a pretty typical southern American perspective on firearms, there is nothing wrong or evil about them. The good or evil that they do is strictly determined by the the hand that wields it. This being completely true to me, I cannot fathom why there should be restrictions on ownership by law abiding citizens, why someone who would never break the law with a gun should be denied the right to have one.

Finally, as someone who works in parallel with law enforcement, child of a cop, I know that ultimately the police are a reactionary force. When seconds count the police are only minutes away. All respect to them, but they absolutely cannot be everywhere at once and I do not want them to be, I prefer my freedom. As a free person who believes in personal responsibility, my safety and that of my family in those minutes while the police are on the way is in my hands and my hands alone.

The OP covered "assault rifles" really well, on that topic, it is just another gun to me. The definition really came down to "scary looking guns" and is silly.

FYI: I know gun crime is pretty minimal in the UK, but you do have issues with it and some police departments over there that were traditionally unarmed now have armed response teams. I see a lot on "knife crime" though and some heavy restrictions on carrying knives. I've also carried a folding knife daily since I was a child (currently a Kershaw because I like the unassisted open) and I use it almost daily in the course of my job. From my perspective, keeping people from carrying a pocket knife is just silly, I can't imagine trying to work IT and not having one.

[EjnarKolinkar]

A few additional thoughts on why this country is not a direct parallel to the UK, and some differences of opinion within our own borders. We are a diverse country.

There are still many places in the US where you have to take care of yourself. Police or animal control are not going to be at your door even 30 minutes or an hour after you call.

We have quite a few wild animals that will eat you alive while you are having a nice camp out.

Many of us are born to guns due to our historical landscape. Independence as a theory is one thing, the requirement to be independent is very fresh in our history. My state has only been in the union 100 years. Some people forget that.

For these reasons along with others, while some gun legislation has passed, bans on all firearms are mostly an alien concept to vast numbers of americans thought processes.

For people that are outside the USA a trip to Google earth targeting Montana, Texas, Alaska gives perspective on distance from protective services.

[Brackneyc]

I know I may get shot to **** for asking this - but I'm just a curious Brit. I don't have an agenda and I'm not 'anti-gun' per se, so here goes -

Why do people in the USA REALLY want to have guns? is it because of the whole 'independence' thing? in which case - it would take some pretty ballsy country to try to invade the US (albeit most of your troops are abroad acting as 'World PD' which you dont get enough credit for).

Is it because you fear your own government? really? can that be it? you dont think you couldnt deal with that peacefully these days? and anyway if Obama went mental and unleashed the military on you, you'd be toast anyway -

Or is it that you fear each other? in which case wouldnt you be better off lobbying for properly resourced law enforcement than all 'tooling up'? Surely that's not the answer?

As I say I am just curious - but I'd really welcome your views. I'm not looking to start an argument - just keen to hear views thanks for indulging me

You're 39 years old. Is this really a question you find that interesting? Each person has their own reasons, and they are all right, because we have a law in place which secures that "right". That, imo, is as far as the discussion ever needs to go. Anything beyond that is just an opening for an argument.

[JonnyStead]

You're 39 years old. Is this really a question you find that interesting? Each person has their own reasons, and they are all right, because we have a law in place which secures that "right". That, imo, is as far as the discussion ever needs to go. Anything beyond that is just an opening for an argument.

Age is irrelevant - I simply wanted to understand other peoples views. Sorry if that's a confusing concept to you.

To all the other people who replied - thanks very much, that was really useful. As I say, I dont have an agenda - just wanted to understand it better, which having read this thread, I think I do now. Thanks again

[superman713]

You're right about the name. They could have avoided a world of doodoo had they chosen a less military name for the rifle. There was a type of ammunition that Winchester produced in the early 90s called Black Talon. They were...pretty devastating, but there were other types of handgun ammo that was more devastating that didn't get the kind of scrutiny because they didn't have such an ominous name. Black Talons were eventually banned by federal law...but it was either the following year or the year after that when a new kind of ammunition that was almost identical hit the market, but it had a different name, and to this day it's legal to make, buy, and own.

I wish I could remember the name...

Winchester Rangers... I have them in all my personal defense mags.

[Corbi]

No. Not really. The military is made up of people that come from all of these places that he would be unleashing them on. If you were military, how keen would you be acting on orders to slaughter people in your own town? In addition, military assets are distributed geographically and by state. We have (had) laws that limit what the federal government can do with the military within our own borders. These have been slightly eroded over the recent 15 years but in general there are checks on this. No individual has the authority to go mental and unleash the military and if he tried he'd be quickly removed.

Exactly, no way no how is our own military attacking the very people it's sworn to protect.

Last time I was in europe, and it's been a while, I was struck by the number of military personnel working at the airports with weapons more suitable for the battlefield than crowd control. Seeing troops operating as policemen makes me nervous.

Hell just look at the state cops in Italy, everyone of them even the ones merely doing traffic duty all have their Mac10's or a version of it. Was a little un-nerving the 1st time I drove past 2 state cops and one would direct traffic or stop them for a check if he so desired, while his partner stood there with his finger on the trigger ready to unleash hell.

[kh971]

Plenty of good reasons above why we own firearms, another one is that I live out away from town or police presence. It would take 20 minutes for the sheriff or police to reach my house. If someone is breaking into my house, I will not pick up my phone first, I will be grabbing my 45 caliber Sig and a flashlight and head for the noise. My wife will be calling the police and getting the kids and taking them to our room with her shotgun.

[VoxExMachina]

Bump for LotusDiva.