Here Is the Place, if any on this forum, for Gun Discussion

[clydepepper]

First question:

Why does anyone need to own an assault rifle?

[bn2cardz]

Originally Posted by clydepepper

First question:

Why does anyone need to own an assault rifle?

I am admittedly ignorant when it comes to guns. For this reason I avoid them and don't really want them around. YES MY FEAR STEMS FROM IGNORANCE!

That said, I would think the answer would come down to the same reason people own pieces of cardboard with pictures of men playing games on them. People just want it for fun. Those guns have no use in a daily living any more than our collectibles have, but they may enjoy having in a collection or shooting them.

My question is why would you need to carry it around in daily living with kids around?





I don't even trust my children near my wife's open purse because of fear of the mess they would make with the chap stick, lotions, and hand sanitizer. So it is beyond me to think of them being around loaded guns like the mother in this story (not associated with the above picture):
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...-gun/21062089/

[packs]

I will admit that I don't really understand why you would need to take a gun to a baseball game. There are police everywhere and besides that, I can't imagine a situation where you deciding to use your weapon in a crowded stadium would not put the people around you in danger. The police are there for a reason.

[clydepepper]

Originally Posted by packs

I will admit that I don't really understand why you would need to take a gun to a baseball game. There are police everywhere and besides that, I can't imagine a situation where you deciding to use your weapon in a crowded stadium would not put the people around you in danger. The police are there for a reason.

Well, there you go again, trying to be rational.

[packs]

I understand the argument that it's your right or whatever, but from a logical perspective, what do you expect to do with that gun? And how do you expect to shoot your weapon in a crowd and not hurt someone else? It just seems to me that a baseball game is not the place for your weapon. There are police everywhere to maintain order and make those types of decisions.

[egri]

Originally Posted by packs

I will admit that I don't really understand why you would need to take a gun to a baseball game. There are police everywhere and besides that, I can't imagine a situation where you deciding to use your weapon in a crowded stadium would not put the people around you in danger. Other life situations, sure. But not at the baseball game.

The police are not always around to respond in the parking lots (see Bryan Stow), in the streets surrounding the stadium, on the subway (Bernie Goetz), or in a whole host of other places.

[packs]

Like I said, in other life situations, sure. But in the crowd at the baseball game? How can you shoot your weapon inside the stadium and not put people at risk? Plus if someone sees you with that weapon, they don't know who you are. If they tell a cop and that cop approaches you and your gun, that could spark a pretty serious confrontation and create a lot of fear for people around you.

[egri]

In the examples I listed, leaving the weapon in the car wouldn't make it available for the situations where it is needed. Leaving it would probably be worse, because of the risk of theft. And you don't give firearm owners enough credit; the ones I know when questioned by police, calmly explain that they have the required license, produce said license if necessary, and that's the end of it.

[lonejacklarry]

Originally Posted by clydepepper

First question:

Why does anyone need to own an assault rifle?

Well, it is because it is called the Bill of Rights and not the Bill of Needs.

This is my first post here as a 67 year old newbie and I hope it does not get
me kicked off.

I notice that each has an opinion and some are diametrically opposed to other posts. That's the way it is supposed to be instead of one person or group dictating to the rest of the folks.

Thanks for having me.

Larry

[travrosty]

no, you wont get kicked off larry. your opinion is as valid as anyone else's. why would someone start a discussion if all they could expect is EVERYONE to agree with them. That wouldn't make sense. There would be nothing to discuss.

[lonejacklarry]

Thanks, Travis, it is nice to meet you.

Larry

[Jason]

Originally Posted by lonejacklarry

Well, it is because it is called the Bill of Rights and not the Bill of Needs.

This is my first post here as a 67 year old newbie and I hope it does not get
me kicked off.

I notice that each has an opinion and some are diametrically opposed to other posts. That's the way it is supposed to be instead of one person or group dictating to the rest of the folks.

Thanks for having me.

Larry

Here,here!

[packs]

I think the better question to ask is why you want an assault rifle.

[vintagetoppsguy]

Originally Posted by packs

I think the better question to ask is why you want an assault rifle.

They're pretty freaking cool to shoot

[Mountaineer1999]

Originally Posted by vintagetoppsguy

They're pretty freaking cool to shoot

+1

[lonejacklarry]

Originally Posted by packs

I think the better question to ask is why you want an assault rifle.

Why do you collect baseball cards?

That's the beauty of this country so far, anyway. The "assault rifles", a name tagged dreamed up by the media, is a piece of equipment like any other piece of equipment. An assault rifle, by definition, is an automatic weapon. The AR15 is semi-automatic. Fully automatic weapons are regulated by a whole different group of laws.

Any firearm is not dangerous by itself. Every time a drunk driver hits a pedestrian there is never a call for General Motors or Budweiser to be boycotted.

My dad told me that one should not ever fool around with stuff that one does not understand: rattlesnakes, hand grenades, red headed bartenders (I think there was a story there), etc.

If you don't want one, then good for you. No one is making you buy one. I never did understand why that whenever someone shoots up a church or school the push is one to take away weapons from the people that did not do it.

And I learned how to shoot real "assault" weapons in my two tour senior trip to SE Asia in 1967-1969.

[packs]

Well I was asking why you want an assault rifle specifically as opposed to other guns. You've more or less said: because I can have one. That's fine if that's your position. I'm just curious why people need them in their houses.

For the record I collect baseball cards because I enjoy the history behind them and players they depict. I don't collect baseball cards because it's not illegal to collect them.

[RedlegsFan]

You'll never need a gun twice.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[tschock]

Getting back to the original question:

Why does anyone need to own an assault rifle?

There is a simple answer for that, which is the foundation for the second amendment. To assist in the overthrow of a tyrannical government should it become necessary. What more of a reason does one need?

[Topps206]

Except one could argue we have had tyrannical governments and nothing has happened.

This is what the pro gun people want. Fear, fear and more fear. It's propaganda and there's many people with this country with a sickening bloodlust. The First Amendment has its limits, don't see why the Second shouldn't.

[tschock]

Originally Posted by Topps206

Except one could argue we have had tyrannical governments and nothing has happened.

One could, but it would be a silly argument. Equating what "could" happen with what "should" or "should not" happen.

Originally Posted by Topps206

This is what the pro gun people want. Fear, fear and more fear.

Are you talking pro-gun or anti-gun here? Seems "fear, fear, and more fear" are being preached by the gun regulators.

Originally Posted by Topps206

It's propaganda and there's many people with this country with a sickening bloodlust.

Emotional rhetoric much? So let me try. 'It's propaganda and there's many people with this country who would trade their freedom for security within a nanny state.'

Originally Posted by Topps206

The First Amendment has its limits, don't see why the Second shouldn't.

Exactly. But those First Amendment limits are on the ACTION, aren't they? So shouldn't the same limits apply to the Second Amendment?

[Topps206]

Originally Posted by tschock

One could, but it would be a silly argument. Equating what "could" happen with what "should" or "should not" happen.



Are you talking pro-gun or anti-gun here? Seems "fear, fear, and more fear" are being preached by the gun regulators.



Emotional rhetoric much? So let me try. 'It's propaganda and there's many people with this country who would trade their freedom for security within a nanny state.'



Exactly. But those First Amendment limits are on the ACTION, aren't they? So shouldn't the same limits apply to the Second Amendment?

From what I see, there's more fear from the pro gun crowd than than the anti-gun crowd.

People talk about government tyranny. Well...

John Adams: Alien and Sedition Act
Abraham Lincoln: Suspension of Habeas Corpus
Woodrow Wilson: Sedition Act of 1918
FDR: Can be considered a tyrant if you look at the Japanese internments.
George W. Bush: The left considered him a tyrant
Barack Obama: The right considers him a tyrant

Plus there's the espousing of the term judicial tyranny ever since the Obergefell/Hodges decision. Don't forget about the wiretapping and NSA spying.

There's talk of government tyranny as the reason for assault weapons. Yet there's been a lot of tyrannical behavior from our country's leaders the past 240 years. How many overthrows or uprisings were there?

You can hate me, you can call me despicable names and you can wish awful things on me, but I am anti-gun and that's not a stance I plan on changing.

[SAllen2556]

Fear does indeed drive the pro-gun crowd.

Fear of history repeating itself - take away the guns to more easily control the populous, as has happened throughout history. I would remind you that most people throughout history have not lived in freedom. The US is very unique.

Fear of the slippery slope. Ban assault rifles and what's next? The anti-gun crowd will not be satisfied with just a ban on assault rifles, they never have.

Fear of the Left who, inadvertently, limit freedom through attempts at doing what's best for all: health care, taxes, business regulations, education, welfare, and hell, even school lunches.

You can't legislate against evil. I hold no ill will toward the do-gooders, but they're terribly misguided in believing that they'll ever prevent evil from occurring. Assault weapons exist - the technology is here. You can't eliminate them any more than you can eliminate abortion or drugs.

We make people take classes and pass tests before they get behind the wheel of a car, maybe we can beef up the tests, I don't know. Better technology on the guns perhaps? Some way to prevent anyone but the owner of the gun from being able to use it?

I'm much more interested in the psychology of these people. What's in their heads? How did they become so screwed up? How do we find these people before they commit these evil acts?

[tschock]

Originally Posted by Topps206

You can hate me, you can call me despicable names and you can wish awful things on me, but I am anti-gun and that's not a stance I plan on changing.

And that about sums it up, doesn't it? Open minded to a fault.

[chaddurbin]

Originally Posted by tschock

One could, but it would be a silly argument. Equating what "could" happen with what "should" or "should not" happen.



Are you talking pro-gun or anti-gun here? Seems "fear, fear, and more fear" are being preached by the gun regulators.



Emotional rhetoric much? So let me try. 'It's propaganda and there's many people with this country who would trade their freedom for security within a nanny state.'



Exactly. But those First Amendment limits are on the ACTION, aren't they? So shouldn't the same limits apply to the Second Amendment?

most gun people sound like this to me...delusional, paranoid, and hard-headed. and they want more guns, kinda scary!

[tschock]

Originally Posted by chaddurbin

most gun people sound like this to me...delusional, paranoid, and hard-headed. and they want more guns, kinda scary!

Sounds like the anti-gun crowd to me. An example?

"You can hate me, you can call me despicable names and you can wish awful things on me, but I am anti-gun and that's not a stance I plan on changing."

Nothing delusional, paranoid, or hard-headed there.