Let’s change the terminology in defending our gun rights

Gun Owners of America ^ | 08 January 2013 | Tim Macy

[neverdem]

With the current attack on personal gun ownership and the Second Amendment, the radical Left has twisted the phrase “assault weapon” to try and take guns away from law-abiding Americans.

Real assault rifles are used by modern infantrymen and are capable of firing in a fully-automatic mode. Yes, they are currently available to citizens -- but one must submit to a federal background check (which can take months), be photographed and fingerprinted, pay a tax of $200, and get a sign-off from the local chief of police or sheriff. Moreover, because of their limited supply, machineguns run in the thousands of dollars to purchase.

The semi-automatic “assault weapons” are NOT machineguns. They don’t fire like machineguns, and they are functionally no different than many pistols or shotguns which have been available to civilian markets for over a century and which can fire in a semi-automatic mode. So, why the fuss over simple cosmetics when it doesn’t matter one whit to the internal function of the rifle?

This is why Americans must begin changing the terminology we use to our favor. So-called "assault weapons" are not designed to assault anyone -- they are "defense weapons" for Americans to defend our families, our country and our Constitution. In colonial times, the “defense weapon” of the day was a musket, and our forefathers used muskets and canons to fight the British to secure our freedom.

Today, the modern analog of the colonial musket is the AR-15 style rifles that have the ability to use standard-capacity magazines for self-defense. God forbid we have to use our “defense weapons.” But, as the old saying goes, “better to have it, and not need it, than to need it and not have it.”

Victims of tyranny -- from the Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto, to the victims of Joseph Stalin and Idi Amin -- have all wished they were armed. We should not join their ranks of victimhood.

Why would Americans give up the right to have the best possible defense weapon we can have to protect our home, family, state and nation from criminals of ALL kinds?

So, when anyone tries to turn the conversation toward "assault weapons," turn it back to "defense weapons" and, as the line goes, “stick to your guns.”

Tim Macy is the Vice Chairman of Gun Owners of America, a national gun lobby with over 300,000 members.

[UCANSEE2]

If it’s the GUNS that are so dangerous, then it is only logical that NO ONE have any guns.

[Yosemitest]

WRONG!

The Swiss have got it CORRECT !
We need to learn from the Swiss and implement their policies here in the United States right now, today!

" Today, military service for Swiss males is universal. At about age 20, every Swiss male goes through 118 consecutive days of recruit training in the Rekrutenschule. ...

Even before required training begins, young men and women may take optional courses with the Swiss army's M57 assault rifle.
They keep that gun at home for three months and receive six half-day training sessions.

From age 21 to 32, a Swiss man serves as a "frontline" troop in the Auszug, and devotes three weeks a year (in eight of the 12 years) to continued training.
From age 33 to 42, he serves in the Landwehr (like America's National Guard); every few years, he reports for two-week training periods.
Finally, from ages 43, to 50, he serves in the Landsturm; in this period, he only spends 13 days total in "home guard courses."

Over a soldier's career he also spends scattered days on mandatory equipment inspections and required target practice.
Thus, in a 30-year mandatory military career, a Swiss man only spends about one year in direct military service.
Following discharge from the regular army, men serve on reserve status until age 50 (55 for officers).

By the Federal Constitution of 1874, military servicemen are given their first equipment, clothing and arms.
After the first training period, conscripts must keep gun, ammunition and equipment an ihrem Wohnort ("in their homes") until the end of their term of service.

Today, enlisted men are issued M57 AUTOMATIC assault rifles and officers are given pistol.
Each reservist is issued 24 rounds of ammunition in sealed packs for emergency use.
(Contrary to Handgun Control's claim that "all ammunition must be accounted for," the emergency ammunition is the only ammo that requires accounting.)

After discharge from service, the man is given a bolt rifle free from registration or obligation.
Starting in the 1994, the government will GIVE ex-reservists assault rifles. Officers carry pistols rather than rifles and are given their pistols the end of their service.

When the government adopts a new infantry rifle, it sells the old ones to the public.

Reservists are encouraged to buy MILITARY ammunition
(7.5 and 5.6mm-5.56 mm in other countries-for rifles and 9 and 7.65 mm Luger for pistols)
which is sold AT COST by the government, for target practice .
Non-military ammunition for long-gun hunting and .22 Long Rifle (LR) ammo are not subsidised, but are subiect to NO sales controls.
Non-military non-hunting ammunition more powerful than .22 LR (such as .38 Spl.) is registered at the time of sale.

Swiss military ammo must be registered IF bought at a private store, BUT NEED NOT BE REGISTERED IF bought at a range.
The nation's 3,000 shooting ranges sell the overwhelming majority of ammunition.
Technically, ammunition bought at the range must be used at the range, but the rule is barely known and almost never obeyed.

The army SELLS a variety of machine guns, submachine guns, anti-tank weapons, anti-aircraft guns, howitzers and cannons.
Purchasers of these weapons require an EASILY OBTAINED cantonal license, and the weapons are registered.
In a nation of six million people, there are at least two million guns, including 600,00 FULLY AUTOMATIC assault rifles, half a million pistols, and numerous machine guns.
Virtually every home has a gun.

Besides SUBSIDIZED military surplus, the Swiss can buy other firearms easily too.
While long guns require NO special purchase procedures, handguns are sold only to those with a Waffenerwerbsschien (purchase certificate) issued by a cantonal authority.
A certificate is issued to every applicant over 18 who is not a criminal or mentally infirm.

There are NO restrictions on the carrying of long guns.
About half the cantons have strict permit procedures for carrying handguns, and the other half have NO rules at all.
There is NO discernible difference in the crime rate between the cantons as a result of the different policies.

Thanks to a lawsuit brought by the Swiss gun lobby, semi-automatic rifles require NO PURCHASE PERMIT and are NOT registered by the government.
Thus, the ONLY long guns registered by the government are FULL AUTOMATICS."

The Swiss have got it CORRECT !
Remember:

The beauty of the Second Amendment is
that it will not be needed
until they TRY to take it.

Read Second Amendment: It’s Not About Hunting, IT'S ABOUT TYRANNY .

[tumblindice]

Most excellent post, sehr gut!

[Scooter100]

Ran into this shocking data.....

SSRI Stories

[Jet Jaguar]

Bump

[stormhill]

As long as we're changing terminology, let's also put to rest the nonsense BiteMe is pushing by saying: "...if it saves a single life..."

It needs to be made clear that guns in the hands of citizens is actually saving many, many more lives than the theoretical few they allege might be saved by removing those guns. It needs to be endlessly repeated that the Second Amendment saves lives, gun confiscation destroys lives.

Saw a statistic a few years ago claiming that 512 rapes were thwarted daily by the use of guns; not sure of its accuracy. If anyone knows about this, please help out. At any rate, if the numbers hold up, we need to also ask the gun grabbers, why do you want hundreds of women raped today?

[KGeorge]

bookmarked for Yosemitest’s informative post. Thank you both!

[Tzimisce]

They want to ban guns.

And they’re going to do it.

Doesn’t matter what you say to them.

Or what your arguments are.

They want to ban guns.

And they think they are in a position to do it.

[Eye of Unk]

I am expecting states like Texas will adopt this very same pattern, as long as they are legally Texans.

[Yosemitest]

You're welcome.
The time is coming when we must use the ammo we've been storing.

[KGeorge]

Bookmarked. Thank you again. (quite a savings there from my local)

[Yosemitest]

My pleasure, and may I recommend an excellent home defense weapon, the PTR-91, a short barreled rifle requiring a $200.00 federal tax.?

[KGeorge]

I wish! It’s sad to be po’. God Willing, it won’t be deadly. (A short barrel would be such a luxury. I am dangerous to myself & others anytime I pick up something more than 2 feet long- & it ain’t the bullets. I <3 handguns)

[KGeorge]

should have clarified- all somethings; vacuum wand, trim molding, broom. I handle a long gun like it’s a nuclear weapon (terrified of it)
Sorry for the double post.

[tallyhoe]

Could buy a Barret 50 Cal Sniper Rifle they are rather expensive and hard to conceal!!

[Yosemitest]

It's better to be alive and po' with an excellent home defense weapon, than po' and bleeding to death.
Practice takes away danger.
We fight like we play.

[TigersEye]

Great post! Bookmarked. I knew a little about Swiss gun ownership and military service but that thorough rendition is excellent.

[Yosemitest]

Pass along the info to your friends and shut down the liberals with this recommendation.

[Nailbiter]

ping