Posted on 06/11/2006 8:41:04 AM PDT by Conservative Goddess
I have a terrible confession to make. You see, even though I am not a hunter, never really considered Charlton Heston a very good actor and only recently joined the NRA—mainly so I could wear their cap and annoy my liberal acquaintances—I have no objection to my fellow citizens owning guns.
Understand, I am referring to decent, law-abiding people who realize that this is a rather violent society and that the police can't be everywhere at once. Without weapons, how are people supposed to protect themselves from rapists, killers and home invaders?
With a kazillion guns already in circulation, Brady Bill or no Brady Bill, I'm afraid we'll never again see the day that criminals have to make do with rocks and sharp sticks.
Oddly enough, it's often the very same people who get irate about their neighbors having the means to defend themselves who are the folks most opposed to mandatory sentences for gun-toting felons. It's as if they're against the possession of guns by amateurs but hate the idea of denying professionals the necessary tools of their trade.
However politically correct one chooses to be, the fact remains that in those states where people are allowed to carry weapons crime statistics plummet. And for once, statistics are borne out by common sense. After all, if you're a punk looking to mug someone, it figures you'll think twice if there's a good chance your intended victim is better armed than you.
But where guns are concerned, statistics and common sense rarely have the power to sway a liberal’s opinion. They simply won’t accept the idea that guns are ever used defensively to safeguard the innocent. So far as they’re concerned, the Founding Fathers were all drunk the day they drafted that part of the Bill of Rights having to do with bearing arms.
In terms of public relations, I think it would be wise if just once when some kid blasts a schoolmate Michael Moore and the rest of the anti-gun crowd didn't take such obvious delight in using the incident to beat the opposition over the head. In a nation of 300 million people, probably close to 10 percent of whom are here illegally, bad stuff is going to happen. It's a rotten shame, but it's unavoidable. Believe me, schoolyard bullies and math exams are a far bigger source of terror to most of our kids.
There is conclusive proof that the anti-gun zealots are less concerned with the safety of young people than they are with their own holy mission; otherwise, they would put guns on the back burner and concentrate, instead, on getting teenagers off the road. In a country where millions of adolescents are encouraged to start driving cars—cars fueled by a deadly mixture of gasoline and high-octane hormones—one can only laugh at the anti-gun crowd's pretense that public safety is their number one priority.
The battle, for the most part, comes down to liberals vs. conservatives. As usual, liberals turn their backs on common sense, preferring to appear compassionate.
Because they are stuck with an agenda, liberals are forced to parrot anti-gun propaganda even when, like the late columnist Carl Rowan and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, they, themselves, are discovered to be packing heat. And surely I wasn't the only person who yawned when Sharon Stone made such a big deal out of turning in her three roscoes. The point might have been made more forcefully if her bodyguards had turned in their artillery.
Do I think everyone should have a gun? Of course not. But is that something that keeps me up nights? Hardly.
Of far greater concern to me are the yahoos driving around in those lethal, over-sized, gas-guzzling, lane-straddling sport-utility vehicles. Armed with a feisty attitude and a few tons of steel, every soccer mom has become a full-fledged menace to society. I swear, there are more tanks to be found in the parking lot at the local supermarket than Gen. George Patton had to face during the entire North African campaign.
Burt Prelutsky has been a humor columnist for the L.A. Times and a movie critic for Los Angeles magazine. He is the author of Conservatives are from Mars (Liberals are from San Francisco).
Gun control is like trying to reduce drunk driving by making it tougher for sober people to own cars.
We had a state legeslator (guess which party) suggest that all cars in NM should have brethalyzer interlocks installed.
This couldn't me more true to me. I have to go to the funeral home today for one of our employees only child. 17 year old daughter.
LOL...That's a great analogy. Wasn't it Jesse "The Body" Ventura who said: "My idea of gun control is two slugs through the same hole." Now that's my idea of proper gun control!!!
Badray, check out # 2.......great analogy there.
Oh mercy......prayers for the family. That hits real clost to home.....my daughter is 17.
Dangit! Another fuel additive. No wonder the old van is running a little rough...
Thought you might like this - PING!!!
[Mr] T
That's brilliant.
Thanks for posting this article. It's great.
In New Mexico, that's perfectly reasonable.
[I've lived there; I'm entitled to joke.]
Lemme put down my beer and reply. ;)
The government can not deport the illegal aliens but I bet the Liberals would vote to consficate about 300,000,000 firearms in a blink of a eye. Why that would be easy. Bet they would makes all owners felons. Ya think.
Good point........we can't track down and deport the millions of illegals....but we can track down and confiscate all the evil guns. riiiiight. And I'm guessing we wouldn't get any AMNESTY for possession of an evil gun, now would we????
All the crime control talk is just one excuse to try and disarm the people.
Gun control has and always will be about people control.
Disarm the people and you can control them leave them armed and you can not control them.
Something to keep in mind is that in the days of rocks and sharp sticks, the thugs ruled. Firearms makes things a lot more equal for people who want to just live in peace with their neighbors.
"Of far greater concern to me are the yahoos driving around in those lethal, over-sized, gas-guzzling, lane-straddling sport-utility vehicles. Armed with a feisty attitude and a few tons of steel, every soccer mom has become a full-fledged menace.."
Amen. I drive a small sedan, and it used to be just the wild eyed punks and gang bangers who would come up behind me in menacing fashion to make love to my Chevy's tailpipe. Now I often look back and I see an SUV driving woman with a cell phone growing out of her ear.
Excellent tagline material! (And it fits.)
Agreed! Honorary Tagline in the next Taglinus.
Thanks for the heads up.
One of ours wanted to get guns out of the hands of drunk drivers.
I heard it and I still can't figure it out.
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