Posted on 12/23/2012 8:57:15 PM PST by neverdem
In the days after the horrific tragedy in Newtown, Conn., I made it clear that I believe it is time for us to move from rhetoric to action to prevent future acts of senseless mass violence.
Since then, much has been made of those comments — some of it accurately reflecting what I said, some not. Because I am an A-rated, lifelong member of the National Rifle Association and a proud defender of the Second Amendment, some people viewed my comments as a tipping point in the debate about guns in America.
The true tipping point, of course, is what happened in that elementary school on Dec. 14 — the unimaginable slaughter of 20 children and the teachers and staff members who were defending them. When children die tragically, it rips at our very hearts. Even in our grief, we demand a reckoning.
That reckoning is now upon us, and we owe it to those children and their families to take it seriously. As a nation, we must reconsider the treatment of the mentally ill. We must challenge a popular culture that accepts stomach-churning violence in our movies and video games. We must look at the use of high-capacity ammunition magazines and military-style assault weapons.
Committed gun owners like me can and must listen to reasonable ideas about preventing mass violence. But whatever steps we take must be comprehensive — and must bring the entertainment industry and mental health community to the table. We cannot snap our fingers, push one-track legislation that focuses exclusively on guns and pat ourselves on the back. Such an approach certainly won’t fare well in Congress. More important, it won’t fully address the problem...
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Is Joe up for reelection in 10 ?
Time to find a real conservative to run against him.
Not until 2018, unfortunately.
“I don’t know anyone that needs 30 rounds in a clip to go hunting. I mean, these are things that need to be talked about.”
another knee jerk idiot trying to confuse people with hunting instead of tyranny prevention...lets talk you resign...you broke your oath.
I don’t hunt at all, Joe.
My guns are for criminals and tyrants.
I do not want or need you representing me or my rights any longer, because you are a dishonest person.
You are fired.
Tyranny prevention AND Self Defense.
Anyone claiming you do not need High Capacity Ammunition Magazines for Self Defense is clearly lying on behalf of the gun grabbing agenda, IMO.
Munchkin is history in WVA.. Bye Bye girly man.
Was the CT slaughter an epic tragedy? Absolutely. Is slaughtering more than a million alive children a tragedy? Apparently, not to too many of these exploitative politiwhores like Joe.
The NRA needs to downgrade this mental slug to an F- rating.
By all means, Joe. Let's look at their use.
Do promise us, though, that you won't break out in a sweat when the data shows that mililtary-style assault weapons" (as you so fear mongeringly put it) are used in less homicides than handguns or knives.
Yeah, I really do not get these fools.
Do they think every person who buys a gun is a hunter and purchasing that gun to hunt with?
Not too many people hunt with pistols. Tactical shotguns are generally not for duck hunting.
The .223 round is generally not considered effective for large game.
I am rapidly losing my love for represenative government, because I do not need some dishonest moron to represent me at all.
Any politicans that attack the 2nd amendment in any way or attempt to infringe upon the right of the people to bear arms is an enemy of freedom.
Maybe Joe can convince congress to have a meaningful discussion on vehicle capacity. Minivans are high capacity vehicles. Therefore they must be more dangerous to the general public than two seat roadster type vehicles.
I read somewhere the other day that an astonishing 2% of that staggering 358 deaths by rifle were by rifles fitting the so-called “assault weapon” description. Amazing. Why haven’t we trampled 300 million peoples’ Constitutionally protected rights and spit on the graves of all who have fought and died to protect those rights before now?
A West Virginia Pro Gun Rights group protested in front of Manchins office in Charleston on Saturday. I was glad to have been a part of it. https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/WVCDL/
http://www.wvgazette.com/News/201212220108?page=1
The CDC recorded in 2008, a total of 2,471,984 resident deaths in the United States.
Deaths, by the numbers:
Abortion: 825,564 (1.2 million estimated by the National Right to Life)
Heart disease: 616,828
Cronic respiratory disease: 141,090
Diabetes: 70,553
Pneumonia: 54,562
Motor-vehicle Accidents: 39,790
Septicemia (infection): 35,927
Accidental poisoning and exposure to noxious substances: 31,116
Falls: 24,013
Intentional self-harm (suicide) by discharge of firearms: 18,223
Intentional self-harm (suicide) by other: 17,812
Alcoholic liver disease: 14,864
Emphysema: 12,448
Intestinal infections: 7,876
Viral hepatitis: 7,629 (more than were murdered with handguns)
Assault (homicide) by other: 5,649
Accidental drowning: 3,548
Malnutrition: 2,760
Influenza: 1,722
Accidental discharge of firearms: 592
(FBI Data) Murders with firearms: 8,775
(FBI Data) Murders with handguns: 6,009
(FBI Data) Murders with knives: 1,704
(FBI Data) Murders where the offender had multiple victims: 759
(FBI Data) Murders with personal weapons (hands, fits & feet): 745
(FBI Data) Murders with blunt objects like clubs & hammers: 540
(FBI Data) Murders with rifles: 358
In 2008 and 2009, gun homicide was the leading cause of death among black teens.
Young black males die from gun violence at a rate 2.5 times higher than Latino males, and eight times higher than white males. Gun injuries are suffered by black teens at a rate ten times higher than white teens.
Along with the statistic that, since gun laws started being liberalized in the early 1990s, the murder rate has dropped by two thirds.
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