Posted on 02/02/2003 8:22:34 AM PST by DGallandro
The Gun Control movement is about manipulating public opinion away from the truth. The truth is boring, common-sense stuff; Hardly the fodder for the emotionally-charged pleas for disarmament that the Gun Control movement is famous for. Here are some of the things they'd have you believe:
Gun Control would have you believe, through portrayal in movies and TV shows of late, that a firearm is too dangerous for the ordinary citizen to possess. They advocate portrayal of accidents and irresponsible behavior, holding this up as the "model" for all firearms owners. This causes those who are easily swayed by visual media to say things like "I don't want a GUN in my house!" Because they believe that a firearm will make them appear irresponsible and foolish, and no one wants that.
The truth is that firearms owners, the same folks who have jumped through the federal paperwork, the waiting periods, the stupid local ordinances, and other obstacles these well-meaning Gun Control folks have placed in their way, are by and large some of the safest, most responsible, law-following people in the country. We have to be. We've been villainized by the Gun Control folks for so long, we are VERY careful as a whole to try to make sure none of us makes a mistake that can be publicized. Criminals, as you may see, are the last bastion of "bad examples" the Gun Control movement has left, because Criminals don't care if we, the responsible gun owners, get screwed.
But the awful part about this is that it shows what the Gun Control movement thinks of you, the ordinary citizen. If what they say is true, that a firearm is too dangerous for an ordinary citizen to possess, then You, the Ordinary Citizen, are an undisciplined, ignorant moron who cannot take care of herself. Only by being "government certified" are you elevated above that lowly, peon state into "exalted, privileged, permit-carrying Responsible Person". So in essence the Gun Control movement insults everyone in this country, saying in essence, "We believe the general population too stupid to take care of themselves."
How does this make you feel, as part of that population they think so little of?
Gun Control would have you believe, again through portrayal in movies and TV shows, and the news, that in order to have less violence, this country must have fewer guns. To them it's an "obvious" situation: Less Guns = Less Crime. And for the simple-minded person, that equation works just fine.
The truth is that we have little to fear from our fellow honest citizens with guns. Those who have done the paperwork, and the background check, and sometimes a psych profile, just to get that gun, are NOT a threat to you, me, or any other ordinary citizen on the street. Those honest folks are taking responsibility for their own lives and well-being, and they want a tool that will help them accomplish this; A tool that can mean the difference between life and death for their loved ones and themselves. Most firearms are purchased for protection or for legitimate sporting purposes, not crimes. And the Gun Control folks get very upset when they are shown, time and time again, where ordinary folks like you and me manage to prevent a violent crime merely by HAVING a gun, let alone killing a poor, underprivileged scumbag whose only fault was that he chose an ARMED VICTIM. Yet if you DO defend yourself or your loved one successfully, suddenly it's YOU who is the bad guy, on trial for deterring or killing that "misunderstood" criminal who threatened your life, the life of your loved ones, tried to kill you, or rape your wife. Suddenly, when it's convenient for them, the Gun Control folks will try to call YOU the criminal, based upon your ownership of your firearm. Again, Criminals become the "bad example", and the Gun Control folks try very hard to link the criminal mentality with firearms, as if Joe Normal Citizen goes into a gun store, buys a .38 and suddenly he's an armed robber or other dangerous menace to the public at large.
Because the awful part of this one is that the Gun Control folks deliberately do not discern between the criminals with guns on the streets and the general population with guns. To them, more guns = bad no matter who has them, because to them, you are NO BETTER than the scumbag criminals who rob and murder people. In essence the gun control movement is saying that we are a country of scumbag criminals who shouldn't have guns.
Again, how does that make you feel, knowing what the Gun Control folks really think of you?
Gun Control would have you believe that high-capacity magazines are inherently evil, and allow criminals to kill more people before reloading, and therefore must be legally restricted to law enforcement and Military folks only. Their favorite saying is "If you need more than 10 you probably shouldn't be carrying a gun anyway."
The truth is that crime happens all over. It can happen to ANYONE. And here's another news flash: Many criminals do NOT act alone. Sure, if you need TEN shots for a SINGLE target, perhaps you are spending too much time wasting your life instead of practicing how to defend it. But what about the all-too-common multiple-attacker scenario? Three assailants? A home invasion? Or how about just two muggers in the dark part of a parking lot? Do you honestly think that under stress, you can incapacitate both of them before they get you? Remember that after you shoot THEM, they're SAFE from you because the law protects them from YOU, the honest citizen, who waits around for the police to show up and you go through the legal meat grinder of a justified self-defense shooting. But if they shoot YOU...there is nothing left to protect you. They are already breaking the law. It's nothing for them to kill you and leave no witnesses. The truth is that under that kind of stress, YOU WILL MISS. And you as the honest citizen cannot afford to lose. Even if the bad guy gets shot, he still wins, because he will still be alive to sue you and let the prison system support him. But you, the honest Joe on the street, need every advantage you can get because when it becomes time for you to employ your gun, you have no other options and when you are out of bullets, you are dead.
The awful part about this one is that the Gun Control folks would put you in an impossible situation. First, they say you're an undisciplined lout. Then they say you're a criminal. Now they claim to know exactly what you need to defend yourself because they seem to know you so well as to deeply understand your personal proficiency with a firearm, and they have decreed that you're so good (even though you're an undisciplined criminal, remember?) that you only need 10 shots to protect yourself under any circumstances. The cops, of course, and the military, are exempt from such restrictions, because the Gun Control people know that better-trained people need MORE bullets to get the same job done. Wait...how does that work again?
I don't know about you, but the more these Gun Control folks talk, less sense they make to me.
Gun Control would have you believe that a rifle with tactical accessories is inherently evil, suited only for law enforcement use. They call them "assault weapons" and take it upon themselves to decide who is "authorized" to have such evil items, implying that those folks who use these evil things don't actually LIKE them, but use them because that's part of their job.
The truth is that cops love toys. The bigger and badder, the better. Tactical this and super-assault that. And you know what? Your average Joe Citizen likes nice stuff, too. Those of us in the civilian world like our toys as much as the cops do. It's an ego thing, we like stuff that looks "cool." That doesn't make us evil, or dangerous. It just makes us human. It's pride of ownership, of going to the range and saying "hey, check ME out! I've got an evil pre-ban assault weapon! Bet that just drives the Gun Control Nuts absolutely crazy!" Many of us own those "ewww icky bad evil no-no" tactical rifles JUST BECAUSE IT IRRITATES THE GUN CONTROL NUTS. Others of us own them because we are either former law-enforcement or military, and are familiar with them. And still others own them because they are designed to take more abuse than their commercial counterparts. The military-style rifles in production today are no different than rifles manufactured by other companies around the world, except they're more durable, have a combat-proven reliability, and they look "cool". But the Gun Control folks try very hard to equate "cool" with "psycho", and thus "dangerous to the public."
In essence, Gun Control doesn't have any viable reason to "ban" anything except because of the "mentality it promotes". It's a gun, people. It's not good, bad, or anything. It's an INANIMATE OBJECT. Yes, it's designed to kill. Very efficiently. And it's the only thing I know of on this Earth that will protect my 77-year-old grandma from a 20-year-old "misunderstood" thug. But in essence the gun control movement is saying that we are a country of Rambo-wannabes who shouldn't have anything that even LOOKS "bad".
Just exactly when did we appoint the Gun Control people into a position of power over OUR LIVES?
In 1994, when you and I validated all those fallacies above by letting them pass that stupid "Assault Weapon" bill into law. I voted my Senator out of office after that one, and a lot of you did, too.
The Gun Control folks would have you believe that the "Assault Weapon" bill passed unanimously.
The truth is it barely passed at all. That means we, the general public, were just BARELY ignorant enough to allow it through.
Let's not be ignorant again. Make sure your congressman knows exactly how you feel about useless, feel-good legislation that amounts to someone else making decisions for you that isn't qualified to pour water out of a boot with instructions on the heel, instead of you.
Take control of your own life. Tell those meddling twits to go control their OWN guns, not ours.
It may very well be our last chance to retain our freedom.
ABSOLUTELY!!! Truer words were never written.
Why are we constitutionally allowed to carry arms?
Why do those who want guns out of our hands REALLY want gun control?
For those who don't believe this; we already have knife control, fingernail clippers control, knitting needle control, and coming soon - travel control.
Weep for the Republic. For we are turning into sheep herded by cowards.
I think the political climate indicates a much more aggressive approach by demanding restoration of the right to keep and bear arms. Those wishing to prove they are nice guys will compromise all our rights away, a little at a time, showing the opposition they are really good chaps and proving to me the Constitution is secondary to their "nice guy" image.
If it's going well I add that nobody wants to return to the days of back alley gun sales. Since most gun control advocates are on the left and hold abortion "rights" to be damn-near sacred, it's fun to watch them try to pick apart my statements.
Try this approach, it's a lot of fun!
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