I've lurked on this forum ever since my Grandfather passed his old 1911 to me and I needed some info on it. Ive watched the paranoia build around here in the last few months, and frankly, as a gun owner I'm embarrassed by the extreme attitudes here about universal background checks, assault weapons and high capacity magazines. Our country was founded on common sense and compromise. We are facing an epidemic of gun violence in this country and I believe its time for some common sense action and compromise.
Now, before yall crucify me as some kinda gun grabbing liberal hippie from Kommiefornia. I'm an Okie through and through, I'm a member of a local church, registered Republican, I hunt and have been shooting since I was a kid. I'm also passing this tradition on to my son. Hell, I'm probably somebody here's neighbor and coworker.
Here's what I don't understand:
Opposition to Universal Background Checks.
I think everyone agrees that violent felons and the mentally unstable should not be allowed to purchase firearms. So why the opposition to univeral background checks? Any gangbanger, lunatic or digruntled husband/wife/coworker with a criminal history can go to a private seller and "lie and buy". It happens at gunshows, it happens on armslist and it probably happens HERE. The Brady campaign just sued armslist because a person who would have failed a simple NICS call in was able to buy a pistol and used it in a murder. This is basic stuff, call it a loophole, call it what you want but UBCs would have saved that life. If your're a law abiding citizen able to buy a firearm why do you care about a 2 minute background check? UBCs WILL SAVE LIVES, be it from suicide or murder. This isn't a "compromise" or "infringement" this is just common sense. If you don't want the insane and criminal to have guns the first step is to NOT LET THEM BUY THEM! Close the private sale loophole. I'll pay an FFL the $20 or whatever for a transfer to be able to sleep better at night that the person I sold my gun to isn't a felon or insane.
High Capacity Magazine Ban.
This is a compromise we can all live with. The supreme court has already ruled that the second amendment is not unlimited. We don't get fighter jets and machine guns. I think we also don't need 100 round drum mags and 30 round handgun magazines. 7+1 in .45 was good enough for my Grandfather and its good enough for me...multiple threats you say? I know how to reload. Let's face it huge capacity mags don't make anyone any safer. They just make it easier for the occasional mass shooter to rack up a higher kill count. While somewhat rare, these events are becoming more common and the bodycounts are getting bigger. I can't help but draw these obvious conclusion that there is a correlation between the ever larger body counts and AWB/high cap ban expiring. When Columbine shooting occurred high cap mags were banned and Dylan and Eric used 10 round mags in their Hipoint carbine. How much worse would columbine have been if they had carried the same number of 30 round mags? 300% worse by my math...
I also don't get the fear about an AWB we all lived through the last one, and people who wanted assault weapons could still buy the "preban" guns. So what's the big deal? I get it, you like your Patriot Rifle and don't want to give it up. However, NO ONE IS GONNA TAKE YOUR AR15 OR AK AWAY! Again, common sense, there are already plenty of assault weapons out there for the people who want them. We don't need any more new military style weapons flooding our (and mexicos) streets. Do you really think your "patriot Rifle" will do you one bit of good against a tyranical government when they can put a drone/missile through your window from two states away? Get real.
It's time for the gun community to follow in the steps of our founding fathers and embrace common sense and compromise.
Now, before yall crucify me as some kinda gun grabbing liberal hippie from Kommiefornia. I'm an Okie through and through, I'm a member of a local church, registered Republican, I hunt and have been shooting since I was a kid. I'm also passing this tradition on to my son. Hell, I'm probably somebody here's neighbor and coworker.
Here's what I don't understand:
Opposition to Universal Background Checks.
I think everyone agrees that violent felons and the mentally unstable should not be allowed to purchase firearms. So why the opposition to univeral background checks? Any gangbanger, lunatic or digruntled husband/wife/coworker with a criminal history can go to a private seller and "lie and buy". It happens at gunshows, it happens on armslist and it probably happens HERE. The Brady campaign just sued armslist because a person who would have failed a simple NICS call in was able to buy a pistol and used it in a murder. This is basic stuff, call it a loophole, call it what you want but UBCs would have saved that life. If your're a law abiding citizen able to buy a firearm why do you care about a 2 minute background check? UBCs WILL SAVE LIVES, be it from suicide or murder. This isn't a "compromise" or "infringement" this is just common sense. If you don't want the insane and criminal to have guns the first step is to NOT LET THEM BUY THEM! Close the private sale loophole. I'll pay an FFL the $20 or whatever for a transfer to be able to sleep better at night that the person I sold my gun to isn't a felon or insane.
High Capacity Magazine Ban.
This is a compromise we can all live with. The supreme court has already ruled that the second amendment is not unlimited. We don't get fighter jets and machine guns. I think we also don't need 100 round drum mags and 30 round handgun magazines. 7+1 in .45 was good enough for my Grandfather and its good enough for me...multiple threats you say? I know how to reload. Let's face it huge capacity mags don't make anyone any safer. They just make it easier for the occasional mass shooter to rack up a higher kill count. While somewhat rare, these events are becoming more common and the bodycounts are getting bigger. I can't help but draw these obvious conclusion that there is a correlation between the ever larger body counts and AWB/high cap ban expiring. When Columbine shooting occurred high cap mags were banned and Dylan and Eric used 10 round mags in their Hipoint carbine. How much worse would columbine have been if they had carried the same number of 30 round mags? 300% worse by my math...
I also don't get the fear about an AWB we all lived through the last one, and people who wanted assault weapons could still buy the "preban" guns. So what's the big deal? I get it, you like your Patriot Rifle and don't want to give it up. However, NO ONE IS GONNA TAKE YOUR AR15 OR AK AWAY! Again, common sense, there are already plenty of assault weapons out there for the people who want them. We don't need any more new military style weapons flooding our (and mexicos) streets. Do you really think your "patriot Rifle" will do you one bit of good against a tyranical government when they can put a drone/missile through your window from two states away? Get real.
It's time for the gun community to follow in the steps of our founding fathers and embrace common sense and compromise.
