Why is gun control so difficult in the US?

Sometimes I wonder if the left is honestly afraid of what they would do with a gun. Poor impulse control, etc.
And yet arming teachers - famous for lefty leanings - in children's classrooms, simultaneously seems like a good idea to you. Cognitive dissonance, here we come.

But rest easy - it's just ordinary vanity, for most of the left. We don't want to parade around with one of those things for the same reason we don't wear rhinestone studded cowboy hats indoors in Ohio (outside of a gay bar), or hang truck nuts off the bumpers of our cars. We've seen what that looks like, and we're too proud.

Plus, they're a pain in the ass. I've even seen guys canoe camp with the damn things - and after watching somebody with a canoe on their head portage a useless waterproofed weirdly shaped deadweight chunk of metal up and down over the rocks and under the branches and through the root-blocked clay based moose trails of Quetico for a couple of weeks, the sheer insanity of burdening oneself like that comes into sharp focus. Sure, the ascetics and mystics of this world claim value in self-mortification and self-handicapping, as a trial and tribulation leading to enlightenment, but I don't think this is how it's done.
 
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Sometimes I wonder if the left is honestly afraid of what they would do with a gun. Poor impulse control, etc..
It's not like Democrats don't have guns at all, we just advocate for reasonable control of them. If the idea was to be able to fight the government, lack of full autos and artillery prove that wrong. I think the legitimate uses of a gun are self defense, hunting, and sport. So we don't need weapons of war and their clones. If we did, it wouldn't be to hard to raid an existing armory, assuming it were a popular movement and not a fringe act. You don't need the law on your side if you intend to overthrow the lawmakers. And a popular movement can use non-violent means, as Gandhi and Dr. King have shown.
 
So we don't need weapons of war and their clones.
I understand your view, but I've known people who were simply collectors, collectors of military hardware. None of them had a mean bone. I think this is where I have a problem, that responsible people should be penalized for the actions of a few.
 
I understand your view, but I've known people who were simply collectors, collectors of military hardware. None of them had a mean bone. I think this is where I have a problem, that responsible people should be penalized for the actions of a few.
But that's true of every law out there. Drunk driving laws penalize safe, responsible drivers who know their limits. Leash laws penalize people with well trained dogs. Health regulations penalize responsible restaurant owners. Part of living in any society is trading off the rights of the individual for protection of society.
 
I understand your view, but I've known people who were simply collectors, collectors of military hardware. None of them had a mean bone. I think this is where I have a problem, that responsible people should be penalized for the actions of a few.
The argument that teenagers have to be permitted the possession of working assault rifles in order to allow a few collectors to assemble a complete museum set is not going to survive the public discussion.
Responsible people would not put their neighbors at the kind of risk they currently face.
. If the idea was to be able to fight the government, lack of full autos and artillery prove that wrong.
No, it doesn't. That's a strawman argument.

You don't have to fight the government's army, head on, to provide an almost insurmountable obstacle of armed citizens to imposition of oppressive rule by one's own government. You only have to be able to neutralize death squads and the like - small scale terrorist outfits.
 
To what end? Even the French resistance didn't end Nazi rule over France. It took a full scale invasion.
 
Right. So? If you think the solution to a political problem is to buy a gun, a psychiatrist is a better solution than actually buying a gun.
Did I say anything like that? I really don't think so. Sounds like a complete straw man.
Can you really not understand that is an answer to spidergoat's seeming worries?
If you're actually worried about armed tyranny, only arms will safeguard you.
But yes, that kind of fear of your fellow citizens is cause for seeing a psychiatrist.
Sometimes I wonder if the left is honestly afraid of what they would do with a gun. Poor impulse control, etc.
Why do you think that? From what we've seen so far, right wing extremists are a much bigger risk for gun violence.
That doesn't seem to jibe with reality.
If leftists aren't afraid of what they would do with a gun, then I can only assume they actually think guns have nefarious motives of their own.
Another reason to consult a psychiatrist.
Sometimes I wonder if the left is honestly afraid of what they would do with a gun. Poor impulse control, etc.
And yet arming teachers - famous for lefty leanings - in children's classrooms, simultaneously seems like a good idea to you. Cognitive dissonance, here we come.
I said lefties might be afraid, not that I was. Try reading what is written, instead of making it up yourself. In my experience, people who legally own and learn to properly use guns are generally extremely aware of the inherent responsibility. I assume leftists would approach guns with the same gravity as anyone else.
But rest easy - it's just ordinary vanity, for most of the left. We don't want to parade around with one of those things for the same reason we don't wear rhinestone studded cowboy hats indoors in Ohio (outside of a gay bar), or hang truck nuts off the bumpers of our cars. We've seen what that looks like, and we're too proud.
Parading around with a gun (open carry) isn't the best idea. Unless you're trying to make a statement, concealed carry is tactically much better.
Plus, they're a pain in the ass. I've even seen guys canoe camp with the damn things - and after watching somebody with a canoe on their head portage a useless waterproofed weirdly shaped deadweight chunk of metal up and down over the rocks and under the branches and through the root-blocked clay based moose trails of Quetico for a couple of weeks, the sheer insanity of burdening oneself like that comes into sharp focus. Sure, the ascetics and mystics of this world claim value in self-mortification and self-handicapping, as a trial and tribulation leading to enlightenment, but I don't think this is how it's done.
Sounds like you've only seen ostentatious carriers. But that's the point of concealment. You'd never know unless told.
It's not like Democrats don't have guns at all, we just advocate for reasonable control of them. If the idea was to be able to fight the government, lack of full autos and artillery prove that wrong. I think the legitimate uses of a gun are self defense, hunting, and sport. So we don't need weapons of war and their clones. If we did, it wouldn't be to hard to raid an existing armory, assuming it were a popular movement and not a fringe act. You don't need the law on your side if you intend to overthrow the lawmakers. And a popular movement can use non-violent means, as Gandhi and Dr. King have shown.
Self-defense, but not for teachers to protect students?
Yes, Democrats just want to keep guns out of the hands of the poor.
When it comes to voting rights, any obstacles outrage liberals; even free government-issued IDs are viewed as disenfranchising poor and disproportionately black people. But when it comes to the right to own a gun for self-defense, liberals don't hesitate to pile on fees, ID requirements, expensive training and onerous background checks.

That's too bad, because many law-abiding citizens in crime-ridden neighborhoods really do need a gun for self-defense. Since poor, urban blacks are the most likely victims of violent crime, there is little doubt that they stand to benefit the most from owning guns. Research, including my own, has demonstrated this.

A new report from the Crime Prevention Research Center shows that the average fee for a concealed handgun permit is $67, but it is much higher in the most Democratic states. Each 10-percentage-point increase in a state's presidential vote for Hillary Clinton was associated with an additional $30 in the concealed handgun permit fee. In California, where Clinton won by about 30 points, fees can be as high as $385 for just two years. In New York City, where she won by 60 points, a three-year permit costs $430.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/...rich-lott-perspec-0808-jm-20170807-story.html
 
I said lefties might be afraid, not that I was.
If you aren't wary of a fearful incompetent with a loaded firearm and poor impulse control, you're a fool. I just assumed you didn't intend to present yourself as a fool.
Parading around with a gun (open carry) isn't the best idea. Unless you're trying to make a statement, concealed carry is tactically much better.
Conceal carry was included.
It's a vanity thing - too much pride to join that crowd.
But that's the point of concealment. You'd never know unless told.
Sure. Cause it's a secret. But they can't keep a secret like that.
In my experience, people who legally own and learn to properly use guns are generally extremely aware of the inherent responsibility.
In my experience, the majority of amateur handgun carriers are fairly poor judges of proper and responsible use, and they get careless over time - which fits, since if they were sensible they wouldn't be carrying the things. Likewise the majority of deer hunters - ask rural landowners in deer country what hunting season is like. Of course there is the admirable minority - - - .
 
I understand your view, but I've known people who were simply collectors, collectors of military hardware. None of them had a mean bone. I think this is where I have a problem, that responsible people should be penalized for the actions of a few.
But that's a false assumption.
With proper registration a collector might well be permitted to own weapons of war. But if they also purchase 10,000 rounds of ammo for those "collector" items, it would raise a red flag in my mind.
 
But that's a false assumption.
With proper registration a collector might well be permitted to own weapons of war. But if they also purchase 10,000 rounds of ammo for those "collector" items, it would raise a red flag in my mind.
Perhaps you're right. I'm not certain. If we were to use that method to assess a potential risk, 100 rounds would be sufficient enough...even 50.
 
Perhaps you're right. I'm not certain. If we were to use that method to assess a potential risk, 100 rounds would be sufficient enough...even 50.
Right, that's why I advocate for registering the purchase of military weapons and munitions.

A black powder gun enthusiast has to register the purchase of a can of black powder, because black powder is an explosive, but a black powder gun can only shoot a single bullet and needs about 30 seconds to reload and prime for another single shot.

This, IMO, is the foundation of the Second Amendment which was written when such weapons were used by both military and civilians.

But those days have long gone.
Which poses the greater danger, a single shot black powder gun or an AR15 which can hold and fire a 100 rounds with much greater killing power in that same 30 seconds?

As a proponent of the Second Amendment, I definitely advocate for a second look at this outdated law, which now should require more specific language.
 
I've been an owner and shooter since 1965. I went to war in 1970 and swung .50s for a couple of years, until accumulated damage got to me. I'm "left" on the US spectrum. My guns were always safe.
 
I've been an owner and shooter since 1965. I went to war in 1970 and swung .50s for a couple of years, until accumulated damage got to me. I'm "left" on the US spectrum. My guns were always safe.
With your experience and knowledge of this devastating weapon of war would you advocate for or against the free unregulated sale of a .50 (even if modified to semi-automatic firing) to an 18 year old mentally unstable person?
 
With your experience and knowledge of this devastating weapon of war would you advocate for or against the free unregulated sale of a .50 (even if modified to semi-automatic firing) to an 18 year old mentally unstable person?
Seriously? I worked all summer in 1965 to get the privilege of firing a rifle. The one-legged Marine who trained me taught me to respect firearms and be wary of them.
 
With your experience and knowledge of this devastating weapon of war would you advocate for or against the free unregulated sale of a .50 (even if modified to semi-automatic firing) to an 18 year old mentally unstable person?
StrawMan2.jpg
 
A strawman argument is one where the poster makes claims the poster he's referring to never posted. Using a strawman argument is an acknowledgment that a person doesn't have a valid rebuttal of the other person's statements.
 
A strawman argument is one where the poster makes claims the poster he's referring to never posted. Using a strawman argument is an acknowledgment that a person doesn't have a valid rebuttal of the other person's statements.
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the free unregulated sale of a .50 (even if modified to semi-automatic firing) to an 18 year old mentally unstable person?
The pix seemed appropriate?
 
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The pix seemed appropriate?
Not a strawman argument because he asked me if I would advocate for or against. If he had said "I see you are advocating for the free unregulated sale..." it would be a strawman argument because I never said that.
 
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