We often anti-rights people asking what we’re so afraid of carrying around guns, or keeping rifles for defense. Still reading this quote from Joan Peterson of the Brady Campaign and the Joyce Foundation riffing on this interesting article:
Somehow I don’t think knowing that every shop owner had a loaded AK-47 behind the counter would make me feel any safer while shopping.
Well Joan what are you doing while shopping? This is a key point for every gun-control activist I know of. They are pro-criminals, or criminals themselves. Joan herself gives every defense in the world for her criminally insane and violent brother-in-law, so that she can blame a gun for her sister’s death. Many of her allies on her blog admit to criminal behavior, or are comprised of mostly criminals, or simply give the criminal element every doubt to their violent acts, in favor of persecuting those who are simply defending themselves.
When I shop I’m not stealing, disturbing the peace, or doing illegal drugs. I don’t support violent mobs or riots. If the shop keeper has an AK behind the counter, I have NOTHING to fear…especially when you look at the numbers. The more guns that are out there the LESS likely they are to be used for anything bad.
But maybe the anti-gun types have something legitimate to fear. That’s a good reason for me to carry a gun too, because Anti-Gun people are out there, and they promote antisocial behaviors.
She went so far as to mention that the Bible doesn’t mention “gun rights” (duh!). Had to comment to her on that, but used nicer/gentler words. I guess she never learned to look for a message and not take the text too literally. Besides, the Good Lord advocates self-defense as a last resort (by most readings), so mentioning the Bible as an authority on “gun rights” doesn’t help her argument at all.
That level of ignorance was just too much for me to deal with. Of course the Bible speaks quite often of swords, daggers, slings and arrows, and other implements of war, personal defense, and game gathering, not to mention use of those implements for war, defensive violence, and upholding the law of the land by people favored by God.
But of course if gunpowder wasn’t invented at the time of Christ, so we can’t talk about it. I’ll note that Jesus didn’t have a blog or a twitter feed either…..
I didn’t realize Joan approved your comment (she approved one of mine too, first one I’ve posted in months, and approved! She’s in an odd move indeed)
Excellent job at getting her on the retreat. As a non-Christian I try to leave discussions of the bible to those of true faith. Nothing pisses me off more than hearing Atheists quote the bible (most often out of context or improperly) to support their agenda, or to admonish the faithful. So disrespectful.
Not that I don’t treat holy texts with respect, but its not really my place.
I’d made one more comment Saturday afternoon, which as of this writing (Sunday night), she hasn’t approved. I don’t think she will, honestly. The first part spoke to her comment about thinking myself virtuous for doing what “Jesus” tells me. In my opinion, following a calling from God is virtuous by definition (and what kind of person would think otherwise, really?). I believe “the family” is the most basic unit of society, and it’s my responsibility as a husband and father – my calling – to protect it. I think she’ll see that as another religious argument and reject it.
Her command to “Remember- don’t ever argue about religion and politics” amused me. For the record, her original post mentioned the Bible, and I wasn’t arguing, just discussing. I thought I was being totally “reasonable” in my “discourse” (that one’s for you, Thirdpower). Then the ever-common “this thread is going nowhere” comment, which I take to mean it’s going nowhere for her. I could go on all day.
I normally don’t engage on the religious arguments, either, but her post rubbed me just the wrong way….
I love her conclusion “Neither of us are theologians so let’s not discuss it” followed by the usual character attacks, strawmen and insults.
Reasoned discourse at its finest.
That is a good point. If you aren’t trying to steal from or harm a shopkeeper who has a gun, why fear the gun? It isn’t like he shoots every third customer.
The only rational argument is more guns = more accidents, or maybe more guns = more heated arguments that turn into gunfights.
But the data just isn’t there. Gun accidents keep shrinking, and are frankly just about statistical noise at this point. Arguments and disputes either turn violent or they don’t, and as reading the “Gun Death?” files over here, or at your site (Keep it up, my email box is flooded, there’s more than enough to go around, sadly) the tool is 100% irrelevant.
But when you look at the ties of the anti-gun groups and the criminal elements (BTW read the Brady Twitter feed, 90% of their re-tweets are from inner-city youth who also talk about various illegal and gang-related acts) a more logical answer starts to take shape….
Weerd my friend, if the antis cared about data and paid attention to actual facts they wouldn’t be antis.
Hence why I’m a FORMER anti.
I suppose the anti-gun reasoning for whipping out bible references is that they think gun rights supporters are all bible thumpers. Their line of thinking might go that if they can co-opt the bible for their cause they might turn a few people over to their side.
Fact is the bit where Jesus tells his disciples to buy swords is completely unambiguous. He didn’t say, knife, or axe, implements that have utilitarian functions as well as being weapons, he said swords. Swords are weapons and nothing else, just like a gun in that respect. Now if Jesus was the son of God, he would have known his destiny was at hand, and that his disciples were going to be without him soon, hence the buy swords bit. You don’t have to a theology scholar or or even a Christian to suss that out for yourself. I’ll not even bring up the part about Jesus and the money changers in the temple.
Assuming Joan or anyone else goes to a church that subscribes to a pacifist interpretation of the bible, that hardly matters. Your religious views have no bearing on the legal interpretation of the second amendment. If one sect of a religion gets to dictate public policy, then by all means after you have expunged the second amendment, go tell the supporters of gay marriage and abortion that the jig is up and all of our laws are going to be dictated by various members of whatever God squad that has a religious view of particular public policies.
“She went so far as to mention that the Bible doesn’t mention “gun rights” ”
Interesting. That’s the same kind of argument the Taliban use.
“If one sect of a religion gets to dictate public policy, then by all means after you have expunged the second amendment….
Not only the Second, but the First as well.
Buckeye firearms just sent out their newsletter with a great video of a shopkeeper who is threatened by a robber with a knife. The shopkeeper pulls out a pistol and hilarity ensues (he does not shoot but the thief bolts out of the store faster than a racehorse).
http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/node/7982
If he had an AK47, the thief probably have shit himself. I’m sure Joan would have liked the clerk to just hand over the money and not fight back.