Joan Peterson: Modern Don Quixote

Of course Don Quixote jousted with windmills he thought were giants, that fantasy is maybe too scary for her. Instead she debates with straw men she thinks are gun owners!

What is the logic in laws that allow people who shouldn’t get guns to get them anyway? What is the logic in making assault weapons seem like just any old gun used by hunters and recreational shooters? What kind of logic is it when laws are passed to let someone with a gun shoot someone when “feeling threatened” without being held responsible for the shooting? Do the rights of gun owners trump the rights of the public to be safe from senseless shootings? Shouldn’t laws be passed to protect the public instead of protecting the gun industry, the gun lobby and gun carriers?

Nobody is saying violent felons, and people involuntarily committed for mental illness should get guns, we’re talking about banning private sale, but more on that later. So-Called “Assault Weapons” ARE just “any old gun”, and they are used frequently by hunters and recreational shooters. Also nobody who shoots another person is held without responsibility in America PERIOD…again more on that later. And yeah we do need laws protecting gun owners because gun owners ARE THE PUBLIC!

“Common Sense” has become a JOKE in the gun-rights debate because you are so illogical and closed-minded Joan!

Let’s take conceal and carry laws for an example of the reasoning of the NRA. If we just but let anyone who doesn’t have a felony record get a gun permit, we will all be better off and safer and people will be able to protect themselves in public from some mythical threat. The facts don’t show anything of the kind. The facts, in fact, show the opposite. The Violence Policy Center is keeping track of conceal and carry permit holders who have killed people. The numbers are increasing and should be of concern. I refer often to the Ohh Shoot blog that highlights the number of accidental discharges of guns by law abiding gun owners all over America. It is not a pretty picture. Facts also show that there are few instances of permit holders using guns in public places to defend themselves against an actual threat. What we have seen instead are the increasingly numerous instances of permit holders purposely shooting people in public places.

Of course carry permits are at an all-time high, and agencies who issue permits are totally swamped with work…oh and violent crime in this nation is at a record low. But who are you going to trust, the FBI, the CDC, and the ATF, or the five people who work for the Joyce foundation running websites filled with errors and inconsistencies?

” Thompson said Ambrose wouldn’t have received a permit under the old discretionary process.” Indeed. That is a problem with the laws that took discretion out of the process of granting gun permits to people. Clearly this was a man who should not have been able to get a gun permit but he got one anyway thanks to the NRA and its push for “shall issue” conceal and carry laws in almost every state. Before this young man was shot to death by law enforcement, he endangered the lives of the public by brandishing his gun. Another tragedy was avoided. But what other young men who get their permits because everyone is doing it will cause the next public shooting? Who knows?

Here Joan is blabbing about a man who plead guilty to a minor possession charge and got two days in jail. TWO DAYS! And with this she wants it to be a yardstick for blanket denial of rights. Oh BTW when this particular bad apple acted up, he got killed for his behavior. Problem solved. Still Joan ignores that Police “Discretionary Processes” use no discretion at all. In all cases “May Issue” is simply “Shall Issue” or “No Issue” across the board. Police don’t have time to interview EVERY DAMN PERSON on the planet who asks for a permit who has a clean background. Instead they interview only the people who make a huge stink on crappy laws and injustice…and sometimes tell THOSE people to fly a kite! Sounds good to Joan! The only reason why she likes “May Issue” laws is because it at least denies SOME lawful citizens their rights….she’d prefer ALL, but that’ll come later!

The private sale loophole in our gun laws is illogical. Traveling Americans expect that they will be safer because everyone is treated the same when going through airport security. There are very good reasons for the security that has tightened since the attacks of 9-11. Everyone is treated the same at airport security lines. There are also very good reasons for requiring background checks on all gun sales. All gun sales should require the same background checks as are required by federally license firearms dealers. The incident linked above is proof positive.

Ok so first the “Terror Watch List” is bullshit, and mostly non-terrorists, as well as free of many KNOWN terrorists, and of course its fully outside the due-process of law. (Remember, anti-rights, not anti-gun!), but then there’s the whole ban on Private Sale that Joan wants. We talked about it recently here where the whole national system went down several times on black Friday due to large call volumes. The whole country! This of course is also not noting the fact that some gun shops charge HUGE fees for transfers, like DC where it costs $150 for the one shop in town to run a background check, or the simple logistics, like if two people live 100 miles from the nearest shop, and want to exchange a gun. There’s some logic for you, Joan. I expect you’ll continue to ignore it!

There had better be a good explanation for the actions taken by this “law abiding” gun collector. In Florida, of course, there is a Stand Your Ground Law now made famous by the Trayvon Martin shooting where George Zimmerman killed an unarmed teen ager over his fear that Martin was doing something wrong by walking around in a gated community.

Umm No! Well first George Zimmerman was arrested THAT NIGHT and investigated for murder, and released. He was later charged with murder for political reasons, and will likely be acquitted. Why? Well because your “logic” is a LIE Joan! George Zimmerman shot Trayvon Martin only AFTER Martin was ON TOP OF HIM AND BEATING HIS HEAD INTO THE PAVEMENT! We call that “Attempted Murder”, why is it your “Logic” wants to overlook violent criminal actions? Where’s the “Common Sense” there? Oh yeah it isn’t about that, its about guns!

Hey but its scarier if you say “Stand your ground repeals the laws for murder!” It isn’t true, but its scarier! That’s her idea of “Logic”.

I’ll leave this link in her comment section. Watch to see if it appears. You see Joan’s idea of a “Debate” is to barricade herself into a room and talk to the walls!