Weer'd World

I’m amazed sometimes when I read anti-gun articles. You’d think I’d be used to it by now. Let’s have a look:

A hunting buddy of mine emailed me from the waiting room of his doctor’s office in Columbus, Ga., a few days after the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School. He was cringing in embarrassment as an old redneck spewed racially divisive rhetoric in front of African-American patients. Then my friend’s embarrassment turned to astonishment as that same redneck (almost certainly a gun owner, given the region and his demographic profile) said, “I never cared much for Obama, but that speech he gave about those little kids—I give him an A for that. He’s gonna try and get more gun control, and I hope he gets it.”

I love it! He’s anti-bigotry, and all gun owners are total bigots, so let’s pass some damn laws! Yep if you own a gun you’re racist. If you’re religious, you’re a racist. If you own a gun, you’re also religious. Oh and everybody he doesn’t like are “Rednecks”. Good for him to lead with what kind of a man he is.

News flash: most gun owners support common-sense gun-safety laws.

Yeah, that’s why you can’t find ammo, magazines holding more than 10 rounds, and semi-auto rifles at any shop in America right now. That Bloomberg survey is going to be the new Kellerman Study. It isn’t true, nor was it done with any attempt at ethics or objectivity, but they’ll repeat it because they WANT it to be true.

I should know; I’m one of them. I own so many shotguns and rifles it’s a veritable arsenal. I used to hunt with my father and grandfather as a boy, and now I love taking my sons hunting with their grandfather and uncle. When I hear the words “gun culture,” the first image that comes to mind is not a crazed loner. I think of cold, crisp mornings riding a horse out into a Georgia field, feeling the thrill as an English Pointer snaps to attention at the scent of a bird. Or long hours sitting in a Texas deer stand with one of my sons, waiting, wondering if a big buck will arrive before the dying of the light. I taught each of my boys about the birds and the bees in a deer stand. Taught them how to respect God’s creation, honor the wild things we harvest, and thank the Creator humbly for our place in the food chain and the ultimate free-range, organic meal.

Yep, Mr. Fudd, George Washington was crossing the Delaware river that winter just to get to his duck blind! The 2nd Amendment is all about ducks and deer! Hey, can you justify your NEED for that arsenal? Can you not afford food? Do they not have grocery stores in your area? Is there a massive problem with contaminated food coming from livestock farming? Maybe you should turn them all in?

We should enact all those common-sense gun-safety laws and more. We should reinstate the Clinton-era ban on assault weapons, like the AR-15 used in both Aurora and Sandy Hook. And I don’t know a single hunter who supports the legal purchase of 30-round clips. I have hunted for decades, and have rarely gotten off even a third shot at a deer, much less an 11th or a 29th. Those massive ammo clips are useless for target practice, and pointless for personal protection. If you can’t protect your home with three shots, you’re not going to be able to do it with 30. Their only purpose: to abet mass killing. They must be banned.

Well its good to know your coalition of hunters is what you’re basing your entire opinion of American law. Newsflash, buddy, hunting is a pain in the ass here in the urban Northeast. I don’t own guns to hunt, and given that I’m not a poacher, I’m not going to hunt with magazines that are illegal. There are lots of LEGAL uses for these magazines.

Also if they’re just for mass killing, why do most police departments issue AR-15s with 30 round magazines to patrol officers? Are the officers planning on massacring their towns? Beat cops also aren’t going to be engaging in massive firefights and tactical entries. Every town and crossroads these days has a SWAT team for that, and those guys generally have full-auto rifles and other NFA items. A cop carries a handgun, and rifle for the exact same reason I do. Personal protection and protection of others.

Like so many gun owners, I am fanatical about safety. All of my guns have trigger locks, and the ammunition is under lock and key. Alcohol is forbidden during a hunt. Before a bird is felled, the hunter must be sure the dogs are safe, his compatriots are in position, and the shot is prudent.

When my kids were little I did not allow them to even point toy guns at the dog, much less at another human being. And I will never allow point-and-shoot videogames in my home. It is appalling to me that parents would allow their children to play a game in which simulating the killing of another human being is the goal. I’d much rather have my sons shoot a deer once, and spend the rest of the day cleaning the carcass and handling the meat, than “kill” hundreds of people in a videogame.

Your safety is valid. You own hunting guns, so if you’re not hunting you should lock them up. I agree. As a collector I have my collectors pieces locked up as well. But what about defensive guns? Doesn’t serve anybody well to defend themselves with guns shuttered away.

As for video games, you might be a bit of a freak there. Violent video games like the Call of Duty series or other shoot-em-up games are the best selling thing in America. If Video games were a problem, I wouldn’t be typing, I’d be reloading and taking fire. Sorry, all your friends and neighbors are probably playing violent video games, or watching violent TV and movies. This includes your buddies who have a loaded shotgun or rifle on the hunt. Do you see them blasting you in the back to score extra points? Why not?

My gun culture emphasizes tolerance. As a pro-Obama, pro-gay-rights progressive whose boys share the same political views, we are frequently in the field with ultra-conservative Republicans—and yet we hunt together, swap lies around a campfire, and depart with mutual respect. I ask the same of folks who do not appreciate gun culture. I know lots of liberals who would never pass judgment on someone’s sexual habits or faith choices or cultural preferences but who sneer at the thought of armed, ignorant rednecks tromping through the woods to murder Bambi. The left should not turn common-sense gun safety into a gratuitous attack on a culture they don’t understand.

He seems to forget that he lead with us all being racist “Rednecks”. His “Mutual Respect” seems to extend to “Well not to your face”. Classy!

I want to prevent would-be killers from having access to weapons of war. I want to stop them from teaching themselves to kill through videogames. I want mental-health services to be more easily obtained. And I want to deny murderers the notoriety they seek. Our leaders must attack the entire problem—and if they do, I believe my fellow gun owners will have their back.

Good motivations, but I think your methodology is exactly backwards. Thanks for playing.

More from Bloomberg:

Mayor Michael Bloomberg has for years criticized President Barack Obama on gun-control policy, with denunciations that become louder when gun violence dominates headlines. Now, in a shift, Bloomberg is shaping the debate from within the White House….He outlined a policy agenda that includes cracking down on gun trafficking, regulating gun sales more heavily and prosecuting more gun owners who break the law. Many of the ideas have been on the mayor’s policy wish list for year.

Bloomberg said he would like to see the commission draft a bill requiring all gun purchasers to undergo criminal background checks, whether the guns are purchased online or at a gun show. He also touted a bill limiting military-style weapons and high-capacity magazines, similar to a federal assault weapons ban that expired.

The mayor also urged felony prosecutions for gun-trafficking crimes and for those who fail background checks when purchasing weapons by lying about criminal histories.

Let’s start with that last bit. This is a prime example of anti-gunners talking off the cuff. Its already a federal felony to sell guns to criminals, and to fail a background check one must purger themselves on the 4473 form at the gun shop, as if they answer any of the questions “Wrong” the sale is cancelled even before the phone is picked up.

Bloomberg probably knows this, but he’s pushing a law that already exists, and is almost never enforced probably so he and others can squeeze wider, more draconian controls in.

As for the other stuff, its boilerplate, and meaningless until a bill gets serious discussion.

We need to be writing our representation NOW to make sure they know where we stand, even BEFORE the bills come before them!