The NRA has conditioned a subset of Americans to believe that ANY gun control puts the US on the slippery slope to TOTAL gun control. I know very few people who want a total ban on guns, but a large number who believe the whole thing is getting insane.

(June 22, 2016 at 12:55 pm)Brian37 Wrote: I did it today and you can call too.

The following number is to to capital hill in DC, if you are tired of Columbine, Newtown, theatre shootings and church shootings ect ect.

Call capital hill @ 202-224-3121 and demand they stop allowing the GOP/NRA to obstruct gun safety laws.

A trick a newspaper journalist told me about contacting congressmen.
1. Never send email. They do not read email
2. When calling, get the name of the assistant you are talking to. Then follow up with a letter that lets the congressman know how helpful the assistant was. Of course, the assistant will see the letter before the congressman, and seeing the compliment, will make sure your letter gets priority on the top of the pile of letters the congressman sees.

This has been a public political service message brought to you by Da Rhonda

I can't afford to be flat out open right now. I have an elderly mother I don't want affected. The irony is that she votes republican most of the time, but is 100% with me on most issues and especially guns. She is a retired teacher and thinks it would be nuts to arm teachers. At best I will send them an anonymous letter describing what happened to me as a kid.

I don't remember it, but I now know why my mom's antique music box and chest of drawers have bullet holes in them. My dad got drunk off his ass and fired his handgun in the house with me in it. I am quite sure he was legal at time of purchase too. But for those who can be open, every voice counts.

I find it bat shit insane that we rightfully make sure cops and military are mentally stable before handing them weapons, and and want them to be trained well enough under stress that they don't hit the wrong target, but according to gun worshipers "responsible" simply means having no record at time of buy. Yet the Va Tech shooter, and the Orlando shooter had no record at time of buy.

This has never been about liberals wanting a fascist state, nor was it ever about rights. It has always been about one party and one lobby protecting a flooded market by marketing fear to their followers to protect the profits of the weapons factories.

(June 22, 2016 at 2:42 pm)Cthulhu Dreaming Wrote:

(June 22, 2016 at 12:55 pm)Brian37 Wrote: Call capital hill @ 202-224-3121 and demand they stop allowing the GOP/NRA to obstruct gun safety laws.

You'd be better off writing your congresscritter - and I mean an actual letter not email.

Aside from that, there's a very simple reason why the NRA is as influential as they are, and it probably isn't what you think.

After an incident like Orlando, Newtown, or Columbine, people are rightfully outraged and there's an outpouring of support for congress to do something - albeit temporary.  A few weeks or months after the incident, the pressure has significantly died down - until the next one happens.

I used to be on the mailing list of NRA, GOA, JPFO, et al.  There one thing that all of them have in common, the advantage that they all share, is that they are constantly reminding their membership to pressure their Representative and Senators - and send donations - even when the issue is not in the public eye.

NRA has a few million claimed members - and while that may be small relative to the population of the USA, their membership dwarfs that of the active membership of the gun control lobby (HCI, BCPHV, et al), is very organized, and they work very hard at it.

I saw the John Oliver piece last night as well - and he's absolutely correct - you have to keep up the pressure.  Otherwise, you will not beat them.


They work very hard at it.

HCI, BCPHV, et al

We can check these groups out. See what bills and measures they are putting forth in congress. Then when we call the congressmen we will be able to speak specifically about what action we want the congressmen to take. Knowledge is power and if we go in there as a knowledgeable citizen the congressmen will sit up and take notice.

Trump support's the NRA but has several properties where guns are banned. GOP says we need more guys, but doesn't advocate guns on capital hill, and will be banned at GOP convention. This has never been about gun rights. This has always been about one party and one lobby protecting the profits of gun factories.

The congressional democrats are hypocrites. They themselves voted against the bill that would have prevented people on the no-fly list from getting guns. Why? Because of an amendment that allowed a prospective purchaser to challenge in federal court his or her inclusion on the non-fly list. In other words, the Democrats objected to the due process guarantees of the 5th amendment. In a free country, people are allowed to confront their accusers.

(June 23, 2016 at 9:45 am)Gawdzilla Wrote: The NRA has conditioned a subset of Americans to believe that ANY gun control puts the US on the slippery slope to TOTAL gun control. I know very few people who want a total ban on guns, but a large number who believe the whole thing is getting insane.

Please list what guns that you think are appropriate for Americans to own.

(June 23, 2016 at 11:28 am)Brian37 Wrote: Trump support's the NRA but has several properties where guns are banned. GOP says we need more guys, but doesn't advocate guns on capital hill, and will be banned at GOP convention. This has never been about gun rights. This has always been about one party and one lobby protecting the profits of gun factories.

The Dems don't want to ban guns. They just want to ban the common citizen from owning them.

They are perfectly happy with being surrounded by their guns.

(June 23, 2016 at 11:57 am)ChadWooters Wrote: The congressional democrats are hypocrites. They themselves voted against the bill that would have prevented people on the no-fly list from getting guns. Why? Because of an amendment that allowed a prospective purchaser to challenge in federal court his or her inclusion on the non-fly list. In other words, the Democrats objected to the due process guarantees of the 5th amendment. In a free country, people are allowed to confront their accusers.

No asshole, each side proposes their own bills, members of  both parties have a handful that peal off to the other side. There were also GOP members that actually for once pulled their heads out of there asses, but not enough.

"Due process" that is the new coded bullshit dodge.

You fucking explain to me how simply having no record proves to anyone that you wont get stupid after a legal buy? You explain to me why you have to prove to a state that you can pass a written drivers test and road test to get a drivers licence FIRST. They don't just simply hand them out. And you also explain to me why a cop or military person is vetted to be mentally fit, and trained in crisis shooting before we hand them weapons? 

BULL FUCKING SHIT. Now a new word game in the long line of "do nothing bullshit"

1.It's the black urban gang bangers. Despite the fact I live in the sticks and hear about shootings and gun deaths all the time.

2. It's the mentally ill. Despite the Va Tech shooter having no record at time of buy.

3. It's the terrorists...... Yet nobody called Roof a Terrorist or abortion clinic shooter last year "terrorists'.


No and fuck you. My mom has furniture with bullet holes in it because my dad got a gun LEGALLY and that didn't stop him from getting drunk and putting my life in danger. 

Now asshole, this isn't about rights. This is about pumping guns out like candy combined with a crappy vetting system. This is about one lobby and one industry using fear to maintain profits at the expense of lives.

NOBODY is out to create a fascist state. But we are tired of one party and one lobby obstructing everything.

No, no more word games, no more shell games. No more bullshit word salad excuses. If everything worked like the NRA said nobody would be bitching and nobody would be dying. 

This is about profits, not rights. 

No, a gun cannot magically kill anyone by itself. Yes it is just an object. But so is a Quran and funny how people rightfully criticize how that book is marketed which does end up in the harm of others.

Nope, not buying it.

How would you feel if you were prevented from writing or speaking because you were secretly placed on a government watch list for unspecified reasons?