All Hail the Second Amendment

[The Grand Nudger]

You don't have to be smart, or be made smart, to smartly handle a rifle.  The vast sea of goobers in uniform (and the even greater number of goobers with guns in general who just don't shoot people) demonstrate this to no end, myself included.  I managed not to shoot anyone today (and so did an overwhelming number of those other goobers - even the uniformed ones, whose -job- it is to shoot people, hilariously), is it really that much of a stretch to expect that we all possess similar ability?

I know, I know, it seems like the people who find their way into this thread are absolutely determined to prove otherwise... They hit the mark too often. I think they're -trying- to do the stupidest thing imaginable...that implies that they have at least -some- idea of how stupid it is. For example, sleeping with a loaded rifle......unless, of course, they expected the racoons to mount an assault at some point in the evening. You don't do that on accident, you can't -not- know what you're doing when you do it (you brought the rifle explicitly because you know what it does.....). We shouldn't allow these people to hide behind "it just went off", and "it was an accident".

No, it didn't...and no, it wasn't. I was procured, it was brought, it was loaded, the firing mechanism was readied, the safety dis-engaged, and then it was placed in a position where it was possible for a round to exit the barrel and enter a child's head, finally, someone pulled the trigger. The rifle did -exactly- what it was set up to do, what you knew it would do, and it was a string of intentional actions that led to this conclusion. These would be reasonable comments from both of our dream benches, yeah Min?

[Spooky]

Making people smarter will take much more than a "minimal effort."

I wish I could argue this.  

The stories I could tell.  Growing up in the midwest I was exposed to guns at a very young age, and had decent safety training.  Enlisting in the Army, I met many people who had never handled a firearm before in their life.  The lack of common sense was frightening.  Were it not for blanks, I, and many others would be dead or disabled.

[Minimalist]

Maybe that's the solution.  You want a gun, fine.  But until they can prove they aren't dumbasses they only get blank ammunition?


Here's today's sacrifice on the altar of freedom.


http://thecourier.com/breaking-news/2015...hot-wound/

Upper Sandusky boy dies from accidental gunshot wound

[Spooky]

Maybe that's the solution.  You want a gun, fine.  But until they can prove they aren't dumbasses they only get blank ammunition?


Here's today's sacrifice on the altar of freedom.


http://thecourier.com/breaking-news/2015...hot-wound/

Upper Sandusky boy dies from accidental gunshot wound

Perhaps.  I personally feel that gun safety isn't that hard.  Proof of competency, and training.  I'm on the fence about a lot of gun issues though.  For example, I think banning high capacity magazines is pretty fucking stupid.  It is simply a knee jerk reaction to school shootings, which while tragic, are relatively rare.  Also, I don't feel capacity is a good way to reduce the chances of people dying.  

But at the same time, groups like the NRA give the average gun owner a pretty bad name.  I don't think average citizens should have belt fed .50 caliber machine guns...that's just stupid.  But if I want an AR-15 because I really enjoy shooting, a lot, that should be fine.

This is the pistol I keep for self defense:

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.45 colt while in the apartment, and 410 shotshell while in snake country.  I don't believe every citizen should be able to own any firearm, it's not that simple.  But neither do I believe banning certain guns will reduce violence.  It's sad honestly, that I've had to let my NRA membership expire, simply because I'm too conservative for them, yet more liberal than many.

EDIT:  As to the story you linked.  Tragic.  But ultimately I believe it was very easily preventable.  Sad that positive gun stories don't get much ink.  Shit like that is negligence on the Gun owner's part, and I would advocate criminal charges and loss of ownership rights.

[Minimalist]

There's always the Chris Rock solution.

[Spooky]

There's always the Chris Rock solution.

  Funny.  He's a pretty good comic.  But cost of bullets wont stop people from killing each other.  Knives and sharp sticks would just be more popular.

Killing each other is something we're good at.  And yes, a knife is less likely to "go off" and injure somebody accidentally, so you've got me there.

Gun locks are already generally free for gun owners, gun safes should be free for families who have children.  What you have, to me, isn't as important as how well you secure it.

[Minimalist]

Proof of competency, and training.

That sounds so logical.  But go back through this thread and find any number of instances where accidents occurred at police training ranges where supposedly competent instructors have shot themselves or others.

You cannot guard against stupidity, complacency and carelessness.  These are not factors of training.

[The Grand Nudger]

I havent seen a brick of .22 lr on the store shelves in two years in this county.  The last brick I saw was at a pawn shop for 50 bucks.  That method is currently being employed on accident (you can't even find the bullets to put em down on layaway if you wanted to...I'm told you gotta tip the dock at Walmart, but it doesn't work...because there are mountains of 7.62 and 9mm. .22lr was never the criminals choice...lol. We stirred the crazy pot, though, making necks fear for the black .22's that so many people call "assualt rifles"....so they bought up all the ammo, continue to do so.

Now the squirrels are eating all my walnuts. Thanks Obama!....lol.

[Minimalist]

Knives and sharp sticks would just be more popular.

True, but, if you are playing with a knife or a sharp stick in your house the odds are it will not penetrate the walls and kill your neighbor.  They just don't have that kind of penetrating power.

Remember, I'm mainly worried about accidents here and I think it would be pretty hard to accidentally kill someone 100 yards away with a sharp stick.

Intentional murder is a different story.  I grant you that.

[The Grand Nudger]

It's pretty hard to kill someone 100 yards away -accidentally- with a gun as well.  Space is big and largely empty, bullets are small. I'm telling you Min, they're -trying- to kill people.