And some people think that ...

[GregM]

It's your life, have at it.
At my house they will get a load of 000 buck center mass

[TWPonKubuntu]

wizard;

There is indeed a faction, here in the US, which does want to confiscate guns. Not just from those who use them in a crime, but from everyone. That effort has succeeded in other countries. My comment: "How is that working out for them?"

There is also another faction, of which I count myself a member, who oppose this confiscation movement and who support our 2nd Amendment rights.

I might assume that your news sources are presenting a biased and filtered set of information to you. This is confusing because we both have access to the Internet. It is possible that your home country is blocking some news services, but I think that unlikely unless you live in places like Russia, China or North Korea. Another possibility is that you are self-censoring your news by only viewing sources with which you tend to agree.

My perception is that the US has a large and dedicated group who comprise the gun owning faction. That group is being denigrated, castigated and made to appear mentally unfit by the news media sources. For those with eyes to see, this has every sign of being pushed by a few "Powers That Be" personalities who are trying to work in the background. That group, the PTB, are expending money to influence government policy and government actions. The PTB types are a prime example of the phrase: "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely".

If your news is showing you the events and demonstrations taking place in this country (the US) I hope you note the demographic which composes those "protestors". It is predominantly the younger demographic who, In My Opinion, lack the life experience to make an informed choice on their opinions.

I point to several individuals, without naming names, who are currently getting the "limelight" in the press. They appear to be falling for the tactic used by TPTB, which is to offer "fame and fortune" in return for putting themselves in the spotlight. In other words, they are being bought and sold to the media. In addition, there are a group of "celebrities", of all ages, who have been used like this in the past. Those who are old enough can recall this happening during the Vietnam war era. Put up a soapbox and there will be someone willing to stand on it and expound their views.

I think it disingenuous to believe everything being said on the media feeds, from either side of this chasm. Yet that is what is happening. Those media feeds are serving to cause a split to become very visible between each side in the arguments. I'd rather not be driven by the media, but I do have strong opinions and they are NOT based on the amount of money or fame being offered.

This forum is, kindly, allowing some of us to express our opinions on this subject. I appreciate that and try not to abuse it. There are other fora which both support and oppose these opinions. Some are, In My Opinion, too far to one extreme or the other, but I do read some of them in the interest of staying informed; "Know thy enemy".

Finally, let me point at history as a learning experience. Places in which gun ownership has been outlawed, where the guns have been confiscated, were taken over by those who still have guns. I Do Not want that to happen in this country, and if you live in one of the countries in which it is too late, you have a more serious problem than whether it happens here in the US. It is your life on the line and you've no effective means to defend yourself. Hence the reason for our US 2nd Amendment to the Constitution. 'nuf said?

[GregM]

If you have missed this...



STORY HERE

[GregM]

I find your response truly amazing. Do you live in England?

Just 7% of burglaries in the US feature violence. That means that if you shoot a burglar there was a 93% chance he was there just to steal some stuff and get out. As demonstrated by the three people with guns that just ran out when shot at without returning any fire. Nearly two thirds of burglaries are made on empty houses. Having a gun to protect your house from intruders but not erecting a decent fence is irrational under such circumstance. Statistically, if you have a gun in the house it is more likely a burglar will get their hands on it than the householder in the situation.

According to your story that violent 7% equals 259,000 per year, 719 per day.
The three people in the video were only running because they were being shot at.
My house is not empty.
If my front door does not keep out intruders, what chance does a fence have?
Please site stats on "if you have a gun in the house it is more likely a burglar will get their hands on it than the householder in the situation." I'd say the home owner needs more practice.

As for my theoretical wife. I would explain to her that whilst I would fight back if we were attacked personally but that it's only stuff, we have contents insurance and I'd rather guns be kept secure because they are generally more valuable than the cheap Chinese made electronics that are being looted from the living room. Though if you read that article being white, married and well off makes you less likely to be burgled. In fact, not living a crap area and not acquainting yourself with crap people seems to reduce your chances of being burgled by quite a bit.

What value did you list for your wife on your contents insurance?
I have no "cheap Chinese made electronics"... So your defense there is to not have anything that is worth anything?
So you are saying burglars that want to steal stuff they can sell for their next fix, do not go to upscale neighborhoods? Are you listening to yourself?

There was a recent high publicity case in the UK where a 68 year old guy was threatened by a burglar with a screw driver and he stabbed the burglar with a kitchen knife, killing him. I fully support that but overall I'd rather criminals be arrested and be put in a confined slavery than either ritual execution in people's hallways or the pathetic excuse for punishment that constitutes a lot of prisons.

And now the mayor of London wants to make it illegal to own a knife. I'm sure when that doesn't work it will be screw drivers, trucks and eventually hands.

[TWPonKubuntu]

That was Not "ritual execution". It was successful defense of his life. I applaud him for being willing to stand up to an attacker.

I read, here in America, statements such as "Call the police, let them handle it". That will get you dead because, if you have time to call and if the police decide to actually send a police car, their response time is measured in minutes, at best...

Or, as our Oh-So-Smart school administrators advise, keep a box of rocks near at hand for throwing at an attacker... Yeah, that will work... NOT

Would you post a sign outside your home which says: "No Guns Allowed Here"? You might as well hang the front door key from that sign too. It's too late, your government has already posted that sign for every "law abiding" citizen in the country. We are opposing this here in the US. Pray we are successful.

Pastor Martin Niemöller (1892–1984)

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

https://infogalactic.com/info/First_they_came_...

[EDIT] I would add: "And then they came for my knives..."

[GregM]

and from The Brady Campaign...

[SpecialEd]

You really think that's a legitimate ad?

[GregM]

No idea, but it does reflect a ridiculous point of view I have heard many times.
Average response time is 10 minutes for the police. And that is an average.

I have friends in both law enforcement and dispatch.

[SpecialEd]

No idea, but it does reflect a ridiculous point of view I have heard many times.
Average response time is 10 minutes for the police. And that is an average.

I have friends in both law enforcement and dispatch.

You specifically said "and from The Brady Campaign" even though it is an obvious photoshop/meme.

[GregM]

your point?

[SpecialEd]

your point?

My point is: In your argument you posted an obviously bogus ad/meme claiming it as real, then admitted you didn't know if it was real or not. I'm not challenging your argument, just the use of the meme.

[GregM]

Guess what else...
The guys in the red shirts are not really star ship personnel.

[SpecialEd]

Guess what else...
The guys in the red shirts are not really star ship personnel.

Obviously you are far too clever for me...

[GreyGeek]

No one is calling for the repeal of the 2nd Amendment?

Yes, they are. The claim is "1 in 5". That's possibly true. WaPo claims 39% of the Democrats support repeal and 8% of Republicans. However, most polls are fake news. For months leading up to November of 2016 I was repeatedly informed by the MNM that Clinton was going to win by 92% or more. It was an electoral landslide for Trump. (And before you hollar "popular vote", presidential elections are determined by electoral votes specifically to prevent major metro areas from dominating elections.)

How many of you noticed that the shaved headed Gonzolas girl, who is too young to vote but "demanded" that the 2nd Amendment be repealed, in her speech at her recent appearance along side Hogg as "stars" of the "March for our lives" fiasco in DC, was wearing a Cuban flag on her sleeve? Has she ever lived there and "enjoyed" their "freedoms"?

Most of AntiFa, whom the Democrats refuse to rebuke but even encourage, display Marxist flags as they attack those who disagree with them. They give lip service to the repeal of the 2A but are brag that they are stock piling weapons and ammo as well.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...-survey-finds/

Of course, CNN implied Trump is a liar when he pointed out what the surveys and MNM articles later wrote after becoming frustrated that their speeches, marches and rush of one-sided news hasn't generated the anti-gun sentiment they were hoping for.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/23/polit...uns/index.html



https://www.usatoday.com/story/opini...nts/463644002/

https://www.esquire.com/news-politic...ond-amendment/

Even retired Associate Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens calls for outlawing all semi-automatic weapons (rifles, shotguns, handguns) or even better, to his way of thinking, the repeal of the 2A. (Before you say "So, there!", recall that the SCOTUS also declared slaves 3/5ths of a person, proving that they are not the fount of all knowledge or wisdom.) The image at the top of the article shows a 17th century musket above an AR-15, with the subtitle being that the musket was in use when the 2nd A was written. True, and it tries to equate the 2A as equally outmoded, but that musket was, for its time, the equivalent of the AR-15 today. And, the British mercenaries weren't coming to take the muskets, they were coming to take the 9 lb hand cannons and the gun powder stored at Lexington. Without powder muskets and hand cannons are just clubs. Without bullets so are modern rifles. For several years Obama tried to dry up the supply of bullets in America by having the Federal government buy 20 times more small arms ammo than they used during that year during the war in Iraq. It significantly raised the price of ammo and made it scarce. It was a futile effort. Most gun owners own up to 5 weapons and keep 5,000 to 10,000 rounds of ammo on hand. Serious gun owners have up to dozen weapons and 100,000 or more rounds on hand. Obama and the Democrats have been the greatest gun salespeople this country has ever had. After Trump's election gun sales slumped. As the Left began beating its "repeal the 2A" drums again gun sales are rising again, which is explained away as "Fear buying" by them. Last month alone (March) 2,767,699 people were background checked as they purchased firearms. And, since the Parkland shooting, concealed carry training and permits have doubled.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/27/o...amendment.html

One can get the impression that the Left wants the 2A repealed precisely because that action WILL split the country, physically, and possibly lead to a shooting war. In that case, the Left isn't against guns. Just as Saul Alinksky wrote in his book "Rules for Radicals", he and his friend took their revolvers and went target shooting every weekend because they anticipated a shooting revolution during the late 1960s. They still do.

[TWPonKubuntu]

I'm fairly sure that most people here understood the use of the meme, and GregM's comment connecting it to the Brady Campaign.

Personally, I though it was apropos and (ahem) on target. After all, that is what memes are all about.

GregM; please don't stop.

Picard and Riker still "speak" to a multi-generational demographic.

I "got it", many people will pretend to not understand and some indeed will not actually "get" it... They need to go back and watch all the old Star Trek episodes... We'll wait... They can even quote Kirk, but I know bad acting when I see it... It's just more material for memes.