Let’s Set The Record Straight: 5 Common Misconceptions About Guns & Mass Shootings
Noted gun control advocate New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has urged President Obama to get serious about firearm laws in the wake of the Sandy Hook massacre (Getty Images)
Following the terrifying events in Newtown, Conn., that left 26 people dead — including 20 children — the nation has turned its attention to the topic of guns and gun control.
Considering the fact that Adam Lanza’s murderous rampage occurred just five months after James Holmes stormed a theater in Aurora, Colo., shooting 70 people and killing 12, it seems that the nation, to a certain degree, is determined to speak more frankly about guns and gun-related violence and debate what should be done.
However, this is where we get into an odd area.
It appears that the gun control debate is being dominated by bad information and that the chance for thoughtful and meaningful dialogue — let alone solutions — is being lost.
For instance, in what appears to be an attempt by one side to push for stricter gun laws, there is a wealth of misinformation out there regarding semi-automatic rifles. One side argues semi-auto rifles are the real root of the problem, the other side would like a focus on safety and mental health.
However, if U.S. lawmakers are actually going to enact laws aimed at semi-automatic rifles (or “scary looking” semi-automatic rifles, as Glenn Beck has pointed out), the legislation should be based only on the best and most accurate data. Unfortunately, much of what’s being said today about semi-automatic rifles is either misleading or flat-out untrue.
So what’s the truth behind those so-called “assault weapons”?
We’re glad you asked. In order to answer some of these gun-related questions, TheBlaze consulted with the experts at Daniel Defense, a Georgia-based group that specializes in providing “small arms product solutions to our Military and Law Enforcement community” with “innovative engineering and our state of the art manufacturing facility.”
In a debate on gun control involving technical and historical questions on firearms, we thought it would be best to involve those who have dedicated their careers to understanding firearms. Similarly, if we were discussing legislation that proposed to confiscate, say, all Gibson Les Paul Recording models from U.S. guitar players, we’d ask a professional luthier about the guitar, not a politician.
Please, Sen. Feinstein, this is gun safety 101: Always keep the gun pointed in a safe direction and take your finger off the trigger unless prepared to fire (Photo: Dennis Cook/AP).
So, in an attempt to wrap our minds around the current debate on gun control, TheBlaze and Daniel Defense worked to identify the five most common misconceptions regarding semi-automatic rifles and mass shootings in the U.S.
1. Don’t confuse military and civilian-style rifles
Getty Images
Focusing specifically on the difference between M-16s and AR-15s (i.e “the most popular rifle in America”), TheBlaze’s Liz Klimas covered this exact topic in great detail last week.
“Kelly Alwood, a firearms trainer and consultant, told TheBlaze the only difference [between the civilian AR-15 and the M-16] is that one is fully automatic and the other is semi-automatic,” Klimas writes.
“It’s a small yet simultaneously big distinction. Firearms for use by the military are able to shoot continuously with one pull of the trigger, machine-gun style. Civilian firearms, on the other hand, only allow one shot per trigger pull,” she adds.
Daniel Defense chimes in on the distinction between military and civilian-style weapons: “The Firearms Owners Protection Act banned the manufacture of fully automatic guns in the United States in 1986 with the exception of military and law enforcement purposes.”
“AR-15s that are currently being manufactured for the civilian markets are semi-automatic, which means only one projectile is fired with each trigger pull,” explains Jordan Hunter, Director of Marketing for Daniel Defense.
“This puts them functionally in the same category with greater than 50 percent of all guns sold in the United States in 2012,” he adds.
However, if we didn’t know better, many of those who support stricter gun laws don’t seem to understand that rifles such as the AR-15 are not a fully automatic weapon and they are not military-grade “assault weapons.”
“It was the Left who needed a term to call them,” Glenn Beck said on radio last Thursday. “They are trying to make you think …’an AR-15, nobody needs that.’ An AR-15 is just a rifle, unless it has a fully automatic switch on it and then it becomes a machine gun — and you can’t buy that.”
“It’s a way to demonize something for a political agenda and misconstrue [the guns] and the public on the Second Amendment,” Alwood told Klimas.
2. Will a ban on AR-15s or similar rifles put an end to mass shootings and violent gun crimes?
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“An ‘assault weapons’ ban will not end mass shootings or stop mentally unstable and/or criminals from committing violent acts,” Hunter told TheBlaze in an email. “The type of firearm is of little consequence when in a bad guy’s hand and we must look at other ways to prevent violent acts.”
Indeed, whether for good or bad, as long as the person holding the firearm knows what they’re doing, the damage can be devastating.
In the hands of an expert, here’s what a revolver can do:
And a pump-action shotgun:
And a semi-automatic handgun:
“We tracked 62 mass shootings wherein 5 or more people were either shot or killed from the early 1980’s to now; 41 times pistols were used, 12 times shotguns or some type of hunting-styled rifle was used, and 9 times semi-automatic rifles were used (14 percent),” Hunter told TheBlaze.
“Of the 62 incidents that we were able to track, 42 of the shooters had some kind of mental illness or mental illness history of some kind, 16 of the shooters had unknown or unclear history of mental illness, and only 4 of the shooters had no mental illness history.
“Chicago, Illinois, has some of the country’s strictest gun laws, and because of this, some might think that it should be one of the safest cities in the America. However, in 2012, 1.5 people were killed every day after being shot by a bad guy with a gun. That makes 532 people killed in 2012 alone,” he adds.
3. Do mass murderers usually use guns?
Getty Images
News flash: Psychopaths will use whatever they can to inflict pain on people. Consider the following:
- March 25, 2008, Sitka, Alaska: An 18 year killed 4 people with a 5-inch knife.
- June 8, 2001, Osaka, Japan: A school janitor killed 8 children with a kitchen knife.
- July 1, 2008, Shanghai, China: A man stabbed 6 police officers to death and wounded 4 others with a knife.
“According to the FBI’s website, during the time period between 2007 until 2011, there were 8,967 people that were murdered with knives or cutting instruments; during that same time period, there were 3,918 people that were murdered with either rifles or shotguns,” Hunter told TheBlaze.
And, of course, murderers aren’t restricted to just sharp objects and guns. Some have used explosives:
- April 19, 1995, Oklahoma City, Okla.: Timothy McVay murdered 168 people and injured 680 when he blew up the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building using, among other components, fertilizer.
- May 18, 1927, Bath, Mich.: A man murdered 44 people, 38 of which were elementary school children. Another 58 were wounded when he blew up the Bath Consolidated School. To date, this is still the worst school massacre in US history.
- November 1, 1955: John “Jack” Gilbert Graham murdered 44 people by planting a dynamite bomb in his mother’s suitcase that was subsequently loaded aboard United Airlines Flight 629. The bomb detonated shortly after takeoff.
Others transportation:
- September 11, 2001: Nineteen terrorists murdered nearly 3,000 people on American soil by intentionally flying passenger planes into the North and South towers of the World Trade Center complex in New York City and the Pentagon in Arlington, Va. A fourth plane was also hijacked and was intended to be crashed into the U.S. Capitol, but passengers overcame the hijackers and the plane crashed in Shanksville, Pa.
- June 8, 2008, Tokyo, Japan: A man drove his truck into a crowd of people, killing three. He then exited the vehicle and stabbed 12 people. In all, seven people were killed as a result.
- April 30, 2009, Apeldoorn, Netherlands: A man intentionally drove his car into a group of people amassed for a parade. He killed six and seriously injured another 12 before dying from the crash himself.
Others blunt objects:
- August 6, 2004, Deltona, Fla.: Four men decided to bludgeon 6 people using baseball bats because they wanted to steal an Xbox belonging to one of the victims. All of the attackers were old enough to buy firearms.
- July 20, 2009, Sydney, Australia: A family of 5 was bludgeoned to death as they slept. Most likely baseball bats were used in the attack.
“According to the FBI’s website, during the time period between 2007 until 2011, there were 2,918 people that were murdered with blunt objects (baseball bats, hammers, etc.),” Hunter reminds us. “During that same time period, there were 1,874 people that were murdered with rifles.”
4. What’s the point of the Second Amendment anyway?
“A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” — House Resolutions and Articles of Amendment; August 24, 1789. (Getty Images)
“The Bill of Rights was introduced by James Madison and adopted in 1789, later ratified in 1791. Our forefathers witnessed firsthand what an oppressive government was capable of, and because of that, they planned and participated in the overthrow of that oppressive government,” Hunt explained to TheBlaze in an email.
“Those great men, our forefathers, carefully crafted The Bill of Rights with the hopes of protecting the personal freedoms of America’s citizens while limiting the power of their government.
“Contrary to some of our current politicians’ rhetoric … the Second Amendment was not intended to protect hunting rights, nor does the Second Amendment make any mention of a list of firearms that cannot be owned, as Senator Feinstein has proposed.
“In fact, the Second Amendment was clearly designed with the mindset of protecting America’s citizens from people like Senator Feinstein: government officials, who want to impose their own will on the citizens of this country by any means necessary. The Second Amendment gives the American citizens the right to own firearms in order to protect themselves, their family, their property, their freedoms, and the idea that this country’s government is ‘of the people, by the people and for the people’ of this country,” he adds, citing a notable quote from American statesman Daniel Webster:
We may be tossed upon an ocean where we can see no land — nor, perhaps, the sun or stars. But there is a chart and a compass for us to study, to consult, and to obey. The chart is the Constitution
5. Maybe we don’t have enough gun laws
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“Another gun law isn’t the answer,” Hunter flatly states. “Nationally, there are currently 243 pages of federal gun laws and 480 pages of state gun laws in effect.”
Bet you didn’t know that.
“Criminals and mass murders are not law-abiding citizens. Regardless of what the law states, what the consequences may be, it will not prevent a would-be thief, a predator, or a murderer from breaking every law imaginable while in the process of committing a crime. A law-abiding citizen obeys the law; a criminal does not.
“In a private school, it is the private school’s responsibility to protect children who are not old enough to protect themselves. However, in a government school, it is the government’s responsibility to protect children who are not old enough to protect themselves from murderers. Our government officials may be pointing their finger at guns in order to take responsibilities off themselves for what they have failed to do,” he adds.
–
So there you have it.
That’s Daniel Defense’s contribution to the nation’s ongoing gun control debate. Hopefully, now that we have some of the misinformation cleared up, we can go forward with responsible, practical, and effective plans for preventing further gun-related tragedies.
Follow Becket Adams (@BecketAdams) on Twitter
Featured image courtesy Getty Images.
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Comments (155)
@leftfighter
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 11:54am“2. Will a ban on AR-15s or similar rifles put an end to mass shootings and violent gun crimes?”
Ummm… the ’90′s era ban on “assault rifles” didn’t even end the sale of AR’s. Within a year of being “banned,” the AR platform was modified around the law and was back on sale in gun stores everywhere.
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3-Blue
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 12:22pmConcerned about your natural born gun rights being stolen along with your other freedoms? Be at your local state capitol on January 19th @ high noon! It’s a country wide protest aimed at sending the corrupt powers that be a message that we will not allow our rights and our guns to be taken from us in any way whatsoever!!!
It’s a family affair. Bring everybody! The more the better! Bring your signs, be respectful, dress well and don’t give the Socialist media anything they can use for their propaganda. Because they will if they can! This is war people! It ain’t hot yet and we need to prevent it from becoming so by retaining our God given freedom and rights! Strength is the best deterrent! FLOOD THE CAPITOLS so they can’t ignore us!
Organizer: http://www.guncontrolmorecrime.com/
More information: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUAfft7l4wQ
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rangerskippy
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 12:31pmIf they can justify taking the AR because of speed and accuracy, then it will only be a matter of time before the libs come after everything else.
Watch the clip below of cowboy action shooters, competing with rifles, pistols, and shotguns from th 1800s. See hte accuracy, speed in which they reload, and shoot.
Takeing the AR is the first step in taking everything.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hka-Y8uZkx0
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mtcountrygrl
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 12:52pmAlso, if you simply carry 4 semi-automatic handguns (which is easy to do) you can have access to more rounds of ammo and faster than an AR-15. Which is what the Sandy Hook shooter did. The AR-15 was in the trunk. He carried multiple semi-automatic handguns and “re-loaded” by simply disgarding the empty gun and grabbing the next one (this is referred to in the gun culture as a New York Reload). An AR-15 on average holds 30 rounds. Semi-automatic handguns mostly hold 10 but can hold 15. Nothing these idiots are proposing would have stopped Sandy Hook. But it does not stop them from exploiting dead children to further their gun control. What we should be talking about is school security. We homeschool, but my husband and I are AMAZED that children as young as kindergarten are allowed to walk home from school or take busses home! Children should be dropped off at a school with at least 1 trained armed personell on the campus, then they should be picked up by a legal guardian wth adequate ID. Let’s not forget more kids are kidnapped an killed every day on the way to and from school, than are killed in shootings. I am shocked at how little American parents care for the safety of their children. Sad. You wouldn’t leave your money in a bank without armed guards, or alow it to be carried down the street by small children; guess we can see where your priorities lie.
John.Galt
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 1:00pmThat is what happens when MORONS BAN COSMETIC DETAILS,
The lib-tards are very good at “feel good” fixes that do nothing to solve any problems. It is what they always do. There is not A SINGLE LIBERAL AGENDA ITEM THAT SOLVES ANY PROBLEM. In fact, most of their “solutions” CAUSE MORE PROBLEMS!
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rangerskippy
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 2:29pmIt is amazing how the MSM and libs always want to vilify guns, but never vilify the villain.
The MSM will never talk murder statistics. They like to show scary pics of rifles with those crazy flash suppressors, plastic fore grips, and those big clippy things that they never seem to know from a magazine (magazines have a spring, a clip just holds ammo to put into a magazine).
Notice that that Joey Biden is holding a counsel for gun violence, not for lowering murder rates.
Democrats hate to talk murder rates, because they do not want it being discussed that cities like Chicago have the most murders, but also have the most gun control.
Dems really hate when you mention the fact that black Americans are 12.5% of the population, and that they do 1/2 the nation’s murders. If we lower black murder rates to the same as whites, we will lower the national murder per capita rate by almost 40%, and save a whole lot of black lives.
Hey savethemeteors, Glennda ENCINOM, and other lib trolls. Are you interested in saving black lives?
Libs also do not want it mentioned that more folks in America were killed with knives, clubs than were killed with all types of rifles.
Libs do not want you knowing that for ten years, murder rates are dropping.
They want to hide that the US own 88 guns per 100 people, and there are 27 countries with higher murder rates. Honduras owns 6.6 guns per 100 people and lead the nation in murder rates.
Socialists always want a disarme
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Gold Coin & Economic News
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 2:36pmwe all know it isn’t about gun control, it’s about CONTROL!
http://www.isthatbaloney.com/if-you-dont-think-they-want-your-guns-just-read-senator-dianne-feinsteins-proposed-legislation/
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Jim S
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 2:46pm“Chicago, Illinois, has some of the country’s strictest gun laws, and because of this, some might think that it should be one of the safest cities in the America. However, in 2012, 1.5 people were killed every day after being shot by a bad guy with a gun. That makes 532 people killed in 2012 alone,” he adds.
..between 1975 and 2006 Chicago never had less than 600 murders..in fact it had over 900 in 1976..so you could say the murder rate has almost been cut in half..statistics are a funny thing,what people deduce from them is often more than not, impacted by opinion…
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Dan_o
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 2:57pmNote both of the “esteemed” politicians pictured above should not be allowed to own guns. They are both pointing weapons with breeches closed directly at people. Feinstein also has a magazine loaded with her trigger on the finger.
These are the people who want to regulate guns. Imagine going to the doctor and having him pull a needle out of the biohazard bin while warning you about the dangers of contracting disease intravenously….
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Tom K
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 4:14pm@ 3-BLUE & @ LEFTFIGHTER: (1) ANY Lawmaker that is even suggesting eliminating OUR God Given right to protect our Family – Selves – and Country, is in violation of their sworn Oath and Must Be Re-called Immediately. { Even if they were Just Elected. } Let them know that Americans Will NOT stand-by for this tyranny. They are OUR Employees and we must FIRE them. (2) January 19 th. is a Saturday and the Florida Legislators will leave to go home about noon on FRIDAY. ( Don’t know about the other States. } They will have to see the Second Ammendment Demonstration on the News IF the Obama Media decides to broadcast the story. Contact FOX News and make sure they cover the story Nationwide. Demonstrators – Be Sure To Leave The Grounds Of Your Capitol Cleaner Than You Found Them, not littered up like a bunch of Liberals. Thank YOU.
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JRook
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 5:23pmNice try beckett but of course this is the type of argument and discussion you want to have instead of the more rational and logic discussion regarding gun registration and gun owner responsibility. So let’s keep it simple. No guns need be banned and no infringement on the the right to own a firearm other than people who don’t pass reasonable ownership criteria. (not a felon, not receiving treatment for a mental illness, no indications of being a sociopath. All guns should be registered by the state and federal government. Guns are registered to the gun manufacturer, wholesaler and retail gun outlet depending on where they are pre-sale. Similar to the gun owner they are criminally and civilly responsible and liable for any crime committed by their gun. Unless it is reported stolen within 72 hours. Guns that are sold privately, regardless of setting must be re-registered by the new owner similar to a car sale. Case in point Mrs. Lanza, were she not killed should have been held both criminally and civilly responsible for the deaths associated with her guns. There is no good reason her guns should not have been under lock and key when she was not home. See simple and no intrusion on the precious 2nd amendment rights. You see with rights come responsibilities.
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Dan_o
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 5:33pmJrook, how nice of you to define what is reasonable, rational and responsible. Now, anyone who disagrees with you is unreasonable, irrational, and irresponsible, right?
Nice try.
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desertspeaks
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 6:00pmgun control brought to you by the same MORONS “democrats” that brought you HANK JOHNSON, yes the same hank johnson that said guam would tip over and capsize if it was to overly populated! and no one laughed when he said it???????????? here is that clip!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNZczIgVXjg
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Mil-Dot
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 6:35pmRangerSkippy is right. “Taking the AR is the first step in taking everything.” If they get the AR, then they get everything. The commies tried this crap in 1994. They were ousted from power for the next 15 years. Even commie prog Dem voting union POSs don’t like their defense mechanisms messed with.
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Coyote1953
Posted on January 15, 2013 at 2:33am“Ummm… the ’90′s era ban on “assault rifles” didn’t even end the sale of AR’s. Within a year of being “banned,” the AR platform was modified around the law and was back on sale in gun stores everywhere.”
But “the AR platform” has been a MINOR factor in murders in the U. S.
The weapon of choice is many as well as the insane individual who uses those weapons.
The only “assault rifle” politicians wants to take away from us is ALL RIFLES. Then he will go for hand-guns.
Why do they want to disarm us?
More people have drowned in swimming pools, why not take away our swimming pools?
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howboutthemapples
Posted on January 15, 2013 at 3:55pm#1 The difference between military M-16 and civilian AR-15 ?
Still far too much FALSE info out there on this. Here’s some real truth from a US Marine about our military and automatic weapons:
The M-16 is set up 3 fire selections: 1) safety 2) as a semi-automatic, 1 pull 1 round, and 3) a 3 round burst selection, 1 pull 3 rounds fire.
The reason? You cannot be accurate in a fully automatic situation. All you do is waste ammo.
This is why in each squad there is only 1 “fire” or fully automatic weapon, and that is for cover fire to allow our Marines with semi/3 burst M-16′s to get into an advanced position to quickly and accurately take control of the situation. The 3 round burst is for individual cover fire, not to “spray” multiple targets. In this fire selection, you may get the 1st round on target but the other 2 tend to rise and be inaccurate.
That is why accurate shooters or marksmen do not fire fully automatic weapons. Could you imagine a bunch of young men 18-20 year old guys, all with automatic weapons in a fire fight? They would be out of ammo long before the threat was neutralized.
Why do you think we are effective wherever we are sent? Because we don’t reach around the corner of a building and pull the trigger on a fully auto European weapon, thus spraying the upper walls of buildings instead of the target. We identify the threat and take it out quickly and effectively and conserve ammo for the next one. Ammo is heavy: use only what you need to.
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Soul Leister
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 11:48amI distinctly remember the helicopter footage of the Newtown police(?) retreiving a rifle from the assailants car and taking that rifle into the building… in the hours “after” the shooting. How many hours between the shooting (and arrival of the first responders) and the confirmation of a rifle on the scene (after hours of denying a rifle was involved)? All the initial reporting was “handguns”… it took (literally) hours before anyone in law enforcement said anything about a rifle… was it planted(?) to push an agenda? Who said, “never let a good crisis go to waste”… oh yeah the democrats keep using that.
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thegreatcarnac
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 1:50pm…at one point they were reporting that all the dead children were shot by a rifle but then they said Lanza was armed with only a pistol and a rifle was found in his car trunk.
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Sua-Sponte
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 4:36pmOrginal reports were that a “rifle” was found in the trunk . . . but it was a shotgun. CNN updated their story with the following:
“Three weapons were recovered from the school: a semi-automatic .223 Bushmaster rifle, a Glock and a Sig Sauer, a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation said. The weapons were legally purchased by Lanza’s mother, the official said. A fourth weapon, a shotgun, was recovered from a car in the school parking lot, police said.”
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winin2012
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 4:43pmI have seen a slo mo of the video where the officer is retrieving the “AR-15 from the trunk. Turns out is was a shotgun. An AR-15 unloads from a pull in the back. The cop was unloading the weapon from the trunk from the right side. You can easily see to the shells he removed are big, probably a 12 gauge.
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Mil-Dot
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 7:04pmBlaze,
What is with having to repeatedly sign in every time one posts? What the hell is that? Have you been hacked by gov’t goons attempting to get us to shut up? Tell us what the deal is instead of running and hiding in the corner like a little girl. For God’s sake get some real IT pros to take care of the situation and tell the folks that come to your crappy site what the hell is going on.
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Slipstick
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 11:40amToo much logic. Too much information.
Guns are evil. Every progressive/lib knows that.
Black, scary looking guns are REALLY evil.
Feinstein et al are flaming idiots.
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SageInWaiting
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 8:56pmFeinstein “claims” she was trained in gun safety when she got HER CCP… then WHY is her finger on the trigger and not on the frame above it? She scares me on MANY levels… foremost: she is a Senator of all things – that reveals the true quality of the CA electorate.
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CynicalPatriot
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 10:34pmExactly. These cute little presentations to clear up misconceptions are a pointless waste of time. The gun grabbers don’t care. The people who are emotionally stressed over the dead kids at Sandy Hook don’t care. They want to disarm America, and the only response to them that matters is HELL NO! I will not register my guns, and if you send cops to enforce any such law, I will kill cops until they overwhelm and kill me. That’s the only fact that they need to consider.
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Soul Leister
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 11:34amLet’s not forget all the eye witness reporting from the Colorado Theater shooting, “the assault rifle jammed after only a few rounds and he threw it down and USED THE SHOTGUN”… almost all the casualties were from shotgun pellets NOT THE SEMI AUTOMATIC RIFLE… were is the coroners report… why is the media not reporting the facts??? We all know why, they are liberal agenda/propaganda hypocrites.
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Soul Leister
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 11:54amBlinders on and full speed ahead… its the democrat party way.
Senator Obama said President Bush was unpatriotic for raising the national debt four trillion dollars… by Barry’s own standard (himself having raised the national debt over six trillion dollars in half the time), well, Obama is surely twice as unpatriotic… and then some… but being an elitist snob he holds himself to a different standard (no standard at all, it would seem).
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Soul Leister
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 12:00pmHow many rounds were fired from the assault weapon (count the brass, its not that hard) and how many people were actually hit by rounds from that weapon? Its time we had an HONEST conversation about what actually happened… instead of being spoon fed tripe and subtefuge by the media…. make that the leftwing propaganda media.
Let’s face it, they couldn’t find the facts even if it was their backside and they had both hands on it (they only do what they “conspire” to do… and that is as they are told by the senior liberals in their party).
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Soul Leister
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 12:06pmObama (if that is his real name) “promised” to cut the debt in half… he clearly lied. Maybe he doesn’t know whay “half” means.. or “cut” means… or… “honor”. Now you know why he doesn’t want anyone to see his school records… must be pretty ashamed of that “non-existant” grade point average (it must be so far below average as to make even a democrat want to hide it… do his daughters have to show him their grades??? Or do they get the same pass he demands from us (HIS EMPLOYERS).
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Grandma T
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 4:58pmI heard on the radio that the Colorado Theater shooter chose a theater further from his home, because it was one that had signs posted to prevent patrons from having concealed carry guns at the movie. Law abiding citizens obey this law. Therefore, he knew the audience would be defenseless. That takes some planning for a man now claiming insanity!
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rangerskippy
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 11:32amBlaze
another good article showing truth in this debate
Not many media outlets telling the truth right now.
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IWISHIWASINTEXAS
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 5:50pmAgreed.
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702TruthSeeker
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 6:55pmhttp://www.americanrhetoric.com/mp3clips/politicalspeeches/charltonhestonculturewars.mp3
blaze = truth? give me a break, beck has his own network and has not addressed the biggest problem in our society
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Calm Voice of Reason
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 11:30amI think Dan Carlin presents the most reasonable response to gun violence in the U.S. (http://bit.ly/TydPC9). Crimes involving guns should result in more severe penalties. He also takes the NRA to task over their recent “out of my cold dead hands” rhetoric vs. their historical practice of being pro-active in finding ways to reduce gun violence. I would recommend this podcast to anyone on the Blaze; I do not feel that he is too far from the political spectrum of many people here.
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Tickdog
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 11:21aminteresting facts.. but its in one ear and out the other to liberals.. they dont care.. they have an agenda.
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Silversmith
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 1:16pmAgree. Big Government wants a weak citizenry. This is about usurping power, the constitution, and your right to resist.
Silversmith
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RobertHere
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 11:20amYes Senator Feinstein, Mayor Bloomberg, Presidents Clinton and Obama lie about guns, gun owners and the Second Amendment and the Right to Keep and Bear Arms. We all know they are liars, most high profile advocates of Gun Control/Confiscation are liars and have other agendas: WE of the Right to Keep and Bear Arms must be careful with our counter arguments. For a week now we have seen FOX News, Sean Hannity and Judge JeaninePirro talk of Licensed, Investigated, VETTED, Permitted Gun Owners Do Not Commit Crimes. Is that what we want to argue–Please Big Government Give Us Permission to be a Free People? Licenses, permits, investigations all give Big Government a data base to use in the eventual Confiscation. We will someday have the same problem all nations face-a fall into tyranny–let’s not make it easier for them. Remember Concord/Lexington- April 19, 1775
Major Pitcairn came ridding up and with sword drawn, called out, “Disperse, you damn rebels! Damn you, throw down your arms and disperse!”
And thus the Shot Heard Round the World
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tj1961
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 11:15amThere was 1 mass murder the article missed…The Happy Land Social Club arson in the Bronx.All Julio Gonzolas needed was $1 worth of gasoline and a lighter.
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tj1961
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 11:19am87 people lost there lives.It was the worst mass murder prior to Oklahoma City
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PIGSWILLNEVERFLY
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 11:14amIf you’re not offended by very profane rage I found a site more off-the-hook than Alex Jones infowars.
This guy is sooooo MAD at the Media and all the un-answered questions about Sandy Hook – he really let’s them have a piece of his mind. Warning he does not hold back.
http://www.disclose.tv/action/viewvideo/121038/A_message_to_the_main_stream_media_on_Sandy_Hook/
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RJJinGadsden
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 11:28amNo, he did not hold back at all. But, he is right about those few points and how journalists(?) spend more time calling anybody who does question them, conspiracy idiots. I do think that I will tune in to listen to him more often. Just when nobody else is around.
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CALLMEMSGT
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 11:45amYou know, there are not many words in the english language that can be used as a noun, pro-noun, verb and adective. This guy can do it all in one sentence and be right at the same time.
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texastommy
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 1:19pmHe should open up more and tell us what he really thinks.
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Zipit
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 1:57pmRJJ! I think he scared his cat! PIGS, RJJ, just had this e- mailed to me! It’s Linda long but worth a look.
http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=Wx9GxXYKx_8&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DWx9GxXYKx_8
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Zipit
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 2:10pmWhoops, meant “kinda long”!
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All Pro
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 5:12pmThat video is pretty good. You should have warned me about the language! But this guy asks some of the questions we in the area have been asking. Where is Beck? Where is Jones? This cover up is easily exposed for what it is.
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GhostOfJefferson
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 11:14amInteresting article. I thought it was going to put the myths of the mass murderer to rest, but it only hit a few points. Here’s my article on it, written back near Sandy Hook.
http://www.patriotsdonotcomply.com/index.php/articles/myth-mass-murderer/
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HumbleMan
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 12:42pmGood article. Well done.
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debbolding
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 11:01amGreat article, a ban on guns will do nothing to stop gun massacres. The bad guys will always get guns, by the liberal media publishing law abiding citizens addresses, or such. Mental health needs to be addressed. Remember when the states closed all Mental Health Hospitals and put the people on the streets? Where are they now? No jobs, no homes, what where they to do? Perhaps this is part of the problem…..
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Patriot83
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 10:57amGreat article. Short, concise, and supported with facts to overcome emotional rhetoric.
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1FreeVoice
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 10:55ama right is only a right if it enforced when it is inconvenient…. when it is inconvenient it may be against the government’s interests.
I especially appreciated the statistics comparing riffle murders to those involving blunt objects ( including but not limited to baseball bats). If they think we need to restrict legal gun ownership to save lives, then by the same logic we should restrict the private ownership of baseball bats and hammers. How well do you think that would fly?
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lawrench
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 10:50amSenator Feinstein has held a hatred for guns since the murder of Harvey Milk in San Francisco. Again, what she over looks is the mental state of the murderer. It is easier for her to blame the weapon instead of the person. In her mind, people do not do that type of stuff, so if the person did not do bad, then it must be the gun. If she acknowledges that people do bad things, then her political philosophy is wrong, and we know how she does not like to be wrong.
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SGT Rock
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 10:48amAwesome photo of Feinstein locked and loaded ready to shoot holes in the Constitution, she is an enemy of the people and should be tried for treason. Yet a tryanical regime will not prosecute their own but instead keep bashing on us, any nail standing higher than the other must be bashed down. Call them out for what they are, “Communist=Progressives”
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Bobj_1960
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 10:56amWhy doe fein-ken-stein have her finger on the trigger?
I she ready to fire the weapon?
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DadRocked
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 10:58amThe first pic caught my attention…
Far left of the pic is a cop yawning…
He knows what’s going on with the prop held by boomberg…
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encinom
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 11:01amThe enemy of the people is the NRA and the fringe groups that rather see more tiny caskets and blood soaked schools than back reasonable gun laws. The traitors are the so called patriots, like Alex Jones that scream 1776 and revolution at the thought of sensible gun laws.
john vincent
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 11:19amenci-
If it was not for armed citizenry, Obama would have ordered the tanks down Main street long ago,
in which case the so called AK15 etc, would be a mere pea shooter.
Open your eyes while you can. Remember the ‘square’ in China?? Right, THAT copuld not happen here.
How many ‘mass murderers’ were members of the NRA which you despise?
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o2nine17
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 11:40am@encinom please remove your head from your back side.
“I ask Sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people. To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them.”
George Mason IV ( James Madison and George Mason were the architects of our Bill of Rights )
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3-Blue
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 12:49pmENCINOM: Ignorance is no substitute for a life. Why don’t you go get one and quit bothering good people? Listen to yourself. You are becoming more and more shrill. No one believes you. No one sees it your way. No one even cares a whit what you think. No one wants or needs your opinion. I only reply because you are a fellow human being and I am actually a little concerned for you.
You think you are disrupting us but you are only hurting yourself. We’re all still organizing and moving forward. We’re all still making money and becoming more powerful. Look at the levels of anger and frustration which are growing and growing in your ridiculous posts. You are going to come away from this experience damaged. I think you already are. Do you know how to quit when you are behind- for your own sanity? Or are you going to continue dashing your head against the rock? The rock won’t break, ya know?
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no1hd
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 10:43amWhen the second amendment was written, what was the difference between the military and civilian weapon. – nothing.
Civilians are meant to be able to arm themselves with no less than the people they are threatened by.
And that right is not to be infringed.
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GhostOfJefferson
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 10:51amActually, civilian firearms were superior to standard issue (so to speak) military arms. The average Brit conscript used a firearm that was smooth bore and highly inaccurate, hence why they would shoot in block formation, to create a wall of lead and hopefully hit *something. The average American firearm owner would have a rifled firearm, which was the high tech gee whiz thing of the age, which was highly accurate and could be used by snipers in trees to pick off Brits at will.
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encinom
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 10:55amNor is that right or any right absolute. By your twisted, perverted NRA sponsored logic, could you own a fighter jet, what about rocket lauchers or anti-aircraft weapons.
The 2nd Amendment is a relic. The 2ns Amendment does not grant citizens a right to bare arms in a vaccuum, but instead ties it to their membership in a WELL REGULATED State Militia. So unless, the fat, lazy, tea bagging compound dwellers join the National Guard, they have no right to their toys.
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scuba13
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 11:00amOnce again Encinom shows us his complete stupidity.
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RJJinGadsden
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 11:10amENCINOM, how is it being so wrong on almost every point you make, much like SENDTHEMETEORS? By the way, they do sell used jet fighters in this country. Seems that a boat load of them hit the market since the Soviet Union collapsed. A company at our local airport rebuilt or refitted a number of them.
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GhostOfJefferson
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 11:19am“bare” – LOL!
Oh man, what a rube. What a mar-roon. :)
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DadRocked
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 11:23amEncicom – From U.S. Senate, “The Right to Keep and Bear Arms,” Report of the Subcommittee on the Constitution of the Committee on the Judiciary (1982): “In the Militia Act of 1792, the 2nd Congress defined ‘militia of the United States’ to include almost every free adult male. These persons were obligated by law to possess a [military-style] firearm and a minimum supply of ammunition and military equipment. There can be little doubt from this that when the Congress and the people spoke of the a ‘militia,’ they had reference to the traditional concept of the entire populace capable of bearing arms, and not to any formal group such as what is today called the National Guard.”
The Founding Fathers made it clear that the Militia was composed of the populace at large. Both the Congress and Supreme Court have affirmed this definition of the Militia.
- George Mason: “I ask, who are the militia? They consist now of the whole people, except a few public officers.”
- Virginia Constitution, Art. I, Sec. 13 (1776): “That a well-regulated militia, composed of the body of the people, trained to arms, is the proper, natural, and safe defense of a free State; that standing armies, in time of peace, should be avoided, as dangerous to liberty. . . .”
- Letters from the Federal Farmer, (Univ of Alabama Press 1978): “To preserve liberty, , it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms, and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use
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RJJinGadsden
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 11:34amGHOST, LOL, maybe he means that he wears a wife beater shirt all of the time.
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rawmilker
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 11:41amENCINIDIOT, the 2nd Amendment is there for a reason & it’s not hunting….GET OVER IT! The founder knew that someday there would be power hungry despots like Barry Soetoro, Holder, Feinsyein, Cuomo, Bloomgurgler, Schummer, little Rahmmy boy & the Clintons et al….
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encinom
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 11:59amThe idiot cowards are out again. Afraid of the imgainiary dictators hiding under their beds. The 2nd Amendment has stop zero dictators from coming to power in the US, but its defenders have the blood of thousands of children on their hands.
Its scary that idiots using the same logic as Alex Jones can legally be armed. If you bleieve you are the sentry holding off the UN, NWO and some future Hitler from coming to power, than you are a) a gun nut and b) too mentally unstable to own the fire arms you have.
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Zipit
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 2:24pmEncinom ! You make, “NO SENSE”!
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American Patriot Too
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 2:34pmI usually just lurk on this site and read many of the interesting posts without commenting, but Enicnom said something that I HAVE to reply to. He claims the 2nd Amendment is “a relic;” I wonder if he would care to make the same argument for any one of the other Amendments, say the 1st, 4th, or 5th Amendments. They were written at the same time as the 2nd, so they are equally as old, they could even be described as relics, wouldn’t you say? I mean they talk about personal freedoms like speech and possessions, and get this, they prevent you from incriminating yourself for a crime even if you did it!
The larger question here though, is why are certain other Amendments so sacrosanct and held as sacred, yet it’s always the 2nd Amendment that comes under scrutiny by the left? Actually, the answer is simple and all we need to do is look at previous, as well as current, communist, marxist, and nazi-style regimes. Before they were able to control their populations, they seized the weapons from same, which in my mind makes the left in America no different from those same communists and marxist dictators!
So when people like Encinom spout off about the 2nd Amendment being a relic, he’s really just a communist, marxist tool.
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Dismayed Veteran
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 3:15pmActually there was a difference. Military smooth bore muskets had bayonets. Civilians tended to have rifled muskets with greater accuracy but slower reload rate.
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pudssweetie
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 3:36pmOh look it is our ignorant useful idiot Encinom here to spew more of his nonsense. You do know that the Relic you speak of is what gives you the right to freely speak the garbage you spew…right? Encinom are you so ignorant to not realize that the Constitution that you go out of your way to condemn, is also the same Constitution the gives you your Rights and Freedoms and when taken away, you lose those Rights and Freedoms. One thing for sure, you are definitely not the brightest crayon in the box.
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AverageWhiteMale
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 3:41pmEncinom, I suggest you look up the context of WELL REGULATED in the bill of rights, at the time of it’s writing it did not mean what you little libby mind takes at face value. I know you shrill lefties think you’re real smart, but maybe you should ask on this board what some words mean before you make an idiot of yourself. We realize how easy that is though for you.
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Techcon
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 7:58pm@ecinom-an
A fighter jet…a grenade launcher?
This N. Korean lovin’ m*therf*cker doesn’t know the difference between offensive and defensive weapons!
In Nazi Germany, stupid Spoiled Brats like this ended up as a soap bar.
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SpankDaMonkey
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 10:42am.
Hey ya’ll forgot to include Truth Number #1…….
Democrat’s are responsible for ALL MASS KILLING’s………..
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Gonzo
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 10:40amHandguns were the only weapons used in the deadliest school shooting in U.S. history. A semi-auto rifle ban wouldn’t have stopped it.
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Walkabout
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 10:37amThe Henry rifle “that damned Yankee rifle that they load on Sunday and shoot all week” was not restricted by Congress.
Most devout liberals would not know of the Henry because they don’t know of its’ importance. Such as when an Union unit slowed the Confederate advance on the 1st day of Gettysburg against superior numbers.
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OhioRifleman
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 10:35amToo much logic. The average liberal would short-circuit should they read this article.
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henryKnox
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 10:44amReminder to everyone to use ‘mass murder’ or ‘massacre’ instead of ‘shooting’. We need to own the word shooting for the good guys. I go shooting at the range they go murder innocent victims.
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sundaisy91
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 11:03amPlease, please PLEASE send this to Soledad O’Brien–and make her read it ON AIR. any bets on which fact makes her scream?
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Walkabout
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 10:32amPoint #4.
The founders did not restrict us to smooth bore guns. A that time we had rifles.
Around the time of the civil war we had revolvers & Winchesters. These were not restricted.
During the Civil War we had guns that “that damn Yankee rifle that you load on Sunday and shoot all week”
These were not restricted.
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jcampbell43
Posted on January 15, 2013 at 6:36pmCheck your time line friend.
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DougHuffman
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 10:30amSee the 1927 Bath Township Michigan Consolidated School Disaster – 45 killed, gun present not used
http://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=103186662
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Walkabout
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 10:28amA troll like Meteors cannot look at #3 & say that if we take away guns then mass murders will not happen.
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RJJinGadsden
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 10:36amWALKABOUT, I’ll take that bet. SENDTHEMETEORS has said some of the most idiotic things here, and has tried to git it both ways when corrected. He and I say again HE, not a female, will say absolutely anything.
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RJJinGadsden
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 10:44amGit? Wow, should have been “get” lol.
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Gonzo
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 10:56am‘Git’ is perfectly acceptable below the Mason Dixon Line R.J.
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RJJinGadsden
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 12:01pmGONZO, LOL and thanks. I was born here but lived in California for a while. It was funny after we returned to the south the embarrassed look my Mom would have on her face when people asked her where I learned to talk. I returned again in the mid ’90s when stationed near here and pretty well just settled down again. I still have people ask me how I like living in the south since I am a Yankee. Maybe I should install “git” into my vernacular after all.
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Walkabout
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 12:42pmSaying git works for me considering how he treats us.
I have had fights with exrepublisheep & others. In one exewpublisheep said I was a little over the top. I said I was. I don’t like exrepulbisheep’s post name & don’t always agree with him, but I give him respect that I would never give Meteors, monicne & a few others.
“Git” works for me.
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Cavallo
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 10:23am“In fact, the Second Amendment was clearly designed with the mindset of protecting America’s citizens from people like Senator Feinstein: government officials, who want to impose their own will on the citizens of this country by any means necessary. ”
End of story. That is it, that is all. The pols have no interest in protecting you from x y or z. They want to make sure you cannot protect yourself from THEM.
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Fubared
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 10:36amThat should be the end of the story.
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FreeUsAll
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 10:36am@CAVALLO
That’s correct. It’s a power grab by sociopaths who deem it necessary that only they may wield such power. The little guy, your average citizen, gets the shaft while the chosen elites exercise every freedom denied to the proles.
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justangry
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 10:36amI think half of it is they’re so narcissistic they think someone would actually waste their time shooting them so they’re scared. I say good, that’s how it’s supposed to be to keep them in check. If they don’t violate our freedoms they have no more to worry about than any of the rest of us.
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progressiveslayers
Posted on January 14, 2013 at 10:41amTwo thumbs up on that because progs like Barry and Diane are vile power hungry freaks.
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