Back in November of 2004 after the spree killing of six hunters in a Wisconsin wood, I wrote Birchwood, Wisconsin is not Hungerford, England. It seems another comparison is equally (in)valid. Yes, 27 people and one creature are dead, eighteen of those dead people are small children - first-graders. Yes, it's horrible, senseless, inexplicable.
And no, the guns were not at fault.
Moreover, banning them wouldn't help.
This is where I normally cite charts, graphs, data tables, and numerous articles supporting my position. I'm not going to do that here. I've done it for the better part of ten years. If you're interested, check the archives.
Instead, I'm going to quote the words of John Green, father of 9 year-old Christina Taylor-Green, who was killed in January of 2010 by another spree shooter here in Tucson:
This shouldn't happen in this country, or anywhere else, but in a free society we're going to be subject to people like this. I prefer this to the alternative.The gun control forces say all they want is a "dialog." Joe Huffman's been having site problems recently, but he said it well back in August:
We had the "conversation". Your side lied, cheated, and took unfair advantage at every opportunity. But still your side lost. Big time.Tam put it even more bluntly:
Your side lost on the safety argument and your side lost the legal argument (see the U.S. Supreme Court decisions D.C. v. Heller and McDonald v. Chicago). You have no arguments left. The conversation was over years ago and all you are doing now is whining about the outcome. Go tell your problems to a therapist because the adults in this conversation aren't interested in your delusions of relevancy.
Incidentally, this is one of my biggest gripes about wading into fact- and data-laden poo-flinging arguments with anti-gunners about crime rates and murders-per-100k and so forth. The correct answer is "Where the hell do you get off thinking you can tell me I can't own a gun? I don't care if every other gun owner on the planet went out and murdered somebody last night. I didn't. So piss off."The tinfoil-hat crowd has been claiming that Obama (or his BATFE) will write an executive order or change the regulations making "assault weapons" and "large-capacity ammunition feeding devices" into Class III regulated items under the 1934 National Firearms Act, bypassing Congress and requiring licensing and registration. Others think that finally they'll get a new "Assault weapon" ban through Congress, or even more.
Let me just say again for the record:
I won't license.If you want to make me and several million other law-abiding, tax-paying citizens into felons, beware what you wish for. You may get it.
I won't register.
I won't turn them in.
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