BANGOR, Maine — Maine’s congressional delegation, responding to Friday’s horrific elementary school shootings in Connecticut, agrees that something needs to be done to prevent gun violence, but they are split on how to address the problem.
Meanwhile, gun owners in Maine are preparing for possible future weapons bans by making purchases now.
“In fact, the day of the shooting on Friday, I had people come in,” Trenton gunshop owner Brian Stan, who opened Poseidon Firearms on the Bar Harbor Road two years ago, said Monday. “They’re all afraid of legislation. Everyone wants to get in and get grandfathered.”
Future gun-control legislation has been a talking point for months, especially after the second presidential debate, when President Barack Obama responded to a question about gun control by saying “weapons that were designed for soldiers in war theaters don’t belong on our streets.”
The president’s statement caused gun sales to increase in November, based on fears he might try to sign into law new weapons bans, Maine gun shop owners said at the time.
The president didn’t specifically mention gun-control legislation during the debate or on Sunday, when he spoke in Newtown, Conn., in support of the families left broken and grieving in the wake of the school massacre. Obama did say, however, that a change is needed to prevent such tragedies in the future, and that was enough to spur some Maine gun owners to take action.
Frank Spizuoco, owner of Maine Military Supply in Holden, said Monday that many of his customers are telling him they are concerned about possible weapons-related bans.
“I’m all for enforcing the laws, not making them stricter,” he said. “Connecticut has one of the strictest gun laws in the country and that didn’t stop anything.”
Just down the street in Holden, Todd Rogers, owner of the The Hunting Lodge gun shop, said lawmakers are having a “knee-jerk reaction” to the horrendous events of Friday. He said instead of eyeing new laws, state and national leaders should focus on education and addressing ways to handle people with mental illness who are intent on hurting others.
Both Holden gun shop owners said large-capacity ammunition clips are in great demand now. Assault-style rifles are also being purchased, they and Stan said.
U.S. Sen.-elect Angus King and 1st District U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree both said Monday, in response to an emailed question from the Bangor Daily News, that they support a change in the law and think now is the time to look at banning high-capacity magazines and assault rifles.
Meanwhile, Susan Collins and 2nd District U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud responded to the question by saying that enforcing existing laws and addressing underlying causes are needed to stop the violence.
“We can’t avoid the issue any longer,” said Pingree, who already has co-sponsored bills to ban military-style assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. “It would be tragic if Congress and the president can’t now come together to take a serious look at how the nation’s gun laws can be reformed.”
Lawmakers also need to “close the loophole that lets violent criminals skip a background check and buy a gun at a gun show or through a classified ad,” the congresswoman said in a statement.
Powerful pro-gun special interest groups — such as the National Rifle Association — have been allowed for years to block action on any reasonable gun laws, Pingree said.
“We still don’t have a clear picture of all the facts in this horrific tragedy, but we know enough to conclude that it is time to take a close look at two gun-related issues — assault weapons and large ammunition magazines,” King said. “Given the role both appear to have played in this and other recent incidents, this discussion is vitally necessary as we try to balance the rights of law-abiding gun owners under the Second Amendment and the interest we all share in the safety of ourselves and our children.”
King said he intends to engage both Maine gun owners and advocates for stronger regulation and control in the discussion.
“A national conversation about curbing violence in America is overdue, especially in the wake of these horrendous murders in Connecticut,” Michaud said. “That conversation has to include how we can better enforce our gun laws while at the same time addressing the root causes of these tragedies, which are too often related to how we as a nation do or do not address the mental health care challenges facing our country.”
Michaud said he’s been contacted by Mainers on both sides of this issue.
“Some are looking for reforms to our gun laws as they relate to assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition clips, and others are concerned about restrictions on their constitutionally protected rights,” he said in a statement. “I’m convinced middle ground can be found, but it will take us working together to get there. We were all shaken to the core by this shooting and there must be cooperation, not confrontation.”
Collins, who voted for instant background checks and supported an extension of the assault weapon ban when it expired in 2004, said that “since the shootings, some have called for stricter gun laws. While denying the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens won’t change the behavior of those intent on using firearms for criminal purposes, I wholeheartedly agree that we must examine what can be done to help prevent gun violence.
“I grew up in northern Maine where responsible gun ownership is part of the heritage of many families, and Connecticut has some of the strictest gun control laws in the country,” she added. “Nevertheless, we should examine, among other issues, whether states are reporting data on mentally ill individuals found to be a danger to themselves or others to the national background check database designed to prevent gun purchases by such individuals.”
The FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System, or NICS, was put into place in November 1998. The number of people who have applied to purchase guns annually has doubled since the program’s inception, increasing from nearly 8.5 million to more than 16.8 million in 2012.
Those who want to purchase a gun in the U.S. must fill out and sign FBI paperwork. The gun dealer then calls NICS to see if the buyer is barred by federal law from possessing firearms. Approximately 790,550 Mainers have applied to own a gun since 1998, NICS data show.
U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe’s spokesman, Brandon Bouchard, said the retiring senator believes it’s time for the country to come together to talk about stopping gun violence.
“Given the savagery of this act, it will be appropriate to have a debate and discussion on the range of issues surrounding this horrific and brutal attack in the next Congress,” Bouchard said.
Protecting the country’s children — its most vulnerable citizens — should be the goal of any discussions, Maine House Speaker Mark Eves, D-North Berwick, said Monday.
“As leaders we have a duty to reassure every parent in our state that their children are safe at school,” he said. “As a father of three, I take that charge personally and seriously. We must take a comprehensive approach in examining our mental health systems, our school safety, and our gun control regulations to make sure we are doing what is best for our children’s safety.”
Stan said he and his customers know that state and federal lawmakers may consider new rules around guns.
“It’s a crazy world, … [and] unfortunately banning guns is not the solution,” he said. “The problem is in the heart of man.”
No need to fear, there’s always that good ‘ole homemade banana clip.
You young’n out there who ain’t hip on that get with the elders they’ll clue you in.
And keep an eye on your neighbor, he/she don’t look right take ’em out before they come after anymore. It’s up to us people to protect ‘our national rights’.
wat
ѯѾԓ٩ῷ▒◄
(this site is being monitored I can’t divulge anymore)
Oh come on now, they already know more about us than we remember about our selves. Be serious.
Ain’t that the truth ! (I got duck tape over the camera)
Don’t fear….I am keeping an eye on them keeping and eye on you….
Thanks Pab, it’s good to have friends. The only one’s I truly worry about are those against gun rights, those are the ones in the end that will get you killed.
Those are the citizens who remain silent and ever so complacent and who later claim they had no idea.
“ammo clips” – classic naive media blunder. It’s “magazines” guys, I don’t think anybody is using en-bloc or stripper clips much anymore.
It would be just like Congress to ban “clips” thinking they were banning magazines.
Right? Remember the cattle crossing guards out west they were going to get rid of saving a ton of money….? Idiots didn’t realize they were grates in the road!!
Snopes debunked this as false two years ago. Just another Republican lie. http://www.snopes.com/politics/humor/cattleguards.asp
I couldn’t find this on snopes – can you ?
It’s a fact that many mass murders like the one we witnessed at the Sandy Hook Elementary School were averted because innocent children and adults were not left defenseless. Here are just a handful of examples:
On Oct. 1, 1997, Luke Woodham, 16, part of a satanic cult, stabbed and bludgeoned his mother before driving her car to Pearl High School in Pearl, Miss., where he shot dead two students and wounded seven others with a rifle he made no attempt to conceal. He then got back into his mother’s car and planned to go to Pearl Junior High School to kill some more. But assistant principal Joel Myrick retrieved a .45-caliber pistol from the glove compartment of his truck and subdued Woodham.
On Jan. 16, 2002, Peter Odighizuwa, 43, of Nigeria, went to the Appalachian School of Law campus in Virginia with a handgun and killed three and wounded three others. At the sound of gunfire, two other students – both police officers – retrieved guns from their cars. Meanwhile, another police officer and former Marine jumped Odighizuwa and disarmed him by the time the other officers got to the scene.
On Aug. 23, 1995, a band of crack cocaine addicts entered a store in Muskegon, Mich., with a plan to kill everyone and steal enough cash and jewelry to feed their habit. One member of the gang shot store owner Clare Cooper in the back four times. He still managed to grab his shotgun and fire on the gang as they fled. They were all apprehended.
On Dec. 9, 2007, a 24-year-old gunman named Matthew Murray launched an attack on the congregants of the New Life Church in Colorado Springs that left two victims dead. A former police officer, Jeanne Assam, a member of the security team for the church, shot Murray 10 times, killing him, as he was shooting at her. Murray had killed four others at a church 70 miles away earlier in the day.
On July 24, 2012, Richard Gable Stevens rented a rifle at a shooting range in Santa Clara, Calif., and herded three employees out the door, saying he intended to kill them. One of the employees, however, was carrying a .45-caliber handgun and shot the assailant.
On Dec. 17, 1991, two men armed with stolen pistols herded 20 customers and employees of a Shoney’s restaurant in Anniston, Ala., into a walk-in refrigerator and locked it so they could rob the establishment. However, one customer was armed with a .45-caliber handgun hidden under a table. He shot one of the gunmen dead. The other robber, who was holding the manager of the restaurant at gunpoint, began firing at the customer. But he was wounded critically by return fire, ending the incident.
On July 13, 2009, an armed man entered the Golden Food Market in south Richmond, shooting and wounding a clerk while firing at store patrons. He was shot by another customer who had a concealed-carry permit, likely saving the lives of eight other people in the store.
On July 29, 2012, Charles Conner shot and killed two people and their dogs at the Peach Tree RV park in Early, Texas. Vic Stacy got a call from one of the neighbors, got his .357 magnum and shot Conner as he fired upon the first police officer to arrive at the scene. Stacy was credited with saving the life of the officer.
The truth is that every single day mass murders are averted by armed civilian
Yet, every time there is a horrendous slaughter like we saw at the Sandy Hook Elementary School, there is a knee-jerk outcry for stricter control of guns.
Wait a minute! The perpetrator of this crime stole his weapons from his mother’s house after murdering her! He tried to buy a rifle days before, but was turned down.
No law could have stopped that short of disarming all law-abiding Americans. And that would just mean more death and carnage – and the end of liberty for all.
The massacre at Sandy Hook could have been minimized, if not averted completely, if just one teacher or administrator at the school was armed – one teacher like you see in that picture from Israel.
Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2012/12/how-to-stop-the-slaughter-of-the-innocents/#hi7fzHYwYXKQTHig.99
More weapons = more homicides. Lots more weapons = lots more homicides. [http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/research/hicrc/firearms-research/guns-and-death/index.html]
You advocate for more and more weapons so you can be prepared to counter all the extra homicides that result from more and more weapons in the US, just in case one of them happens right in front of you. Circular logic with a terrible outcome for public health and safety.
Yet if someone with a gun who does not train CONTINUOUSLY to use it in combat suddenly faced a shooter, here’s what would happen… You’d freeze, shoot wildly (assuming you managed to pull your gun), and die [http://abcnews.go.com/2020/video/defend-gun-7312540]
even todd rogers owner of “the hunting lodge” calls them clips. they are not clips. sks rifles are reloaded with clips. glocks, sigs, and the like have magazines. the is a major difference between the two.
bet u he called them magazines and the ignorant media reporters misquoted him because they use the nomenclature interchangeabley.
I bet nobody but a gun enthusiast cares whether the word “clip” or “magazine” is used .No matter what word is used the public “gets it More bullets fired repeatedly kill more ,
Don’t confuse people with facts. Gun control supporters are about rhetoric and exploiting these tragedies to advance their political agenda.
Nope. The NRA will fatten its corporate pockets on the idiotic fear of taking all guns instead of rational common sense application.
nope, JSmith was right……
Even though there are over 300 million firearms in the hands of private citizens and it is far too late for any “gun control”, that will not stop politicians from trying to score points on the bodies of those kids. Disgusting and pathetic.
NOT recognizing there is a problem with violence in America and NOT offering solutions is disgusting and apathetic. Don’t worry, we will do it without you, then. The majority of NRA member support sensible gun control.
This last example , following on the heels of several others, just went way beyond all humanity and all taboos.. First a congress person (BIG TABOO) , then a movie theater and a mall( using the random public as target practice) and finally innocent 6 and 7 year olds in a class room.. Sorry life isn’t a video game , with the innocent public as willing participants. And it IS FINALLY time to “talk about it.”
And GUN control is only PART of the solution. Multishot nonstop GUNS are only the vehicle by which people are leaking their anger and insanity over all of the rest us, with serious lethality.
Anti BULLYING programs (that the right also doesn’t want in the schools) FUNDING Safe and sound schools progarms which teach problem solving and conflict resolution skills ( that the right doesn’t want in our schools). ANTI drug programs ( that the right doesn’t want the the schools) are a part of the solution
Mental health being insured at the same level as PHYSICAL health is a part of the solution. FINALLY, FUNDING and creating COMMUNITY mental health is a part of the solution
Supporting parents with adult children with mental health issues is a part of the solution. Better transitioning form childhood to adult hood is a part of the solution..( all these perpetrator have been in their 20’s) .
Quieting the political rhetoric wouldn’t hurt. ( it helps create stress in the already vulnerable) . Politicians taking some anti bullying classes and learning some problem solving and conflict resolution skills wouldn’t hur.. “Entertainers ” looking for common ground ,instead of the ground that divides us.. would help . GETTING along would HELP.
I never said there wasn’t a problem with violence. I just said politicians making political hay out of this was disgusting. It is far too late for gun control in America and they know it. There are already over 300 million guns in the hands of private citizens. What are we going to do? Start kicking down doors and confiscating guns? That could get ugly.
No one is going to kick anyone’s door down. In light of this tragedy doing NOTHING is irresponsible . The people have said “enough” to these mass killings. We don’t want to be fish in a barrell as we conduct our daily lives.
And there IS a solution , many solutions, in fact .THIS is an EASY problem to try to solve . We KNOW what we need to do. We have DONE it before. We lacked the political will and courage to KEEP doing it . R’s refused to extend the Brady bill. How many MORE assault rifles were bought and sold in that nearly 20 years? Maybe this one and the one at the mall and at theater and,. and, and ?
I’m not buying what you are selling .
I’m not selling anything, other than reality. There are over 300 million guns already in the hands of private citizens. Gun control is virtually a moot point in America. Can we ban the sale of future assault weapons? Absolutely. Can we control the flow of ammunition? Absolutely. Can we prevent this from happening again by controlling future gun and ammunition purchases? Probably not.
People like you have created the “fish in the barrel” locations.
” First a congress person (BIG TABOO) , then a movie theater and a mall(
using the random public as target practice) and finally innocent 6
and 7 year olds in a class room..”
Every one of these was a gun free zone created by people like you who are afraid of everything. Everything except government that is. Also known as “free fire zones” for target practice.
Anti bullying programs that teach the good kids how to be good little sheep and that government will protect them.
Anti drug programs that try to counter the drug culture actually promoted in schools. What a joke.
your mental health diatribe is nothing more than promoting more of the same policies that have failed. We need to bring back mental hospitals where these people are institutionalized and kept away from the public.
You sound like you need some of those classes you are pushing.
I agree with you. This is a complex issue that requires complex thinking and discussing the issues. But sadly it usually just comes down to the right vs left and name calling. This isn’t just a gun issue or a mental health issue it is overall society issue. Nothing ever gets done we are in a constant election. We are a me first society. Something went wrong and it will take a lot to fix
Aren’t you nit picking? You can be sure that all definitions and semantics will be covered.
Who cares? Either way, clips or magazines, they’re ridiculous and should be limited in size.
y? because ur scared?
3 10rnd mags vs 1 30 round mag. you can reload twice and still empty all three mags in under a minute no problem.
the biggest and most significant advance in firearms techonology in the last 300 years was the self contained metallic cartridge. So short of banning all firearms of muzzle loaders there will be no significant decrease in “killing capacity”
Ammo needs to be locked up and not accessible.
Why?
You need to realize that the top guns used in crimes are not “assault weapons”.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms these are the most common guns used to commit crimes:
1. Smith and Wesson .38 revolver
2. Ruger 9 mm semiautomatic
3. Lorcin Engineering .380 semiautomatic
4. Raven Arms .25 semiautomatic
5. Mossberg 12 gauge shotgun
6. Smith and Wesson 9mm semiautomatic
7. Smith and Wesson .357 revolver
8. Bryco Arms 9mm semiautomatic
9. Bryco Arms .380 semiautomatic
10. Davis Industries .380 semiautomatic
Few, if any, will be affected by an “assault weapons” ban. I am liberal, but I realize gun control is as silly as alcohol prohibition. I have to agree with the Right on this issue. Shootings, on the Connecticut scale, happen all over the world. Gun control is not the answer to this problem.
The sickening thing is politicians who have a Holier then Though attitude while they refuse to confront “friendly” countries who have murdered over a million of their own citizens. The biggest perpetrator of mass murder in the world is always bad government.Armenian massacre in Turkey, Stalin did it, Mao did it, Cambodia, Hitler, many countries in Africa and Latin America.
did any of then shot those 20 kids?
Yeah, Hitler murdered 20 kids, Stalin murdered 20 kids, Mao murdered 20 kids, Pol Pot murdered 20 kids. In those countries, it was illegal for the citizenry to have guns. You post some of the most inane comments I’ve ever read.
ok 7/10 are semi automatic… which is to say they fire quickly and repeatedly without reloading Therefore , potentially more lethal then say a single shot weapon. I;m not sure you really made the intended point , which presumably is: “guns aren’t THAT dangerous” (?)
Shootings like this occur in Somalia, for example. Is that what you hope America will become?
Don’t baffle Bangorian with facts, it only confuses him more!
If the newspaper isn’t actually providing anything of value, should you believe other stories? I thought the truth was the commodity journalists traded in.
Now, of course, there are plenty of times nobody really knows the truth or there is a dispute. That’s fine — that’s why you use multiple sources. But factual details, such as whether a clip is a magazine and a magazine is a clip — these are things journalists have a duty to get right.
why? the point is more bullets kill more people . You are quibbling
Let me put it this way. I don’t know this reporter. But I do know she has made some egregious factual errors in her stories: Calling the Penjajawoc Stream Meadow Brook (despite a large sign nearby announcing the Penjajawoc Stream reclamation project), referring to a Chrysler vehicle as a Chevrolet even though the Chrysler insignia was quite visible in a photo she took herself, and a woefully incomplete and unbalanced story on the Bangor Police Department’s censoring public comments the department invites on a government-operated Facebook page.
If you can’t get the little things right; if you can’t give a complete story with context, what else are you not getting right, and what else are you not telling us? Why should we trust you?
The interesting thing is that with talk of a ban, there will be much more ammunition, magazines, and many more guns bought, thereby defeating the very thing the liberals are trying to do: eliminate them. If there is a ban, there will be a huge black market in whatever is made illegal to either buy or own. It won’t stop any crime, but it will effectively keep the law abiding citizen from being able to protect him/herself.
Go ahead and stock up, exactly what the manufacturers want you to do. But then, stay home please.
Not all liberals are trying to ban guns. I’ve been around guns my entire life but don’t see the need for a citizen to own an AK47. I also don’t understand why bomb making instructions are so readily available on the net. If someone wants to kill someone they’ll find the means but why do we have to make it so darn easy for them?
I don’t see the need for a V8 engine in a car either or for any car to exceed 75mph.
very nice!!
Yet they are made, bought and driven every day……Crazy right…..
Actually, your example helps support the point made by cardpuff48.
Most accidents happen within thirty miles of the driver’s home and during routine driving, not going ninety on the freeway. Vehicles with automatic transmissions have an acceleration delay built into the engine that prevents excessive, instantaneous acceleration. Sure, cars can exceed the speed limit, but the greater danger has been engineered out of the machine. And it should be in the case of firearms, too.
I’ve never met a hunter of anything that needs an assault rifle, a weapon designed specifically to provide maximum advantage while killing people during armed conflict. In the 19th century, Americans succeeded in rendering Buffalo extinct from the North American continent using rifles and muskets. Really need an AK or an AR-15 to take on that deer? What are you really afraid of?
How about as a hobby ? Seriously, it’s quite fun.
And the truth is we only fear you..
A small dose of knowledge would cure that fear.
Someone willing to rationalize taking away 1 of my rights can easily do the same with another.
Actually, with “speech codes”, progressive defined “hate speech”, and PC speech you are already trying to take away the first amendment.
…but it takes medication to fix this kind of paranoia.
What do you think an AK or an AR is? They are both semi auto matic rifles chambered in an intermediate cartridge. The AR in .223 is a great varmint rifle while the AK with the heavier 7.62×39 cartridge makes a great deer rifle. It isn’t about looks. Both of these rifles are a lot less powerful than “normal looking” rifles such as those used in hunting.
I use my AR-15 chambered in 50 beowulf. I run a 335gr hollow point at about 1800 fps. This makes it about in between a 20ga and a 12ga slug. It has similar ballistics to a .45-70. It is a fantastic deer caliber. I also have an AR chambered in .410. That makes it a pretty fun gun to shoot clays with as well as a good youth gun.
The AR platform is incredibly versatile and judging it on looks alone is ridiculous. Learn about it. Take some time to objectively examine both sides of the issue.
I will gladly answer any questions you might have about AR-15s. I own 6 of them and build them myself from parts. I hunt with them, I shoot them for recreation and I collect them.
When you go hunting to you use a 30 round magazine?
The 50 beowulf uses 30 round AR mags. Depends on the state because I also use it to hunt in CT where there is no magazine capacity limit for hunting on private lands. 30rd magazine for .223 holds 10 beowulf rounds and a 20 round one holds 5.
The funny thing about freedom is I shouldn’t have to have a use for something to own it. If I want it that should be good enough. What makes any one person good enough to judge what everyone else should need?
…when it is used to commit mass murder . Come on be a REAL sportsman. Using a 30 round mag in the woods doesn’t really sound like “hunting” to me , sounds more like assassination. And not like being “up to the challenge” of bambi . You may WANT a 30 round mag but do you REALLY NEED one if you are a REAL sportsman?
It is against the law to hunt with a center fire rifle or a shotgun with more than 5+1 rounds. My rifles and shotguns all comply with the limits while hunting.
Not very “sporting”.
It is illegal to hunt with more than 5 rounds so that is a moot point. There is no hunting with 30 rounds.
Difference: designed to kill people
No more than any other firearm? Tell me what design cues make it so
Please tell me what you think differentiates and AR or AK from a Semi-Auto 308 hunting rifle?
Not much, hence the call to limit those mega magazines and the freedom to buy a ton of ammunition.
What do you do about the ones that already own all they need? Do you create criminals out of law abiding people? Do you think we would fight less for this set of rights than we might for another set like the right to vote? Honestly, if you want to create criminals where you used to have good neighbors continue on.
You realize a hobby competition shooter can go through 1000 plus rounds a month easily right? That is a HOBBY shooter, not a professional. The numbers seem big but bulk orders are cheaper and it is very easy to shoot a lot of rounds regularly
Intent
Good luck regulating intent according to the cosmetics of the weapon.
You have a very creative imagination…..the “object” of discussion is not the issue but the mind of the one holding such an object…a simple kitchen fork is a deadly weapon in the hand of a depraved mind…..Society has mades choices over the last several decades that have eroded away the moral fiber of our nation……I truly fear nothing, but am very skeptical of people that do not know the difference……Americans have become self-complacent and apathetic…..God save America…..
Interesting turn of phrase, from “God save the Queen”, an english term..you know, where people don;t carry guns. What is more important, safety or the capacity for violence?
Wow, how you got from God save America to the anthem for God Save the Queen is truly bizarre……and since you bring up England then you might do well to look at stats regarding the rise in violent crimes and gun crimes in England…..in 2009 gun crime had risen 89% over a 10 year period…..so much for gun control…..the violent crime rate reported per capita is 10 times greater in England compared to the US…..sort of clouds your “capacity for violence” question…….
You and those who think like you should be feared.
I never in my life considered owning an assault weapon until I started to think that the government might send someone after my guns !
We do have rights and the government will take our rights away.They lie and take our money everyday.So maybe we should ban them from stealing our money.
Its not the goverment shooting people. Its young men in their 20’s who play violent video games, buy military-style clothing and lots of ammo. We have to find a way to make as hard as possible for these nut-jobs to get guns. We won’t stop them all, but we can stop some.
but you want to limit guns, not violent video games? the guns in CT were purchased legally by their rightful owner. If there is another awb, then I wonder what the libs will want to “ban” when the next massacre happens (be it with an airplane, bomb, etc).
well the way this “citizenry” has been talking I don’tl WANT them better armed then the government..I see NO evidence that citizenry is looking out for the “people’s” best interest. .They seem to be, as always, a bunch of whack jobs , living in the FAR edges of society .
You think Hillary and Obama are looking out for you and telling you the truth? They won’t even testify as to why we let an ambassador get killed. Obama has declared him self as Judge, Juror, and Executioner, for any American he feels needs to die. No jury needed, he’ll just send a drone. Killing them is much better than pouring water on their face while you question them. How did you liberals get to that level?
I agree. No concerned citizens here just the Society of the Flat Earth. If they have a problems guns will fix it for them.
What makes a AK that much more dangerous than a 308 semi?
nothing lol
Then……why not let the guns sell, and regulate the ammunition? Doesn’t seem to be a problem with fireworks regulations……what’s a bullet? A sophisticated firework. A bunch of gun powder packed in a small place and when pressured, explodes, usually out of a tube. There’s no reason why an abiding citizen needs a cache of 30 bullet semi-automatic clips for a 223 bush. How many times do you need to shoot an intruder?, my guess is ….once.
30rd magazines are STANDARD Capacity not high capacity. less than 30 is REDUCED capacity.
Why does anyone need to provide proof of why they need anything. This is America. Freedom means I don’t have to offer an explanation.
Also a 30rd AR mag in 556/223 holds 10 .50 beowulf rounds. How does that play into your mixed up and not thought out ideas about how you know more than anyone else and how you should decide what everyone else needs?
well with 20 dead kids IT does mean you have some “splaiming’ to do.
Freedom isn’t free . It comes with responsibility..Use it ,don’t abuse it, or you will lose it..THIS guy abused that freedom. And as a result 20 kids and 6 adults lost theirs. And you likely will have some new restrictions to yours. See what happens when you ABUSE that freedom??
” A well REGULATED militia being neccessary to a free STATE…..” See that word REGULATED (and note it refers to the STATE (not the individual).)
Why do I have to explain anything? My guns haven’t killed anyone. Freedom isn’t free. Soldiers go to war and fight for that freedom. I did my two tours and fought for my life. Haven’t I earned the freedom to collect firearms?
You can have freedom or you can have safety. The only way to prevent a dedicated psychopath from doing these kind of crimes is to have a complete dystopian police state. You cannot stop a dedicated individual bent on doing harm. See: 9/11, the Oslo bombing and shooting attack, Oklahoma City bombing, etc.
The second amendment says “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.”
THE RIGHT OF THE PEOPLE TO KEEP AND BEAR ARMS, SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED
“”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. “It’s that preceding clause that is important.. If you are in the guard you get to keep it..
No, it’s the operative clause, “the right of the people to keep and bear arms”, the second clause, that is important. At least that’s what the Supreme Court said in DOC v Heller in 2008. But, hey, you know, what does the Supreme Court know anyway?
The DOC case involved ownership and possession of firearms arms in federal enclaves (District of Columbia). It was a 5-4 decision along the usual lines. In another court, the outcome could well have been the reverse. Dissenting opinions were vigorous and well-considered. as were those among the majority. As you know, due to periodic appointments, what the Supreme court knows, believes and opines shift from time to time. Were that decision to have gone the other way, the gun lobby would have gotten the faithful to howl in protest about “appointed judges making law.” Who knows – might such a time may yet come?
Oh, that’s possible, but they ruled how they ruled…rightly, of course.
You need a grammar lesson. Look up “operative clause”.
I’m not going to argue the points you made because we simply differ in our opinions, however I will say real life isn’t the movies and one shot does not necessarily put someone down permanently. It’s the reason why law enforcement trains two shots to the chest and one shot to the head. The two center mass shots are as a distraction and to give precious time (body armor of not you’re going to react and stop what you’re doing if you get shot in the torso) to get them in the head and end the altercation.
You don’t know much about home invasions or home defense I take it – or law enforcement for that matter where deadly force is necessary when someone is trying to kill you. Evil exists in the world and opening the Bangor daily – this very crime should convince you of the need to defend oneself or at least protect your family
live deep in the woods far away from others… who’s gonna “find” you? SERIOUSLY? Probably only those OUT looking for you.( and I’m not talking about “BIG BAD government”.( with the wrong address) ) . Maybe living deep in the woods isn’t “safer”?
I have to admit there does seem to be alot of crime in the Bangor area if the BDN reporting is accurate…most looks to be “drug:” related’ though . So maybe the solution to safety is more drug rehab and drug stings, drug enforcement not bigger and badder guns??
And more guns are the solution? Isn’t that sort of what got us to where we are today? This very crime convinces me and many others, that it’s time to stop the proliferation of assault weapons in the open market. The gun that was used was not a protective weapon, nor is it catagorized as a hunting weapon (hunting, …a sport Maine highly regulates)…….you choose, It’s not going to be one or the other, (mental health and security checks or gun control) It’s going to be both. This act of butchery, is no longer tolerable, by any means. And any means should be used to stop something like this ever happening again. Do you understand, how close to home this happened to you?
actually good point and gives new meaning to ” guns don’t kill people “…bullets do.” I saw one suggestion that bullet sell for $5,000 a piece. That really DOES go to the heart of the problem…limit BULLET sales by .Increasing the price of bullets so people think twice about using then irresponsibly..
” How many times do you need to shoot an intruder?”
Until he stops moving.
“The interesting thing is that with talk of a ban, there will be much more ammunition, magazines, and many more guns bought….” which will lead directly to more gun deaths by the very people buying them. Own a gun, your risk of you or your family dying by a gun increases greatly. Irony defined.
That’s like saying “your odds of drowning increases greatly if you’re in water.” The difference being, in the case of responsible gun ownership, those who would do you and others harm also have the potential to ‘drown.’
Most gun owners I know train more often privately and take more courses than the Police.
Owning a gun gives me the ability to defend myself and my family when someone decides to break in and steal, kill, rape, etc. What would you do if that happened? Call the police and whine that someone was in your home? In the 15 minutes it takes for them to get there, what are you going to do? Lecture the criminal on why he shouldn’t have a gun? Beg? Cry? Whine?
My children have been trained in firearm use and safety from the time they were small. To them using and caring for firearms is a normal part of life, as it was for me when I grew up, as it was for my parents when they grew up. The so-called ‘risk’ you talk about is far outweighed by the benefits of having guns. I’m sure you’re one of the liberal types that would rather crawl around on your knees enslaved, and at the mercy of our own government. As the old saying goes, “Better red, then dead”, or “Better to live on your knees, than die on your feet”, right?
You take your chances without your guns, I’ll take mine with.
Should murder be the sentence for robbery? Should you be judge, jury and executioner? This, somehow, is a growing debate and if you answer yes to those questions, there are several states you can choose to live in where you can legally murder someone who breaks into your home. Maine is not yet one of them.
Maine is one of them. Break into my home and I’ll show you.
How do I know what someone’s intent is if they’re breaking in? How do I know that they are not going to murder me, my wife, my kids. How do I know that they’re not going to do what they did to that doctor, William Pettit, in Connecticut a couple of years ago. Bound him, raped his wife, strangled her, raped and tortured his daughters, then dumped gasoline on them, and burned the house down around them. Maybe he should have opened a dialogue with them.
Maybe I should ask them. I suppose they’ll tell me the truth, since they are upstanding and moral citizens of character. Maine does have a castle doctrine. It’s not murder. The idiotic statements coming from the left only get more astounding as time goes by.
No wonder you’re desperate for guns. You have scenarios like that running through your head, as though it’s likely to happen to you and your family any day now. You can stock up on weapons and counteract your paranoia with fantasies of blowing away armed intruders. More and more people buy guns! You get more and more scared! You buy more and more guns! And you want America to help you keep your fantasies going by making sure there’s no regulations on weapons.
Scenarios like that? That ‘scenario’ actually happened two years ago. It was all over the news. It happened.
“Should murder be the sentence for robbery?”
No
Should DEATH by firearm be a possible consequence of robbery?
YES
If you have alot of that going on in your neighbor hood; you need to fund a better neighborhood.
Weird you start out talking about self defense then quickly move on to fearing “big bad governmenrt” I don’t feel enslaved,or “at the mercy” of government.. I trust them and expect them to protect me from paranoid peopel like you…
Doesn’t seem that many are advocating NO guns just the KIND of guns citizens need. As long as my guns can shoot food animals I am betting they can shoot FOOL animals too. Only takes one shot in the right place not 20 or so.
Do you greet strangers a the door by pointing a gun at them, patting a pistol on your hip, or is Old Betsy just behind the door, loaded and ready for business? Perhaps you greet them by camera and speaker? Just wondering – sometimes a more intelligent home intruder first gets greeted at the door in a normal way (while the accomplice is working a window open somewhere else.) One thing for certain, though: if the stranger has knee pads on, you’ll know he’s a liberal, and no threat to you and yours.
The “old sayings” went both ways, but neither actually has much to do with the matter at hand does it?
“A more intelligent home intruder”?
Well, maybe they are. What’s your point? That a gun would be useless at that point. One, I am very careful about who I let in my house. Maybe you’re not, but I doubt it. We live in a wicked world, where there are bad people who do bad things. So, yes, I am careful. No, I don’t have a gun hidden behind the door, although that is my right,and there’s nothing wrong with that. I do concealed-carry, and while that may not keep me from losing my life in my defense or my family’s during a break-in, or some other violence perpetrated against us, it certainly increases the odds in my favor by a long shot.
There is no benefit to owning a gun, apart from pleasant fantasies of being able to save the day, just like in the movies. Those fantasies will evaporate fast if you have to face a real, live gunman… unless you happen to be SWAT-trained and keeping up on the training week by week.
As the video plainly shows, you’re likely to freeze, shoot wildly, harm everybody around you but your target, and get shot in the process.
You’re welcome to your delusions of grandeur. Just don’t try to enact them.
http://abcnews.go.com/2020/video/defend-gun-7312540
I read above that you want to change the Constitution. Do realize what your saying? As for guns being used to kill people, look up the Bath, Michigan School bombing that occurred in 1927. No guns were used, but a lot of people died.
No benefit, huh? So says the wingnut. You ever hunted? I have…a lot.
I have no fantasies about saving the day. I just want my family to live in peace like everybody else. Defending them would be gruesome and brutal, but I am willing to do what it takes. You?
I don’t feel the need to have rifles with 30 plus ammo clips to defend myself.These are the type of weapons that need to be taken off the market. I have more than a dozen rifles & pistols, but I don’t feel the need to have assault weapons to protect myself and my family.If it were a child of yours that was killed, I’m sure you’d certainly change you prespective very quickly.
Most criminals don’t use AR style rifles in crimes. That’s only in the movies. Most criminals use regular wheel guns, or Saturday night specials.
I wouldn’t change my tune. I’d be angry that the teachers couldn’t do more to defend my children in their feel good, safe, “gun-free” zone. The teachers should have been armed. If Lanza couldn’t have got an AR, then he would have walked in with a semi-auto or pump .06, or some other weapon.
The problem is that Lanza didn’t obey the “gun-free” law, among others. It’s also interesting that when I first read the media report, the cops had found the .223 in the car, and thought that he used the pistols. Later it was amended. Don’t trust the media.
You don’t have a semi-auto anything? How about a pump 12 gauge? Many feel these weapons are too extreme for home ownership, just see the above posts. It is a matter of where the line is drawn and who gets to draw it. Today if they take your semi-auto you just give them the license to take your handguns next.
So what is the conservative rights solution to these mass killings?? DO they have any other then” Don’t take my gun away, i didn’t do it? ” You best be thinking of a solution right quick , because the majority of NRA members, as well as the public, have said ENOUGH!!!
Here are MY solutions :
1. limit clips and magazines to 10 bullets ( if you are going to conduct mass murder you should at least have to have the inconvenience to “reload” and give people a fightng chance to “escape”)
2 ban semi and automatic rifles. (when you are hunting bambi ( or children ) ,it is not exactly sportsmanship)
3. ban all “so called” gun shows where most of the illegal sales occur ( ansd everyone KNOWS it) UNLESS a background check can be assured.
4. ban all private sales ( uncle henry) unless all sales can be back ground checked..
well that is my starting list ? anyone else ??
See I didn’t even “Take your gun ( or your “rights”) away” .I didn’t ban all guns. You can still hunt or provide for personal defense..
Once your done I’ll start regulating some of the stuff you like out. I don’t see the need for you to have a bicycle on the road anymore. If my freedom is not an issue to you yours will be no issue to me.
what about the freedom of these kids? do you are about that? You can get as much of a “thrill ” from a 10 clip . Heck you can even work on accuracy with a one shot weapon.. Sportsmanship isn’t about POWER, but accuracy.
Don’t have a bicycle and they aren’t KNOWN for killing anyone. I do have a semi automatic though.
I know all about accuracy, my marksmanship badge was the crossed rifles of a Marine Rifle Expert. Limiting the size of a magazine that can be sold does nothing for the millions already out there, and outlawing those just opens up the possibility of you criminalizing good law abiding people who have never done anything wrong (you know that large magazines are used for special loads too right?).
Not to mention the fact that you can not write a law that won’t be broken by a criminal. You already have laws against murder and they aren’t working. You need to allow people to protect themselves. Maybe if you hadn’t made gun ownership such a PC issue and so forbidden in the schools one of those teachers would have been able to defend themselves and save a bunch of kids?
“well that is my starting list ? anyone else ??”
Sure
~~~~~
1. limit clips and magazines to 10 bullets ( if you are going to conduct
mass murder you should at least have to have the inconvenience to
“reload” and give people a fightng chance to “escape”)
Why 10? Why not 5? Why not 15? The number is arbitrary and is designed to make people “feel” good. For the record I think 15 is a reasonable number. But like I said any number is arbitrary. Now having said that “high capacity magazines” of 20, 30, 50 and 100 (yes there are drum magazines) should be limited to “historic” firearms.
~~~~~
2 ban semi and automatic rifles. (when you are hunting bambi ( or children ) ,it is not exactly sportsmanship)
Automatic firearms are already heavily regulated. You need a federal permit and pay a rather hefty tax stamp to purchase a “automatic” firearm. And it should be noted that NO automatic firearm has been used in any school shootings.
Semi-automatic rifles are used for target practice, varmint extermination, competitive shooting, etc…Yes some people do use semi-automatic rifles for hunting but as a non-hunter I cannot address the advantages/disadvantages for hunting. You also need to know that shotguns also come in semiautomatic versions and some people use them in skeet/clay pigeon shooting. So to ban semi-automatics is a bit extreme in my ipinion.
~~~~~
“3. ban all “so called” gun shows where most of the illegal sales occur (
ansd everyone KNOWS it) UNLESS a background check can be assured.
I haven’t been to a gun show in years but I did purchase a Ruger MkII semi-automatic .22 target pistol at one once. It happen in the mid to late 80’s and did I walk out of the gun show with gun in hand? Nope, the firearm was transferred from one Federal Firearm Licensed (FFL) dealer to another FFL dealer near my home. So I must have gone in and just picked up the gun there right? Nope, I had to complete all the paperwork and only then as I allowed to leave with the firearm. Again, that was the one and only time I have purchased a firearm at a gun show and maybe things have changed.
~~~~~
“4. ban all private sales ( uncle henry) unless all sales can be back ground checked..”
No issue from me. In Massachusetts private sales had to complete a “transfer” that was filed at the Mass State Police. No background check was required at the time of the sale but there was no way of enforcing the requirement.
Private sales are self regulated. So those that would report those sales and undergo a background check are those that are responsible gun owners to begin with.
~~~~~
So in closing, I agree with point #1 (but not sure what the number should be), disagree with #2, agree with #3 and agree with #4.
I would re-institute the waiting period even with the “instant background check”. The last firearm I purchased took two days to come in and was no big deal waiting for it. It may save a life or two in a domestic violence situation.
I would also limit the number of firearms one can purchase at a time or within a given period of time.
Just my humble thoughts.
Before we ban all semi auto “assault weapons”(which no country on earth uses as its military weapon by the way) we should ban all jet aircraft! As you know, it was those evil high capacity jets that was the cause of the World Trade Center attack, the terrorists on board couldn’t be responsible for that…..we should all travel by slow speed aircraft with prop engines….leave the jet engines for military use ….you liberals really take the cake with your knee-jerk progressive thinking! Try focussing on the real problem….MENTAL ILLNESS….these people need to be institutionalized not running around in public so as not to offend them or their families!
whoa..there is no evidence that this murderer should have been ‘institutionalized’..you skipped a whole part of the converation…maybe in the right city, but way on the wrong side of town
The mother admitted to a family friend that she was loosing control over him!..He stayed in his room playing video games all day!…He was a social hermit!…Just take a look at his picture!…The lights are on but nobody is home!.. In addition, he tried to purchase a weapon prior to his meltdown but was denied the sale BECAUSE THE LAWS WORK! So he reverted to stealing the “leagally” obtained and owned weapons from his mother! It has been reported that this “mentally challeged” individual broke 41 laws! Stop ignoring the warning signs!
I think we should ban the capitalist skyscrapers who had the nerve to make such an obvious and easy symbolic target of themselves. OR, maybe we should ban religion. It was after all, the distortion of an ancient religion that misguided those foreign men. WAIT, maybe we should ban foreign people, then we would only need to worry about domestic terrorism…oh, but wait we’re back to domestic weapons policy again…we need to deal with this problem from both sides. No one needs that much firepower but plenty of people need psychological help and can’t get it. Is cutting social services to the bone really a good idea? I can’t think of one millionaire who would go on a shooting spree because they were held accountable for paying a fair tax rate.
I disagree! Every law abiding citizen should have access to all semi-automatic weapons, no matter what these weapons “look” like! The trick is to keep the “mentally challegened”, as you liberals like to call them, from getting their hands on ANY weapon in the first place!
You assume liberalism because I support a balanced approach to living safely? Sounds dogmatic and inaccurate.
Nice picture. AR 15? Bushmaster ? I have a couple of questions for you, BDN.
Are you pro or con assault rifles?
How much $$ did you make last wekend in your Ourdoors Winter 2012, Special Advertising Section, on the SAM Winter Raffle for the.223 Bushmaster {child killer} Rifle? The one that says. ” Order More Tickets! Yes, I want more tickets for this great raffle.”
Also, ” THANK YOU TO SAM’S OUTDOOR Partners ”
– Maine Energy
-Liberty Mutual
-W.S. Emerson
-Poland Spring
-The Maine Hunting Guide
-Windham Weapomry
-Plum Creek
-BRP
-Cabela’s
-Kittery Trading Post
-The Bank of Maine
-PretiFlaherty
-Robbins Lumber
-Trappers post
-Dick’s
-First Wind
-Shipyard Brewing
-L.L. Bean
-Staley+Son’s
-Huber- A Family Of Solutions
– Local 88District 4 { unreadable }
I have been hunting for 40 years. I hope to hunt for 20 more. I have never, on Gods green earth ever seen military assault rifles in sporting goods stores or on a newspaper raffle. These assault rifles weren’t made for hunters. These assault rifles were made for the military. They were designed to kill human beings in war time. The insanity of running out to buy one and/or defending the proliferation of these after one was recently used to slaughter innocent children and courageous women who tried to defend them is incomprehensible. This isn’t 2nd Amendment. This, is lunacy.
Back to my question BDN. How much $$ did you make?
Do you know what an assault rifle is? It is a misnomer and a made up word. Military weapons are select fire machine guns. An AR 15 is just a regular semi automatic intermediate cartridge rifle that is in actuality less powerful than majority of all hunting firearms.
Thank you sir, for your question. I believe an assault weapon is one, that has large magazine capacity { pictured above }and when used per manufacturers specifications, tiny children’s bodies can be ripped to shreds in literally seconds and is highly sought after throughout Maine and America, immediately upon reading of the deed.
Just because a rifle looks scary doesn’t make it any more dangerous. An AR-15 is just a semi-automatic intermediate chambered rifle. People use them for hunting a wide variety of animals and they come in countless calibers and chamberings. Don’t base your argument and views on looks. Do some research, ask some gun owners questions, and go to a range with someone who knows and shoot some guns. Learn about guns and you will see that the calls for bans, and “assault weapons” are really just smoke and mirrors for politicians to pander for votes.
Just another power play in the long list of government control.This admin is trying to regulate personal responsibility.
The funny thing about the “Assault Weapon Ban” is that is regulates scary looking features and nothing more. People do not understand things and just parrot what politicians that know even less say.
When was the last time someone was killed by an affixed bayonet? Korean war? Yet that is a banned part per the old “assault weapon ban” I don’t get it.
Hey don’t you know the military does not use bayonets any longer?? The President stated so…..
The use of bans is an interesting subject here. Weapons possession is banned in every school that I know of and yet, the anti-gun-regulation argument is that people should be able to protect themselves. Does this Argument, in light of recent events suggest that our teachers constitutional rights have been denied? That every teacher in America who chooses to do so, should be able to possess weapons in the class room? Should third-grade spelling class be conducted in the presence of a gun-cabinet or Armed security? If the teacher who so tragically died protecting her students had instead, shot the armed man in front of them, would it have been any less traumatic a scene for those involved and the rest of the nation who has watched this tragedy unfold? Is the new image of “freedom” for our kids going to be a soldier at every door of every school in our country?
Banning and otherwise restricting guns does not curb crimes or spree killings. It only restricts law abiding gun owners. Statistics show that the ’94 ban did nothing. Banning “assault weapons” will never solve anything because assault weapons are not the problem in gun violence.
Small handguns make up the majority of gun deaths. A single high profile shooting that leaves 27 dead is a hard pill to swallow but it is statistically it is ultra rare. We have a super low firearms homicide rate. 4 per 100,000 people. That is nearly zero. You have better chances at becoming a pro sports player.
As far as the “new image of freedom” the only way you can guarantee the safety of everyone is a complete police state 1984 style. If you want true freedom you have to accept the responsibility that your life is yours to protect and you have to be proactive at ensuring your own safety.
My questions stand.
which question is that
OK i’ll take the bait. What personal responsibility was present at sandy hook on Friday? When people don’t take personal repsonsibility , it needs to be externally imposed .It is what ALL rules and regs are ALL about— some goober NOT taking personal responsibility or doing the right thing on their own. .
Using a semi automatic to kill bambi isn’t very sportsmanlike now , is it?? It kind of takes the “sport” and challenge out of hunting doesn’t it? Only a whus takes a semi automatic into the woods and then calls themselves a “hunter”. Where have all the REAL hunters gone ?
What? You truly are “Pretty Foolish”
Majority of all weapons produced are semi automatic. That means it fires one shot per trigger pull and auto loads the next cartridge. I don’t see how in the world that takes any sport or challenge out of anything.
Please elaborate on your points because either you are incredibly misinformed or you are willfully ignorant of reality.
what a phoney
Ok as a hunter myself let me ask you this one of the most popular rifles in Maine the Remington 7600 is different then a ar15 how? Both can be had in .223. Both are semi auto. Both can take a 30 round mag. The difference is how they look. A rifle is a rifle. FYI the ar platform is a very popular hunting platform for to many reasons to say here.
As for “assault rifles” well the meaning depends on who you ask. To I go with the way I learned it many years ago a full auto battle rifle,
Hey guess what Machine guns are legal in Maine as they are in most states.
Sir. Thank you for your question. I could be mistaken but I believe the difference is that the Remington 7600 is manually operated. The Remington 7400, 750 and the 742 are semi’s. Also the Remington model 81 { I’ve got one upstairs } is also semi.
In my opinion the AR is manufactured to exactly resemble a full auto capable assault rifle; Also be provided with 30/100 round mags to give the shooter a more realistic auto feeling; hence the attraction, particularly to those who desire to commit mass murder. Short of handing a murderer a full auto assault rifle, you make the next best thing available to him.
Sir, I have a question for you.
Would please and I truly mean please, try for one moment , to think of the sheer terror, no nightmarish horror, those 6 year old children and the young gal teachers experienced. Their rooms are approx. 20′ square. Their chairs are tiny to accommodate tiny body bums. It is 9:30 am and their young teacher and teacher aid are working on their letters or sitting on the floor during a ” read aloud”. There is no notice, There is no alarm. A man appears, dressed in black and begins firing hundreds of scream deafening rounds. The female teachers bodies are riddled with bullets as the little children are being shot to pieces.
The principal and school psychologist race in, to the sounds of a screaming horrific holocaust and too, are blown to bits. Smoke, spent shells, blood, bone and bodies everywhere. What is actually driving me to tears as much as the nighmareish scene above is that dozens, hundreds and thousands of gun owners are whining about “losing their freedoms, high capacity magazines, 2nd Amendment definitions and knives can kill too,” do not seem as concerned about the deafening screams of the children. So, sir, here is my question for you.
Can you possibly explain to me why, they don’t seem concerned about the slaughter perpetrated on the children and their teachers?
Thank you.
Jotoh
What shall we name our Ruler? Lord, Sir etc.etc
Little man syndrome in Maine? Well, it has been cold up there.
Stock up fools! Do the rest of us a favor though…….make sure to secure them because we are sick of people buying them legally and having them end up in someone else’s hands!
since the brady bill, from 1994 to 2008 there have been 97 million background checks made (for guns sold and gun transfers)…. 1. 5 million background checks have denied those sales requests…..Guns sold according to law are statistically100% in the hands of law abiding citizens….proof positive that gun control advocates need more Connecticuts to move this issue forward….clearly the 11K murders a years is not enough…..probably because most of those are murders are in largely african american, urban centers. Not gonna get at the bulk of the guns that way…..
“Guns sold according to law”… ah there’s the rub
Of course gun sales increase!
Scare tactics (“they’re about to ban guns”) by the NRA (supported by gun manufacturers/wholesalers/sellers) are purposely designed to increase sales & profits.
You didn’t think NRA leaders really believe the scary slogans they keep repeating, do you?
Their scary predictions never come true — because the NRA saved them. Haw haw.
Here’s how they operate:
1 – Convince suckers they’ll die unless they drink your snake oil.
2 – Sell them the snake oil.
3 – When the suckers don’t die, tell them, “See? You needed my snake oil. It worked.”
Re read the story , King supports a gun ban and Pingree is co sponsor of a gun ban bill.
Sounds like Obama voters!Speaking of snake oil.
bet you buy the books, gold, survival gear etc Beck (and Coultor ) ‘peddles” on his show ,too.
I myself like the Constitution!! Great read…
and just why did obama send clinton overseas to meet with the U.N. on a firearms treaty? …the treaty wasn’t to support your right to own firearms.
Could you please stop posting “conspiracy’ drivel. The UN treaty was in regards to international arms sales. Unless you are an unscrupulous arms dealer the treaty does not apply to you.
Have you actually read the UN treaty. If not, it behooves you to do so before opening mouth and talking about stuff you have no clue. You would actually make a very good member of Congress.
There is no treaty to read. Nothing got done and they are postponing it till March 2013. An it has nothing to do with American citizens owning and buying guns.
yes there is a treaty as i have it on my hard drive downloaded from the united nations website. some countries have signed it.
Yes there is a beginning of a treaty. But until all the U.N. nations agree and sign off on it its not an active treaty. The US was one of the nations that have not signed off on it yet. They will try again March of 2013 to see if they can get all to agree with a treaty.
You know we all have our opinions on this issue and not all are wrong or right. But its when one gets an attitude it makes these issues much more of an issue. 27 lives have been snuffed out and all we can do is argue gun control, crazy people, and parents that need to teach their children better.
Where is the compassion for those lost souls. Isn’t this the time when we need to sit down and have an honest conversation with one an other.
where is the compassion for the 4 killed during benghazi. where is the compassion for the two topeka ks police officers that were killed in the line of duty two nights ago. where is the compassion for the three that were wounded in birmingham ala hospital on saturday, etc. where is the compassion for our fighting men and women that are currently overseas fighting and dying right now.
people die everyday as a result of other instruments of death other than firearms. firearms is a protected right. driving vehicles is not. i have compassion, i just don’t keep dwelling over it. i move on. call me heartless or whatever. does not affect me at all. there is a time and a place.
Compassion you say, when ever there is a life lost thru a needless and horrific killing that’s one life to many. There is an attitude with our culture of numbness when faced with a killing. We get over death of strangers with a fast pace. This time I don’t think we will get over Sandy Hook Elementary quite so fast.
The second amendment gives you the right to bear arms, not military grade fire arms. No one wants to take the hunting rifles or any small pistol of protection from anyone.
But we do need to rethink the high power arms that can kill dozens of people in one swoop.
This kind of rifle is not even a hunting gun. To use this on a deer, or even a moose would make infield hamburger on the spot.
And what about small game like say birds. Instant down is all you would get with one of these assault rifles.
No what this is all about is that person thinking they will have protection if they are bombarded by say Uncle Sam or some other military rush of force. There is no need for a private citizen to have military issue weapons of any kind.If you are able to disassociate your self from this kind of tragedy and trauma lucky you.
These two are no friends to the troops or the NRA.
You mean ” OUR RIGHTS “
Clips, magazines, clips, magazines. It would be helpful if someone actually checked to see whether we’re talking about clips or magazines. (We’re talking about magazines, by the way.)
“In fact, the day of the shooting on Friday, I had people come in.”
And I bet he had people come in the day before that and the day before that.
“The president’s statement caused gun sales to increase in November, based on fears he might try to sign into law new weapons bans, Maine gun shop owners said at the time.”
Pure conjecture on the reporter’s part. Yes, gun sales increased on Black Friday. However, where is the reporter’s supporting evidence that the increase was caused by anything the president said?
“He said instead of eyeing new laws, state and national leaders should focus on education and addressing ways to handle people with mental illness who are intent on hurting others.”
How about focusing on ways to handle all people who are intent on hurting others? As today’s editorial correctly states, people with a mental illness are no more likely than the general population to commit violent acts.
Reporters need to do more than to regurgitate what a source says. They need to question what a source says and to point out facts that contradict what a source says.
If reporters questioned not regurgitate Romney would be our president.
better also start banning cars, box truck rentals, fertilizer, alcohol, smokes, basically any type of food
NONE of those killed 20 kids in CT.
I’m a bit confused. Are most gun owners so incompetent with firearms that they can’t figure how to re-load their own gun after firing 4 bullets? Because that is the only rational reason for having a gun which can hold more than 4 bullets at one time.
Who decided having 4 bullets was enough?
You have only confused things , not added clarity.
Regroup and try again,please.
multi shot guns make people think they ARE a good shot ( and a sense of POWER) , when they aren’t . Sort of like giving every kid a trophy, .because they participated. Where are the REAL sportsmen?
Don’t use this sad situation to make political hay in order to have Obama to use this to sign the UN Gun Ban. In England, robbers break into houses to steal, even with the owners there-300% increase in crime since they lost their ability to protect themselves.Bobbies (police) have been seen walking in groups of threes with guns.Let’s look at this video and see if there is a better solution: http://www.theblaze.com/contributions/lessons-from-newtown-ct-school-shooting-3-ways-to-protect-your-children/
We don’t blame cars for drunk drivers,so why blame guns for violent crimes?
filed under ‘nailed it’….
Because a car isn’t designed to kill someone.
more to the point, we blame improper use of alcohol for drunk driving and the many deaths associated with it, we limit its use to adults, regulate through police action and federal law limiting its sale and production. Then, we have a special vice-tax for it. And while prohibition didn’t work on any level, regulation is successful at limiting the negative social impact of irresponsible alcohol use. And, just as pure grain alcohol is less available than the standardized 40-proof (key word is “standardize”, not “prohibit”), it is not unavailable. We need standards for mass-marketed weapons in this country that limit their potential for negative social impact.
“standardized 40-proof”
You know as much about alcohol as you do about guns.
Very little.
ok let start blaming the auto loading magazines!! .
I have been looking to buy a new rifle for the last couple of month and each gun shop That I have been in, the owner has said that their are haveing very good year selling guns and the best saleperson for them was a man with a name of Obama
Why the need to. Stock-up? These are the nuts we don’t want stocking up.
Now this is a knee jerk reaction. Are the nuts the ones who are stocking up or are the nuts the ones who are afraid of what might happen at some undetermined point in an undetermined future?
All I will say to gun control is this.If the people in the USA want to ban guns because some idiots kill others with them.Then get rid of all the cars and trucks in the US.Alot more people killed every day in them.
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Mass Killings Stopped by
Armed Citizens
There are several documented cases where
armed citizens have stopped mass attacks by gunmen. Let me list a few: The
Pearl, Mississippi school shooting was stopped by the vice principal Joel Myrick
with a Colt .45, The Appalachian School shooting was stopped by two students
with handguns. Both of the above incidents were stopped by the armed citizens
threatening the shooter without firing.
Pearl High
Appalacian
Plans to slay everyone in the Muskegon, Michigan, store and steal enough cash
and jewelry to feed their “gnawing hunger for crack cocaine” fell apart for a
band of would-be killers after one of their victims fought back.
Muskegon
Shooting Link
The mass church shooting in Colorado Springs was stopped by the shooter being
shot by a church member with a CCW permit.
New
Life Church Link
The Santa Clara gunshop shooting in 1999 was stopped by an armed citizen
after the shooter declared that he was going to kill everyone. Police found a
list of intended victims in his car. Only the perpetrator, Richard Gable Stevens
was shot.
Santa Clara
Gunshop Link
The December, 1991, Aniston, Alabama defense where a CCW holder stopped armed
robbers who were herding employees, customers, and his wife into a cooler. He
shot both robbers, killing one.
Aniston
Shoney’s Shooting Link
July 13, 2009, in Virginia at the Golden Food Market: The gunman tried to
shoot several people, was stopped by a CCW carrier.
Golden
Food Market Shooting Link
Just recently, in Early Texas, armed citizen Vic Stacy shot and stopped a
deranged man who had just murdered two neighbors and was firing at police with a
rifle. Stacy made a very long shot with his revolver, three times as far as the
perpetrator was from the police officer, who had an AR-15 type rifle.
Early
Texas Peach House Shooting Link
That sounds like a very good story… but it never made the national news.
I wonder who made the decision to spike that story.
Of course, when a mass shooting is stopped by an armed citizen, there are not
as many victims. This leads to the charge that it would not really have been a
“mass shooting”.
I have added this incident at the request of a reader:
Abraham Dickman had a history of anger against employees of the AT&T
store in New York Mills, New York. On May 27th, 2010, he walked into the store
with a .357 and a list of six employees. He shot the first employee, but was
stopped from further attacks when Donald J. Moore, an off duty police officer
who was allowed to carry his own handgun when not on duty, drew and fired his
.40 caliber, killing Mr. Dickman before he could fire any more shots.
AT&T store
Link
Here is another likely candidate.
College Park, GA, May 4, 2009.
Two gunman entered a party and ordered the men separated from the women. Then
they started counting bullets. “The other guy asked how many (bullets) he had.
He said he had enough,” said Bailey.
When one of the assailants prepared to rape a girl, a student was able to
access a handgun and engage the two attackers in a firefight, driving one off
and killing the other before the thug could rape his girlfriend.
“I think all of us are really cognizant of the fact that we could have all
been killed,” said Bailey.
College
Park Link
Another off duty police officer stopped the Trolley Square shooting with his
personal handgun. He stopped the killing and contained the shooter until police
reinforcements arrived and ended the situation.
Trolley Square
Shooting Link
Winnemucca NV shooting, 25 May, 2008
The shooter, Ernesto Villagomez, entered the Players Bar and Grill and killed
two people. He reloaded and was continuing to shoot when a citizen with a
concealed carry permit shot him and stopped the killing.
Winnemuca
Shooting Link
Parker Middle School Dance Shooting
14 Year old Andrew Jerome Wurst Killed one person and wounded three others
when he was confronted by James Strand who subdued Wurst with a shotgun and held
him until police arrived.
Parker
Middle School Dance Shooting LinK
Destiny Christian Center Shooting, April 24, 2012
Kiarron Parker rammed his car into another in the church parking lot, got out
and attempted to kill multiple church members. He was only able to kill one
before a member of the congregation, the nephew of the lady killed, and an off
duty police officer, drew his handgun and shot Parker, stopping the killing.
Destiny
Christian Center Shooting LinK
Tyler Courthouse shooting, 2005 While police officers were involved in this
shooting before and after Mark Alan Wilson intervened, no more people were
killed after he shot the shooter, who had body armor, and who was able to return
fire and kill the CCW holder, Wilson.
Tyler
Courthouse Shooting Link
Dean Weingarten
to bad your links are broken.
the poster copy/pasted this article.
http://gunwatch.blogspot.com/2012/12/mass-killings-stopped-by-armed-citizens.html
So? That doesn’t make it any less factual.
Should be easy enough for you to disprove any one of them then.
Our country is sick with gun violence. It’s very obvious and sad. Go to any other industrialized nation and there’s nothing even close:
“The main area where the U.S. exceeds the firearm violence of other nations is in comparison to other affluent nations. Using the U.N. data, European nations — even former eastern bloc countries — typically have rates well below 1 per 100,000, or far less than one-third the frequency seen in the U.S. The pattern is similar in other advanced industrialized nations, such as Canada, Taiwan, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.”
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2012/jul/23/facebook-posts/the-us-is-no-in-gun-violence-is-it/
Does your data just show gun crime or include suicides?
It really doesn’t matter to people who aren’t in denial, and who are seeing these school shootings as a sign of social sickness–like Joe Scarborough.
How many alcholics are there in the US? That woudl be about 17 million. Now, how many of them do you think have guns?
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/alcoholism.html
Does your above data include suicides and the actions of those persons who defend themselves with guns as “gun violence”?
You do realize that no one goes to your silly communist links right?
Suddenly Joe Scarborough is a “Communist”?
He’s a conservative Republican. He fought for the NRA when in Congress. He used to hold libertarian views on the Second Amendment. Then he did some serious thinking about the need for gun control in America.
I don’t even bother looking at his links anymore and I don’t really care who Joe is. The communist links he usually puts out there pretty much shuts down anyone who may ever click on anything he tries to link you to again.
How many of them have cars?
Guns are not like cars. Guns are more like bombs than cars, by far.
Cars and trucks take you to school, work, the doctor, the grocer, the vet, and so on–and are essentiall. Assault rifles and big clips are not essential. In fact, the opposite: they create fear, maximize the killing of innocents, and diminish freedom.
Simple question, do cars kill or do the alcoholics driving them kill?
Several years ago a drunk driver hit a Church van carrying 17 kids, all were killed except the drunk driver, would you consider that a mass murder? Did the drunk driver maximize the killing of innocents?
You continue to talk as if guns were the same thing as cars. The two are very different and have very different functions. A gun is much more like a bomb than a car. Should we make bombs legal because they serve the same function as guns?
The bottom line is that more guns are associated with more deaths, and those extra guns are not helping our society more than they are contributing to a massive sickness. We’re addicted to guns.
They are the same thing if the one operating them is irresponsible, they both can kill and drunk drivers kill more people than guns do. The only difference between the two is premeditation but, on the other hand, both know up front that they have the potential to kill so we could argue that they are both premeditated.
Bombs and guns are not the same, bombs can kill masses with only one detonation and you can’t stop a bomb with another bomb, whereas, a gunman can be stopped by another gun.
Bombs are illegal in the hands of civilians so that was a silly question.
neither a car nor a drunk driver, nor a knife nor a bomb nor an airplane, nor, nor, nor …. killed those kids. quit changing the subject
It’s not a change of subject except to those who don’t want to know the truth and I’m not the one who brought up alcoholics.
Those countries don’t give their citizens a constitutional right to keep and bear arms. I don’t necessarily disagree with the ban on assault weapons but once you start down that road, where does it end? Furthermore, who gets to decide what weapons to outlaw- you, Barack Obama, Harry Reid? You libs are fond of killing flies with a sledge hammer. No ban on weapons, assault and otherwise, is going to keep guns out of the hands of those intent on using them. I am foursquare against any international gun control treaty. The U.N. has no business interfering in the rights granted by our U.S. Constitution, any more than the World Court should have jurisdiction over U.S. citizens. Barack Obama seems to think only he knows what’s in my best interest. I have a mother- I don’t need another one. So, you can spew all the statistics you wish about what they do or don’t do in other countries. The fact is, we are given unalienable rights, among them the right to keep and bear arms.
There is a ban on assault rifles. No one can own an assault rifle without a special permit. Assault rifles are selective fire, fully automatic weapons used by the military and tactical police units. The only difference between an AR or AK style semi-auto and a semi-auto 30-.06 is the looks. They operate exactly the same way.
40% of gun sales get NO background check..
Bold talk for a one eyed fat man
You better get back to school.
The ban on so called “assault weapons” expired eight (8) years ago.
First, the term “assault weapons” was a term congured up by a left wing, liberal, anti-gun, loon.
A rifle or hand gun without the capability of firing full automatic is referred to as a “semi-automatic handgun/rifle”.
A handgun or rifle with full automatic capability is commonly referred to as an “automatic handgun/rifle”.
And, a person who passed the required background checks and pays the required fees, can own a fully automatic handgun or rifle.
As to your remark about caliber you are sadly mistaken.
Did you read my post?
The term ‘assault rifle’ simply refers to a fully automatic weapon generally issued to infantry. No citizen without special permission can own one:
“It has been unlawful since 1934 (The National Firearms Act) for civilians to own machine guns without special permission from the U.S. Treasury Department. Machine guns are subject to a $200 tax every time their ownership changes from one federally registered owner to another, and each new weapon is subject to a manufacturing tax when it is made, and it must be registered with the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in its National Firearms Registry.
To become a registered owner, a complete FBI background investigation is conducted, checking for any criminal history or tendencies toward violence, and an application must be submitted to the ATF including two sets of fingerprints, a recent photo, a sworn affidavit that transfer of the NFA firearm is of “reasonable necessity,” and that sale to and possession of the weapon by the applicant “would be consistent with public safety.” The application form also requires the signature of a chief law enforcement officer with jurisdiction in the applicant’s residence.
Since the Firearms Owners’ Protection Act of May 19, 1986, ownership of newly manufactured machine guns has been prohibited to civilians. Machine guns which were manufactured prior to the Act’s passage are regulated under the National Firearms Act, but those manufactured after the ban cannot ordinarily be sold to or owned by civilians.”
That sounds pretty much like signing your life away to me.
You’re right. The media has made them into something they’re not.
I’m not mistaken. The 30-.06 and the AR are gas operated blowback weapons. The AK is gas-piston driven. The point I was making is that a semi .06 and a semi .223, and a semi 7.62 are 1 pull of the trigger for one round fired.
And again, you are wrong.
I am not going to belabor the point I made previously, which you obviously did not comprened.
Semi-automatic rifles and handguns do no need spefic permits
Automatic rifles, commonly referred to as submachine guns or machine guns can still be legally purchased and held by those who comply with the government stipulations reqired to possess same.
There is no such thing as an “assault weapon”. It is a contived term conjured up by the anti-gun crowd/lobby.
Why are you and I arguing? We agree. I comprehend, and am well aware that no special permits are needed for semi autos. Full auto can be purchased, but with extensive background checks, and they must be registered. I’m well aware of why, where, and how ‘assault rifle’ came to be.
It’s attitudes like this that drive me crazy. Me me me…it’s all about me. I want, I should have, I can get. I have a mother, shouldn’t be told what do do, I can do whatever I want and to hell with how it may affect others. It’s all very narcissistic. Your sole, personal desire to own whatever type of weapon you want should rise above multiple other’s safety? Did your mother every say ‘no’ to you as a child?
Maybe sou should consider living in a country with laws that suit your sensibilities better.
So, does that mean you disagree with our constitutional rights? I mean it’s right there in black and white. Do you want to repeal that? What else would you like to repeal? How about all of the Bill of Rights?
It’s not a ME, ME, ME, narcissistic want – It’s a very real concern that our rights under the second amendment of our Constitution are being threatened. It’s a much bigger issue than just guns. We all have certain unalienable rights, whether you like them or not and whether you agree with them or not. You don’t get to pick and choose. Once we start banning one thing, it leads to a slippery slope to banning other things. We’ve already lost our right to privacy under the Patriot Act and the right to legal representation under NDAA, which is a major infringement of our rights. How much more shredding of our Constitution are we going to allow before it dissolves completely?
Of course I don’t! But I’m not living solely word-for-word on a 2000-year-old document based on compromise by a bunch of white men! The Constitution has been amended for a reason. People challenged it and got change. It was originally designed to be modified with the changing times and changing generations. The Bill of Rights was even an afterthought!
And yes it is narcissistic. The ideology of slavery and lack of women’s rights is based on narcissism. Should we have not ratified the 13th, 15th, and 19th ammendments? These were all alterations that benefited the good of the people. You’re ability to have an assault rifle, or any other type of weapon above and beyond one that will serve for self-defense or hunting, strictly because ‘it’s your right’ isn’t going to benefit the greater population.
Your comments are so out to lunch.
All your inalienable rights are now regulated by statutes, and are now called civil rights. Civil rights can be granted and denied at will by the government.
Almost ALL of our inalienable rights have been converted to privileges, WITH our consent. How, you ask? We have contracted them away in exchange for benefits from the government. Most people, when given the choice between freedom and
sandwiches (government handouts), will choose sandwiches. And will sign a contract, giving up their rights, to get those sandwiches. People just do not want to be responsible for themselves and their own actions, and have contracted with the government to have them take that responsibility for you, with chains and restrictions of course.
I think you might want to think twice about rights you think you have but really dont.
“That road” may just lead to a healthy balance and group sanity. I doubt very much weapons will be outlawed in this country, so the mighty hunters (including me) needn’t really worry. As for the issue of which weapons to outlaw, that is done now and has been done for a long time. I may not keep and bear arms to ward off my enemies if those weapons happen to be C4 plastique or rocket launchers, or drone bombers or mustard gas. I am not allowed to keep and bear arms if they happen to be mortars or hand grenades or flame throwers or nuclear-er fortified bunker busters. Any one of them might be preferable and more lethal than a long gun, apologies to Chuck Connors. After all, if it is truly our liberty that is at stake here, don’t we realize that by being denied the right to keep and bear really effective anti-personnel weapons we’re left defenseless and at the mercy of the criminals, or perhaps the police and the military ordered by the libs to come and get us?
That is the argument I read and hear by those who seem to think that all that is needed to protect our liberties is more widespread personal firepower. It is sad, because, to me, it signifies that they have given up working for a just and caring democracy one that might just have a chance at easing the ills of insecurity, the feelings of worthlessness, isolation and anger that plague so many in our time. I’ll grant that doing so will require revitalization of a once commonly-held ideal of a social contract, though given our unwillingness to get beyond teen-age fantasies of individual independence, it might be too much to expect. But it’s still worth working for, because the opposite, being more apocalyptic than enlightened a view, is to my mind far more frightening than comforting a notion.
The Constitution can be changed. It’s already had amendments. It can have another one specifying gun control–putting some REGULATIONS on our rag-tag murderous “militia.”
Right. Look at Canada. When do we ever read of horrific school shootings or mall shootings or however many other scenarios we’ve had in the US. Canada has laws limiting gun ownership. I think their record says something of value that we need to study.
Our country is sick with VIOLENCE itself. Of course we teach people nothing is there fault in life. Until we get back to where responsibility for ones own actions is held up we will continue to decline.
well i know at least one of them is false or at least misrepresented reality.. because someone else posted the FULL story not the edited ( homemade black backgrounded ) version of the story .
Just face it you are going to face limitation on gun ownership BECAUSE gun ownership has been abused one too many times Use it ,don’t abuse it ,or you’ll lose it..
There is NO purpose for an assault rifle other then massive kills. or recreation. Your right to recereate ends at another person’s right to LIVE.
The majority of NRA member support reasonable gun control It’s just their leadership, OWNED and funded by gun manufacturers, that do not.
I understand why gun manufacturer ( and their workers) might be “upset” and might write and promote black back grounded websites. The last time we banned the MANUFACTURE of assault rifles in the USA!!!
Please show which one is false.
The majority of Americans want assault rifles banned and big magazines banned–also here are plenty of other important statistics, and Joe Scarborough’s change of heart:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2012/12/14/nine-facts-about-guns-and-mass-shootings-in-the-united-states/
http://front.moveon.org/joe-scarborough-long-time-pro-gun-supporter-changes-his-mind-after-newtown/#.UM-qKKQ2wtV.facebook
moveon.org? please! No agenda there!
Dispute the statement or shut up. It doesn’t matter who said it.
Jeez, you are dim.
So if Fox News showed a poll that found a majority of Americans say guns and large magazines aren’t the problem, you’d believe it?
everyone without a brain believes all that is said on state controlled media. media will give you the one side of the story and that is it. but hey its the news so it must believe what it says. hog wash!
Majority of Americans? There are what, 90 million legal gun owners in this country? That’s who they know about. There’s probably another 20-30 million who have guns, including criminals, that nobody knows about. The only people who want a ban on semi-automatic guns are the government, the liberal left, and the criminal. Go figure.
Others who want a ban include the parents and grandparents of the children who will be the next victims of some wild-eyed gunman enjoying his 2nd amendment “rights” (as part of our oh-so-well “regulated” militia).
Good for you and them. You can give up your rights. I won’t.
Your “right” to whip out your gun and shoot at anything or anybody you please ENDS where my kids and grandkids begin.
Watch this video to see what would happen if you tried to play the hero. Unless you have ongoing SWAT training, your delusions of saving the day will end really fast in a real-life situation.
http://abcnews.go.com/2020/video/defend-gun-7312540
You’re posts are typical liberal rubbish. I don’t whip my gun out at anything. You make law abiding gun owners out to be the criminals. How twisted you are. I would protect your kid’s and grand kid’s rights. If they were in danger you would thank someone with a gun who defended them.
What would you do if someone broke into your home and threatened their lives? Threatened to take away their right to live? Call the police? Beg? Cry? Debate with them about your right verses their rights? See how that works out for you. Like I said, I have the right to defend myself, and my family, in whatever way I see fit, and in a way that’s guaranteed to me by being born in the USA.
ABC?! Are you serious? That’s pure propaganda for people like you who don’t have a clue. Why don’t you take an NRA firearms course; there are several around. I can even recommend a couple. You would learn a lot:)
By the way, you have no idea what kind of training I have. As far as SWAT goes, they’re really good at banging down doors in the middle of the night on old men and women who are in bed, at the wrong address, looking for a probation violator who doesn’t exist. You want them protecting you?
So how many times has someone broken into your home and threatened your life? It happens to 8 in 100,000 according to DOJ stats. Pretty good odds it will not happen you. Read the paper. Most of the gun related injuries/death in Maine are at the hands of someone the victim knows.
8 in 100,000. Hmmm. The odds don’t matter. Our constitution gives me the individual right to bear arms whether the odds are 1 in 2 that it will happen to me, or 1 in 10,000,000. That’s not the point. Since when are our rights based upon statistics and odds?
Incidentally, it’s never happened to me personally, and I hope it never does. But it has happened to my mother, twice. She’s had a 9mm shoved into her temple. Fortunately, nothing happened. Those eight have the right to arm themselves, and we shouldn’t take it away.
It’s a shame you didn’t bother to view the video, which shows an experiment done by the Bethlehem Police Department in Allentown, Pennsylvania and professional weapons trainers. It shows how much more there is to responding to such a situation than knowing how to fire a weapon and hit a target.
As for SWAT teams–expert marksmen with in-depth training in close combat–you proved my point by disparaging them.
Trained law enforcement officers do sometimes perceive a threat where there is none, and go after innocent civilians. And you, with your NRA course, are going to magically do better?
The weapons manufacturers feed your paranoia and rake in your money. Now you sit around terrifying yourself that armed robbers are going to burst through your door, and console yourself with fantasies in which you grab your trusty weapon and blow them away. Watch the video. That’s not what would happen.
I did view the video. I could list any number of cases where people have successfully defended themselves with firearms. Regular people, scared people. Just pointing a gun would deter most criminals, and that is the issue. The video, by ABC, is propaganda. You don’t think for yourself.
I’m not paranoid. I don’t walk around in fear. The only fantasies are in your delusional mind. You live in your emotions, and feed on the propaganda espoused by left winged media and our Messiah-in-chief.
Like I said, buy a gun, preferably a short-barreled, no choke 12 gauge shotgun, that you don’t need to aim, just point; take an NRA firearms course; go to the range, and practice, practice, practice until it is second nature. You fight how you train. Bet they didn’t tell you that in the video, did they?
The video did show people “training” on the range. Are you saying that the NRA offers a course in which people take part in scenarios that have wild-eyed gunmen unexpectedly kicking in the door and spraying a room with bullets? And that you and others go through this sort of training over and over and over, until your response is “second nature”?
If not, you’re not prepared for the real thing, and would freeze just like the people in the video. If so, I can see why you think you’d better keep prepared for a gunman that could leap at you any minute now…
Liz, no one can prepare for SWAT to break down their door. We’re talking about defending from thieves, murderers, and rapists who come into our homes. The NRA does offer gun safety, control, and advanced courses. Again, you ought to take a couple and actually educate yourself. Have a wonderful day:)
Check this out:
http://news.cincinnati.com/article/AB/20121210/NEWS010701/312100036/Police-Gas-station-clerks-shoot-kill-robber?odyssey=nav%7Chead&nclick_check=1
There are all kinds of incidents where people with fire arms thwart criminals. This one is recent. Don’t believe all of the propaganda from ABC or any police agency. Think for yourself.
“GUN watch , BLOG spot ” …..you think they might have a bias?? Anyone “fact check” any of them?? Like the example about the kids in china ? NONE of those kids DIED . I know at least ONE of the examples listed above misrepresented the TRUTH and reality of things .I suspect they ALL do .
Thank you. The focus should be on WHY he did it! And big pharma!
Do you think people are affected by their culture? Do you believe in the “copy cat” phenomenon?
Copycat killing is a fact. It happens. Especially when the media orgy over such events is shameless and never ending.
Culture? We don’t have one
We are always going to have culture. The question is whether it’s healthy or not.
I take that back—– if by culture you mean a country that watches its leader, who won a PEACE prize, drop drone bombs in eight different countries that kill hundreds of innocent women and children, well…..that would make sense. I don’t know how these complacent Obama yuppies justify this stuff!
So taking away guns for security will stop copycats please explain.
Honestly, you sound just like an alcoholic in denial, or probably any other addict, spinning excuses and false rationalizations.
It’s desperate. Ask Joe Scarborough:
http://front.moveon.org/joe-scarborough-long-time-pro-gun-supporter-changes-his-mind-after-newtown/#.UM-qKKQ2wtV.facebook
Sad the very people that enjoy the freedom guns brought them have worked so hard over history to take them away.Now has Joe Scarborough replaced Obama as progressive god.Obama admin sent hundreds of these guns to Mexico to attack our own law enforcement is that denial.What if more of these guns you try to grab were in Benghazi would those Americans be alive today.When the unprepared pillage our house’s my family will be safe will yours.I will say that a majority believing in government from Cradle to grave needs a revisit to self responsibility but the Progressive agenda excludes that..
The majority of US citizens see the problem and want assault rifles and huge ammo clips banned (see ref below).
The US is many many more gun deaths than other affluent countries. Anyone who can’t see we have a major problem is in denial. Here are starting points:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2012/12/14/nine-facts-about-guns-and-mass-shootings-in-the-united-states/
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2012/jul/23/facebook-posts/the-us-is-no-in-gun-violence-is-it/
Another delusion, sprucedweller? You sure have a hard time with reality!
ABC news reported in July
A study in the Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery found that the gun murder rate in the U.S. is almost 20 times higher than the next 22 richest and most populous nations combined.
Among the world’s 23 wealthiest countries, 80 percent of all gun deaths are American deaths and 87 percent of all kids killed by guns are American kids.
and what is the death rate of adults and children getting killed by vehicles.
I’m all for the second amendment. However, I think the situation in this country is pretty sad.
As for your absurd question heres a quick link for ya.
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/hea_mot_veh_dea-health-motor-vehicle-deaths
Notice who tops the list with 15.5 deaths per 100,000 people?
Yup, saw a very graphic graph that put us at #2 behind Mexico.
He doesn’t have a hard time with reality. Here’s reality: On last friday 20 children and 6 adults were slaughtered. It doesn’t matter, as you folks so quickly point out, who, nor does it matter why, or how. What you don’t seem to grasp is that what matters is that there are now 20 first graders who were murdered with a gun. Is that a delusion? What matters now is not what YOU think, what matters now is to how to stop this from happening again……gun control is going to be part of the solution. Enough is enough. The NRA website shut down, many of the advocates and their websites are silent…….there is a reason for that.
You lose your argument when you enter the fantasy of Obama conspiracies.
Benghazi was a conspiracy? By obama? Why hasn’t it been covered by the national medi….oh, never mind.
Obama did try to keep it cover up, remember? “just a mob action”
After reading this, I’m not at all at a loss in understanding there’s a damned good reason for our times being labelled “The Age of Unreason.”
Guns in the hands of those we ask to protect us is what gives us the freedom we enjoy. Not in the hands of an unregulated, undisciplined, untrained, unlicensed populace. When I get worried about my house being pillaged I will get a dog. A yappy one.
Moveon, now that’s funny.
Really inconvenient when the truth gets in the way of your perceived reality, isn’t it!
Wow, you did a lot of work to justify the heroics. And, I am sure the people who were not hurt were grateful. But the answer is not more guns. That is like saying the way to prevent smoking is to sell more cigarettes. I do not want happy vigilantes populating my world in the same way I do not want to breathe second-hand smoke.
In 1962 God was jettisoned from our public schools. Our society has progressively and steadily become inured to violence, sex and foul language; we have taught our children that it’s OK to murder infants; and our young men are encouraged to become effeminate and engage in homosexual behavior. Perhaps it is time to consider the implications of what we have wrought…
“I’m all for enforcing the laws, not making them stricter,” he said. “Connecticut has one of the strictest gun laws in the country and that didn’t stop anything.”
Clearly not strict enough!
this is about the lack of help in this country for individuals with mental health issues, not about lack of gun control.
it’s about the right (and insurers) not being willing to pay for it..Reagan closed the institutions and then took away the funding for community mental health.
our government has it’s priorities mixed up, in my humble opinion, helping families dealing with mental health and funding places to house and treat them, is way more important (again, IMHO) than all the wars they seem to live to get us into…. fix the mental health problem in this country (ie: lack of funding for housing and treatment) and it will greatly reduce this kind of horrible act
clearly to strict!
What law is not strict enough? Theft? EH stole the firearms used and the car he took to the school. Murder? He killed 28. Maybe the gun free school zone law? He broke that one to. Criminals do not care what the law is thus we call them criminals. If laws prevented crime we would not need prisons.
Um, the law that permitted his mom to posses these weapons in the first place. That’s where this all started.
Why is it that as a kid growing up in the 70’s and 80’s this didnot happen. Media must take some part of the blame by running these stories over and over, maybe giving a few people the right push in the wrong direction.
Gun control is not the answer. Ask the schools in China where several knife attacks have happened. It seems like a deeper problem than just ” pass more laws”.
kids were injured not KILLED in china see the difference–lethality.
We even used to take our guns to school so we could go right out hunting when school got out.
Paranoia or profit motive? As if “protecting yourself” from the government could be done with a gun, or 10, or 100, etc. The government will always out gun you. Being able to take a life to prove your point with a gun is far less powerful than being willing to give up your life to prove your point.
Muzzleloaders and muskets didn’t win America its freedom in the 1776, The patriots who dropped their everyday lives and stood up to make sure King George understood their point won those freedoms. The peace protesters in the 1960’s weren’t armed, and some lost their lives, but their goal of ending Viet Nam happened. The people of India pushed out their colonial masters without relying on guns. Mubarak was toppled by twitter, not by firearms.
So keep quibbling about words like clip and magazine, while avoiding the unpleasant event in Connecticut. Behind that paranoia fueled by profits you might come to understand that if Lanza had not had access to the arsenal one of the adults at the school might have been able to stop him from murdering as many children.
Is it so hard to understand that the more “tools” there are available, the more likely it is that someone will use one improperly and hurt themselves or others.
If one of the adults were armed he would have been stopped.PC has to be replaced by responsibilty.Time to have a grown up discussion about the world having bad people in it.Protecting ones self and family from them is a right.
Do you really think so?? Was no one “carrying” in the movie theater or mall?
MAGAZINES hold CARTRIDGES… Not: CLIPS hold BULLETS… Thanks…
ban assault rifles with a _mandatory_ buy back. They have no purpose in society, although most crimes are committed with hand guns (which have a legitimate self-defense purpose). Mass killings are often committed with assault rifles, and these should be the easiest gun crimes to prevent.
The real trick is to keep guns out of the hands of mentally ill. All guns should be registered. You get caught with an unregistered firearm, it should be a felony. Ammo sales should only be made to someone with a registered firearm, and only the type of ammo matching the gun on the registration. Ammo sales should be tracked in a database to catch people stocking up and selling on the black market to criminals with unregistered firearms. Two week waiting period for purchasing large amounts of ammo (and if someone with a history of mental illness tries to buy lots of ammo, we should know).
This should be a popular post!
oh, and all private gun sales should be required to go through a licensed broker that does background checks and enforces a mandatory waiting period.
What does a waiting period do? Why should someone not be able to sell their property to some one else without the government approving it?
why can’t you wait??
Why should I have? What good does it do other than further inhibit a fundamental right per the constitution?
This is the only thing I agree with you on. These are reasonable measures. This would ensure background checks for all legal owners and stop impulse shootings (likely a rare occurrence).
What is an assault rifle? A select fire rifle aka a machine gun? Or you mean those scary looking black rifles which at their core are no different than the large majority of hunting rifles and are in fact less powerful than them.
As previously posted here, the top 10 firearms used in killings are 9 cheap pocket pistols and 1 shotgun.
You are pushing for restrictions on something that isn’t an issue only because of looks.
It looks like it’s time to recall Pingree and King before they can do any damage to the constitution !
and yet they both won in a landslide. what does that tell you?. you are alone; very alone.
If weapons are banned for the citizens.Then Obama ,holder and the government should not have weapons.This admin recklessly sent these same guns to drug dealers in Mexico to be used against our own citizens.Yet took them away from Benghazi.If you use the logic of banning guns then why are we not banning vehicles that go over 75 miles per hour.Parents put these dangerous weapons in their childrens hands daily.Why do we need these excessive vehicles.Sound crazy yes.What the left is and has been doping is trying to regulate responsibility.Time we have a real conversation about taking personal responsibility for ones actions not blaming someone or something else.
Last year there were over 8500 gun deaths in the USA. I agree that regulation won’t stop EVERY shooter, but it just might stop a percentage of the others.
8500 deaths in a country of 300 million is nothing. If you want to save lives ban tobacco, alcohol, and fast food.
Guns should be a non issue.
How many of those “gun deaths” were by people defending themselves or their families with guns? I’ll bet quite a number.
I’ll bet very few.
An armed citizens stopped a mass shooting at a church last year or the year before, another stopped a shooter at a mall. Another took out a man in a gun battle with a police officer (whom was wounded). Many other violent crimes were stopped, and countless ones we’ll never see reported as they didn’t result in a shot being fired.
A MUST READ: http://survivethecomingcollapse.com/2252/prepper-response-to-the-sandy-hook-elementary_mass_murders/
What is going on in this country that you all feel you need to stock up? Why do you have to live in fear ? If your using or gun as a sport, keep it as a sport you don’t need a semi automatic rifle with magazine clips. Maybe if so many guns wern’t available, you need have this paranoia fear to stock up. And maybe we need a law those that have anyone living in the household thats mentally unstable , you can’t own a gun.
We fear you ! Your the ones in the village who later claim you had no idea.
And if you think you have rights look up 1942 on Wikipedia under Japaneses American citizen internment.
are you japaneese american?? DId you speak out when it was happening?? Did the right care about their “rights”?? “‘We fear you” so you are going to shoot us?? What is it exactly that you “fear”, be specific .
How about some problem solving or conflict resolution to find common ground, instead ?
I’ll start. I don’t want your gun , if you are using it for hunting or self defense or even recreation RESPONSIBLY. ONLY you know your intent and motivation in owning a gun. Heck I don’t even know if i want it, if you are fearing BIG bad government. I might want to know WHY you are (suddenly) fearing BIG bad government before I decide whether that reasoning is rational, though.. I think you are being brain washed and hyped up by entertainers or homemade black back grounded websites spreading “fear”, myself BUT… hey to each their own. I think those people .are vested in fomenting dissent. and divisiveness for their OWN personal gain. BUT if you want to be manipulated by them —-go for it .You know you are being manipulated right?.
THIS is what worries me. Random mass murder of innocents in the public– movie theaters, malls, and schools. What gives anyone THAT right? . It is important that it not be acceptable or normalized. Semi/ automatic weapons have become the means of those mass murders. WE need to stop facilitating the ability to DO mass murder . So that starts the the MEANS of THESE mass murder.. They weren’t killed with a knife or a car or a bomb or anything other then a gun that fires repeatedly and quickly with no one able to “defend ” .themselves or others .
In my opinion, these “entertainers” with their BIG words and BIG mouths and calls to arms and fear mongering are exploiting the already mentally vulnerable and pushing them over the edge to irrational action.The already vulnerable LOVE conspiracy theories and will grab onto them and believe them and hug them close to them, to justify irrational BEHAVIOR.. YUP that worries me.
in my opinion the whole right wing has gone bat crap crazy. And with their conspiracy theories are purposely appealing to the vulnerable. NO ONE wants your gun or plans to throw you into a concentration camp.The evidence of that ? It hasn’t happened!!.
Your rights are not infinite. They end where someone else’s begins9 which is the other side of that barrel) . These kids lost ALL of their freedoms.. That is a conflict of equal “rights” .
You can have your gun to hunt , to defend yourself , to recreate Heck you can even have it if you think government is coming after you or abusing their power..I don’t but… I just want to take away your ( anyone’s) ability to commit mass murder. So how do we do that??
PS Most of the so called “gun culture ” isn’t about hunting, or defending your home ,or even fearing abuse of government–but about CRIME. GUNS facilitate that .
.
Good post, thought provoking. I wonder if any responses will contain intelligent, rational statements – or will they be the typical, ignorant drivel that all too frequently appears in these columns…
I have yet to find a single Republican commenter in these forums who speaks with a professional tone from a vantage of good reason, references, and arguments.
So are you alluding to the fact that government should take all guns or are you in support of keeping some but banning the cosmetic features of what the media and government likes to call ‘assault weapons’?
I am a conservative and I am in favor of keeping guns in this country. I believe that maybe we could take a few steps in helping prevent some of the crimes committed–but if you believe that banning all guns will prevent crime, then you are a fool. Drugs are illegal in this country too yet its rampant throughout the nation. So, if drugs can easily pass through our borders and spread across the country, what would stop the sale of illegal guns as well?
So, instead of an outright ban, why not make some steps to pull down the numbers because you are never going to get that number down to 0. Require a background check for the sale of all guns, including shot guns and hunting rifles. Restrict the private sale of all guns without having someone with a Federal Firearms License act as an intermediary, and maybe even require a background check for the private sale. If a crime is committed with a gun registered to someone else, and that gun was not reported stolen, then hold that registered person also accountable for the crime…that also may force people to properly lock up their guns and ammunition well out of reach of anyone but the gun owner. No, these steps would not stop gun related crimes, and many guns used in these crimes are illegally obtained…so who do you blame in that situation? You cannot prevent all crimes, but from a gun supporter side I think there are a few concessions that could be made that would still never restrict me from buying a gun, but would make it a little more complicated.
Otherwise, unless you inspect every single package shipped into our country and pat down every single person walking around the streets, you are not going to prevent gun related crimes, even if you ban them completely out of our nation.
It could be a lot of things. You have to realize the ‘pimps’ are working your side as well.
Rational people don’t have to run around in fear. I’ve read you enough over the last few days to get the impression you are scared if you lose that security blanket.
But what freedom will you really have if your on your knees begging for an existence. Or is that security more important to you.
I doubt very seriously you’ve ever had to really struggle in life.
Your running around telling everyone to get off so called conspiracy sites, and yet you’ll be just the kind who’ll carry out that order, that order that finds you at Nuremberg.
You ask a very good question…how do we prevent crimes like this? Removing guns from our nation will change nothing. Guns are too ubiquitous. If government restricts the law abiding citizens, which is the vast majority in this country, it will stop law abiding citizens from obtaining guns. But, that solves nothing. Criminals on the other hand will still obtain guns in the same manner they do now, illegally. So a gun ban will end up being as much as a miserable failure as prohibition was and the war on drugs is now.
Okay, so we keep our guns as we should because taking them solves nothing. Now what? I’d say as far as schools and other public places are concerned, its time to have trained resource officers in every school. We have administrators in every school, so why not create one or two more positions held by police officers who instead of patrolling in a cruiser handing out tickets all day long they patrol the halls and exterior of a school building protecting our children and adding one more measure of prevention? Also, we should have metal detectors in all school entrances, elementary through high school. Yeah, initially this will be a little overwhelming to young children, but this would also provide another line of defense, and could end up saving lives. Where will the money come from? Unfortunately, I as many others prefer not to pay any more in taxes than we have to, but sometimes in order to protect the most innocent people in our lives, money isn’t as much of a concern as ensuring the safety of our children.
Some against my comments may think that banning guns will somehow prevent tragedies like this from happening in the future, but it will not. The criminal seemed to ignore the fact that murder is against the law, so why would they suddenly be stopped at the idea that its illegal to have a gun? Do you really think that would stop someone determined enough to commit a crime?
Thanks for being brief and to the point.
It is a good thing Timothy McVeigh and the 9-11 terrorists didn’t use guns to cause so much death. If a crazy person wants to kill, he/she will kill. Do you really believe that if every gun (legal ones) were gone, then the crazy people with their thought process would be “gee, I need/want to kill somebody but I can’t get a gun…..gee, I guess I will just go watch tv.” you are fooling yourself.
fear me? I bet your afraid of your own shadow.
(ask for a refund)
“You” are also the one who organizes the witch hunt after the fact.
People get paranoid when they believe or are made to believe that someone may be attempting to attack them. When the media hypes incidents of violence, people on the edge of paranoia react with a feeling of needing to protect themselves. By someone such as yourself claiming that the hypothetical ‘me’ should make themselves vulnerable to the hypothetical ‘you’ who wants to harm, ‘my’ paranoid self now knows that it is necessary to increase my ability to protect myself from ‘you’. See the mad, vicious circle this creates? As this thing drags on, it becomes more and more clear that the media is using it to keep the pattern of fear alive — not to sell weapons or deprive anybody of weapons — but to keep the attention on the media; there’s money to be made. Don Henley sang about it years ago: “I make my living off the Evening News
Just give me something-something I can use
People love it when you lose,
They love dirty laundry”
It is always amazing to hear the libs use the word, “need.”
You don’t need this, you don’t need that, you don’t need all that money. Let us spend it for you. Anybody who thinks what happened in CT is a gun issue is a fool. The guns were purchased legally (in the 5th most difficult state to purchase a gun) and were owned by the deceased mother of the nutjob.
One of the real (relevant) questions is WHY anybody would have guns around somebody who, by all accounts, did not seem to really make attachments to people.
Again, this is not a gun issue, but the left is going to use the massacre as another angle to play to get rid of/limit them. Rahm Emmanuel was on tv asking for an assault weapons ban (this coming from the mayor of the most violent city in America). Does anybody really think that if there is another “assault weapons ban,” tragedies like Friday’s will somehow slow down or stop? They will not until society stops decaying. Family does not mean what it did 30 years ago, parents do not parent like they did 30 years ago. Video games are used as baby sitters…..the list goes on and on, but guns are NOT the problem here. That is painfully clear.
Google ‘Camp Perry’ and enlighten yourself!
Talking about banning is why. What happened to Twinkie sales when Hostess announced they were going under?
Bring prayer and Gods teachings back to the classrooms and the love and understanding for your neighbor that this teaches will do more to curb this problem then any laws that can be passed. His first comandment is “Thow shalt no kill”.
was GOD banned from the home?
Yeah that kept people from killing each other right up until the 70’s right? More people have been killed over religion than any other cause, it’s time to let go of the fiction.
“As Obama, lawmakers talk gun control, some Mainers stock up on weapons, ammo clips”
My first laugh of the day. Thank you, BDN, for once again launching me into the day with a smile on my face.
Every morning the letters on this page, and sometimes headlines like the one above crafted to generate those letters, do for me what morning coffee does for others.
The humble Farmer
Why don’t we ask the parents in Newtown, CT what they think should be done…they probably know better than any of us.
Which ones ? Those who lost a child and yet own a firearm themselves. Or those who just own a firearm ?
What about asking the people who’ve defended themselves using firearms?
Using firearms for defending one’s self, for hunting, for sport shooting, etc. shouldn’t HAVE to include high powered assault weapons with magazines that hold 30 or more cartridges. It is only these types of weapons that we believe most Americans have a problem with. My husband is an avid hunter and sports shooter and doesn’t understand why assault weapons would need to be in anyone’s home! The legislation being proposed according to any news articles we have seen pertain only to the assault rifles and large magazines that hold 30 or more cartridges.
It seems every time there’s a mass shooting anywhere, there’s a run on assault weapons and ammo. Wouldn’t it be a painful irony if the assault weapon in the Newtown shooting was purchased after some previous mass assault.
All legally bought, by an educated person who had no business owning one, especially leaving them lying about. Which sort of debunks the ‘mental illness’ hype.
She no doubt felt very comfortable around her son.
actually, she didn’t.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57559502/ex-babysitter-mother-of-newtown-conn-school-shooter-adam-lanza-warned-me-about-him
He says he recalls Nancy Lanza cautioning him never to turn his back on Adam — “to keep an eye on him at all times … to never turn my back, or even to go to the bathroom or anything like that.”
Parents often are the last ones to realize their kids are trouble.
The reason is the ban talk starts up and people decide to buy before the ban. One reason is the return on their investment. Why wouldn’t one legally buy a $750 AR today and sell it legally to a licensed dealer for $1500 or more in less than a year? Pretty decent return?
Or better yet…ask the children in Newtown who survived. Out of the mouth of babes so often comes wisdom.
Reaching for the bottom uh. How about we ask those who survive domestic violence, far more prevalent then gun violence wouldn’t ya say.
I like the idea of broadening the background check to all who live in the residence.
I don’t disagree with the sentiment, but the people in a given residence change sometimes as often as some of us change our….. Maybe everyone on your taxes? The fact is people with access to our homes have access to our possessions unless we keep them safely tucked away. The same people who won’t admit their kids steal money or booze from their house won’t believe they need to lock up their guns.
Well they banned pot but yet I can still buy it…..
The same day that 27 innocent lives were lost in a gun attack in CT a man in China attacked 22 children and one adult with a knife, The difference? No one died in the Chinese attack.
But you are right guns don’t kill people, people kill people.
Thank you ! We need to rid this nation of violent video games, and bulldoze 90% of the University system in this country. It’s obvious they are not teaching our children correctly.
The parents of those same children have a major role to play in their upbringing.
And neither are the parents. It all starts at home.
You are clearly out of touch. A child cannot go into the store and buy a violent video game as there is a rating system, just like with TV and movies, for violence and language. So, that means young children are getting these violent games from their parents. You really want to blame anyone, then blame the parents of these children for allowing them to play these games.
As far as the University system, have you lost your mind? You really think that the best course of action to curb violence in this nation is to remove education from people? That has worked so well for so many of the middle eastern nations that keep their people as uneducated as possible, except of course for their religion. So you really think regressing our nation to even more dummies than already walk the streets will resolve a violence problem?
You want a solution? Personal responsibility is the answer. Our nation, through the media and government, has removed so much of that mentality among the younger generations. Instead we are to turn to the government when there is a problem and beg for a new law and more regulations when we encounter a problem. So rather than put pressure back on parents to stop buying their children violent games and/or teaching their children the difference between reality and pretend worlds, we instead need more regulation and less education. Brilliant! You really are in touch with the nation.
sarcasm detector broken?
Getting rid of education is always a bad idea. I’d rather see America get rid of the people who don’t understand the value of education. Go cling to your guns, dig your fallout shelter and stockpile canned goods and be nasty toward people who went to college. The rest of us will be the rational adults in this world and keep you from killing us and yourselves, by providing rules and supervision.
People with guns kill people …
… and people with cars kill people. I challenge you to come take my truck away from me because I might go nucking futz and run somebody over.
People with knives, cars, sporting goods, fire, various blunt objects, various sharp objects, or anything else that can be used as a weapon kill people. Your point?
none of the kids in china died by the knife 20 in CT did by a gun firing non stop.The guy with the knife actually had to work hard to injury the children. How about telling the WHOLE story and the whole truth ?Talk about exploiting two sets of kids..
That is just hyperbole. Guns kill people. Without a gun few are crazy enough to try to commit mayhem. A few are, but they are very few. If someone walked into your place of business and started brandishing a knife demanding your cash you would probably almost laugh, right? While the customer behind was about to tackle him. We just are not that afraid of knives. But we do not mess with someone with a gun. Guns kill.
People like you WILL bring down this country and make it a third-world non-leader-country. The purpose behind these atrocities is to disarm the American people. Period. So they can not defend themselves against tyranny. But then ALL our rights are at risk today and it seems that things in this country are just like 1930`s Germany, most people are more than happy to give up thier rights for the promise of more safety.But “the more safety” part NEVER happens……………..
It would be interesting to know if seizure of personal property is going to be a part of any new legislation. People who own firearms that will be targeted in a ban have paid a lot of money for those firearms; does the government intend to sinply seize the weapons with no compensation to the rightful and law-abiding owner?
Stand your ground brother ! If need be let’s take it to the streets.
yeah, yeah yeah..just what you all have been waiting for …and entertainers have been promoting …for 4 years!!
No one is going to take your gun.
the teachers should have guns! As a matter a fact, I think everyone should have a gun!
The lion’s share of these mass killings are done in so-called “Gun Free Zones”. The Lunatics that perpetrate these deeds want to die, and they want to make a name for themselves in the process. That is why they choose gun free zones. They know they won’t meet any resistance. Now, unless you are mentally challanged, you can see that if we did not have Gun Free Zones, and instead had armed guards, or at least some trained armed teachers, these lunatics will choose other ways to remove themselves from the gene pool.
Is a mall and a movie theater or a parking lot a “gun free zone ” I don’t THINK so . Schools are and they should remain so for millions of reason ( called kids)..
If you’ll remember, the last movie theater shooting was in fact a gun free zone, and had signs posted saying so. What that meant to the shooter, is that he could do as he pleased. And we know how that turned out.
Do you seriously think any of the shooters scoped things out before hand to SEEK a gun free zone?? I don’t.
What all these places had in common was they were PUBLIC spaces, with lots of innocent people..
Being a gun free zone might have contributed to the deaths of some of those kids. The “gun free zone” [purpose was to keep guns out of the hands of kids and others who might present a threat to the school.
The Aurora Colorado theatre shooting took place in a posted “gun free zone”.
The Bangor Mall has signs at every entrance stations that weapons are not allowed.
EMMC had signs poster at every entrance that weapons are not allowed. Which begs the question if weapons are not allowed why the need for a metal detector at the entrance to the ER?
boy do you all really pay attention to these things??
I can only speak for myself….Yes I pay attention to these “things” as I am a responsible gun owner.
A few weeks ago, I was toying with the idea of getting “back into guns” to a limited extent, in the sense of obtaining either a rimfire rifle for plinking or a shotgun for “pest control.” A relative even offered to subsidize part of the cost as a Christmas gift.
But now, no. I can’t. Not because I’m “afraid of guns” or “hate guns” or want to “ban guns.” It’s because I have found over the past few days that the gun culture in this country is just so fanatical, so entrenched, so toxic, so irrational, that it can’t even entertain notion that some—just some—rational legal restrictions can be part of the solution. Instead, it and the gun industry seem hellbent on being part of the problem.
For that reason, I’m not going to participate in that culture, or patronize or subsidize that industry, in any way that I can help, until things change.
I also appeal to the conscience of as many people willing to listing, to consider doing the same until things change for the better.
Yeah, well look what our University system has produce over the last 50 years in this country. One failed social experiment after another.
Between the learner and the Catholic church we have mental illness roaming the streets and poverty at at all time high. One group opens the door to lunacy while the other says don’t get an abortion bring some more children into your world of poverty.
One group creates the drug epidemic while the other try’s to save your conscience.
One group spreads the freedom of STD’s while the other delivers even more poverty from other nations.
Thanks, but no thanks. (I’ll keep my gun)
and we all ,will stay away from you .
I call bogus on this post.
thank god you live in a country to be able to make that choice. Thank god i live in a country that lets me make my choice.. See we are both very lucky and fortunate
Okay, since it’s abundantly apparent that there are so many liberal trolls commenting here, I’m calling you out! Since you know so much, and since you feel so strongly that “assault weapons” need to be banned, please explain to us what the difference is between a assault rifle, and any other rifle. Here’s your chance to educate the entire pro gun community. My advice to you would be to start with the difference between a clip and a magazine…Think it through! Before ya share your “intelligence” with the rest of us you SHOULD watch this first!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yATeti5GmI8
Why is it that you think only conservatives own “the guns”? . What we ALL know is 20 kids and 6 adults were dead in minutes because the guy didn’t have to “reload.”.
On average in America per day, 3,288 kids are killed by abortion and nobody says a word.
How often does the abortion provider have to “reload”?
How about we give you four years to work on that one, K?
What are you talking about?????
How do you know he didn’t reload? How long do you think it takes to reload a magazine?
you are both right..he might have reloaded BUT he maximized the damaged BECAUSE it was multiloaded. .
What is “multi-loaded”? A lunatic with two revolvers and quick loads could do just as much damage as a man with a Bushmaster AR-15.
Excuse me but how do you know he didn’t have to reload?
If 27 people were killed with one firearm and each was shot more than once, basic math says reloading was likely necessary. He may have chosen to switch guns in which case it really wouldn’t have mattered what type of guns they were. In the event no semi-automatic large capacity magazine fed weapons were available, would not multiple 5 shot revolvers and pump shot guns been as devastating? The issue is the madness and likely (based on previous tragedies) the planning to ensure high casualty rates.
A clip feeds a magazine, a magazine hold the ammo for the weapon. Magazines can be either permanent fixtures of the weapon or removable.
An assault rifle is a civilian version of a military rifle, for example the AR-15 would be the civilian version of the M-4 or M-16 (can’t remember which).
A rifle is any long arm which propels the bullet in a rifling (spinning) manner, hence the name vs. a shotgun pushes it down the chamber without rifling it.
A semi-automatic rifle is any rifle that automatically chambers a new round after the last round discharges, the semi refers to the fact that you have to pull the trigger for each round.
I only answer because you always refer to me as liberal, which always makes me chuckle.
“An assault rifle is a civilian version of a military rifle”. Try again or cite the source.
any of various automatic or semiautomatic rifles with large capacity magazines designed for military use
Merriam Webster Dictionary
Very good!
Not surprised at Kings position
King does what the Democrats tell him to do! SO much for being “independent”!
We have Laws already.what we need to do is stop giving money to governments oversea an take care of our own.that way our school would have one or two police
officers in every school in this Country! its not the Gun it the evil behind
it..lets stop that.God Bless The twenty-six who were massacred and their
family’s
Are you willing to pay for it , so you can hold tight to your rights? Do you resent or respect homeland security at the airports? Wouldnlt that be creating a “police state”? How about giving up some of your “freedoms” instead?
If we can have a school adminstrator for every teacher, I think we could have school security. Just give up a couple of administrators.
Why should we HAVE to have security guard at schools ( malls, theaters, parking lots, work places, PO’s etc ). Schools are not the SOURCE of the problem. We need to go to the SOURCE of the mass murders —- which would be the GUNS..So you would suggest creating a police state so you can KEEP your freedoms and guns? How ODD.
The source of mass murders is not guns. It is a very tiny number of lunatic individuals that is nearly immeasurable compared to law abiding and gun owning households. What needs to be addressed is how and why that young man fell so deep into depravity that he could be the source of such tragedy.
You asked if we could pay for school security. In fact, we can and in many schools we already are yet we do not allow them to be trained and armed. Having security in our schools is not creating a police state.
Huh? has a gun ever committed a mass shooting without a human pulling the trigger? The source is humans with mental defects. Do you honestly believe they wouldn’t find another way? The Columbine killers had homemade bombs as well.
you need to take your meds!! read what I wrote if we didn’t give all our tax dollars to other country’s we could pay for it..think!! before you write
Some Mainers stock up on ammo clips.
Right.
Like you need a big ammo clip for hunting.
Unfortunately, the mentally deficient in our state will continue to be a huge part of the problem with guns, making sure that there is plenty of hardware around for the next nut case to choose from.
Like children whining for a toy, gun nuts don’t really care about the consequences of their actions. They just want what they want, and if it kills someone, they really don’t give a damn.
Whilst the head of the NRA, Wayne LaPierre, just smiles as those who back his organization rake in the profits of their death industry.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yATeti5GmI8
Question:Did these weapons kill by themselves or did they have an operator?
Answer:They had an operator.
Question: Was this operator mentally stable?
Answer: No!
Question: How did this mentally unstable operator obtain these weapons?
Answer: He stole them!
Focus on the mentally unstable is the remedy, not the banning of the weapon used!
Reagan defunded community mental health.
When was the last time you tried to reload a firearm with a “clip”?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yATeti5GmI8
All liberals should watch this to catch up on what all conservatives know already!
We don’t wan to know what YOU think you know .
Please tell us what the video says to you?
What do you expect from the me-me-me crowd? All these people are gunned down and yet all they can think about is themselves. “What about me and my guns?!”
Many more people die falling off their roofs each year than die in a 100 years of nut job mass killings.
What a ridiculous defense. Many more people die in their cars every year than they did during the 9/11 attacks — does that mean we should care about what happened on 9/11?
What it means is that we should not be over-reacting to penalize 49,990,000 gun owning households that do not house murderers in order to promote a liberal anti-2nd amendment mentality that does nothing to stem gun violence.
Just like Republicans thought it was fair to burden every single voter because of “voter fraud” that they had no real evidence of? You guys are hypocrites on this.
MN Senator Al Frankin is in his position because of voter fraud.
Your freedoms depend on people with guns, you may not believe it but without Americans with guns we would have a very different world today..
I am as liberal as they come but have always supported the 2nd ammendment and the right of citizens to bear arms, but times have changes. When our forefathers were contemplating this issue assault rifles and semi-automatics were not in existence. These weapons are designed for mass killing and should only be in the hands of law enforcement or the military. Again, if a person is determined to kill others they will find a way to do it but why make it so easy for them?
They where design to kill traitors of and to ‘national right’s’ ! Simple as that. Don’t blow it out of proportion. When the time comes you’ll either be with the people or dead.
I don’t understand your response. Are you saying that we are going to need such weapons to protect ourselves from ‘the government”? At this point I’m just worried about a lazy, unemployed slouch or addict breaking into my house in search of drugs, weapons or something of value to sell for drugs. I don’t need a semi-automatic when a 357 revolver (and large dogs) will easily solve the problem. Try to keep things into perspective. Take a deep breath.
Try to remember in 1776 they where not up against tanks. Yes, times have change and so has our weapons.
Get your mind right ! You are treading dangerously close to treason.
get off the homemade black back grounded web sites. pushing conspiracy theories
i hate to tell you this but YOU are not “with the people” . Even the majority of NRA members support reasonable gun control..
And such reasonable gun control is already in place…..
It could be a bit better. I don’t think an outright ban on assault rifles will control anything. Putting in more consistent checks on purchasers will help some, though not in the case of this shooting.
I am with you though that most are trying to take this too far.
This is were I am. I’m specifically not an NRA member because I do support national registration of all firearms and holding owners responsible for their guns. I do not support further (Fuhrer) bans on types of weapons or magazine capacities or taxing firearms or ammunition as all these do is punish law abiding citizens for the sins of a very few. I fear that without some middle ground and positive steps we’ll fight until one side wins. For the most part until now the NRA has been winning, at some point that could change and I’d rather seem reasonable measures. No compromise means extreme measures for the winning side.
Please for those a little more hard core than I, explain the fear of registering our guns and forcing us to be responsible in keeping and selling them?
I don’t have a fear of registering the weapon. I said I could see doing a background check, whether buying from a retailer or by private sale is a reasonable middle ground. There would be no additional ban, but a greater assurance that whomever is buying the weapon is suppose to have that weapon. It has been reported through many sources that around 40% of sales are done through private sales, so this would be some common sense regulation. It won’t stop those responsible people from owning a weapon, but will slow down or stop those that should not have the weapon.
No it isn’t. WE had reasonable gun control under the Brady bill . R’s refused to extend it. 40% of gun sales today have NO back ground check .
The Brady Bill did not have a sunset provision and is still in effect today.
You base that on what and how do you define “reasonable gun control”?
Please tell us what the difference is between assault rifles and semi-automatics!!
Both have the ability to wipe out lots of people in a matter of seconds. I do not to profess to be an expert. I just don’t believe that the average citizen
should have access to these weapons, or require this level of protection, that’s all.
A couple of revolvers with quick change loads can take out just as many people.
You could wipe just as many with a semi-automatic pistol with more killing power, guaranteeing their demise, would you also ban these?
There are also many semi-automatic rifles that are not assault rifles. My point is that maybe before you start saying what should and should not be banned you should take the time to research the facts and common misconceptions.
The glock that kid had would do more damage to a body that the AR-15 he had, yet we are talking about banning the AR-15 and not the glock. Yet if you start down that road, how many other hand guns are we talking about banning outright?
Glad you’re not claiming to be an expert, I doubt you know the muzzle from the breech.
The honest truth is that without someone to stop these shooters the type of firearm action has nearly no bearing. Each seem to carry multiple weapons in case the ran out of ammo or didn’t have time to reload, most kill themselves instead of shooting it out with the police (why is this?) and in the case of Newtown, according to what we know so far, this punk killed himself before he ran out of weapons, ammo or targets and before facing law enforcement officers.
I personally believe it is our right to own such weapons that are necessary to defend against those that criminals arm themselves with. In a self defense situation I’d prefer to equalize the odds me and my loved ones will survive. If I never face a threat my guns will have no harmful effect on a single life. Unless you plan on attacking my family or I you should not fear my firearms.
While it seems stupidly macho when you first hear or read it, take some time to think about this: All men were not created equal, Sam Colt made them that way.
Why should some washington bureaucrat tell me what caliber or how many rounds is necessary for me to protect my family? The response time at the school was over twenty minutes, look at what happened in that time! If there was a substantial response when the nutjob fired the first shot much of this, if not all could have been stopped!
What has changed?
Is a Ruger 10/22 an “assault weapon”?
Were our forefathers ensuring the citizens could defend against the government? In that case would we be wrong to take away nearly any defense the citizens have? While the citizens didn’t own semi-automatic firearms, neither did the government.
anybody for a game of cards? because I am tired of hearing…….GUNS KILL!! If the teachers had access to guns in that school, on that faithful day; perhaps the casualties would have been lessened !!! MENTAL HEALTH is the MAINE reason for these types of killings!!!
I had some crazy teachers in my day. They used to smack your hands with the 3 foot ruler. And that was on a good day. I’m grateful they weren’t packing anything more lethal than chalk in their pockets. Class size too big? Take out a few of the unruly kids and let the janitor clean up the mess.
I wonder how many future spree killers are stocking up.
I wonder how many more laws the government intends on writing to take away all freedoms.. I’ll take my chances with the gun owners over a unteathered government any day.
I wonder how many more victims gun banners are setting up? Guess who won’t give up owning guns? Criminals.
There is only one change that will work, one logical path toward ameliorating the probability of these shootings continuing to happen: Change the “soft” targets that shooters choose because of the perceived lack of armed resistance. Changing gun laws won’t do it because 300 million guns are already out there. Changing mental health policy and criminal law won’t do it because you can’t start institutionalizing people on subjective grounds and most perpetrators have no previous criminal record. We can’t really know they were really whacko until AFTER they’ve already done the murderous deed. The only way is to remove the soft targets.
Actually, there could be two ways, one way is to furnish a certain portion of armed administrators, guards, store owners, movie theater audience, etc. to the extent there is a probability of ethical responsible armed resistance anywhere. The other way is too horrible for the country’s Liberals to even comprehend…. Reverse the LIBERAL drifting of the country, which is what has allowed some people (or half the people) to exist with no purpose, no accountability, no motivation or necessity to strive toward serving their own (and others) needs in our competitive society. A kid WITH A JOB!!!!! even if it’s pushing shopping carts, isn’t a full time world of warcraft basement dweller ticking time bomb.
Liberals are getting a terrible dose of reality. The only way to protect themselves from the results of their own creation, is to adopt the ways of conservatives!
Actually, there could be two ways, one way is to furnish a certain portion of armed administrators, guards, store owners, movie theater audience, etc. to the extent there is a probability of ethical responsible armed resistance anywhere. The other way is too horrible for the country’s Liberals to even comprehend…. Reverse the LIBERAL drifting of the country, which is what has allowed some people (or half the people) to exist with no purpose, no accountability, no motivation or necessity to strive toward serving their own (and others) needs in our competitive society. A kid WITH A JOB!!!!! even if it’s pushing shopping carts, isn’t a full time world of warcraft basement dweller ticking time bomb.
You have so drifted out of reality it is hard to comprehend. First, having both gangs armed hasn’t lessened how many gang members get shot, it has only made it worse, so do you really think arming more people will solve the problem?
I would agree that we need a cultural change, but disagree completely with where the problem is, look at who is doing these shootings. I don’t think I can name one of these acts that wasn’t done by somebody who was picked on and harassed immensely in some way by their peers or society as a whole. The disabled are probably the most highly picked on part of society in the United States, we do need a fundamental change in the United States but it needs to be how treat this part of our society. Your solution, basically calling them layabouts, is only going to further badger them making them more aggressive towards the rest of society.
So society should adjust and accommodate to YOUR irrational need to fire a big gun at a watermelon on a stick to see it blasted to smithereens?And turn itself into a police state paid for by taxpayers?? I’d say the easier and cheaper way is just to take way the guns.( No I am NOT advocating that ).
“Gun control,” which is a nonspecific term for an emotionally charged issue that demands specifics, won’t do a dang thing. The guns are already out there, in the hundreds of millions – what the h e l l will prevent copycats and future mass murderers from acting out their fantasies and killing innocent people? For a start, putting money back into a fragmented mental health system might be a beginning – instead of sending that money to Pakistan or Syria. Another idea might be to ask the rabid, salivating media to refrain from descending on the locations of tragedies like flies on dead meat. Too many unbalanced fools will seek to be copycats and gain their 15 minutes of infamy when they KNOW that the media will plaster their faces and names all over the news, make lurid tv movies, video games and trashy novels. A little sensible, journalistic restraint might help here. And, by the way, we are now on day 5 of nonstop media focus on this tragedy. A prayer for the families but STOP the incessant dwelling on this…
Liberals on MSNBC last night recommended their folk stopping using the term “gun control” by replacing it, wherever such a phrase might me mentioned, with “common sense gun safety.” Who could disagree with common sense gun safety? Gun Control has too much of a coercive authoritative bite to it. Another example of liberals attempting to change the narrative to disguise their true agenda, which is of course to exert coercive apparatus of government to redistribute income and wealth to it’s rightful owners who don’t work.
HUH? Your conclusion didn’t follow all the rest. Make up your mind what is the lefty liberal’s REAL goal?
The only fear I have is of you gun loving idiots…you need rapid fire to kill what with? The right to bear arms was written back when you had a single load rifle, no semi automatic weapons of mass destruction.
There will always be some sick individual who will kill innocent people by any means but why hand them a rapid fire weapon and say here ya go. What happened to teaching right from wrong? Oh that’s right everyone is too busy saying I deserve, I want, I should have…the ones of you wanting to “stock up” on guns & ammo are the ones we should all be concerned about.
Yes the laws were written when guns fired one round.. But the Law was also written that the people shall arm themselves against a Tyrannical Government in order to keep in place the freedoms given to the people by the Constitution of the United States of America.. So do you think a black power gun is equal to the might of a courpt goverment?? I Think not.. I approve of any gun including automatic weapons that people think they should have in these time of an out of control government
semi automatic weapons of mass destruction…this part is laughable…along with rapid fire…
I don’t own an AR-15 or other military style semi-automatic rifle, nor will i ever…but I am in the military so I have fired M-16s, M-4, M256, M2 among other weapons while on active duty.
You do realize the one pistol I do own, a 1911 45 caliber pistol would do more damage than the AR-15 and is much easier to conceal. Beyond that switch mags in that pistol is quicker. Yet, it will never be fired while I own it, I bought it as a commemorative piece when I deployed with the 101st.
I am no gun nut, but I think there needs to be a real discussion as to the cause of these shootings. We can go ahead and ban these weapons (which may be the answer, but not likely) but if the underlying reason is not dealt with the mode of killing will just be different.
You have no reason to fear me. I own multiple firearms including semi-automatic rifles and pistols.
Let me repeat that statement. You have no reason to fear me.
The only person(s) that need to fear me are those that would do me or my family harm.
Pretty simple concept.
God forbid you and I are ever in a public place on day and a gun man is on the verge of killing your and/or you children, but…will you ask me to please put my weapon away and not shoot the perp because I shouldn’t be carrying my gun? Please!
You clearly have no understanding of firearms. While I fear not the government, the 2nd Amendment was written when both the governments and the well regulated militia had similar weapons, the concept hasn’t changed short of our government owning far more than any group of citizens could defend against. Your implication that gun owners are “gun loving idiots” shows your ignorance to the vast melting pot this country is. Suddenly you want to choose who can like or have what?
Those who are stocking up see the ban as money in the bank. The last ban increased the value of those firearms listed by a significant margin, the predictions are the same going forward. Talk about a windfall money maker in a time of need. The short term investment numbers are huge.
Why does anyone need an assault rifle, a rapid firing murdering gun? I have nothing against people hunting game animals. But a police officer told me yesterday that assault rifles do not even make good guns for target practice. Why then do people wish to own them? The more assault weapons sitting in peoples’ homes means the higher the chance that someone who knows about them will use them in an inappropriate manner. I ask again: why assault rifles? Why are people rushing out to buy them? Why did people rush out Friday and buy one? Why?
I am working to promote an assault rifle buy back week or month or whatever it takes. If federal funding could be provided, local law enforcement agencies could sponsor assault weapon buy-backs. I have started by contacting Senators Snowe and Collins, asking that one or both of them introduce a bill that would set aside funding for a buy back of these assault weapons.
Let’s get educated about assault weapons. I might change my mind if someone could convince me they have a place in society. Right now I cannot see that they do. If they are not good for hunting or target practice, what purpose do they serve in a civilized society such as ours?
What is the percent of use of assault weapons in Maine hunting accidents? Maybe it is not a significant number. I”ll have to look into it. We need to drop Maine hunting accidents to zero per year. We need to drop assault weapon ownership to as near zero in this state as possible. Please. Think about this. Thank you.
I do not agree with the police officer you spoke with.. an AR-15 is an excellent choice for target practice, hunting coyote and just plan fun to shoot. I don’t expect someone who has never fired one to agree, nor would I expect a civilian to understand. But to some an AR-15 is all we had, our life was in its hands. Once out of service, some still like to take one shooting once in awhile. Again a regular civilian wouldn’t understand any of this. Law abiding gun owners are not the problem, it is the mentally ill, the crazies, the ones who have nothing left to lose that are the problem. If someone intends to do harm, they will find a way. Look at 9/11, the Oklahoma Bombing for examples. Bad people do bad things. We as a society need to stop taking away from law abiding citizens, and put our energy and focus toward getting those help that need it.
This is my rifle. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
My rifle is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life.
My rifle, without me, is useless. Without my rifle, I am useless. I must fire my rifle true. I must shoot straighter than my enemy who is trying to kill me. I must shoot him before he shoots me. I will…
My rifle and myself know that what counts in this war is not the rounds we fire, the noise of our burst, or the smoke we make. We know that it is the hits that count. We will hit…
My rifle is human, even as I, because it is my life. Thus, I will learn it as a brother. I will learn its weaknesses, its strength, its parts, its accessories, its sights and its barrel. I will keep my rifle clean and ready, even as I am clean and ready. We will become part of each other. We will…
Before God, I swear this creed. My rifle and myself are the defenders of my country. We are the masters of our enemy. We are the saviors of my life.
So be it, until victory is America’s and there is no enemy, but peace!
and you are quoting what??
The Creed of the United States Marine also known as The Rifleman’s Creed
assult rifles are not for game hunting. They are for protection against a overstepping government. I’m am glad there are people out there buying these guns to do just that..Now as for the guns used in the shooting the other day he used pistols, They found the semi-automatic rifle in his car. You hear anything different you have been lied to, lied to for a reason..
“assult rifles are not for game hunting. They are for protection against a overstepping government.”Exactly— they serve NO useful purpose but to make the paranoid feel safe..
GEEZE —- catch up with the main stream news would you — the report the automatic weapon was in the car and the hand guns were in his hands was FALSE!. no reception in that cave?
GEEZE-stop with the fear mongering and get it right: it was not an automatic weapon, but in fact a semi-automatic rifle, albeit a “scary” looking one to the untrained eye, no doubt deadly, but in fact far less powerful than a significant number of others.
You actually believe the constitution is safe. LOL!
I know plenty of people that use their “assault rifles” for hunting.
The first thing you have to do is define what is an “assault weapon”. So I ask you what do you consider an “assault weapon” to be.
That’s a derailing tactic. It’s like forcing someone to specific why 65 and not 66 for the speed limit before even deciding that there needs to be a speed limit. You’re just trying to steer the discussion off course.
Hardly wolf. How can you control something until you define what you wish to control?
I want to regulate trucks. OK, define trucks? Exact same thing.
Your definition and my definition are different and until we come to an understanding that I mean any truck capable of carrying a payload of 1/2 ton or larger its pretty silly to have a conversation about “trucks”.
It’s derailing, because like a robot, you ignore everything that the poster said and instead chose to steer the conversation into an entirely different direction. Why not ask for a definition for what “assault weapon” (which is pretty clearly directly and indirectly indicated if you actually read the poster’s entire post) and then also respond to the points that were made as well? Because that’s not what you’re interested in. You’re not interested in a discussion, like you did yesterday with me, you’re interested in derailing a discussion.
“It’s derailing”
No it’s not.
~~~~~
“because like a robot”
Their you go again wolf derailing with insults
~~~~~
“you ignore everything that the poster said and instead chose to steer the conversation into an entirely different direction.”
No, the poster made reference to “”assault rifle” or “assault weapon” a total of ten times without defining what one is.
~~~~~
“Why not ask for a definition for what “assault weapon””
I did if you read my initial post “The first thing you have to do is define what is an “assault weapon”. So I ask you what do you consider an “assault weapon” to be.” Seems pretty straight forward to me.
~~~~~
“(which is pretty clearly directly and indirectly indicated if you actually read the poster’s entire post)”
Well she makes reference to “assault rifle” or “assault weapon” ten times and states once “rapid firing murdering gun” which is a very general description. Sort of like my “truck” example response to you.
~~~~~
“and then also respond to the points that were made as well?””
I will but it very difficult to respond line for line and point for point when one doesn’t know what the poster considers an “assault rifle” or “assault weapon” is.
~~~~~
“Because that’s not what you’re interested in.”
No I am VERY interested in what the poster thinks an “assault rifle” or “assault weapon” is.
~~~~~
“You’re not interested in a discussion, like you did yesterday with me, you’re interested in derailing a discussion.”
Sorry wolf but your wrong. I am VERY interested in discussion but without the poster defining what they think an “assault rifle” or “assault weapon” is the balance of the post is difficult to respond to.
There I responded line by line and point by point. Any other questions wolf?
Not at all! I’m interested in hearing what you think is an “assault rifle” and why!
They are actually the best weapon for target practice. An assault rifle, being a civilian version of military weapon makes for a great target rifle. They are great for teaching shooting correctly, breath control, trigger control and getting comfortable with a weapon. Assault weapons typically also have a buffer spring, much like military rifles, which means you can fire many rounds without getting a sore shoulder, allowing you to get more target practice in, so coupled with their greater accuracy you can work on the fundamentals of shooting.
So whatever police officer told you this information was completely wrong, as someone who has been in the military for 16 years I will tell you this is probably the best purpose for these weapons. Using a .223 round is pointless for stopping a grown adult, for that you need a .45 caliber or similar.
I would add that these “assault rifles” or civilian variants are also easy to upgrade with numerous options, (change sights, add flashlight for home protection, scopes for hunting, change grips for comfort, change stock length for different sized shooters) and the ammo is mass produced and cheap to buy. They are therefore perfect for target shooting, as a day at the range won’t cost you and arm and a leg.
A cop who told you they weren’t good for target shooting doesn’t know much about target shooting. While I wouldn’t say .223 is pointless for stopping an adult they are certainly not the best choice for someone looking to stop an adult from doing bodily harm. They are in fact often favored for home defense as at close ranges they have less penetration (due to fragmentation?) are easily pointed (AR/M4 style) and accurate at close range and allow for flashlight attachments. Given the poor accuracy statistics of law enforcement in handgun shooting incidents one cannot expect a lesser trained individual whom is not routinely put in high stress fight or flight situations to accurately fire a pistol in self defense. A rifle or shotgun is a better choice for most and the civilian variant semi-auto rifle is likely better than the shotgun given the number of options and ease of use.
Okay, pointless may have been the wrong words to use, but I think with similar training a pistol would make a better home defense weapon. At a close range, less than 10 yards, almost anybody could aim a pistol.
While this seems like the easy answer, most “experts” would tell you that a handgun is not the weapon of choice. Even at 10 feet a jerk of the trigger moves a short barrel way off it’s aiming point. Without lots of quality training (more than static targets) chances are nerves and adrenaline will cause reactions to be even more severe, harder trigger pulls, larger jerking, etc. Long guns are easy to point easier to aim at close range. The evil black rifles have very little recoil and fragment easily at close range (less through wall penetration). They allow for easy attachment of flashights, are cheap to by ammo for and target shoot, options for personal ergonomics are nearly endless and reasonably priced. Of course their not so good for protection outside the home unless you want to draw a crowd.
JD is right to ask you what an “assault weapon” is? It is not a term used by most firearms owners or enthusiast as it is subjective. A more accurate term for a semi-automatic version of many military style rifles would be modern sporting firearms. The look of a gun does not making it more deadly, no matter how many black rifles Diane Feinstein holds over her head. The capacity of the magazines is really limited only by those who build the magazines, as the detachable box magazine for common semi-auto hunting rifles can also be had in large capacities. The caliber of the the weapon doesn’t define the weapon either as nearly anything bullet is chambered in numerous platforms, from bolt actions, single shots, to semi-automatic sporting rifles and even some fully automatic weapons used by law enforcement or the military. The fact is that the current M4 platform the Bushmaster is a copy or variant of is the chosen platform of our military not because it is the deadliest. Far from it, in fact. But because it’s cheap, ammo is light and individual soldiers can carry more ammo requiring fewer resupplies in the field. Those Tier 1 special ops folks that get to choose their own weapons often use either greatly modified rifles or those chambered for more accurate, more powerful and longer range rounds with more “fight stopping power”. I will give you the fact that all firearms are designed to kill, some are better at longer ranges, some more suited to stop larger targets, some to balance the ease of carry with fight stopping power, but all in fact are designed to kill with human interaction.None are designed to kill on their own.
Please view this short video and learn! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yATeti5GmI8
I bet ‘hat cop keeps one in the trunk of his car. The assault weapon you refer to is slightly underpowered for hunting but it makes for good shooting the military likes the automatic version because soldiers may shoot thousands of rounds. Besid es being black and usually having larger magazines in use they are closer to hunting rifles. An average police pistol holds 14 rounds or more and the majority of revolvers fire a bullet everytime you pull the trigger and can be reloaded in a second with a little practice. It’s almost impossible to define them seperatly without going to appearance or model nu
I just hope you have some good life insurance if U expect the cops to save your family for some nut case. I can tell you are a LIBERAL that doesn’t use much of that gray matter in the brain bucket. Guns won’t stop a determined NUT with a mission. If I was your neighbor I put up a sign that says. My neighbor is unarmed. She thinks the cops will protect. HAVE FUN & GET ALL HER LOOT! She be trying to call the police after you have cut her phone line.
Great video “If Only I’d Had a Gun” (http://abcnews.go.com/2020/video/defend-gun-7312540)
Young adults with some training (from a few hours to 100 hours) are given weapons and put into a scenario in which an armed man bursts into their classroom and starts shooting.
The results demolish the NRA-inspired fantasy in which armed civilians (such as classroom teachers or even people with substantial training) cut down a gunman. And it explains exactly WHY that fantasy is pathetic.
Then we should take guns away from Law Enforcement for that same reason! If no amount of training is good enough for you, disarm everyone! (Except the criminals of course, in your fantasy world they get to keep theirs!)
liberal garbage.
the “shooter” was expecting the class to have an armed defender, and was a trained law enforcement officer who has honed his shooting to a high level.
I would much rather have a few armed ccw permit holders around me, i would rather know that the teacher was armed than be a fish in a barrel.
let’s just use that scenario in the video shall we?
——————————-
gunman walks into room, starts firing.
either
A. everyone dies, being defenseless.
the rest of the people in the building either run, hide, or die, also being defenseless.
the police finally arrive, the gunman has already done his deeds, the people in the building are dead or wounded.
B. an armed citizen or teacher fires back, distracting the shooter, allowing students time to hide/escape, and maybe even stopping the attack.
More teachers come. threat is contained to 1 room only. shooter dies, people live.
————
so, would you rather hope that the shooter runs out of bullets and that you somehow live?
or would you rather have a fighting chance to defend yourself and the people around you?
I have owned weapons for as long as i can remember and I dont fear any
one man.
I took my NRA hunting course in the 7th grade in nottingham NH school and
we brought our weapons to school. We trained and fired weapons on school
grounds,no kids or teachers were hurt. However said, I would not
hesitate a second to use a weapon in an instance if I felt that my
family or my life was in danger at any time. I do have concern about the
direction the federal government is heading. Once a fear law is passed
,its most likely a done deal. The biggest problems we have IMHO is we
have let the government ( Federal and local ) dictate to us how to raise
our children. Look how great most have turned out, worthless druggies
and other society bums that would rather take than give. IMHO, these are
the people that law abiding hard working citizens fear, the ones that want to take and never give
I have owned weapons for as long as i can remember and I dont fear any
one man.
I took my NRA hunting course in the 7th grade in Nottingham NH school and
we brought our weapons to school. We trained and fired weapons on school
grounds,no kids or teachers were hurt. However said, I would not
hesitate a second to use a weapon in an instance if I felt that my
family or my life was in danger at any time. I do have concern about the
direction the federal government is heading. Once a fear law is passed
,its most likely a done deal. The biggest problems we have IMHO is we
have let the government ( Federal and local ) dictate to us how to raise
our children. Look how great most have turned out, worthless druggies
and other society bums that would rather take than give. IMHO, these are
the people that law abiding citizens fear, the ones that want to take and never give
For some reason people believe that we have elections in this country because of the people in the government.. Obama made a statement he would like to Rule the USA instead of being President.. MSNBC backed him on it.. With an unarmed people how long do you think it would take to having that dream by MSNBC take hold?
When did he say that?? PS He didn’t —EVER!!!
Angus King is a voice of Reason and Sanity! I hope Mainers listen closely before an incident like Sandy Hook happens in Van Buren or Vassalboro!
yes, listen to reason.
Arm the teachers.
You could tell the people of Maine that Obama was seen training with the Taliban and 10% of them would run out and buy another gun. No proof needed, just suggestion would do it.
God i knew that was true. thanks for bringing it up. I forgot all about his little training program.
And you could tell the people of the United States that Dick Cheney has a hurricane machine and 30% of them would believe it and repost it on Facebook or Tweet it.
Let’s see: is this latest media hype an attempt by knee jerkers to force people to think that passing another law will make them safe or by the ‘gun community’ to cause people to rush out and purchase firearms? I’m thinking the former, but it’s sure benefiting the latter. So if the intention was an attempt at forced people to get rid of their weapons, looks like that one backfired. Yep, pun intended.
problem -> reaction -> solution.
I’m having a difficult time finding 45 Auto for my pistol.
your not looking hard enough lol
45 auto for your pistol, your statement is a bit confusing.
.45 auto, also known as .45 ACP (automatic colt pistol)
is the round that most 1911 style pistols use.
It is a standard centerfire pistol cartridge that has been used for over a century.
Ahh, okay, I have a commemorative 45 and don’t plan on shooting it so I have never bought ammo for it, thanks for the explanation, now it isn’t quite so confusing to me.
Go online & buy all you want!. Midwayusa.com, Nachez Shooters Supply, Midsouth Shooters suppy, Brownells, Sinclair……..there are tons of places to buy .45 ammo…Better yet, learn to reload as it will save you a bunch of $$$ after the original investment.
Just the fact that I ONE TIME stopped a bunch of ‘nutcases’ from harassing my kids by threatening them with a .22 shot placed nicely between the feet (I sure he felt lucky that I didn’t am a couple feet higher) is enough to tell me that owning a weapon is not a bad thing.
Barb you are extremely lucky that you were not charged with “reckless conduct with a firearm” or worse.
Deadly force can only be used when a life is threatened or to meet deadly force. Harassing doesn’t even come close to rising to the level needed to use deadly force.
That was a very foolish and dangerous thing to do because “a bunch of ‘nutcases'” were harassing you “kids”/
I don’t like having guns around but I think that banning guns is wrong because then only the so called bad guys will have them.. I do think that some kind of a limit needs to be put on them. Some pistols, some rifles, that’s OK But what do you need an assault rifle for? What do you use an assault rifle for, but to kill!!
Assault style rifles are actually great for target shooting.
Define what it is the term “assault rifle” means to you. The military forces of the world generally arm their troops with weapons that are easily mass produced, are chambered for cheap rounds that balance stopping power, range and are lightweight. This does not mean they get weapons with the most ‘killing power” as many would believe. The .223 or 5.56 NATO round is not close to the most effective round produced, but it allow soldier to carry more and require fewer resupplies in the field.In recent years newer more powerful, more accurate and similarly portable rounds have been developed but common thinking is that the US armed forces have far too much invested int eh m16/M4 platform to change. Having great numbers of different firearms chamber for the same round make sharing of ammo supplies far easier. I explain all this so that some of you might understand that these “evil” battle rifles looking things are really not the best designed killing firearms out there, in fact their far from it. The fact that this platform (m16/AR15/M4) is so mass produced and copied makes it an excellent choice for avid target shooters and small game hunters as they’re fairly inexpensive to buy, allow for numerous options to be added and ammo is cheap to shoot.
Another VERY SMART PERSON. you did pay attention in school. good job & GREAT ANSWER. These liberals don’t even know what end of the rifle to point at the criminal. They’d shoot their toes off if they tried it so they call the cops to find their dead bodies when they arrive in 45 minutes.
according to the 1994 assualt weapons ban, my .22 ruger qualifies as an assualt rifle.
Telescoping stock
pistol grip stock
high capacity magazine
flash suppressor/muzzle break
barrel shroud
optics
semi-auto
It’s a .22
but under the ban, it will be illegal.
I do not own a firearm and never have,but know with a ban looming I will definitely be exercising my second amendment rights and seeing how I am former military and the only weapon I ever trained with or became efficient with was the m16 I think it only makes sense to purchase an ar-15.
I hope you have a good 1200 dollars lying about.
$1200??? huh??….where did you go to school? A good gun doesn’t cost anywhere near $1200. Did you even open a book in school? I doubt it!!!!! Keep up your hobby of knitting and depend on the cops for the protection of your life. I’m sure you have some relatives that will go to your funeral & cry for you. I wouldn’t be there.
He said he wants an AR-15 you nit wit and I have my CFP thank you very little. An AR-15 right now will run you around 1200.
They ranged anywhere from $650 to over $2000 before this latest pro-ban rhetoric, depending on the manufacturer and options. Short of today’s freeze, Dick’s had a Black Friday deal IIRC was $599 for one time locally made semi-auto M4 style rifle. It appears the gun control debate and push has already increased the prices to just under $1000 for a basic model. Many people’s personal wealth just swelled, maybe this is the end of the fiscal crisis.
When all is said and done for a good model most are going to spend at least 1200 at the moment if you go new and you go locally. Yes, you can get a used one for less and I’m sure if you shop around on the intertubes you can find a new one for 1000 with ease but I doubt that will last long.
“A good gun doesn’t cost anywhere near $1200”
um, it does now.
bushmaster just went up for sale,
wal mart and dick’s just yanked their inventory of ar-15s out.
that means that what’s left will go up in price.
good luck getting one for under 1200 now.
Windham arms manufactures an ar-15 right here in the great state of Maine and the base model goes for around $800.Honestly would not even be considering such a purchase but just the thought of some body telling me what I can or cannot do is all the motivation I need to do it.I don’t try to tell other what they can or can’t do[other than those in my employ while they are on the clock]And I do not want any body trying to tell me what to do.
Everyone of us has the right to protect our selves from all enemies either foreign or domestic.
These kids were NO ONE’S enemies.
You got it! And that’s exactly why we need to be prepared. Enemies don’t generally warn you of an attack!
I’m going to purchase a hand gun myself! Not necessary because I’m scared of gun law restrictions that will prevent me from getting one in the future, but more because I feel that if more of us responsible citizens were armed, we might prevent some of these loss of lives like we saw at the school last week!
While I think anyone who feels comfortable with a firearms should own and train with one, I don’t think this incident at all should be a reason. Short of someone with a firearm inside the school (not a great idea) it’s likely he wouldn’t have been stopped by anyone short of prevention. Not to mention handguns are woefully inaccurate with lots of training (not only static targets) and frequent practice. Even then, given the stressors of “combat” most police shooting incidents show poor accuracy at fairly close ranges with handguns.
You’re right. Hand guns are not extremely accurate. I spent many an hour with the last one I owned trying to shoot key holes off of abandoned cars so I could get used to it. Know your gun folks! :)
Buy a short barreled shotgun and use BUCKSHOT. That will do the trick and you can just point and shoot. A agree that not many people can shoot handguns with great accuracy.
I actually agree with many that the AR platform is the best defense weapon for home. The reasons: it’s user size adjustable in an instant, ammo is cheap and readily had for lots of practice at low costs, there’s no fear of recoil for smaller individuals, flashlights and other aiming assistance devices are readily added, other ‘furniture” is easily changed for user ergonomics and while counter intuitive for most, the danger of over penetration at close range is actually low.
taurus judge 410 revolver (which would also be banned under the assault weapons ban)
Good move!!! just rememer. When seconds count the police are just minutes away. Protect yourself and don’t expect the cops to do it for ya. I live where the cops would take a minimum of 1/2 hour to show up unless they were in the neighborhood by mistake and then they wouldn’t or couldn’t find my house. Look at the guy in the Belfast area (Maine Mailtia Leader) that the cops nearly broke his door down cuz the morons couldn’t find the proper house. Guess their GPS was broken or they dropped donut crumbs on the unit. They’re luck y he didn’t start shooting 1st. TOTAL INEPT COPS
No surprise here! The democrats are the nation’s best gun salesmen! Sure, all the small-minded liberals will deny it, but obama is salesman of the year!
Funny thing is, Democrats and Liberals in general are impotent when it comes to gun control. Sure, they talk a big line, but their talk is cheap. They know they can never get rid of the guns, and it drives then crazy!
Arrogance is the mother’s milk of Liberals!
First they are MAGAZINES NOT CLIPS!
Next Maine has almost the highest per capita firearm ownership in the USA already
The Un treaty WILL effect us citizens as one of the requirement is that ALL ammo needs to be .marked.
Last and the most important point CRIMINALS DO NOT CARE ABOUT LAWS. If they did we woudl no need prisons would we??
so why do you care if ammo is “marked”?
Very SMART person here!!!!! Someone that opened his books in school.
I read someplace but have not confirmed Feinstein’s bill bans all semiautomatics and anything with a removable magazine. except creating 600 exceptions for existing models. Yes it grandfather’s existing weapons but does that mean Congress would have to pass a law for every model they want to make?
She’s a HUGE joke! Did you know she has a concealed carry permit? She doesn’t even trust her own government paid for security. What a hypocrite and LIBTARD to the max.
Senator Feinstein is a staunch gun control advocate. Despite her stance,
in the 1970s, she obtained a concealed firearms carry permit, and
carried a handgun with her. A CCW permit was then rare in California,
and was the only such permit in San Francisco. At the time, she was the
target of a terrorist group that had shot out all the windows in her
home. She no longer carries a gun.
http://usliberals.about.com/od/liberalpersonalprofiles/p/SenFeinstein.htm
She does understand the only person you can trust all day everyday is yourself.I think the best way to have this discussion is to educate everyone first and put the emotion aside. Let the extreme left melt down and get removed from the grown up table. The only way to remove the emotion behind the argument is to bring calm and facts to the discussion. The mother here failed to secure her weapon’s she paid with her life a nation was saddened and angered. and responsible gun owners are now needed to step up to the table. His mother failed in this case. The background check failed on Aurora. The Oregon mall weapon had been stolen. Two people with unsecured weapons, millions of responsible owners need to workout proper safety
Here is a link to the most specific article on Senator Feinstein’s proposed bill I could find.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/12/18/obama-supportive-of-feinsteins-proposed-assault-weapons-ban/
It’s not all about the guns at all, but I am in support of making the laws tighter. What good does it do to have a gun meant for the battlefield? There are many issues that need to be dealt with. The major one – Mental health is at a crisis and has
been for years with funding being stripped and young men and women
aging out of a broken system and refusing treatment. Options? Get him or
her arrested? Is that really the best we can come up with? Our prisons
are overloaded with people with true mental illness who should be
treated, but that costs money…….
What do you think makes these guns “made for the battlefield”? Weapons platforms are chosen by the military not based solely on stopping power, but a host of other variables which allows a balance of needs, in fact reducing their power to less than that of most common hunting cartridges.
The military doesn’t want to kill the enemy as it takes more people to care for the wounded & much more $$$ than it does to just kill them. A .223 is not the best human killer anyway. The military AR 15’s, M4’s, M16’s are FULLY AUTOMATIC so these rifles that the average JOE can buy w/o a tons of paperwork aren’t military weapons at all.
Reclaim America
COLUMBINE STUDENT’S FATHER 12 YEARS LATER !!
Guess our national leaders didn’t expect this. On Thursday, Darrell Scott, the father of Rachel Scott, a victim of the Columbine High School shootings in Littleton, Colorado, was invited to address the House Judiciary Committee’s subcommittee. What he said to our national leaders during this special session of Congress was painfully truthful.
They were not prepared for what he was to say, nor was it received well. It needs to be heard by every parent, every teacher, every politician, every sociologist, every psychologist, and every so-called expert! These courageous words spoken by Darrell Scott are powerful, penetrating, and deeply personal. There is no doubt that God sent this man as a voice crying in the wilderness.. The following is a portion of the transcript: “Since the dawn of creation there has been both good & evil in the hearts of men and women. We all contain the seeds of kindness or the seeds of violence. The death of my wonderful daughter, Rachel Joy Scott, and the deaths of that heroic teacher, and the other eleven children who died must not be in vain. Their blood cries out for answers. “The first recorded act of violence was when Cain slew his brother Abel out in the field. The villain was not the club he used.. Neither was it the NCA, the National Club Association. The true killer was Cain, and the reason for the murder could only be found in Cain’s heart. “In the days that followed the Columbine tragedy, I was amazed at how quickly fingers began to be pointed at groups such as the NRA. I am not a member of the NRA. I am not a hunter. I do not even own a gun. I am not here to represent or defend the NRA – because I don’t believe that they are responsible for my daughter’s death. Therefore I do not believe that they need to be defended. If I believed they had anything to do with Rachel’s murder I would be their strongest opponent I am here today to declare that Columbine was not just a tragedy — it was a spiritual event that should be forcing us to look at where the real blame lies! Much of the blame lies here in this room. Much of the blame lies behind the pointing fingers of the accusers themselves. I wrote a poem just four nights ago that expresses my feelings best. Your laws ignore our deepest needs, Your words are empty air. You’ve stripped away our heritage, You’ve outlawed simple prayer. Now gunshots fill our classrooms, And precious children die. You seek for answers everywhere, And ask the question “Why?” You regulate restrictive laws, Through legislative creed. And yet you fail to understand, That God is what we need! “Men and women are three-part beings. We all consist of body, mind, and spirit. When we refuse to acknowledge a third part of our make-up, we create a void that allows evil, prejudice, and hatred to rush in and wreak havoc. Spiritual presences were present within our educational systems for most of our nation’s history. Many of our major colleges began as theological seminaries. This is a historical fact. What has happened to us as a nation? We have refused to honor God, and in so doing, we open the doors to hatred and violence. And when something as terrible as Columbine’s tragedy occurs — politicians immediately look for a scapegoat such as the NRA. They immediately seek to pass more restrictive laws that contribute to erode away our personal and private liberties. We do not need more restrictive laws. Eric and Dylan would not have been stopped by metal detectors. No amount of gun laws can stop someone who spends months planning this type of massacre. The real villain lies within our own hearts. “As my son Craig lay under that table in the school library and saw his two friends murdered before his very eyes, he did not hesitate to pray in school. I defy any law or politician to deny him that right! I challenge every young person in America , and around the world, to realize that on April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School prayer was brought back to our schools. Do not let the many prayers offered by those students be in vain. Dare to move into the new millennium with a sacred disregard for legislation that violates your God-given right to communicate with Him. To those of you who would point your finger at the NRA — I give to you a sincere challenge.. Dare to examine your own heart before casting the first stone! My daughter’s death will not be in vain! The young people of this country will not allow that to happen!” – Darrell Scott Do what the media did not – – let the nation hear this man’s speech. Please send this out to everyone you can. God Bless
Shorten your comments and I’ll read them
it was a statement made by a columbine victims’ father.
If Adam Lanza’s mother did not have the guns in the house, unlocked, and did not train the boy in how to shoot, which guns to use, etc…. then, houston, we would not have a problem!
Yeah, he couldn’t go buy one himself, right? he would just have had to wait a few more days & he could have had all he wanted as he had a clean record. Your statement makes little sense. He could buy all he wants in a private sale too w/o any paperwork. They’re in uncle henry’s buy tyhe bazillions. THINK PLZ!
Really? Why don’t you look up the Bath, Michigan School bombing of 1927. It was much worse, and no guns were used.
Her guns were locked up. Read the CT news reports.
This audio makes sense: http://nation.foxnews.com/fort-hood/2012/12/18/mark-levin-how-come-obama-did-not-mention-fort-hood
Yeah, he couldn’t go buy one himself, right? That doesn’t make any sense. He tried to buy one but didn’t like the govenment regs cuz he’s a PARANOID CRAZY person so he killed his mother & took her legally purchased guns.
Get em while you can! You know darn well OBAMA the LIBTARD will get his ban passed. I ordered 2 AR lowers today & 20 Bushmaster High capcity mags. It’s all legal you gun bashers. All this ban is doing is making people stock up. how is that going to stop gun violence. lock up the nuts & criminals or better yet execute the mso we don’t have to for their housing, clothes & food.
i’m with you on that one.
It’s time to hold people accountable for their actions.
Execute murderers. it is the truest justice for the crime.
These bans and restrictions on firearms that are being discussed will only impact sales made through an FFL dealer. There are already millions of guns owned by people across the nation. A would-be criminal will always be able to obtain a firearm through private sale (legal or otherwise). No amount of laws and regulation will stop a criminal from obtaining a gun if they are truly motivated. We should not punish the 99% of honest folks because of the actions of an evil 1%,
Firearms are a staple in the Maine way of life. Farmers, hunters, and outdoors folks rely on them. Sure, not everyone needs to own an AK-47 or AR-15 but there is a very thin line between those so-called “evil rifles” and the 30-06 that puts a deer in your freezer every year.
The events in Connecticut are an absolute tragedy and hit home with us all but I hope that common sense prevails and that we don’t let the horrible acts of one deranged individual dictate a mountain of nonsensical legislation that will ultimately threaten the way of life for all the good people in this state and country.
After reading most of the posts here, it’s clear that the usual Liberals are jumping for joy, absolutely thrilled that another atrocity has occurred so their almighty leaders can advance their political agenda off the corpses of children! It must be very sad to secretly wish for death and carnage so you can push a political agenda you know is isn’t needed, wanted, effective or realistic.
If the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different result then yes, Democrats are insane. The ban failed to do anything before, so by all means, let’s do it again! Insane!!
If they do get around to any type of gun control I hope they also make it illegal to own the weapon or weapon piece and make it a felony if caught.
Every business establishment I enter I am going to ask an employee if they can assure me that no one in their place of business is carrying a gun. Every. Single. One.
And my answer would be none of your business.
And they couldn’t honestly answer that no one was carrying, for most would never know. Prepare for lots of internet shopping, but then what about he delivery guy?
it might shock you to know that 1 in 10 people in maine carry a concealed weapon. (statistically)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xbp6umQT58A&feature=share&list=FLHyZr9gEY7mLlxWLD76KX_g
The Pentagon has killed more innocent people in the past dozen years than a thousand gunmen here in the US ever could. Our president maintains a “kill” list, holds people indefinitely without charges, spies on nearly everybody, and uses robotic aircraft to bomb grass-roofed huts without even being certain who is inside. The federal government has bought millions of dollars worth of paramilitary gear, garb, and weapons for this nation’s police forces, greatly militarizing the latter as well. On military spending, we outspend the next 14 nations combined. *THIS* is the government people are supposed to hand their guns over to because the *people* have been bad with guns? Really?!
I don’t own any guns myself, but if ever there is to be gun control, it ought to start at the Pentagon, the Capital Building, and The White House.
Just for the record, there have now been over 115,000 civilians killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, in case anybody doubted my math: 115,000 > 26 * 1000 They can’t all be terrorists.
http://www.iraqbodycount.org/
Wow!!! you people really do trust this croupt government.. WOW!! I wish I could say I’m surprized.. once the next budget is approved and no country will touch our bonds, they will be printing money 24/7 because it will cost $10 a loaf of bread..
dought it.. Our industry is gone, we have nothing left to offer these countries that buy our bonds.. The federal reserve note will be worthless in 3 months. Then you will know why its handy to have guns.
I’m surprised you see us making it past Friday? One cuckoo day at a time I guess…
LOL!! here is what it’s all about, short vid. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=io6CmKJgnuM&feature=share&list=FLHyZr9gEY7mLlxWLD76KX_g
I don’t know if it will be three months, but it is coming. The Fed notes are already worthless, and have been for a long time. You’re right, inflation is growing at an alarming rate, and many countries with American dollars, like China, are dumping them, thereby compounding the problem.
Most people don’t believe it will happen here because it hasn’t happened to them or in their lifetime. It’s an easy trap to fall into. I agree, when the bottom does fall out, it will be good to have a gun or two. I was in Houston, TX when Katrina smacked into New Orleans, and the local news had quite a number of articles about people protecting their own lives and property with guns.
The problem is in the hands of man. The problem is the gun.
AHA! Aha, support for my contention that the 2nd amendment does NOT give you the right to bear arms: http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/comment/2012/12/jeffrey-toobin-second-amendment.html
An opinion piece? It clearly does state one does have the right to bear arms, but offers up that the government may have the ability to limit the types of arms allowed.
Really the New Yorker? oh yeah its in print so it must be true. Cause the BDN says so right?
The New Yorker. Ha, ha, ha. That’s pretty funny. Why don’t you read what the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in 2008 about the 2nd Amendment. DOC v Heller. It ruled that the 2nd Amendment does give the individual the right to keep and bear arms.
Booze kills 5 times more people then firearms? Why no outcry to ban booze every time a drunk runs a person over or crashes into a family killing them? If it is a numbers game then booze wins hands down..
Arm the teachers.
They are the first responders, they are the first and last line of defense for the school.
We already trust our childrens very lives to them.
Give them the tools they need to make sure our kids make it home safe.
This is really not a realistic solution to the issue. I’m betting that overall few teachers are willing to be armed, go through what would need to be extensive training and continual refresher training to ensure safe handling, proper retention skills and the actual shooting skill required to engage armed shooters.
A cheaper and more realistic solution would be to ensure all schools have lock down policies the single entrance doors are less easily forced open, and drills are conducted to ensure safe action plans. A double set of windowless entry doors in this case may have slowed the shooter considerably.
I personally know of one expert marksman that would like to carry, that is mentally stable, and has been a teacher for decades. a good man, that has been disarmed by legislation and policy.
Obama needs to look in his own closet. Fast and furious anyone? Americans dead at the hands of third world thugs with weapons illegally sent to Mexico. Dont even get me started on *Bengahzi*
The Bangor daily has spewed a bunch of misinformation about guns. In an article about polymer pistols and Glocks. The average shmo does nqt know the difference. Then said shmo regurgitating non facts and lies is damaging to us all whatever side you fall on. BDN should be ashamed of themselves. But I really am not surprised coming from a liberal rag struggling to keep in business.