THE LAND OF THE FREE AND THE HOME OF GUN VIOLENCE

 

I am for more strict firearm regulations.  No civilian needs to own a military assault rifle.   

In 1962 when I arrived in Maine people were free to own whatever firearm they desired; and so most men, including myself, owned a deer rifle, a shotgun, and a 22cal rifle.   Few people owned pistols – they weren’t efficient for hunting.   

The Maine law stated you could carry your unloaded rifle or shotgun in a gun rack or exposed on the seat of your car, with ammunition locked in your trunk or glove compartment, provided there was an open hunting season and you had a hunting license. 

I never felt that my right to own a gun was being restricted or that there were any restrictions on my freedom.   Guns were for hunting, and double for home protection if needed (people up here didn’t worry about home invasions – they didn’t happen.)

No kids were ever slaughtered in schools, there were no people shot in grocery stores or churches, and there were no mass murders at concerts.  All this crazy violence came about when George W Bush let the ban on assault weapons expire.   Since that time a certain group of our population have gone gun crazy. 

Children murdered at school by assault weapons!

Assault weapon bands are regularly defeated by Republican legislatures. 

the Ol'Buzzard

 

GUNS DON’T KILL PEOPLE:

BULLETS KILL PEOPLE

With two mass shootings over the last five weeks you would think that the Congress would move to address the issue of the ability of disturbed people to easily commit mass carnage. 

Link to gun violence this year

But then again, after 27 children were killed in Sandy Hook Elementary School and the Congress did nothing, why should we expect any different now?

I honestly feel that the focus on assault weapons is a distraction.   Semiautomatic rifles have been used by hunters for almost one hundred years; and the assault rifle is simply a semiautomatic rifle dressed up to look like a man killer. 

 

The problem is the capacity of the clip.   In Maine, hunting rifles have historically been limited to a clip size of five rounds.   Five rounds of ammunition are enough to hunt any large game animal in America and more than enough to protect your home. 

At the church slaughter in Texas the killer fired approximately 450 rounds of ammunition.   If clip sizes were limited to five rounds he would have had to reload 90 times. 

A federal law limiting clip size, a buy back and a stiff fine and imprisonment for possession of a large capacity clip would not stop disturbed people from committing acts of terror; but it would limit their ability to commit mass murder – and it would still allow the bad-ass wannabees to sport their assault weapons. 

All the males who feel their manhood depends on being seen carrying a ‘man killer’ rifle could still play their game; but the ability of their weapon to commit mass carnage would be greatly decreased - and lives would be saved.   

Link to gun violence in America

Common sense restrictions to control gun violence will never happen as long as Republican lawmakers are in control of Congress 

the Ol'Buzzars

A SENSIABLE STEP TO CONTROL GUN VIOLENCE.

 Maine has always been a wilderness state, and back in the 1960’s most Maine men owned guns: deer rifles and shotguns for hunting.

  

There was no killings epidemic going on back in those earlier days.   There were no military assault weapons, the country was not flooded with handguns and there was no open or concealed carry for the average person.   Occasionally a man might be shot by his brother-in-law while out deer hunting, and later you find out he beat his wife - and there would be suspicions.   That was pretty much it for gun violence.

 

It is not just about the availability of guns.   Today there is also a kill mentality, a kill mania that goes along with the purchase of military style assault weapon and hand gun.

Most of the people that buy guns today are not hunters; they are buying a gun with the specific intent to be able to kill other human beings.    Many of these people live in a mindset where they fantasize a situation where they could use their weapon on another person, believing it would make them appear macho.

  

So how could we control this gun mania without confiscating guns?

Back in the sixties, in most New England states, you could not transport a gun unless you had a valid hunting license and there was an open hunting season.  If you wished to transport a pistol or rifle to a firing range, you had to drop by the police station and pick up a transport chit for that specific activity.   There was no open carry and you could not get a concealed carry license without a specific need.    You did not have to register you guns and you could have as many as you wanted in your home; you just could not carry or transport them in public without a reason. 

An assault weapon band sounds logical, but there are already too many assault weapons in circulation; and gun confiscation is not an option.   What we need is a federal law limiting the carry and transportation of firearms.   It would not be popular but it would solve the problem.

Why do these men need to carry their weapons in public?   They don't.

Kids dying in elementary school is a step too far.   We need serious federal gun control on the transportation and carry of firearms.

the Ol’Buzzard