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

 

THE NEW ZEALAND SHOOTING

“I forget that every day – every 24 hour rotation of Earth – people kill and get killed in the name of someone else’s conception of God, and that some people who do not kill in the name of God, kill in the name of needs or wants or political dogma.”

Neil de Grasse Tyson

Astrophysics for People in a Hurry

This is a poor comment on the human race; but this is who we are and who we have always been. 

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