I pretty much agree with everything you said here. It's not you or people like yourself that I worry about owning guns. Though I think that it has finally dawned on me as to why there is so much disagreement between gun owners and gun control advocates: The long term 'goal". Gun owners believe that the long term goal is to eventually eliminate all private gun ownership. Gun control advocates see their goal as trying to protect the public from the wrong people owning guns (criminals, mentally disturbed, etc.) but not to take away the right to own guns.ygmir wrote:I see it as the "pendulum principle", in that, one side sees the other as going "to far", so, tries to swing "it" to far the other way, to counteract. When, the reality, is, there is a very acceptable "middle ground" for most reasonable people.jkisha wrote:If it's not evident from my posts, I will say that I haven't given any research to this topic other than what I read casually. As a non-gun owner that really doesn't see any need for myself personally to own a gun, I've not had much interest in the topic.
not real evident, since your intellect gives you the ability to sound informed. An interesting admission, though, since I've seen you "ream" people for posting without doing research........poke, poke......grin.......
I think some very interesting opinions/facts? were mentioned that I haven't given thought to from that point of view--like the myriad of different and constantly changing laws throughout the country and the federal govt itself, pointed out by gyre.
I think BBS had some interesting points, though marred by her inflammatory choice of rhetoric.
I think examples like Waco do not really help the cause, as those people were wacko to begin with, and I doubt that their leader nor many of his followers could have passed any sort of mental competency evaluation to begin with.
The paranoia aspect was really ratcheted up when Obama became president. This is for no logical or rational or factual reason, other than a lot of nonsensical heated rhetoric floating around the internet.
I'd say, a lot of that came because he's a liberal (or claimed to me then), "city guy", and, seems the "Ivory tower, academic" type, not in touch with the life of "the masses".
Not necessarily saying that's true, but, he does project this, IMHO
My partner has been wanting to get a gun for awhile now and ironically we probably will. He's never even fired a gun, but he's big on preparing for "the big one" here in CA. (I told him he would have to take lessons and we'd also need a gun safe to keep it in.)
yeah, good call on the lessons. But, a safe? is it just the two of you, and other adults in your home? If confronted with immediate need, it'll be hard to say "Hold on looters/home invaders, time out, I gotta remember this pesky combination".......
I was in LA for the riots--lots of scary stuff on the news, smoke and fire all around. Still during all of that, I really never felt a need to own a weapon.
well, yes, Pollyanna.........*teasing*, but, was it physically removed from your area? Would you have felt the same, had the riots been on your street?
There were many examples, of armed folks, protecting their property quite successfully in those riots. Without shooting anyone. But, showing they had the ability, and will, to self protect, made them not such a good target.
I think most of my 'problem' with so many of the arguments against gun control is that they are flavored with so much "crazy/paranoid" sounding talk that is off-putting to those that have the power to legislate. (Or just plain people that have the ear of their representatives.)
well, of course, they'd see it that way......they are the ones, that would be the the focus. They are the ones "we" mistrust with the power. *we meaning those that think like me*
Because of this, I think lots of people are more afraid of the people advocating against gun control than they are the criminals that those supporters argue owning guns would defend against. Not a very good PR strategy.
yeah, sort of an unending loop.
since, "we", fear them, and what they want. "They" think the police will protect "us" (all inclusive). They think the police "can" protect us.
and, have the notion that if I don't have a gun, a criminal can't get one either, or, that if it's illegal, the criminals will just turn theirs in.
IMHO of course.+1
JK
As is often the case, the "fringes" drive the argument.
As long as that perception prevails, it will be hard to accomplish anything that either side wants to accomplish.
Again, it's a matter of communication. There are some people on this board, like yourself for example, that I have no qualms about owning guns, any kind of guns. Rational thinking, calm, etc. etc. There are others here, at least by their rhetoric, I feel have no business anywhere near a firearm.
But to boil it down to one sentence, this pretty much sums up my entire feeling on the gun issue (I said this earlier): As long as I can walk into my neighborhood Walmart and buy a gun, I don't see a need to worry about my 2nd amendment rights being taken away.
Regarding the gun safe, I just don't like the idea of a gun being too accessible. I haven't had one in the house for 62 years, I have to take baby steps.
I don't perceive the threat being someone breaking in unexpectedly. But if "the big one" ever does happen. The gun would certainly be kept out of the safe.JK
