Police Officer – “I have never once arrested a member of the NRA” (O Steve is not in suppot of this!

[spin]

66. On the subject of doctors prescribing powerful drugs for depression ...

I was recently talking to a person who told his doctor that he was having difficulty sleeping.

The doctor gave him a test with a number of questions. The test showed that he had some degree of depression so he was prescribed a drug called Lexapro. One possible nasty side effect of this drug is that it can cause suicidal thoughts. That's exactly what happened to my acquaintance while he was driving. He said that out of nowhere he was overcome by a sudden feeling of absolute hopelessness and felt the solution was to run his car into a bridge abutment. He had a difficult time overcoming this sudden desire and managing to make it home.

My friend did some research and found that some people say the test he took was designed so there was no way to pass it. I haven't taken the time to research this issue but I suspect there might be some truth in it.

We elect politicians to solve our problems. Gun violence is a difficult problem to solve. Real solutions are expensive, hard to implement and often get little attention from the media. Politicians wish to get reelected which is understandable and "feel good" laws are often far less expensive than effective laws and make the politician look like a "hero" to his constituency. That's why "feel good" laws often get passed.

Unfortunately just as drugs have side effects, poorly conceived laws have unintended consequences. It is wise to be concerned when high emotion leads to a bill being rushed through the Congress and passed into law.

The War on Drugs was passed without considering the failure of Prohibition and has led to organized drug gangs that are terrorizing our nation just as Prohibition led to organized crime.

The first Assault Weapons Ban was poorly conceived and really didn't ban anything except for cosmetic items on firearms such as bayonet lugs or flash suppressors. Hi-cap mags were always available during the ban as long as they had been manufactured before a certain cut off date.

Prior to the first AWB military style rifles such as the AR-15 were uncommon and unpopular with the shooting public. They were viewed as inaccurate and unreliable and useless for hunting and target shooting. Shooters often ridiculed them as "Mattel Shootin Shell Rifles." Therefore most gun owners were not all that upset by the AWB.

Banning anything makes it more attractive. At first only a few shooters bought military style rifles during the ban but they gave these weapons positive reviews. Today this rifles are very popular with the shooting culture.

The unintended consequence of the first AWB was that it made these weapons very popular. Consequently it is very difficult if not impossible to pass another AWB.