Stop Lying to yourself About Being That “Good Guy With A Gun” by STEVE MARMEL

[Eleanors38]

115. The NRA's blather is a known quantity and has been so for years...

Heller reaffirmed the individual right to keep and bear arms, but in most states and with most people, that right is already understood. While important for constitutional reasons, it was a decision against one of the most clinical attempts at dis-arming the public in a very small area. I just can't see everyone running out to buy a gun because of this decision.

I don't discount the NRA's propaganda, but it's a known quantity; they aren't convincing too many more folks with their line.

The AR-15, AK-47, AKS-type guns & others in that category increased in popularity after the counter-productive "assault weapons ban" of 1994. The numbers in circulation only increased after the ban. Once you have enough interest in the arms type, others start taking note. Exp.: The double-barrel and single-barrel shotgun was dominant for better part of a century. Then along came the pump action, which became dominant after WW II (not influenced by the war, just a marker). Now, semi-autos are supplanting the pump. Same with revolvers.

The "power" of the AR-15, when chambered with its original round, is barely enough for varmint and hog hunting; even with the latter animal, many folks re-chamber with the .308 -- considerably more powerful. But most stick with the .223 because of its cheapness. The gun isn't as powerful as my deer rifle, in other words. The accuracy is more important for sport shooting. If your aim was to kill a lot of people in a confined area, neither the power or the accuracy would matter: The Virginia Tech murderer used a semi-auto pistol with a bunch of loaded standard-size magazines to kill more people in one mass-shooting than anyone else using anything else.

Norway: Again, do they have a federal system which recognizes state powers? If Texas were to improve safety standards for concealed-carry, I would probably support that. I would support state legislation which would require all in-state purchasers to go through a b.g. check. So, I don't see anything "wrong with that." But for now, I'm out-voted.

I feel safer out in the country than in the city, but I keep a self-defense arm in any case. Cities are not particularly safe in many areas, particularly within poor urban areas (though sunbelt cities have increasing problems with the "Interstate" effect where declining motor courts and less-desirable properties draw in more criminals).