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Gun Control & RKBA
In reply to the discussion: New Yorker magazine has an interesting article about history of 2nd amendment, NRA and gun control [View all]Atypical Liberal
(5,412 posts)58. For my part...
Seems the NRA is now run by the conservative wing of the Republican Party. The Cincinnati revolt, when Harlon Carter took over, really set the group on a radical path. It seems that is when the DC lobbying group took over...moving the HQ back to DC and closing out the idea of moving the HQ to Colorado. A look at Carter's bio makes me wonder who's in charge. I feel there is a paranoid strain running through the gun lobby here on DU that compliments the NRA's program to oust Obama. Interesting to me is the appeal that DU would have for the expressed libertarian views by so many in the gun forum. Has someone polled the DU gun forum to see how many are NRA members?
For my part, I'm a member of the NRA and I am annoyed, though not surprised, at the constant bashing of the President and the obvious right-wing leanings. I'm fortunate in that in most elections I have a plethora of Democratic candidates to chose from that have high marks from the NRA, and often they are the NRA-endorsed candidate.
I believe the NRA is absolutely single-issue focused, and they will endorse anyone that is pro-gun, from any party. The reason why they pander so hard to the right is the majority of firearm owners come from the right. While many of them would probably be on the right no matter what, a large contingent of them were driven to the right by the gun control efforts of the left.
It's why I would love to see the Democratic party drop gun control and embrace the right to keep and bear arms. Literally overnight you would have millions of people stop looking at Democrats as the "anti-gun guys" and Republicans as the "pro-gun guys" and they would have to consider other issues. Now you are never going to get the religious nuts or the homophobes to change their stripes, but you will get lots and lots of people who are anti-war and anti-corporations-are-people.
And overnight you could turn the NRA into a sponsor of the Democratic party.
Do advocates of nationwide concealed carry laws envision a country where everyone packs? I think if I were to believe everyone else had a gun and I felt threatened I would soon feel it necessary to buy my own weapon, the bigger the better. This is certainly not a future I look forward to. Is this the future you envision?
I don't know of anyone who thinks that everyone should carry a firearm. What most people who support concealed carry think is that everyone should have the right to carry a firearm if they choose and are legally able.
I keep my rifles in the basement and I suppose I occasionally go through a scenario in my mind about holding off attackers as they come for my food and fuel after the bomb etc. but the truth is, I don't see it ending well for anybody and I pretty much figure it isn't going to happen. Is my imagination lacking? Talk me through how it might all play out.
I already addressed this in another post. I think the most likely scenario that is going to happen during my lifetime is either a major natural disaster or, more likely, a chemical, biological, or nuclear terrorist attack on a major urban center, with a threat (real or pretend) of other urban centers, that will result in the shut-down of fuel and food into these areas which will then result in riots.
Will you be able to work with your neighbors to defend your homes? Maybe, maybe not. I remember the Koreans doing a pretty good job during the LA riots year ago. The mob tends to be fickle and when bullets start flying the mob runs the other way looking for an easier target.
Ultimately it won't end well for anyone but assuming things don't disintegrate to the point where things can be corrected after a few months of martial law, if you have food and water to survive a few months and keep others from taking it from you, you will at least survive.
For my part, I'm a member of the NRA and I am annoyed, though not surprised, at the constant bashing of the President and the obvious right-wing leanings. I'm fortunate in that in most elections I have a plethora of Democratic candidates to chose from that have high marks from the NRA, and often they are the NRA-endorsed candidate.
I believe the NRA is absolutely single-issue focused, and they will endorse anyone that is pro-gun, from any party. The reason why they pander so hard to the right is the majority of firearm owners come from the right. While many of them would probably be on the right no matter what, a large contingent of them were driven to the right by the gun control efforts of the left.
It's why I would love to see the Democratic party drop gun control and embrace the right to keep and bear arms. Literally overnight you would have millions of people stop looking at Democrats as the "anti-gun guys" and Republicans as the "pro-gun guys" and they would have to consider other issues. Now you are never going to get the religious nuts or the homophobes to change their stripes, but you will get lots and lots of people who are anti-war and anti-corporations-are-people.
And overnight you could turn the NRA into a sponsor of the Democratic party.
Do advocates of nationwide concealed carry laws envision a country where everyone packs? I think if I were to believe everyone else had a gun and I felt threatened I would soon feel it necessary to buy my own weapon, the bigger the better. This is certainly not a future I look forward to. Is this the future you envision?
I don't know of anyone who thinks that everyone should carry a firearm. What most people who support concealed carry think is that everyone should have the right to carry a firearm if they choose and are legally able.
I keep my rifles in the basement and I suppose I occasionally go through a scenario in my mind about holding off attackers as they come for my food and fuel after the bomb etc. but the truth is, I don't see it ending well for anybody and I pretty much figure it isn't going to happen. Is my imagination lacking? Talk me through how it might all play out.
I already addressed this in another post. I think the most likely scenario that is going to happen during my lifetime is either a major natural disaster or, more likely, a chemical, biological, or nuclear terrorist attack on a major urban center, with a threat (real or pretend) of other urban centers, that will result in the shut-down of fuel and food into these areas which will then result in riots.
Will you be able to work with your neighbors to defend your homes? Maybe, maybe not. I remember the Koreans doing a pretty good job during the LA riots year ago. The mob tends to be fickle and when bullets start flying the mob runs the other way looking for an easier target.
Ultimately it won't end well for anyone but assuming things don't disintegrate to the point where things can be corrected after a few months of martial law, if you have food and water to survive a few months and keep others from taking it from you, you will at least survive.
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New Yorker magazine has an interesting article about history of 2nd amendment, NRA and gun control [View all]
rgbecker
Apr 2012
OP
Also detaining people he suspects of carrying a firearm so he can check their papers
AH1Apache
Apr 2012
#32
Interesting part about the NRA paying "scholars" to publish 2nd amendment papers. n-t
Logical
Apr 2012
#6
Yep. It's corruption and twisted conservatives playing facist games to preserve corp. power.
The Wielding Truth
Apr 2012
#23
Yes, many of the gun culture here are just cyber Zimmermans. In reality, some may be too.
Hoyt
Apr 2012
#46
Hey, you guys would have considered Zimmerman a model gun toter right until he shot unarmed kid.
Hoyt
Apr 2012
#53
Zimmerman, intimidation, Loughner, guns everywhere, etc. -- that's what the gun culture has wrought.
Hoyt
Apr 2012
#167
Semi-automatic assault weapons were not banned, not the possession, not the transfer
rl6214
Apr 2012
#117
NO, it was called the "assault weapons ban" by the anti-gun zealots that wrote it
rl6214
Apr 2012
#146
I wonder how people like you ever challenge your minds? I read rightwing stuff all the...
Logical
Apr 2012
#48
"Some people, like you, don't want your set beliefs challenged I guess."
discntnt_irny_srcsm
Apr 2012
#49
Seems like it was the DC group that didn't want to see the HQ moved to Colorado.
rgbecker
Apr 2012
#106
Why give up so early unless it just is painful for you to read long articles? How can you base....
Logical
Apr 2012
#27
Your opinion and hence by your own argument just as valid as the author's.
GoneOffShore
Apr 2012
#144
After reading this article, I had to do a little research about some of the names.
rgbecker
Apr 2012
#42
So you are perfectly happy feeling that you "must carry" in order to feel protected?
GoneOffShore
Apr 2012
#51
That guy is so dumb about guns that he thinks Rimfire is a brand of gun.
GreenStormCloud
Apr 2012
#91
If your post gets hidden, I'm going to take that phrase "(subject-X) nuts" to some other forums....
PavePusher
Apr 2012
#173
Jury voted 6-0 to hide it. Let us know how that works out for you, re: "(subject-x) nuts" :)
Electric Monk
Apr 2012
#174