Of Guns And Labels And Assumptions

Regular readers know I have no love for guns. But regulars have seen me state on many occasions that although I don't want a gun anywhere in my home or office, I have no desire to take guns away from everyone or make it impossible for good and educated-to-the-risks-and-safety people to have one or more guns. [Although I continue to strive for a world where one of our favorite possessions is something that largely exists only to threaten, wound, or kill, I recognize we're sure not there now.] My 2004 choice for president was Howard Dean who is for many issues I care about while he is also hardly anti-gun.

So I was a little surprised to see that I was branded as an anti-gun misanthrope simply for posting about an article on Gun Guys; here's my response:

As the blogger in question, let me point out a few things:

First, you're right; I do not like guns although I was raised even as a little girl to know how to handle them and to shoot. But not liking is rather different from "anti-gun".

Second, while I am strongly FOR gun education and safety, I do not campaign against guns or likewise. To some degree, adults should be able to choose their particular interests without having the feds in your face all the time.

Third, as part of item two, I support intelligent gun laws that allow those who want to shoot as a passtime (or use for protection). I just happen to prefer not to use, see, or even have brought into my home or office a handgun or anything larger.

Fourth - and here's probably the biggest gap between us - while some may call it issue advocacy at The Gun Guys, I find them a good place to start for information on an issue that I can then research through other means. After checking out several items, I find GunGuys generally less invested in spin than many of the sites that promote the "give every American a gun" ideals.

Since this post mentions the need for education, I say hell yes! We can start with a better reading of the 2nd amendment as to what it DOES say, rather than what some wish to infer.

Bang! Bang! You Aren't Just Shot, You're Eviscerated!

From The Gun Guys on one nasty bit of "home enthusiast" equipment:

Here’s a nice editorial from over the weekend about the .50 caliber ban currently working its way through the New Jersey legislature. The Philly Inquirer lays out exactly why this weapon is so dangerous, and why the only way to really prevent it from being used against our citizens is to get it off of gun store shelves completely.

The measure, which unfortunately has been detoured, takes aim mainly at what gun-control advocates call the .50-caliber sniper rifle. Gun-rights advocates call it the .50-caliber bmg.

By either name it is a weapon of great velocity and long range. It is used against enemy fortifications in battle. Place this rifle’s .50-caliber bullet alongside a .22-caliber bullet, and it is like an elephant next to its calf. (The new law would also outlaw a handgun version of the weapon, though in each case current lawful owners would be exempt.)

A police officer’s body armor cannot stop this bullet. Some versions of this bullet are incendiary or armor-piercing. The weapon can be devastating even if fired from more than a mile away. Imagine it in the hands of terrorists targeting planes at takeoff or landing. The alleged Fort Dix conspirators come to mind.

Corraling this weapon is sensible to do and will pose little inconvenience to recreational users, except to deprive them of using it for target shooting. It cannot be used for hunting in New Jersey; the state already prohibits hunting with all cartridge-firing rifles.

Not to mention that with the five inch bullet used in this firearm, any hunting target that gets shot at won’t have much left of it anyway. The fact is that leaving this weapon available to anyone with cash and an ID (and, at gun shows, just anyone with cash) is opening the door for any terrorist in the United States to walk into a gun store and walk out with a military grade weapon (a weapon that’s both used by and against our troops in Iraq).

3,000 September 11th Deaths; Compare To More Than 30,000 American Deaths By Gunfire Every Year

Stop Gun Deaths