Learn About Guns Before You Ban Them

It's so obvious that most anti-gun activist, politicians and members of the media know basically nothing about guns. From the "Gun Show Loophole" false narrative, the lie that the "Assault Weapons Ban" in the 1994 Crime Bill worked to "journalists" going on and on about the "kick" of the AR-15. The disconnect between knowledge, reality and rhetoric is deeply troubling.

However, as of late a few suggestions by the left have resonated with me. Specifically, increasing the age limit to own a semiautomatic weapon. Kids typically have to pass a basic safety class to fire a gun let alone own one. I for one still proudly have my Minnesota issued gun safety sew-on badge. I don't know why but it seams firearms safety training coupled with live firing seems to drastically reduce the odds a person will become a criminal, let alone a mass shooter. 

In addition the study of gun deaths in the US versus European countries is pretty conclusive... Guns are part of the problem but unfortunately we would have to confiscate all guns to reduce gun deaths commensurate to that of Europe. Only if private gun ownership was illegal will gun involved crimes and suicide deaths drop to what other Western countries experience.

When an an elected official talks about the "AK-15", ghost guns, multiple rounds in a split second, AR-15 round being multiple times faster than other rounds, etc... those with any military background or gun knowledge just roll their eyes. Passion without knowledge is wasted and counter productive but it doesn't stop the Left from spewing nonsense. Without basic gun knowledge the ability to influence gun owners with anti-gun arguments falls upon death ears.

I believe the five rights enshrined by the 1st Amendment are worth fighting for and the 2nd Amendment gives the people the ability to do so. It's seems basic, but it's kinda a big duh the founding fathers understood this and the order of the Amendments in the Bill of Rights isn't happenstance.

It's important to put death and tragedy into context. Tragically this year over 100,000 people will overdose and die. Another 40,000 will die in car crashes. Sadly 6,000 vets will kill themselves for reasons we are just now starting to understand. Finally, on average each day 42 people will be murdered with a gun. 

There are over 136,000 schools, colleges and universities in America and every year a few of these "soft" targets are attacked and on average a dozen or so innocent students and teachers will loose their lives. It's all very sad but the public seemingly forgets the 500+ that die tragically EVERYDAY in America.

Things to TRY as a nation:

- We might raise the age to own a semi-automatic weapon to 21 or even 25.

- Maybe make it a felony with a minimum of one year in prison for anyone under 25 to possess a semi-automatic weapon.

- Absolutely change "Gun Free Zone" laws to allow concealed carry by those with state issued concealed carry permits.

 

- How about increasing training and add actual range time in order to obtain a conceal weapons permit for those without prior police or military experience.

Obviously gun free zones haven't work and I would argue they have actually backfired and created killing zones. Concealed carry requires finger prints, back ground checks, mental health checks and training. Banning these people from schools, movie theaters, etc... has been a resounding failure and yet the sound of gun free zones makes people feel safe? Bad guys don't give a crap about gun free zones. This is beyond obvious but ignored by the Left and liberals who don't know better.

Here is the rub. It's clear to me the left is more concerned with the optics and maintaining this issue into the midterm elections while paying lip service to their base. The Right is paranoid of the slippery slope we all witnessed in 2020. Fifteen days to flatten the curve my ass... Never again!

Lastly, school shootings are beyond heinous but has anyone pondered they may in fact be the price we collectively pay to prevent even a greater loss of life measured in the MILLIONS. Think Mao, Stalin, Hitler and the carnage we are witnessing in Ukraine. 

Far fetched? Maybe, but it's been said:

"Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it on to our children in the bloodstream. The only way they can inherit the freedom we have known, is if we fight for it, protect it, defend it and then hand it to them with the well taught lessons of how they and their lifetime must do the same and if you and I don't do this, then you and I may well spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it once was like in America where men were free." Ronald Reagan, January 5th, 1967 

Gun Control Yet Again...

It's been about 24 hours since the last school shooting and sleazy politicians have again gone into overdrive with no end in sight which of course will likely include sending out fundraising emails addressing the shooting. 

I just watched President Biden's address to the nation which started off amazingly but then President Biden is "telepromptered" into angry Joe and democratic talking points. 

A crazy Bernie Sanders supporter guns down the Republican softball team and very few comments are made linking the shooter to the Left and there were no calls for gun control but every time the shoe is on the other foot it's like someone shook the crazy tree.

Of course every single mass shooting is sad. They are all bad, but this one was exceptionally bad in location, number of injured and killed and very young age of most victims. Truly it's a crime that will go down in history as one of the worst.

As usual, from the very start CNN got so many things wrong that I wonder if facts even matter to them any more. From an expert being interviewed saying there is no reason why anyone should be able to go into a gun store and walk out with a gun to CNN declaring the shooter purchased two assault rifles. 

For starters there are many reasons why waiting to buy a gun could be a bad thing. You find out your EX is going to kill you... Clearly waiting for 10 days could be deadly. You get beat up by your boyfriend and you know a restraining order is absolutely meaningless to someone planning on killing you. There are lots or times when waiting to buy a gun isn't a good thing.

Furthermore, the main stream media is so ignorant when it comes to anything gun related so here is a refresher:

- The Assault Rifle is what the military and swat teams use. Think pull the trigger and the gun fires until the magazine is empty. Most of these guns have single shot and bust mode selection as well. This weapon is NOT legally available to the general public. I can't remember when a 'legally" acquired assault rifle was used in a crime, let alone a mass shooting.

- The Semi Automatic Rifle is what you can purchase in most states. It some cases it looks exactly like the assault rifle but looks have nothing to do with lethality. Think one trigger pull equals one bullet. 

- The Assault Weapon is a made up term that has very little to do with functionality and nothing in common with the rate of fire of an assault rifle. It's truly a made up term. Adding a pistol grip or a mounting rail makes the gun look "mean" but it doesn't make it more deadly than the same gun with a wood stock and standard trigger mount.

Besides that absolute lie that shootings went down when the "Federal Assault Weapons Ban" of 1994 was passed (which was not renewed in 2004 because it didn't reduce gun crimes) the left just doesn't comprehend the 2nd Amendment was never about hunting. One would think the ongoing war in Ukraine would demonstrate to the left just how bad things can get when a population isn't armed.

I'm going to suggest something that may seem horrific to some but it's based on raw numbers. The loss of life that we experienced as a nation yesterday might just be the price we pay to avoid millions of deaths in the future. Mao, Stalin, Hitler, Tojo, Pol Pot, Leopold II, Ismail Enver Pasha, etc... These "leaders" killed well over 100,000,000 people. Had the populations they attacked been armed the results would have been undoubtedly different. 

So here is my take away. Before you start marching in the streets demanding that all guns be banned (a move that I have to admit would absolutely reduce gun deaths especially suicides in America) know your basic gun terms. Don't lie that the Federal Assault Weapons Bad reduced anything. Make sure you know what a round is and that a magazine holds rounds. That limiting the number of rounds a magazine can hold limits the number of ready rounds available for the good guys. The bad guys don't care about magazine limits and will carry multiple magazines while the good guy typically has just what's in their gun.

If our elected leadership wants to harden the nations 136,000+ schools, colleges and universities I would support this but in the mean time how about repealing local, state and federal laws that prohibit licensed concealed carry in schools. Very few mass shootings happen where people are armed. Have you ever heard about a mass shooting at a gun range? How about Utah's State Capitol?

PS  Let's not forget that all lives matter. Today 284 American's will die from a drug overdose and 118 will not survive their auto accident. I would argue most of those deaths are just as tragic and will rip apart those families lives for decades. Those families will suffer in silence with few noticing their loss.