Sheesh

[rrneck]

Post after post appears here that includes some if not all of the following elements:

An unfounded assertion based on a lack of research or even basic understanding of the subject at hand.
A backhanded insult.
A bigoted slur.

Enough already. If you don't know anything about firearms or firearms policy, fine. Each and every gun owner on this fourm is a card carrying, certified, gold plated, 100% liberal or else they wouldn't be allowed to post here for long. In fact, I suspect if you're a gun owner in this place, the bar is a little bit higher for you than anybody else.

By and large, those who own guns have shown a great deal more patience and courtesy than those who oppose them. What I fail to understand is that if this is such a big deal to those of you who don't like guns you don't use the card carrying liberal gun owners on this forum as a source for information rather than a whipping boy? If you have an issue with the information you get out of them, take thirty seconds to google up some of your own and stop wasting everybody's time. The conversaion has become so inane that rational answers are little more than boilerplate.

We have a helluva brain trust here on both sides of the issue and what do we do? Form a goddamn circular firing squad.

[FLAprogressive]

1. What are you trying to get at? If it's that the "gun control advocates" are rude

then I agree.

[rrneck]

3. Yeah, and that

being rude doesn't get anybody anywhere.

How many people are reading this right now used to be left leaning Republicans but voted for Obama in the last election? How many of them own guns? How many of them are gun owning liberals? This rudeness and lack of understanding of the issue at hand leaves the impression that this forum is full of out of touch elitists.

[FLAprogressive]

5. because they're evangelists....much like the militant Christians

Anyone who doesn't conform to their point of view is evil.

[rrneck]

6. That's an interesting

comparison. Christians have to listen to a lot of crap around here too, but I can bitch about that in another fourm. Both Christians and gun owners are going to be a bit of an embattled minority around here, and that's not a bad thing. In fact, it's good. If there's a gun owner or a Christian in this place for long, fair bet they're pretty smart and they can make a pretty good case for what they believe. That's how cultures grow. Insulting people only starts fights.

It's in my sig line - "People are only human". We just don't have to be assholes about it.

[FLAprogressive]

7. I wasn't attacking Christians BTW....just the militant evangelicals.

There are quite a few progressive Christians on this board.....

[rrneck]

8. Absolutely. I have referred to

those who would profit from the faith of others (militant evangelicals) as a carbuncle on the ass of humanity.

[X_Digger]

11. Not to badly use a pun, but it does..

..make one sharpen his/her axe. If you can respond in a civil fashion here, in the face of some of the inane rhetoric presented, you can talk intelligently with anyone about this subject ;)

[hendo]

16. but its often too much of a hassle to respond intelligently

when you know that you will receive bile in return. That's why flame wars are so easy to become engaged in, and so hard to stop.

[DonP]

9. Very, very true

Many of the folks posting recently and ragging on and on about the NRA and gun owners in general sound exactly like my hardcore Fundy cousin in Iowa talking about NARAL and Roe v. Wade.

No facts, asking for details makes them angrier and don't you dare actually bring up statistics or an article supporting your POV. It just enrages them further.

Just allow them to stew in their own ignorance and dictate the laws everyone has to live by.

My favorites are the ones that are proud of knowing little or nothing about guns "except they kill" and that's all they need to know to formulate policy.

Just like my stupid Fundy cousin .

[tekisui]

2. Circular firing squads don't kill people....

That last line made me grin a little.

You make good points, though. I have been round and round with people on the issue of gun ownership. And, I have changed my position as a result. I have come to realize that restrictions on types and numbers of guns to be allowed do little more than prohibition of drugs or alcohol. If someone wants to get a gun to commit a crime, they will.

Intentional gun violence cannot be stopped through gun regulation. It must be done through treating mental health, providing a functional economy, quality education, etc.

One thing that I do support, is legislation that will protect people, especially kids from unintentional gun violence. The accidental killings of oneself or ones friend, by a minor, because the loaded weapon wasn't properly secured. I also think that adults who provide or allow weapons to be obtained by children, and that weapon is used in a crime, that the adult should be held to some responsibility.

[rrneck]

10. Guns confer power

symbolically and actually. More power assumes more responsibility.

[Tim01]

12. Definitely a tricky subject.

"One thing that I do support, is legislation that will protect people, especially kids from unintentional gun violence. The accidental killings of oneself or ones friend, by a minor, because the loaded weapon wasn't properly secured. I also think that adults who provide or allow weapons to be obtained by children, and that weapon is used in a crime, that the adult should be held to some responsibility."

Nobody wants their kid to die as a result of an unattended gun. But the truth is there are plenty of parents around who think "Not my kid, never. I taught him right". I don't totally agree with you one this issue, but I don't disagree either. It gets pretty tough to tell parents they are not doing the right thing with raising their kids.
Apologizes don't do any good if you get the neighbor kid killed. It happens.


Not to change the subject, but a couple towns over a lady had some neighbor kids playing with her kids. They decided to hide in the trunk of the car. 5 dead girls. Gun accidents happen a lot more often though.

It's hard to tell parents what to do.

[Raskolnik]

4. I think it is hard for some to accept that a well-educated, liberal/progressive person

actually values the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

I think it is very comforting for some to retreat to the stereotype that only backwoods Republican value the Second Amendment.

[Tim01]

13. I'm starting to think it is just the lunactic fringe that really freaks out over guns.

The numbers show that most democrats are pretty reasonable about guns and gun laws. I think it may be on it's way out as a real issue for democrats. I hope so.

[dashrif]

14. I

thank that may be the case but then again from my fav

Democrats never agree on anything, that's why they're Democrats. If they agreed with each other, they would be Republicans.

Will Rodgers,

[Tim01]

15. Classic.