On the front page of the NY Times online edition, there is no mention of the nationwide Tea Parties. However, there is a feature on how the U.S. is responsible for the gun violence by Mexican drug gangs. They have a nice 9 photo spread with U.S. gun shops followed by pictures of coffins in Mexico. Well done. Here are two typical reader comments following the article. Please read and then note the number of recommendations each got. I am not suprised, but on some level, I am astounded by the sheer ignorance-
(note- where can I get an "armor piercing weapon" and also where can I get a "machine gun without a background check"? I will go there today!)
(note- where can I get an "armor piercing weapon" and also where can I get a "machine gun without a background check"? I will go there today!)
“They are going to get their guns either way,” he said. “The only thing that a ban is going to stop is good people being able to get a gun.”
"The cartels have the money to get guns wherever they want,” said Charles Fredien, the owner of Chuck’s Gun in Brownsville, Tex., on the border “They have grenades, don’t they? They don’t buy grenades here.”
Comments like this baffle me. What kind of person, "good" or otherwise, NEEDS to own an assault rifle or a gun that can pierce body armor? Just because bad people can get bad things other places, does that mean we should give them to them? I'm not saying get rid of all guns- "long", hunting style rifles are good for target shooting and hunting and are considerably more safe (in that they do not fire multiple rounds quickly and are hard to conceal).
I can see no conceivable reason however for the sale of assault, automatic, or armor-piercing weapons in our country. The US is not a war-torn nation. Armed bands of men with guns do not ride around raping and pillaging our villages. The reason for this is not because we allow people to buy assault weapons, but because of the wealth of our society and strength of our social institutions. When bands of rogues roam the vast planes and high mountains of our country, terrorizing small towns with terrible violence and the government is powerless to step in and help, then I will say sell assault weapons to regular people to protect themselves. Short of that (which would probably require a total collapse of our society), I see no good reason to ban everything except hunting/target rifles, and possibly non-armor piercing, non-automatic, hand guns (though I don't like them, it would probably be necessary to pass any sort of comprehensive ban on the really bad stuff).
— Shanghai Expat, Shanghai, China
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5.
April 15, 2009 7:17 am
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And right wingers yell at Clinton for stating that the US policies have SOME effect on the problems between Mexico and the US.
How about we stop selling automatic rifles in the US? How about longer waiting and more security checks?
I don't understand how pro-gun activists can justify the need for automatic rifles. They are for killing, not hunting. Plain and simple.
Have all the hunting rifles you want. Have all the collectors rifles you want. Have all the guns that can be used to protect your home (I know hand-guns are controversial, as they are not for hunting, only killing, but they are also for protection)
But machine guns? A lack of background checks? As pro-gun advocates you should be DEMANDING these things! Take back control of your issue! You shouldn't blindly oppose ALL forms of gun control! If there was NO gun control, we'd have an even bigger problem with street crime and gangs.
In the 20 years that gun control has been prioritized, violent crimes and gang crimes related to guns have gone down, proportionally.
And how about these guns that simply go from the US to Mexico, then are used to kill US and Mexican police? How is that good? GUN CONTROL IS GOOD. Nobody is trying to take away all your guns, no matter what the far right tells you.
— will m, Iowa
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