GUNS

Guns…

I own guns; I’m going to own more. I’ll own some ammunition too once the Glen Beck rednecks in TX stop buying all of it up worrying that Obama is coming to steal their guns in the middle of the night. (Actually it’s not fair to pick on TX only. How about any state below the Mason-Dixon line ;). I subscribe to the tenet “guns don’t kill people, people kill people”; does a valid argument against this statement even exist? (READ: Morons shouldn’t own guns).

I think gun ownership is a good idea. I also think gun registration, mandatory waiting periods and background checks, mandatory gun TRAINING for first-time owners, periodic compliance checks and licensing for gun owners are GREAT ideas. Mental health record? History of battery? Criminal record? NO GUN. I do NOT think the 2d amendment (what document is that found in again? ;) should be interpreted by dipshits who think owning a gun is a god-given (sic) right.

Here it is (from Wikipedia, sorry):

“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

Do you know how to define “militia”? When it refers to a “free State”, what “State” are the drafters referring to? How would YOU interpret this sentence? It’s probably one of the most abused and misunderstood amendments to the U.S. Constitution, but that’s just my opinion.
It should be difficult to own a gun. When I write “difficult” I am implying the level of difficulty (at least how it used to be) to get a driver’s license. You should have to possess a license, that needs to be renewed, to own a weapon. Sadly, it’s way too easy. Here’s a personal example: I bought a “stripped lower receiver” for an AR-15 assault rifle (Google it) some time ago. It’s just a piece of aluminum: No trigger, no bullets, no ANYTHING that resembles a gun (Google it). But…it can be made into a hand-gun (so some dipshit gang-banger can represent), hence, there was a 24hr waiting period. The punch line? I could’ve bought a fully assembled and functional AR-15 (and Ammo, but those damn Texans…) with NO waiting period. Hmmmmmm. (COROLLARY: If you are used to driving a Dodge Neon and subsequently buy a Dodge Viper…you need to have lessons before your foot touches the gas pedal; there’s a reason why people that fly Cessnas need to have training before flying a 747).

Now we have two mass shootings in as many days. Have my gun-owning views changed? No way. Morons still shouldn’t be allowed to own guns.

The sad part? Watch FOX “news” and listen to any right-wing talk-radio show the next few days…already they’ve got “experts” scaring people about terror cells in the military, etc… Whatever. Americans are too easy to panic. If you don’t believe me, go back to the last time gas prices jumped 0.30 cents in one day…or the last time the power went out for more than a few minutes…remember Y2K? How many of you stocked-up on food, gas, etc?…or, 9/11 and the bullshit invasion of Iraq…

The REALLY sad part? I would hate to be a Muslim in the military (or any part of America) now. Muslims will be ostracized and given even more abuse than they used to (by good, god-fearing christians, of course). I have a dear friend who has a half Middle-Eastern son…I wonder if he will now be exposed to worse treatment than normal in elementary school and only because of the panic Americans always seem to fall for.

What these tragedies should show us (in my opinion) is that decisions to go to war, send troops on multiple deployments, fear people that aren’t “like us”…all have consequences.
For those of you that read this (if I have any readers) and think of me as un-American, whatever THAT means, I’ll respond this way: I served four years in the military. That’s my license to bitch about anything I want to wrt this country. If that’s not good enough, you can bite me.