Gun Control

EngrVV said:Thanks Poetryman and Strider for your entries...now we're talking. Dialogue is important; sharp tongues can slice like a sword but won't kill.

I was hoping you're going to post your ramblings about the NRA's ad here, JJ and yes, old poems are OK.

So true.

Hi EngrVV,

Unfortunately, when you add money to the mix, guns will always exists.  Trying to control humanity is like trying to reproduce through asexual budding-it ain't happening.  Remember the book, "Lord of the Flies"?  Those well-educated, highly-civilized boys were stranded in paradise and regressed to a primitive state and savagery.  Even apes use sticks and rocks to kill each other.  We would like to think we are above such things.  Put humans outside for three weeks without our luxuries and see what happens.  Survival of the fittest always was and will always be..wish it were different, but I can't change it.

Just sayin'...Peace through Poetry!  

Strider

It is true that killing will exist, its the ease at which guns make killing happen in mass numbers.  We aren't just talking about illegal weapons, when we talk about the mass killing we hear about, how many of those guns are legally owned and used?

Oh the fun they had,
John Wayne and Clint, shooting the good and the bad,
and the ugly truth is,
People still live in the television,
the hours of watching has only blurred their vision,
Everybody wants to be the hero,
When really we need to bring crime down to zero,
I want my hero running out front, hands up,
protecting those behind them,
not pulling out a weapon and hiding behind them.
True, a lot can be blamed on the government,
and murder will happen, no matter what the instrument,
but it's hard to ignore, I know stats can bore, but lets look at the gore
gun murders in California were 70 percent,
or more.
It's hard to ignore, its hard to turn your face,
perhaps if we don't see,
history we might erase.
How about we bring the troops home,
how about they patrol our streets,
how about we take care of ourselves,
before we help others take on their feats.

Good point, janeirorob...but are'nt we supposed to bring the war to them instead of waging it here in our homeland? At least that's what the Bush administration said.

Patrolling the streets and schools for that matter are better left for trained peacemakers/law enforcers than volunteer armed posses.
California on the other hand can't afford more law enforcers; it's laying-off policemen and firemen in some cities and even releasing prisoners earlier to save a buck or two.

So your idea of pulling the troops out to take care of our own safety is a better idea.

What war overseas is necessary to fight more than the safety of our home? I'm Canadian but what happens to the south of me will greatly affect my life and that of my children.  I am grateful to america for my education, which is why I take interest but have a hard time understanding the fight, fight, fight mentality. Giving a gun to a "good" person doesn't guarantee they will hit the "bad" guy. Everybody has to make cuts, no matter where we live, our borrow to spend mentality doesn't help. Why not cut government jobs and limit spending on luxuries we know exist and watch the fat trickle away and the money reappear!

EngrVV said:Good point, janeirorob...but are'nt we supposed to bring the war to them instead of waging it here in our homeland? At least that's what the Bush administration said.

Patrolling the streets and schools for that matter are better left for trained peacemakers/law enforcers than volunteer armed posses.
California on the other hand can't afford more law enforcers; it's laying-off policemen and firemen in some cities and even releasing prisoners earlier to save a buck or two.

So your idea of pulling the troops out to take care of our own safety is a better idea.

The reason California is broke is the same reason most of the government is broke they cant manage money they spend more then they bring in. They make it harder on Company's to do business.

They take and buy things for 5x more then you or I would and it like that senator that spent $200.000.00 on a bathroom remodel for what?  

Strider said:[quote-163167-EngrVV]Thanks Poetryman and Strider for your entries...now we're talking. Dialogue is important; sharp tongues can slice like a sword but won't kill.

I was hoping you're going to post your ramblings about the NRA's ad here, JJ and yes, old poems are OK.

So true.

Hi EngrVV,

Unfortunately, when you add money to the mix, guns will always exists.  Trying to control humanity is like trying to reproduce through asexual budding-it ain't happening.  Remember the book, "Lord of the Flies"?  Those well-educated, highly-civilized boys were stranded in paradise and regressed to a primitive state and savagery.  Even apes use sticks and rocks to kill each other.  We would like to think we are above such things.  Put humans outside for three weeks without our luxuries and see what happens.  Survival of the fittest always was and will always be..wish it were different, but I can't change it.

Just sayin'...Peace through Poetry!  

Strider [/quote]

You're absolutely right, Strider. Death comes in many forms and situations, usually uninvited. The more reason we need to regulate the procurement and use of assault rifles and high-capacity clips.

Don't get me wrong...I love guns but I don't own one. When I feel the urge to shoot, I go to a gun range. If I feel the need for more firepower, then I visit my kids in Nellis, NV...and I would go to the Strip gun range and feel the adrenalin rush while shooting with their machine gun.

I don't believe gun control will curtail our second amendment rights. We don't need high-powered guns to hunt, shot-guns will do just fine. I prefer using traps though...

Kingdom-darkness said:[quote-163394-EngrVV]Good point, janeirorob...but are'nt we supposed to bring the war to them instead of waging it here in our homeland? At least that's what the Bush administration said.

Patrolling the streets and schools for that matter are better left for trained peacemakers/law enforcers than volunteer armed posses.
California on the other hand can't afford more law enforcers; it's laying-off policemen and firemen in some cities and even releasing prisoners earlier to save a buck or two.

So your idea of pulling the troops out to take care of our own safety is a better idea.


The reason California is broke is the same reason most of the government is broke they cant manage money they spend more then they bring in. They make it harder on Company's to do business.

They take and buy things for 5x more then you or I would and it like that senator that spent $200.000.00 on a bathroom remodel for what?  [/quote]

The main reason why California is broke is due to the housing crisis brought about by unscrupulous lenders. Also, outsourcing the manufacturing jobs by high-tech companies in the Silicon Valley made matters worse than it is.

I had lived in CA before moving to the tri-state area for over twenty years and it was a sad plight for those accustomed to living in luxury.

I do have to say that you anti-gun folk are a pretty violent bunch, at least in your verse. I thought I was watching a Quentin Tarantino movie, with all that lead and blood flying about--which I suppose mostly comes from the outrage of what has happened recently.

I think some much of the issue is a lack of exposure to the more law abiding sort of gun owner, whom spend most of their bullets into paper (no news crews have ever been out to the gun club I belong to, whether a tournament was going on or not). This sort far out-numbers those that the news does care to shine their spotlight upon.

On the flip-side, like you all, there were several aspects of Mr. Obama's 23 Executive decisions I didn't mind one bit. I think it is also profitable for us that we get, and keep firearms out of the hands of folk that have shown that they just shouldn't own one. That those that do must go through more extensive background checks, and get a pass from a block of respectable range instruction to assure that if you have a gun-- you know how to use it, and you have the knowledge to NOT come out like Clint Eastwood in his Josey Wales flicks if push does come to shove is certainly in order. This should be mandatory for anyone that requests a C&C permit (and I believe that it is, in some states, but surely not all of them).

There is quit a bit of BS flying about on both sides, and in general the executive orders and the proposed bans really don't affect me. (In short, though I don't and won't live there, most of my firearms would be legal in California, and the only one that wouldn't be is a .22 cal I bought to improve my range qual, which would be grandfathered in, irregardless.) Everybody I know, and most of those do own at least one firearm, has never really made the papers--as the worst of the worst may have shot a deer, wild boar, maybe even an elk (unless they were deployed, or work in some form of law enforcement.) Between the fact that you all never really get to see that side, and the real deal with the by far majority of legal gun owners, and my ol' buds at the NRA kind of overstepping the more common ground for the need and merit of owning one... reality is that most gun owners, like most cops, have never pulled the firearm up on another human being-- unless they are in military, or in law enforcement, where and when it became necessary. The ol' guns a'blazing mentality is more of a Hollywood kick, as anyone that is properly trained to use one and had just cause to pull out their firearm best damn be sure where that bullet is going to end up prior to pulling that trigger. In the case where that has happened, you can most certainly lay the blame on Hollywood, as they surely didn't learn any of that business from any legal and responsible gun owner.  

I would have written a bit of verse, but I just couldn't figure out how to dazz up-- I went to the range, shot a few hundred rounds, no blood and no one was dead in the end-- I went back home. That is just how it always happens every time I have ever taken my guns out. I'd highly recommend a firearm awareness and safety course to anyone (with the background checks and all that in place).

That is where you will find the majority of responsible/legal gun  owners-- whether they are shooting ARs, Ak47s, Glocks, even a Dirty Harry style long nose Smith & Wesson .44 mag-- or, just sighting in their daddy's old hunting rifle for whatever may be coming into season. There were no news crews moving in to cover the story. I can't hardly suggest that there are no loose cannons out there, only that of the literally dozens to hundreds of gun owners that I do know-- I do not know any that would fit into the loose cannon category. I know plenty of real-live gun owners.

I don't have to legitimize my ownership with claims of self defense or resistance to the potential of tyranny. I don't have a conceal & carry permit, and I don't open carry. But I will suggest that something my father said is surely true (and he is in full agreement, moreso even than I am, with Mr. Obama's proposals) is that there is a natural hesitancy from those once upon a time, yet very real and true foreign powers that had been considering landing ground troops on American soil. That was one hundred percent about our right to bear arms.

Come to think of it... yep, maybe I got something versy in me about it afterall (see next post).

Uley

Nicotine is one of few
addictions that I choose
to keep, and it could only be
change that led and left me
to become a rebel of fierce gravity
just pulls you along
into the on and on
of what just about everything
is wrong with this scene

And I want to believe that it
is almost Independence Day again...

My Triumph America is ticking
underneath me, the engine is silent
as I watch the hearse rolling
down Main Street, and the only
those that seem to notice are those
caught in behind the traffic
of who and what truly matters
to themselves--alone
Sometimes, peace seems merciless.

And I want to believe that it
is almost Independence Day again...

As the children are tucked away
in a place that we must believe is safe,
and my heart longs for the day--
a want for memorae, perpetually moving away
when a child could live and play,
breathing free in the open air.
Their only care and concern might be
a natural adoration for a summer breeze;
and a place and time to be perfect
ripe for the idle-wile discovery
of new everyday adventures
in America.

And I want to believe that it
is almost Independence Day again...

Though I do not know
how to give it back, a hold
those treasure, free and dear
of being a boy, without any fear
Of what the world around them
was becoming so unclear--
dragging the boogeyman out
into the limelight, and
making him a superstar
on a 24 hour a day news--
the kill stats never lie
so much as the camera's eye
paints a picture, like stain
on the soul that will not go away

And I pray
that is almost Independence Day again...

As the town-hall and old churches mark
the hours and minutes in between--
whether to be vigilant or to live in dread
of what may become real next, and how many dead
the tides will sweep along
those long mad corridors, of on and on
as our children walk outside, across the lawn
farther away a world that seems to be gone.

And Lord how I pray
that it is almost Independence Day again.

Uley

Ammend the damage.

Westernized society
Civility and compassion
are still void in one
barbaric nation
The 'leaders' of democracy
bring death and devastation
What is the price of the lives
of the innocent?
Will you continue to sacrifice
those too young to understand
so called 'liberities'
and rights
Constructed centuries ago
do not relate in modern day society
The gun
The most destructive weapon
of the history of Humanity
To solve violence with violence?
You're just as bad as the criminal
Have some civility
your rights destroy the lives of the innocent.
Your pride comes before lives
and your paranoid dementia
of your own government
that you don't even understand
Does not give you free reign
To pull a trigger
Civilian, the gun is not for you.
The gun is for an active soldier of duty
Or law enforcement
Or those justified in using it
The farmer, perhaps?
Self defence?
Such disgrace
When will you grow up?
And join the rest of civilized society
in civility and progressive pragmatism.

Thank you Uley-Bone for your well articulated post. I appreciate your participation in this dialogue.

Uley-Bone said:Nicotine is one of few
addictions that I choose
to keep, and it could only be
change that led and left me
to become a rebel of fierce gravity
just pulls you along
into the on and on
of what just about everything
is wrong with this scene

And I want to believe that it
is almost Independence Day again...

My Triumph America is ticking
underneath me, the engine is silent
as I watch the hearse rolling
down Main Street, and the only
those that seem to notice are those
caught in behind the traffic
of who and what truly matters
to themselves--alone
Sometimes, peace seems merciless.

And I want to believe that it
is almost Independence Day again...

As the children are tucked away
in a place that we must believe is safe,
and my heart longs for the day--
a want for memorae, perpetually moving away
when a child could live and play,
breathing free in the open air.
Their only care and concern might be
a natural adoration for a summer breeze;
and a place and time to be perfect
ripe for the idle-wile discovery
of new everyday adventures
in America.

And I want to believe that it
is almost Independence Day again...

Though I do not know
how to give it back, a hold
those treasure, free and dear
of being a boy, without any fear
Of what the world around them
was becoming so unclear--
dragging the boogeyman out
into the limelight, and
making him a superstar
on a 24 hour a day news--
the kill stats never lie
so much as the camera's eye
paints a picture, like stain
on the soul that will not go away

And I pray
that is almost Independence Day again...

As the town-hall and old churches mark
the hours and minutes in between--
whether to be vigilant or to live in dread
of what may become real next, and how many dead
the tides will sweep along
those long mad corridors, of on and on
as our children walk outside, across the lawn
farther away a world that seems to be gone.

And Lord how I pray
that it is almost Independence Day again.

Uley

Thanks for the entry Uley...

NecrophiliacVegan said: Ammend the damage.

Westernized society
Civility and compassion
are still void in one
barbaric nation
The 'leaders' of democracy
bring death and devastation
What is the price of the lives
of the innocent?
Will you continue to sacrifice
those too young to understand
so called 'liberities'
and rights
Constructed centuries ago
do not relate in modern day society
The gun
The most destructive weapon
of the history of Humanity
To solve violence with violence?
You're just as bad as the criminal
Have some civility
your rights destroy the lives of the innocent.
Your pride comes before lives
and your paranoid dementia
of your own government
that you don't even understand
Does not give you free reign
To pull a trigger
Civilian, the gun is not for you.
The gun is for an active soldier of duty
Or law enforcement
Or those justified in using it
The farmer, perhaps?
Self defence?
Such disgrace
When will you grow up?
And join the rest of civilized society
in civility and progressive pragmatism.

Thank you for your entry SM_Adrift...good point.

No worries man!