Gun Control Spin
POSTED BY: AnthonyT
UPDATED: Sunday, November 25, 2007 19:08
VIEWED: 6740
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Hello True Believers,
Ugh. The newspapers are at it again. I just read an article called "Cops find themselves in arms race with criminals" on CNN. Knee-jerk alarmism at its worst. I'll quote you the parts that bother me first, and then I'll attach the whole story. Election year is coming up, Democrats are coming back into power, and here comes the gun control articles. This one will precede many others, and the topic is 'assault weapons.'
"Across the country, at least 62 police officers have been gunned down this year"
That's horrible. Now, how many of those 62 officers were gunned down by 'assault weapons?' Strange that the article doesn't say, since this statistic is meant to support the article's premise that the police are out-gunned, and that proliferation of 'assault weapons' are the reason why so many officers have lost their lives.
""We're having more than one officer shot and killed a week. It's just outrageous that officers are being targeted," he said. "It's something I think all Americans should be outraged about." He lays the blame squarely on lawmakers who allowed the assault weapons ban to expire in 2004."
I am indeed outraged that so many officers are being killed in the line of duty. It is very troubling. However, I'm not sure what this has to do with the lapse of the The Assault Weapons ban... a ban which banned no assault weapons. Since the article declines to tell me how many officers of the 62 were killed by 'assault weapons', it's hard to say.
"Designed to be fired from the hip, assault rifles such as the AK-47 can spray at a rate of up to 600 rounds a minute in full automatic mode. It is the weapon of choice for guerillas and gangsters."
Designed to be fired from the hip? You can shoot any rifle from the hip, but it's hardly optimal to do so. I know of no military (including the Russian military) that recommends shooting your rifle from the hip. The US army played with the idea briefly about 5 or 6 decades ago, but discarded it as a bad idea. An AK-47 would have abysmal accuracy when fired from the hip. Further, it's not convenient to fire from the hip when inside a vehicle. (Which is how the weapon might be most ably used by criminals: In a drive-by.) Finally, fully automatic AK-47's are still illegal. (This is the weapon that shoots 600 rounds a minute, not the civilian semi-automatic version.) There is no need for an 'Assault Weapons Ban' on that weapon. The only way to own an automatic weapon legally is to pay a 200 dollar fee to the Federal government and subject yourself to a weeks-long detailed background investigation. I don't think gangsters are doing this. Most law-abiding citizens who might qualify to do this don't bother. It's a big hassle and usually an unnecessary expense, especially when semi-automatic versions of the weapons are available. Criminals don't bother to do this either, but for different reasons. As criminals, they freely ignore the law and acquire illegal weapons anyway. If the Assault Weapons Ban was to be re-enacted, it merely means the criminals would be forced to ignore two laws instead of one.
""The streets of South Florida are being flooded by AK-47s and assault weapons from old Soviet bloc countries. It's driven the price down, making the availability greater," said Chief Timoney."
I'm sure there are lots of inexpensive AK-47's in Florida. However, the commonly available AK-47 is not an assault weapon. It is a civilian semiautomatic rifle. I'd not be surprised to learn that some are being converted to fully-automatic via illegal modifications. You can do this to ANY semiautomatic weapon. That includes any pistol that was never designed for automatic fire. It is always illegal to do so, unless you have a special permit from the Feds. I doubt criminals are getting these permits.
"Chief Timoney says he started noticing an increase since the federal assault weapon ban lapsed in 2004. Since then, he says homicides in the city of Miami involving assault weapons
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The fatal shooting in September of a Miami-Dade police officer by a man using an assault weapon put all South Florida police departments on edge. Several other officers were wounded by the gunfire.
Assault weapons have been used to kill eight people and wound 25 here over the last two years. Authorities estimate there are about 160 gangs who boast around 7000 members.
"They don't have .38s anymore. They have AK-47s. ...They have automatic weapons now," said Sgt. Pfeil.
"It's a little bit embarrassing that we're engaged in this, but what is the alternative?" said Miami police Chief John Timoney. He said gangs, in particular, are getting their hands on high-powered weapons with apparent ease.
"The streets of South Florida are being flooded by AK-47s and assault weapons from old Soviet bloc countries. It's driven the price down, making the availability greater," said Chief Timoney.
The Miami police department evidence room has seized AK-47s, AR-15s and an assortment of other automatic and semiautomatic weapons piled on shelves from floor to ceiling.
Chief Timoney says he started noticing an increase since the federal assault weapon ban lapsed in 2004. Since then, he says homicides in the city of Miami involving assault weapons have been up -- 18 percent last year and 20 percent this year.
The Miami Police Department said 15 of its 79 homicides last year involved assault weapons, up from the year before. So far this year, 12 of 60 killings have involved the high-powered arms.
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"Global warming - it's not just a fact, it's a choice."
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Too many people crowding my planet anyhow, the way I see it Rue. They're just doing Mother Nature's work since technology has allowed us to trump her power.
If nothing else, this news would make any rational person desire the ability to arm themselves even more.
"A government is a body of people, usually notably ungoverned." http://www.myspace.com/6ixstringjack
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Like the paper said.
Arms.
"What Arms may be kept. -- The arms intended by the Constitution are such as are suitable for the general defence of the community against invasion or oppression."
-Michigan Supreme Court Justice Thomas Cooley, 1898
That bein said, I wouldn't really recommend an AK for home defense, not that it wouldn't do a damned effective job, mind you - but rather in that it would overpenetrate, not to mention as anyone who has ever discharged a firearm indoors in an emergency can tell you, it's a rather, erm... stunning experience.
I have no issue with folks carrying anything they please, so long as that right is universal.
And as long as they are enforcing this type of law, the police should be bound by it, just the same as us citizens are.
If they wanna bitch about it, throw the same bullshit excuses back in their face they throw in ours - see how long such stupidity lasts when their own self defense is hindered by it.
History has a word to describe unarmed people, do you know what it is ?
Victims.
-Frem
It cannot be said enough, those who do not learn from history, are doomed to endlessly repeat it
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Quote:A term that includes anything from a dagger to a thermo-nuclear device.
Originally posted by Fremdfirma:
Like the paper said.
Arms.
"What Arms may be kept. -- The arms intended by the Constitution are such as are suitable for the general defence of the community against invasion or oppression."
-Michigan Supreme Court Justice Thomas Cooley, 1898
More insane ramblings by the people who brought you beeeer milkshakes!
No one can see their reflection in running water. It is only in still water that we can see.
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Exactly, and in my opinion, as it should be.
It was the intent of our founders for the citizens to completely outgun any government forces up to and including the military, to act as a necessary check and balance against tyranny.
So what to do they do ?
(UnConstitutionally) Outlaw almost anything more than popguns, and arm up SWAT with body armor, assault rifles, and APCs.
Hear that buzzing sound ? - that's Patrick Henry spinning in his grave.
-Frem
It cannot be said enough, those who do not learn from history, are doomed to endlessly repeat it
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To be honest...
If I thought the government would legislate controls to civilian armament that were reasonable, and then STOP, I'd support them.
Unfortunately, the gun control advocates aren't interested in reasonable limitations. They are, by self admission, interested in banning firearms outright. They have proudly proclaimed each new gun law as a stepping stone to disarmament.
How can a reasonable man agree with reasonable controls when he knows that each reasonable control is simply a step closer to the unreasonable monopoly of the government and criminal population over all weapons?
--Anthony
"Liberty must not be purchased at the cost of Humanity." --Captain Robert Henner
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Quote:Depends how you look at it. The term "Bear arms" at the time meant "serve in the military", not "own weapons". An arguably correct definition of the 2nd Amendment was allowing anyone to join the Militia, and keeping that Militia from being subject to control of the Federal government.
Originally posted by Fremdfirma:
Exactly, and in my opinion, as it should be.
It was the intent of our founders for the citizens to completely outgun any government forces up to and including the military, to act as a necessary check and balance against tyranny.
-Frem
To be honest the casual disregard for the danger of weapons I've seen or heard of from some American gun owners, I wouldn't want them to have weapons that could cause the sort of destruction as a pound of Semtex, let alone anything more powerful.
More insane ramblings by the people who brought you beeeer milkshakes!
No one can see their reflection in running water. It is only in still water that we can see.
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Too many people hide their love for guns behind a claim of self-defense, when really, the guns just get them hard.
"I thoroughly disapprove of duels. If a man should challenge me, I would take him kindly and forgivingly by the hand and lead him to a quiet place and kill him."
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4581871.stm
Quote:
Doctors' kitchen knives ban call
A&E doctors are calling for a ban on long pointed kitchen knives to reduce deaths from stabbing.
A team from West Middlesex University Hospital said violent crime is on the increase - and kitchen knives are used in as many as half of all stabbings.
They argued many assaults are committed impulsively, prompted by alcohol and drugs, and a kitchen knife often makes an all too available weapon.
The research is published in the British Medical Journal.
The researchers said there was no reason for long pointed knives to be publicly available at all.
After they get all the "assualt" rifles, guess they'll be coming after the "arsenal" in my kitchen. I've also got some rather pointy screwdrivers in the shop, along with hammers and handsaws. And the splitting maul I use to chop firewood...oh, dear.
"Keep the Shiny side up"
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