Gun Control

Enhance said:
Thanks for the sharing the story. That's really interesting.

My wife's brother is definitely one of those people that is amazed at the concept that someone may not want a gun on them at all times. This is also the kind of guy that has a full 24/7 security view of his house, an automated in-home security system with voice command lock doors and even ballistic windows. A couple of months ago, some random stranger parked in his driveway for five minutes and it caused him to arm/lock his house and sit at his window with his gun drawn the whole time. He shared the story countless times in the following weeks, including several minutes of the video, to anyone who would listen.

Every time he told the story all I could think was "dude... some random person probably was Google mapping something in your driveway and here you are preparing for a home invasion." It's just a sort of doomsday mentality that I don't understand, but it's similar in many ways to how your friend's wife feels, I think.

It's hypocritical behavior no matter what side of the fence one is on. My brother-in-law would be liable to physically fight anyone who told him he doesn't need a gun, but telling other people they need guns is acceptable.
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Well, this goes farther than just friends or family.

About a year ago, I had an employee (management) come to me expressing his desire to change our gun policy at work. Currently, we have a zero gun policy in the work place.  Well, his belief was that we should have more people at work with conceal carry permits and allow them to carry at work.  He would be one of these people.  

My first reaction was, "HELL NO".  But, I didn't say anything and said I would think about it.  He then went on to say that we have many truck drivers that come in who conceal carry.  He expressed that our current policy requires them to unholster their guns and leave them in the truck.  This is potentially unsafe because it requires them to handle their guns.

I'm sitting here in disbelief with what I'm hearing.  He is literally saying we should allow these people to carry their guns into the work place....when it's clearly unsafe for them to unholster their guns in private.

I stuck with the "HELL NO"....but, I expressed my opinion much more judiciously than that.  I'm sure he is still unhappy that I won't let him carry a gun.

 
This only goest to 2014 so I know there are more but I find it fascinating.  These are our supposed educated and aware gun owners.  I think there was another issue recently in NH with a gun going off during a state house event, and that's what made me look this up.

Last week, Colorado state Rep. Jared Wright, a Republican, left his handgunin a canvas bag in the state capitol—following a hearing on rolling back concealed carry laws. Wright, a former police officer, told the Denver Post he will stop carrying his revolver to committee meetings. He wasn’t the first public servant in recent memory to forget, shoot, drop, or otherwise unintentionally mishandle a firearm:

2014
Kentucky state Rep. Leslie Combs, a Democrat, accidentally fires a gun in her capitol office while attempting to empty it in front of another lawmaker.

2013
West Virginia Del. Kelli Sobonya drops her handgun in a meeting with Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin. “I said, ‘Hey, Governor, you don’t have to worry; I have my permit,'” she tells the Charleston Daily Mail.

Dave Evans, an aide to Missouri House Speaker Tim Jones, leaves a loaded gun on top of a capitol bathroom toilet paper dispenser.

Texas state Rep. Drew Darby is arrested at an Austin airport after a loaded .380 Ruger is found in his carry-on bag.

2012
New Hampshire state Rep. Kyle Tasker explains that he dropped one of his two handguns on the floor of the capitol because he was “loopy” from just donating blood.

2011
More butterfingered Granite State Republicans: State Rep. George Lambert drops his holstered gun outside the statehouse. State Rep. Paul Mirski drops his firearm during a meeting and doesn’t get around to picking it up until the event adjourns.

2008
Oklahoma state Rep. Sally Kern is caught bringing a loaded handgun into the capitol in her purse. “As soon as my purse went through the scanner and the uh, gentleman there said, ‘Representative Kern,’ I went, ‘Aw, I forgot!,'” Kern tells a local news station. It’s the second time in two months.

2007
An aide to Democratic Virginia Sen. James Webb is arrested for carrying his boss’ loaded gun into a Senate office building.

2006
Virginia Del. Jack Reid fires his handgun in his office as he’s trying to remove the clip. The round strikes a bulletproof vest hanging on a door.

Vice President d!(k Cheney hits a hunting companion in the face with birdshot while hunting quail in Texas.

2002
A pistol goes off as it’s being handed to Georgia Rep. Bob Barr at a reception. Explains the lobbyist who passed the gun, “We were handling it safely, except that it was loaded.”
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I own guns but do not conceal carry

I have a few friends who do

no Problem with those who choose not to 

however I live on an acreage near a big city and neighbors aren’t near

so while I feel pretty safe I do want home protection

more importantly I’m very aware of world history where countless governments disarmed their populace and then harmed those they disarmed 

not willing to put myself in that position letting history repeat itself 

 
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OTHusker said:
more importantly I’m very aware of world history where countless governments disarmed their populace and then harmed those they disarmed 

not willing to put myself in that position letting history repeat itself 
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I want to make sure I have my rifle in hand when the government tanks come rolling down Main Street. I am sure that it will help.

 
deedsker said:
I want to make sure I have my rifle in hand when the government tanks come rolling down Main Street. I am sure that it will help.
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As it seems the us military has struggled to defeat even very small even tiny  “armies” armed primarily with small arms

iraq

syria

Afghanistan

vietnam 

there are over 300,000,000 guns and over 300,000,000 people in the us 

I’m guessing that might be a bit of a deterrent since the us military had a tough time defeating “armies “ of 10,000-200,000 men 

 
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It is arrogant to think that history couldn’t somehow repeat itself again right here in the us

all of the major genocides were preceded by confiscating the weapons of the targeted populace

While there may be debate on the actual numbers it’s fairly safe to say genocide against 50-100 million people was preceded by very effective confiscation of the murdered groups weapons

 
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I find it interesting that the right is the side so scared of the government that they feel they need guns.....but then vote in the most authoritarian President that doesn’t care about over stepping his legal limits to get what he wants and praises the most brutal dictators in the world while pushing away the most pro democracy leaders. 

Sounds like the right should be scared of themselves. . 

 
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I didn't see anybody here debating that history repeats itself.  It's happening now, here in the US, it just has nothing to do with guns.  

The scariest part is the ones that are supporting the man who is step by step repeating some of the most horrific historical actions are also the ones that think they need an arsenal in their homes and on their bodies.  What you're being sold as the reason you need to defend yourself isn't against a tyrannical government, it's against minorities who are "coming over the mexican border to rape your wives, steal your jobs, murder your children".  

Just watch 2 mins of any talk from the CPAC meeting this weekend.  It was a weekend long cult commercial.  

 
deedsker said:
I want to make sure I have my rifle in hand when the government tanks come rolling down Main Street. I am sure that it will help.
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Interesting article here 

an armed populace need not be able to defeat its oppresors, but just raise the cost of doing so enough to deter aggression 

it cites examples like the Turks massacre of 2,000,000 Armenians in the early 1900s and the slaughter of 2,000,000 Cambodians by the Khmer Rouge immediately following gun confiscation programs were enforced 

there are many more examples 

https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1582&context=law_lawreview

 
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Both sides overstate their positions to try and make their point- both sides 

the us had about 11,000 gun deaths due to one person shooting another

yes 11,000 people in a population  of 330,000,000 is too many 

however the number isn’t 39,000 either like these numbers suggest 

suicides make up a good portion of those numbers 

in many wealthy countries suicides happen by gun at rates much higher than one could imagine and other methods 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_violence_in_the_United_States

 
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