The Great Gun Control Debate

[Humphrey Bogart]

Well, the article raises some interesting questions, such as:

How on earth can a person who, by his own admission has only fired a handgun before and therefore has clearly never served in uniform, know how a bazooka (a term, which he should know has not been used since WWII) feels, or how a gun sounds?

And, what the hell is temporary PTSD? (I just checked my DSM 5, sorry it's such a new mental disorder that it's not in there yet).

However, I do like some of the positions of the fellow who showed him, Mr. Stelmach, and in particular the idea that background checks should now include family and close associates. The circle of friends or family who either don't denounce gun purchasers that they know have a problem and are up to no good, or know of the problem and would denounce if they knew that the person is in the process of acquiring a gun, appears to be a good indicator of potential problem nowadays.

Justin Bourque in Moncton was a prime example of this.

 

[Halifax Tar]

The anti-gunners just stream out of the wood work after these things happen eh.  FB feed is lit up anti-gun memes now lol

 

[Lumber]

I had a bit of chuckle when I went and read the firearms laws in Florida. Apaprently, "It is a felony under Florida law to create, maintain or publish any list, record or registry of legally owned firearms or law-abiding firearm owners."

So, not only do they not have firearms licences or registries, it's actually against the law to try and create one. I'm sure this is not uncommon in the US.

Anyways..

Could someone answer a question for me?

I've seen several news headlines that said that the AR-15 used in the Orlando shooting was "fully-automatic". I thought that, even in in the US, you could own a fully automatic rifle.

1. Can you own fully-automatic rifles in (some?) of the States; and
2. Was the rifle used in the Orlando shooting automatic?

Cheers

 

[Lightguns]

1. Can you own fully-automatic rifles in (some?) of the States; and

Outlawed in the 1930s but there is a process for certain businesses to own them and provide a closed environment to shoot them.

2. Was the rifle used in the Orlando shooting automatic?

No, Sig Saur MCX is not select fire, some gun controller from Vancouver on twitter argued that it can be made based on some youtube he saw but I doubt it is readily doable. 

 

[Good2Golf]

Not to downplay the impact of the Orlando event, and at the risk of creating a 'calibre-is-not-mm' debate, but the AR-15 is a weapon that uses a high-energy .22, but it is still the same calibre as a rifle like a Ruger 14 that many have used plunking gophers on the farm.  Panzerfaust it is not...

G2G

 

[Halifax Tar]

Not to downplay the impact of the Orlando event, and at the risk of creating a 'calibre-is-not-mm' debate, but the AR-15 is a weapon that uses a high-energy .22, but it is still the same calibre as a rifle like a Ruger 14 that many have used plunking gophers on the farm.  Panzerfaust it is not...

G2G

You, me and 99.9% of the readers on this forum know that.  The problem is soccer moms and latte sipping urban yuppie hipsters who are scared of their own shadow.

We will loose the gun control battle.  That is a foregone conclusion, as much as I hate to admit it.  And we will loose because the aforementioned personalities are in the majority and we, are not.

Our only hope is that their short attention spans continue to move them off this topic as quickly as they get on it.

 

[Jarnhamar]

This article is comical...

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/firing-ar-15-horrifying-dangerous-loud-article-1.2673201

It feels like a bazooka — and sounds like a cannon.

One day after 49 people were killed in the Orlando shooting, I traveled to Philadelphia to better understand the firepower of military-style assault weapons and, hopefully, explain their appeal to gun lovers.

But mostly, I was just terrified.

Many gun shops turned down our request to fire and discuss the AR-15, a style of semi-automatic rifle popular with mass killers such as San Bernardino terrorist Syed Farook and similar to the Sig Sauer MCX rifle used by Orlando terrorist Omar Mateen.

More at link provided.

I dont often email editors and such  but that article was brutal.  I sent an email  asking how a 10 year old girl can fire an ar15 without injury but it bruises his shoulder.  Even with creative licence that article was retarded.

 

[Lightguns]

He has been taking a sh@t kicking on twitter.  The best one being all the young army girls asking him if his vagina hurts.

 

[Halifax Tar]

lol I just looked up his twitter feed lol he is getting obliterated!

 

[Remius]

The guy went in there with his mind already made up and he damn well knew what he was going to write. 

 

[Halifax Tar]

The guy went in there with his mind already made up and he damn well knew what he was going to write.

Wait, you mean he was just reinforcing his preconceived opinions ?  But isn't that journalism ?

 

[The Bread Guy]

The guy went in there with his mind already made up and he damn well knew what he was going to write.

Wait, you mean he was just reinforcing his preconceived opinions ?  But isn't that journalism ?

Since the guy who wrote the print piece is a columnist, not a reporter, it actually IS his job to share opinion.

I'll give credit for showing the shop owner as pretty balanced in his position in the video (which I'm guessing was put together by the reporter, not the columnist) - the video is worth a view.

That said, the columnist says he's fired pistols, but compares noise/recoil of 5.56 indoors to a bazooka & cannon?  And although it may be loud indoors, what is the "smell" of "destruction" when firing at paper targets?  I'd just call him on these bits alone - not to mention sorta-kinda dissing PTSD sufferers with his own micro-trauma.  Wonder how he'd handle the noise/recoil of a 7.62 anything?  :facepalm:  Someone smarter than me here talks about opinion vs. informed opinion ...

 

[Jarnhamar]

I found his ptsd comment absolutely ignorant and insulting to people with actual medically diagnosed ptsd.  It's very dismissive of their condition.

Can someone link his twitter feed out of curiosity?

 

[ueo]

Geez I wish I had "temporary" PTSD not the full time one I've lived with for many years. :2c:

 

[Colin Parkinson]

I remind people that stats in the US show a rough average of 280 people killed per year in the US by rifles of all types. That's less than a 1 in a million chance of getting killed by a rifle in the US.

 

[Eaglelord17]

1. Can you own fully-automatic rifles in (some?) of the States; and

Outlawed in the 1930s but there is a process for certain businesses to own them and provide a closed environment to shoot them.
False, civilians can still own fully automatic firearms in the US however it is a bit of a difficult task. It varies State to State (as different States have there own gun laws as well as the Federal laws), however it is possible in some States still. Some key requirements are a 200$ tax transfer to the ATF, photographs, fingerprints, extensive background check etc (I am not going to list them all). Another key part is the firearm must have been made before and registered before 1986 to qualify for being a fully automatic firearm in the States (some people look at them as a investment as the demand is getting stronger and they aren't making them anymore). This is a simplified list and I might have gotten a bit wrong because I don't really follow the US gun laws.

 

[Halifax Tar]

Well worth the listen.  Please pass around

https://soundcloud.com/solomon-friedman-64054915/ontario-today-solomon-friedman-discusses-gun-control-and-the-ar-15

 

[Jed]

Well worth the listen.  Please pass around

https://soundcloud.com/solomon-friedman-64054915/ontario-today-solomon-friedman-discusses-gun-control-and-the-ar-15

Worth a listen. It is difficult to stomach the bias exhibited by the moderator.

 

[Halifax Tar]

Worth a listen. It is difficult to stomach the bias exhibited by the moderator.

Really I thought all things considered she did ok.  You know for being CBC and all

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Your almost 2 times more likely to die of a drug overdose in BC, then be killed with a rifle in the US.