It's nothing but terrorism.

[kentuck]

The average citizen is not safe walking the streets of this country. A young man in Philadelphia has a greater chance of being killed than a young man in Afghanistan, it was reported.

They (gunowners) want people to fear them. That is the definition of terrorism. You might go to the mall and see a couple of nuts walking around with assault weapons. That should not be lawful.

We are losing our freedom to these screamers about the 2nd Amendment. Their fallacious arguments about the 2nd Amendment should be taken to the Supreme Court and declared illegal. We have a right to walk the streets in safety - without fear.

[livetohike]

1. I blame the "Reign of Terror" Bush-Cheney 2001-2008

They made many poor souls so fearful, they are afraid to leave their homes unarmed less a "terrist" jump them from behind. I can't believe we survived those miserable eight years.

[Hugabear]

2. I also blame the NRA

They have resisted just about every piece of gun control legislation, resulting in a flood of weapons on our streets.

[livetohike]

5. Me too. The NRA are the tools of Bush-Cheney and everyone else who wants a nation of fearful cowards

in my opinion. It's much easier to control people when they are afraid.

[gateley]

4. The RW (NRA lapdogs) are still beating the Fear drum! Incidents like this give them ammo

(no pun intended)

[livetohike]

6. Yes, and people will spend money they don't have for guns if they are afraid, or money for

anything else that makes them feel safe, although I can't think of what that might be. Oh, maybe stocking up for Y2K.

[gateley]

3. I've been a supporter of an individual's right to own guns (although don't own any myself)

but the other day I was in a grocery store (a grocery store!) and I heard a couple of people arguing pretty heatedly. To my surprise, the thought "I wonder if one of them is armed" came into my head and I started looking around for a place to cower if need be.

It is heartbreaking it's come to this.

Today's incident shows how dangerous firearms can be when one is allowed to carry (or in this case, NOT allowed to carry on campus). We've all been "blinded by rage" and we literally can't think logically when we're gripped by it. The result too often can be what transpired today.

I don't know what the answer is. There are too many people who are "responsible" and wouldn't carry a firearm anywhere and have the right to have them for self protection, collecting, whatever. And then there are people like the guy who went to J C Penney armed to the teeth.

It's becoming surreal.

[EarthWindFire]

7. what freedom

are you losing exactly.

[kentuck]

8. Freedom from fear.

How can anyone not be fearful when they see a total stranger with an assault weapon strapped on his shoulder? That is terroristic threatening at the least.

[EarthWindFire]

9. I understand your view

but there is no such thing as a freedom from the burden of fear. It does not exist...however there is a freedom to own firearms.

[kentuck]

11. How do you interpret this little preamble?

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

[EarthWindFire]

13. like this

We the People of the United States-all citizens of the US

in Order to form a more perfect Union-to make everything in our country as perfect as possible

establish Justice-begin fairness for all

insure domestic Tranquility-promise that everything in our country will be peaceful

provide for the common defence-give protection to everyone

promote the general Welfare-care for those in need

and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity-make sure freedom and fairness continues for ourselves and all our children and our children's children and every generation to come,

do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.-approve of and begin the Constitution of the US

[SwankyXomb]

16. It's one of FDR's Four Freedoms.

"The fourth is freedom from fear, which, translated into world terms, means a world-wide reduction of armaments to such a point and in such a thorough fashion that no nation will be in a position to commit an act of physical aggression against any neighbor -- anywhere in the world."

[Zoeisright]

20. No, there isn't a "freedom to own firearms".

That "freedom" is, and should be, heavily regulated.

No matter how "powerful" your little Precious makes you feel. And I, and sane people like me, are fucking sick of fucking gun humpers and their Rambo fantasies making this country an unsafe place to live.

[EarthWindFire]

21. well

maybe you should stop stereotyping all gun owners as having that mind set... Stereotypes are bad in all forms, but I guess you believe it is okay when you stereotype but have problems when others do so.

[theKed]

22. Laws are built on the worst offenders.

There are millions of people who would drive everyday in a safe and responsible manner, and yet we require testing, licensing, and registration. There may be millions of people that own guns and would never handle them in dangerous, irresponsible ways, but laws are made to handle the worst cases. And those laws are past due on firearms.

[EarthWindFire]

23. I do not disagree

With anything u have said, but what pisses me off are these people here on DU that act as if anyone who defends gun ownership deserves to be labeled using those idiotic stereotypes.

[kentuck]

25. People that defend assault weapons are no better than terrorists.

They are scum.

[Duckhunter935]

26. been called worse

That is not very nice when most I have seen on this board are trying to help. You may not like the gun owners viewpoint and I do not care for the ban all guns viewpoint. However I do not have to get down to name calling as happens regularly here.

[truebluegreen]

28. You are pushing a straw man argument.

Kentuck did not advocate the ban all guns viewpoint. He specifically addressed people who defend assault weapons.

With or without name calling, distorting someone else's position is not helpful.

[Duckhunter935]

30. Kentuck may not

But he did address me as I defend the right to own semi-automatic rifles. It is very hard to defend assault-weapons because everybody has a different definition of them. I guess in the strict sense, Kentuck may not mean me as I have no idea what his definition is. Going by the Connecticut law, the weapon used in Newtown was not considered an assault weapon. And it definitely was not an assault rifle.

[truebluegreen]

32. So here we are, bogged down in definitions.

Speaking for myself, I'd call an assault weapon anything other than the basic shotgun or rifle I used for hunting when young. Military-style knockoffs, large clips, rapid-fire, semi-automatic, whatever...I don't like them and like handguns I don't see the point except to kill people.

If you feel the need to own these, or any guns, that's your business/problem. Why it should be mine, or anyone's, is the issue. I'm open to discussion, but IMHO responsible gun owners should start acting responsibly and figuring out how to decrease the mayhem.

And saying that most gun owners are responsible isn't good enough.

[EarthWindFire]

31. I

Never defended anyone owning assault weapons!

[indepat]

12. A 2009 DHS report identified domestic right-wing extremist groups as the greatest threat to

to our country, its people and government, greater than the threat posed by Islamic terrorists. Does anyone really wonder what the Republican-controlled House of Representatives will do with respect to gun control legislation, if this domestic right-wing group fits the description of extremist?

[guardian]

17. Question

Just how many "total stranger with an assault weapon strapped on his shoulder" have you actually seen walking down the street? Not a youtube video but actually seen in person?

I have never seen anyone other than LEO with an assault weapon in a public place (other than sporting events and shooting ranges). Do you also live in fear of being struck by lighting or shark attack?

[indepat]

10. But, but, in a right-wing-soused society, all other rights in the Bill of Rights are subordinated

to the right of others to pack assault weapons of mass carnage on their hips. The Republican-controlled House of Representative will surely either refute or confirm my assertion.

[truebluegreen]

29. True. And why is it the 2nd Amendment is the only one they care about?

Their definition of tyranny simply seems to be "not able to own any ol' gun they want."



Seems to me they could spend their energy a lot more productively.

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

14. Despite false perceptions driven by a violence-addicted media...

[Egalitarian Thug]

15. I haven't been to Philadelphia for quite some time, but I'm rather skeptical of that claim.

I do know that the average citizen certainly is much safer walking down the street now than ever before.

[slackmaster]

18. The human mind as shipped is poorly equipped to comprehend probability, especially when it is low

Unintentional injury is the leading cause of death for people from young childhood into their mid-40s. As causes of death go, homicide is small potatoes compared to a lot of other things, many of which can be mitigated through lifestyle choices.

According to the CDC, the top 20 leading causes of death in the USA for people of all ages from 1999 - 2010 is:

1 HeartDisease 7,878,766
2 Malignant Neoplasms 6,713,687
3 Cerebro-vascular 1,776,578
4 Chronic Low.Respiratory Disease 1,541,893
5 Unintentional Injury 1,335,667
6 Diabetes Mellitus 856,906
7 Alzheimer's Disease 799,822
8 Influenza & Pneumonia 710,486
9 Nephritis 519,680
10 Septicemia 401,715
11 Suicide 396,480
12 Liver Disease 338,196
13 Hypertension 270,369
14 Parkinson's Disease 222,005
15 Homicide 208,352
16 Pneumonitis 201,494
17 Benign Neoplasms 166,191
18 Aortic Aneurysm 162,392
19 HIV 148,197
20 Atherosclerosis 133,331

Over the course of a lifetime a person is more than three times as likely to die of influenza or pneumonia than from homicide. Within the highest-ranking cause of death, unintentional injury, motor vehicle accidents are by far the most likely cause - 36.7%, followed by poisoning at 20.5% and falls at 17.3%. Unintentional firearm injuries account for barely half of one percent of unintentional injuries.

These facts are available from the CDC on the WISQARS site. No matter how you spin the numbers, the probability of becoming a victim of a random homicide is very small. But because it makes for spectacular news reports, many people have a badly distorted perception of the danger posed by random killers.



http://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/index.html

[Decoy of Fenris]

27. IIRC, you have higher odds of being hit by a meteor and surviving than shot dead. n/t

[KT2000]

19. Yes!

The belligerence is overwhelming. It is now intimidation.

[Moses2SandyKoufax]

24. They are America's version of suicide bombers. n/t