Will our anger be buried alongside Newtown’s dead?
A flag flies at half mast on a dark, wintry night in Newtown, Conn. This week, the townspeople will bury their dead, including the bodies of 20 young first-graders murdered by an assailant who broke into their school. Coffin manufacturers have donated the 20 small caskets that will be needed in the burials. (AP)
The Bushmaster .223, the weapon used by Adam Lanza to kill 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Each victim had been shot three to 11 times, according to the coroner's report. Lanza is reported to have brought multiple 30-round magazines to the school, and at the time of his death at his own hand still possessed hundreds of rounds of ammunition.
————————————–
Robbie Parker, the father of six-year-old Emilie, has had to explain her death to her two siblings, ages 3 and 4. "They seem to get the fact that they have somebody they're going to miss very much," he said.
An excerpt from President Barack Obama’s message to Newtown and the nation, delivered at a prayer vigil Sunday night (entire text available here):
“Someone once described the joy and anxiety of parenthood as the equivalent of having your heart outside of your body all the time, walking around. With their very first cry, this most precious, vital part of ourselves — our child — is suddenly exposed to the world, to possible mishap or malice. And every parent knows there is nothing we will not do to shield our children from harm.
And yet, we also know that with that child’s very first step, and each step after that, they are separating from us; that we won’t — that we can’t always be there for them. They’ll suffer sickness and setbacks and broken hearts and disappointments. And we learn that our most important job is to give them what they need to become self-reliant and capable and resilient, ready to face the world without fear.
And we know we can’t do this by ourselves. It comes as a shock at a certain point where you realize, no matter how much you love these kids, you can’t do it by yourself. That this job of keeping our children safe, and teaching them well, is something we can only do together, with the help of friends and neighbors, the help of a community, and the help of a nation. And in that way, we come to realize that we bear a responsibility for every child because we’re counting on everybody else to help look after ours; that we’re all parents; that they’re all our children.
This is our first task — caring for our children. It’s our first job. If we don’t get that right, we don’t get anything right. That’s how, as a society, we will be judged.
And by that measure, can we truly say, as a nation, that we are meeting our obligations? Can we honestly say that we’re doing enough to keep our children — all of them — safe from harm? Can we claim, as a nation, that we’re all together there, letting them know that they are loved, and teaching them to love in return? Can we say that we’re truly doing enough to give all the children of this country the chance they deserve to live out their lives in happiness and with purpose?”
I’ve been reflecting on this the last few days, and if we’re honest with ourselves, the answer is no.”
————————————–
The answer is no.
————————————–
– Jay Bookman
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977 comments Add your comment
deegee
December 17th, 2012
9:41 am
I’m getting a bit weary of the assertion that lawful gun owners are responsible people that should have however many guns and as much ammunition as they want. At the risk of being insensitive, Nancy Lanza got what she asked for. What responsible, lawful gun owner has a mentally disturbed, socially inept adult living in her household with high powered weapons that she taught him to use? She should have kept the kitchen knives under lock and key. Unfortunately, innocent children and their protectors died, too.
saywhat?
December 17th, 2012
9:41 am
A gun kept in the home is more likely to kill or injure a member of the household than it is to be used in self defense.
Kharma is a bitch.
the cat
December 17th, 2012
9:41 am
Ga Dawg-The SS could not keep President Reagan and Brady from being shot. They are all heavily armed.
Chris Salzmann
December 17th, 2012
9:41 am
The NRA is just a lobbying group for the gun industry as is the rest of the pro-gun lobby. Take the example of the Bushmaster: it comes with a “soft trigger” allowing one fire off 15-20 rounds in 10 seconds. That’s versus the “hard trigger” that traditional handguns have. A nice attempt to circumvent the automatic weapons ban. You want more rounds? Also available is the 100 round drum magazine if the 30 round magazine that comes with the Bushmaster isn’t big enough. This isn’t a weapon for self defense: it’s a tool to kill and kill fast.
Arming themselves to fight government tyranny? Really??? I’d like to see these wannabe men stand up against a squad of SEALS. All these idiots are doing is overcompensating for something else. You want play soldier and carry an assault rifle? Go put on a uniform in the service of your country.
Mike
December 17th, 2012
9:42 am
I hope we have the courage to focus on where the real day to day problem lies with regards to gun related crimes and death. Statistics will lead us directly to the segment and geographical areas in our society where the problem is most prevalent on a daily basis. We have known this for years and have done nothing.
Keith
December 17th, 2012
9:42 am
Has Bookman EVER condemned Obama for furnishing weapons to drug cartels in Mexico? If he hasnt then he is being hypocritical now with his condemnation of LAWABIDING AMERICAN CITIZENS owning the same types of weapons.
JKL2
December 17th, 2012
9:44 am
granny- DEMONIZING THE NRA is a great place to start.
Yeah! And all these kids were killed at school. If we get rid of the schools, then he wouldn’t have had a target rich environment to cause this. Outlawing schools will solve the problem…
DebbieDoRight - A Do Right Woman
December 17th, 2012
9:45 am
“Like most rights, the Second Amendment right is not unlimited. It is not a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any manner whatsoever and for whatever purpose.”
Justice Antonin Scalia in District of Columbus v. Heller (2008)
godless heathen - fiscal cliff dweller
December 17th, 2012
9:46 am
A gun kept in the home is more likely to kill or injure a member of the household than it is to be used in self defense.
Kharma is a bitch.
A child is more at risk in a home with a swimming pool, than one with a gun. Kharma is honest.
DebbieDoRight - A Do Right Woman
December 17th, 2012
9:48 am
deegee: I’m getting a bit weary of the assertion that lawful gun owners are responsible people that should have however many guns and as much ammunition as they want.
“Like most rights, the Second Amendment right is not unlimited. It is not a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any manner whatsoever and for whatever purpose.”
Justice Antonin Scalia in District of Columbus v. Heller (2008)
Joe Hussein Mama
December 17th, 2012
9:48 am
GA. Dawg — “The real tragedy here is that if just one person at the school would have been using his 2nd amendment law rights, this would have been prevented.”
Wishful thinking and imagination. Remember that office building in Buckhead that the day-trader shot up a few years ago? My wife WORKED in that building at the time. The ARMED bank guards at the branch in the building didn’t do jack spit.
If you’re going to indulge your Rambo fantasies about taking down a bad guy, let me GTFO of your way first, because I don’t trust you or your marksmanship skills — and I say that as gun-owning Army vet who’s a pretty good shot himself.
barking frog
December 17th, 2012
9:49 am
Nothing will change except by Executive Order concerning guns,
ammo or accessories.
saywhat?
December 17th, 2012
9:49 am
A gun kept in the home is more likely to kill or injure a member of the household than it is to be used in self defense.
Kharma is a bitch.
A child is more at risk in a home with a swimming pool, than one with a gun. Kharma is honest.
—————————————————————–
Thats why you will find neither at my house. Whats your point?
JKL2
December 17th, 2012
9:50 am
stands- Guns kill people.
I guess all my guns are defective. They’ve never killed anyone. Should I ask for a refund?
TaxPayer
December 17th, 2012
9:51 am
Perhaps a tax applied to each bullet and each gun and each gun manufacturer of appropriate magnitude to adequately fund protection for our children while in school is in order. After all, we cannot expect all of our six year olds to have the financial means to purchase their own glocks for protection. Then again, there are always refundable tax credits for them.
Welcome to the Occupation
December 17th, 2012
9:51 am
The real tragedy here is that if just one person at the school would have been using his 2nd amendment law rights, this would have been prevented.
JohnnyReb is officially topped.
If I’ve ever heard a more vivid example of pure magical thinking, I can’t remember it.
My, what superstition! The magical Second Amendment, handed down from on high with the tablets of Moses, would protect us if only we followed it to the letter!
Had this only happened, then by sheer force of magic when the shooter tried to enter the building he would have been met with a force-field of pure American constitutional virtue and goodness, as the gun would have been automatically pulled from the belt of the gun-bearing guardian at the school and would have magically levitated towards the shooter. And Presto! Threat removed. American social order restored and rescued from harm. All you have to do is believe, boys and girls!
Shar
December 17th, 2012
9:52 am
“A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”
The Founders, addressing as they did a subsistence society, did not justify arming the public for either hunting or self-defense. They based the right to keep and bear arms on “the security of a free state”, and they predicated it on “a well regulated militia.” The Founders clearly did not perceive the Second Amendment as an open door to personal armament for the fun and thrill of the individual, nor for defending the home or feeding the family of the owner.
Gun ownership was included in the Constitution as a means of preserving “the security of a free State” since the Federal government at that time did not have the means of maintaining a standing army.
This Amendment was also written at a time when the great majority of shooters had to make their own ammunition. Shooting that ammunition was therefore something that was done carefully and for a purpose, since expending it meant the cost and labor of replacing it.
The Supremes have decided that membership in such a militia is not a prerequisite to gun ownership although the need for personal competence such as would be needed in a militia has not been adequately addressed. Gun ownership has not entailed the basics of car ownership – licenses to ascertain competence, annual inspection to ensure safe functionality and insurance to protect people and property from reckless misuse of the car. Initial discussions of gun control must include such minimal standards as these for gun ownership.
However, the purpose of guns, unlike the purpose of cars, is to kill things. For that reason, it is important to go beyond the basics established for automobiles and treat guns as we treat prescription drugs. Both can be beneficial but uncontrolled distribution of either is disastrous. Pattern ammunition sales after prescription drugs, with approval for set amounts issued by the sheriff’s office and misuse or resale punishable with prison and fines.
The NRA has a couple of million members, and they are funded by the gun industry. These two groups have held the rest of us hostage for too many years by alternately bribing and paying off our representatives.
It’s time to take away police protection for politicians until they come up with laws that will protect the rest of us as assiduously as they demand protection for themselves.
TaxPayer
December 17th, 2012
9:52 am
I guess all my guns are defective. They’ve never killed anyone. Should I ask for a refund?
The gun dealer might ask you to prove that the weapon is indeed defective.
godless heathen - Law Abiding Citizen
December 17th, 2012
9:53 am
Anybody come up with that NRA ad promoting survivalist stuff yet? Or is that just another BS assertion?
Leeroy
December 17th, 2012
9:53 am
“True, to some extent. Hunting rifles don’t have 30-round clips, however. Furthermore, it is precisely that military look that these mass killers find so appealing, for reasons reflected in the Bushmaster ad above.”
So a gun manufactured to resemble, say, a “hunting rifle” (which this Bushmaster could also classify as) that happens to have a 30 round clip and semi-auto fire would be OK, since it doesn’t look all cool and scary or whatever like an AR-15 or any other “assault weapon”, even though a hunting rifle is just as capable of assault as any other gun in the hands of some fruitcake like Lanza.
Keith
December 17th, 2012
9:54 am
Some people are willing to give up all of their rights to the govt. We saw the results of such logic in Nazi occupied Europe.
barking frog
December 17th, 2012
9:54 am
With a Rover on Mars I don’t believe we cannot secure a building
from a 20 year old man with a .223 Bushmaster.
Granny Godzilla
December 17th, 2012
9:55 am
GA Dawg
December 17th, 2012
9:40 am
The real tragedy here is that if just one person at the school would have been using his 2nd amendment law rights, this would have been prevented.
This stuff happens all the time, why weren’t security guard and the principal carrying arms?
.
.
.
.
PIffle.
.
.
Study after study says that would most likely run up the body count.
A Mother Jones analysis of 61 mass murders over the last 30 years found that “in not a single case was the killing stopped by a civilian using a gun.” As one leading expert explained, “given that civilian shooters are less likely to hit their targets than police in these circumstances,” arming civilians could often lead to more chaos and deaths.
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/09/mass-shootings-investigation
TaxPayer
December 17th, 2012
9:55 am
A child is more at risk in a home with a swimming pool, than one with a gun. Kharma is honest.
And now that above ground swimming pools have been made both portable and affordable, I dread to think of what could happen.
Jay
December 17th, 2012
9:56 am
“The real tragedy here is that if just one person at the school would have been using his 2nd amendment law rights, this would have been prevented.
This stuff happens all the time, why weren’t security guard and the principal carrying arms?”
Tell that to the two armed police officers shot in the head and killed last night in Kansas while responding to a suspicious vehicle call.
godless heathen - Law Abiding Citizen
December 17th, 2012
9:57 am
Whats your point?
Freedom.
oops
December 17th, 2012
9:58 am
the worst thing is those crazy Baptist wacko church protesters that show up at gay serviceman funerals are supposedly planning to protest the children’s funerals
if that happens, they are dancing with the devil
Regnad Kcin
December 17th, 2012
9:58 am
“continue to take away Christian teachings of love and respect and seem think that guns are the real problem”
Guns don’t kill people – people of other religions kill people…
JKL2
December 17th, 2012
9:58 am
chris salzman- Take the example of the Bushmaster: it comes with a “soft trigger” allowing one fire off 15-20 rounds in 10 seconds. That’s versus the “hard trigger” that traditional handguns have.
Is this a reference to single v. double action? We all know there is absolutely nothing you can do to adjust the trigger squeeze on a weapon.
Please keep ranting about things you obviously know nothing about. You fit right in with most of the people here today.
I think the shooter wore Nike’s. Send your boycott notice to http://www.nike.com
That will solve everything…
Rightwing Troll
December 17th, 2012
9:58 am
“If the anti gun lobby would take away semi-automatic assault weapons and leave it at that, lots of people would be willing to talk.”
You lie!!!
ANY talk of restriction or “control” automatically elicits screeching of “slippery slope” and “jack booted thugs” from the anti control lobby.
TaxPayer
December 17th, 2012
9:59 am
Do all the gun rights advocates have their plans in place to protect us from the Nazis when they invade. And what’s the secret to taking out a tank with a bushmaster anyway. Is there an attachment that converts it into an RPG launcher in under thirty seconds. How much does it cost. Can ammo be purchased at WalMart.
godless heathen - Law Abiding Citizen
December 17th, 2012
9:59 am
The NRA has a couple of million members, and they are funded by the gun industry.
Not meant to be a factual statement.
Keith
December 17th, 2012
9:59 am
The Boston Strangler choked people to death. Ban hands and arms? Bundy used a tree branch to murder coeds at Fla State. Ban trees? Silly? Yes, but so is the argument to ban guns because a criminal committed a crime with one.
Granny Godzilla
December 17th, 2012
9:59 am
JKL2
December 17th, 2012
9:44 am
granny- DEMONIZING THE NRA is a great place to start.
Yeah! And all these kids were killed at school. If we get rid of the schools, then he wouldn’t have had a target rich environment to cause this. Outlawing schools will solve the problem…
comparing apples to volkswagons, wastes what brain power you might have left.
then how would you ever find the cpapcity to make up quotes?
JKL2
December 17th, 2012
9:50 am
stands- Guns kill people.
.
.
.
Ok so if guns don’t kill people, people kill people,
are you advocating “people” control?
The other half of your brain.
December 17th, 2012
10:00 am
Jay
December 17th, 2012
8:15 am
Whatever, there is no constitutional right to possess a Bushmaster.
And there isn’t one saying you can’t, sport!
indigo
December 17th, 2012
10:00 am
Brosephus – 9:07
The brutal truth is there’s little or nothing you and I can do as individuals to stop this gun madness.
Keith
December 17th, 2012
10:00 am
The NRA has over 4 million members. THEY fund it.
Rightwing Troll
December 17th, 2012
10:02 am
“The real tragedy here is that if just one person at the school would have been using his 2nd amendment law rights, this would have been prevented.”
There was a person at the school exercising his “2nd amendment law rights”… had there been another in the way of a trained, armed individual, perhaps the outcome might’ve been different.
RB from Gwinnett
December 17th, 2012
10:02 am
“Guns kill people.”
Then why do you people keep claiming Navy Seals and Obama killed Bin Laden?
The other half of your brain.
December 17th, 2012
10:03 am
Keith
December 17th, 2012
9:59 am
The Boston Strangler choked people to death. Ban hands and arms? Bundy used a tree branch to murder coeds at Fla State. Ban trees? Silly? Yes, but so is the argument to ban guns because a criminal committed a crime with one.
Don’t forget Richard Speck.
oops
December 17th, 2012
10:03 am
permanently affixed trigger locks on every new gun sold. ideally, electronic fingerprint locks
yes, it would make guns more expensive. too bad
DebbieDoRight - A Do Right Woman
December 17th, 2012
10:04 am
Shar — FYI:
“Like most rights, the Second Amendment right is not unlimited. It is not a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any manner whatsoever and for whatever purpose.”
Justice Antonin Scalia in District of Columbus v. Heller (2008)
Rick C
December 17th, 2012
10:04 am
Keith, that line of argument is just silly. Guns have one intended purpose, and that is to harm.
TaxPayer
December 17th, 2012
10:04 am
I once heard that a person with proper training in the martial arts can choke people at a rate of up to 4 persons per second.
Jay
December 17th, 2012
10:05 am
“The NRA has over 4 million members. THEY fund it.”
Sorry. Again, not true.
“Dec. 29 (Bloomberg) — A toaster that burns the National Rifle Association’s logo onto bread fetched $650 at an auction last month, just one reflection of the money-making power in the gun group’s brand.
The NRA, which began as a grassroots organization dedicated to teaching marksmanship, enters the 2012 election season as a lobbying, merchandising and marketing machine that brings in more than $200 million a year and intends to help unseat the incumbent president. From 2004 to 2010, the group’s revenue from fundraising — including gifts from gun makers who benefit from its political activism — grew twice as fast as its income from members’ dues, according to NRA tax returns.
More than 50 firearms-related companies have given at least $14.8 million to the Fairfax, Virginia-based group, according to the NRA’s own list for a donor program that began in 2005.”
King of Planet Kolob
December 17th, 2012
10:06 am
Where is John McCain when we need him to pitch a hissy-fit and sream for people to be fired for giving incorrect information at the outset of a crisis?
clem
December 17th, 2012
10:07 am
td hiding behind quotes from 1800’s. while certain principles should abide, i seriously doubt our founding fathers invisioned the carnage that modern weapon technology can deliver. wake up. time for common sense to prevail.
godless heathen - Law Abiding Citizen
December 17th, 2012
10:07 am
Debbie, I haven’t seen anyone here advocating unlimited gun rights. As a gun owner, I support sensible gun laws. I do not support passing laws just for the sake of making people feel that they “have done something.”
GT
December 17th, 2012
10:07 am
The right is constantly trying to put the preconceived answer in the blank at the end of a debate, and then back into it with potluck facts, hatred justifying the detours from the truth. More and more they run out of pavement in their arguments as it becomes baseless and the conclusions insanity. The right run from this reality in their FOX and radio, they support homegrown terrorists, and don’t have the guts to admit they were wrong, so wrong, with their thuggery and Tea Party bullies.
I am proud of our president, these words he spoke yesterday, the leadership he shows, and we cried together as a nation. This one won’t be forgotten, we have the leadership, for once that feels our loss and doesn’t need an idiot card to express it.
Jay
December 17th, 2012
10:08 am
“The Boston Strangler choked people to death. Ban hands and arms? Bundy used a tree branch to murder coeds at Fla State. Ban trees? Silly? Yes, but so is the argument to ban guns because a criminal committed a crime with one.”
Only really dumb people can be convinced by really dumb arguments.
DebbieDoRight - A Do Right Woman
December 17th, 2012
10:08 am
The 2nd Ammendment is NOT the Holy Grail…….
It is NOT the 2nd Coming Of Christ……….
It is NOT a 2nd chance at redemption…………..
It is NOT a fore gone conclusion that it won’t ever change…..
“Like most rights, the Second Amendment right is not unlimited. It is not a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any manner whatsoever and for whatever purpose.”
Justice Antonin Scalia in District of Columbus v. Heller (2008)
Thomas Heyward Jr
December 17th, 2012
10:09 am
No worries mate……….these are for only the brown people————
“Bushmaster Firearms International L.L.C.*, Windham, Maine, was awarded on March 12, 2007, a $5,411,132 firm-fixed-price contract for Bushmaster rifle with 20 inch barrels, Bushmaster carbine with 11.5 inch barrel, M16A3 spare 30 round magazines, Bushmaster rifle contractor support package, Bushmaster carbine crates for 11.5 carbines, crates for M16A3 spares, and crates for Bushmaster rifles. Work will be performed in Windham, Maine, and is expected to be completed by Nov. 20, 2007. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This was a sole source contract initiated on Feb. 11, 2005. The U.S. Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command, Rock Island, Ill., is the contracting activity (W52H09-07-C-0086). ”
.
lol
oops
December 17th, 2012
10:09 am
let’s be honest. the type of gun would make only a little difference. that dude in Norway or Sweden killed some 40 kids with a regular rifle
the first victim in this bears the most responsibility, and she is dead
The other half of your brain.
December 17th, 2012
10:09 am
barking frog
December 17th, 2012
9:49 am
Nothing will change except by Executive Order concerning guns,
ammo or accessories.
Oh good, just what we need, another executive order. I want the Govt to take care of me, who cares about personal responsibility.
TaxPayer
December 17th, 2012
10:09 am
Only really dumb people can be convinced by really dumb arguments.
Well! If you really want to be blunt about it!
Joe Hussein Mama
December 17th, 2012
10:09 am
I’ve said this before, but I think it bears saying again.
I’m a gun owner, and I am sympathetic to the concerns of other gun owners. That said, our right to keep and bear arms is not absolute, and carries with it significant obligations and responsibilities.
In our society, we empower peace and law enforcement officers to exercise certain powers in our name in order to maintain order and to both deter lawbreakers and apprehend them. We vet and train volunteers for that duty, and as part of that duty, we grant them the authority to use firearms in the performance of that duty — with the understanding that they will exercise due caution, care and diligence in so doing.
The same’s not true of individuals with carry and concealed carry permits. They’re vetted, but not as law enforcement or peace officers. And, of course, they’re not subject to the same rules and regulations as LEOs and POs. Yet in some states, they’re *immunized* from the results of their actions by things like ’stand your ground’ laws. I think this is wrong.
If you’re so all-fired confident of your marksmanship skills and you think you can play Junior Police Officer if a bad guy starts slinging lead in a public place, then man up and have the courage of your convictions. Work without a net and take legal responsibility for EACH AND EVERY ROUND you send downrange.
You took a shot at what you perceived to be a bad guy and instead hit and injured young mother, pushing her baby in a stroller? Fine, let’s let mom’s insurance company sue the living daylights out of you.
You tried to stop what appeared to be a carjacking at the QT station and now the jackee is dead from one of your rounds? Okay, let’s let the victim’s family sue you for wrongful death.
Oh, what, you don’t think you should be subject to the consequences of your overconfident gunplay? Well, then, IMO you’re not mature enough to HAVE a firearm in that case.
And FWIW, I have no problem extending this to perps as well. Not like I *expect* most perps to be drawing breath after the shootout’s over or to have much in the way of attachable property in case of a settlement, but I *do* expect the notion of liability to influence the behavior of those who might just complicate an already bad situation.
After all, if you whip out a piece to stop a shooter in a public place, what’s to stop an eyewitness from pointing at YOU and saying ‘that guy was shooting, too?’
Rightwing Troll
December 17th, 2012
10:11 am
I have no interest in banning guns. I’ve been considering the purchase of a new 9mm or .380 for a couple months now, but held off due to the high demand because of the wingnuts unwarranted insistence that Obama is coming to get your guns.
I figured I’d wait until after the election when either we had Pres Mittens, or the lie filled hysteria calmed… now I’m torn, should I commit now or wait until this whole kerfuffle blows over? (and you know it will..)
godless heathen - Law Abiding Citizen
December 17th, 2012
10:11 am
Jay,
From your own quote, the NRA raises $200 million a year and $14.8 million is from firearms related companies. So the correct statement is that the NRA is partially funded by the firearms industry.
Recon 0311 2533
December 17th, 2012
10:12 am
Joe Lieberman is calling for a commission to discuss possible solutions. If such a commission is formed and tasked with coming up with solutions I would hope it’s not just a bunch of opinionated politicians. I think it’s best to take one step at a time the most important priority is safety for children in our schools. A best practice solution to ensure secure egress regress into the buildings. CATV surveillance and lock down systems for classrooms and hallways should there be an unauthorized breach. Armed security guards in plain clothes who appear to be school staff members but are actually well trained and capable security professionals. Lets begin by protecting our children.
Regnad Kcin
December 17th, 2012
10:12 am
“Oh good, just what we need, another executive order. I want the Govt to take care of me, who cares about personal responsibility.”
The current situation is just fine with most conservatives. The occasional slaughter of a couple hundred first graders is just the price we pay for a free society.
The other half of your brain.
December 17th, 2012
10:12 am
DebbieDoRight – A Do Right Woman
December 17th, 2012
10:08 am
The 2nd Ammendment is NOT the Holy Grail…….
It is NOT the 2nd Coming Of Christ……….
It is NOT a 2nd chance at redemption…………..
It is NOT a fore gone conclusion that it won’t ever change…..
“Like most rights, the Second Amendment right is not unlimited. It is not a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any manner whatsoever and for whatever purpose.”
Justice Antonin Scalia in District of Columbus v. Heller (
Is it safe to assume that you agree with everything that Scalia says, or just cherry picking?
JKL2
December 17th, 2012
10:13 am
granny- Ok so if guns don’t kill people, people kill people, are you advocating “people” control?
obama says,”What?”.
Liberals: only for “choice” if you are talking about abortion. Compromise means do exactly as I say.
Keith
December 17th, 2012
10:13 am
More than 50 firearms-related companies have given at least $14.8 million to the Fairfax, Virginia-based group, according to the NRA’s own list for a donor program that began in 2005.”
So you dont think memmbership dues from 4 million plus members funds the NRA? IM LAUGHING AT YOU NOW.
barking frog
December 17th, 2012
10:14 am
the other half of your brain
Oh good, just what we need, another executive order. I want the Govt to take care of me, who cares about personal responsibility.
…………………………………………………………….
excellent choice.
Ivan
December 17th, 2012
10:15 am
“Only really dumb people can be convinced by really dumb arguments.”
But that’s all the left is suggesting
Keith
December 17th, 2012
10:15 am
Only really dumb people can be convinced by really dumb arguments.
True. And those are the people you are convincing every day with your opinion pieces.
The other half of your brain.
December 17th, 2012
10:15 am
Regnad Kcin
December 17th, 2012
10:12 am
“Oh good, just what we need, another executive order. I want the Govt to take care of me, who cares about personal responsibility.”
The current situation is just fine with most conservatives. The occasional slaughter of a couple hundred first graders is just the price we pay for a free society.
The World has been slaughtering people of all ages since the beginning of time, and guess what pal, it ain’t ever going to change.
td
December 17th, 2012
10:15 am
All this holier than thou BS from the progressives that are crying about protecting children from those evil guns that killed 20 children Friday by banning guns but in the same breath say nothing about the 2000 children that will be killed by their mothers today.
Our President says we have to change our laws and take away Constitutional rights from all law abiding citizens because of 20 deaths but defends to his death a made up Constitutional right that kills 2000 children per day.
You progressives are a freaking joke.
oops
December 17th, 2012
10:15 am
trigger locks
DebbieDoRight - A Do Right Woman
December 17th, 2012
10:15 am
Debbie, I haven’t seen anyone here advocating unlimited gun rights.
Godless, in my eyes they have. They don’t want to put a ban on banana clips, they don’t want to put a ban on assault weapons, they don’t want to put a ban on the number of guns a person/”hunter” can posses. Yet they DO want to do “something”. I’m curious to know what that “something” will be that they’ll allow to get done.
As a gun owner, I support sensible gun laws. I do not support passing laws just for the sake of making people feel that they “have done something.”
Most of all the comments I’ve read on here are about passing sensible laws. And most of all the ones against them can not give one reason as to why these laws would not be sensible……………………..other than quoting the 2nd Amendment ad nauseum.
Mike Fitzgerald
December 17th, 2012
10:16 am
Mr. Bookman,
The NRA posts a list of businesses they promote among their membership. I have decided to avoid doing business with these companies until they discontinue their relationship with the NRA. I also look forward to an NRA membership card return party.
http://www.nra.org/affiliates.aspx
JKL2
December 17th, 2012
10:16 am
godless- I do not support passing laws just for the sake of making people feel that they “have done something.”
Nancy Pelosi says,”What?”.
I think the whole Demwit party just rolled over.
Jay
December 17th, 2012
10:17 am
The Norway killer used an American-made Ruger Mini-14 semi-automatic carbine, augmented by 30-round magazines that he purchased from a U.S. supplier.
Ivan
December 17th, 2012
10:17 am
“Liberals: only for “choice” if you are talking about abortion.”
You forgot: It’s ok to kill a child. Just don’t do it with an assault weapon.
Regnad Kcin
December 17th, 2012
10:17 am
“The World has been slaughtering people of all ages since the beginning of time, and guess what pal, it ain’t ever going to change”
I guess the difference is, conservatives are fine with it, the rest of us believe we can do better
the cat
December 17th, 2012
10:18 am
JHM-wonderful post and I thank you.
Chris Salzmann
December 17th, 2012
10:18 am
This is hopeful from “Morning Joe” this morning:
________________________________________________________________________________
West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, an “A” rated member of the NRA, on Monday questioned the availability of assault weapons and suggested Friday’s shooting in Newtown, Conn. has opened up the issue for debate.
Manchin said past debates about assault weapons have been shut down over a fear of destroying Second Amendment rights. But the senator said last Friday’s shooting changed all that. “The massacre of so many innocent children has changed—has changed America. We’ve never seen this happen,” Manchin said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”
Manchin issued criticism of assault weapons, saying, “I don’t know anyone in the sporting or hunting arena that goes out with an assault rifle. I don’t know anybody that needs 30 rounds in a clip to go hunting. I mean, these are things that need to be talked about.”
Manchin, who received an endorsement from the NRA’s Political Victory Fund for his 2012 re-election race, is one of the most prominent gun rights advocates in the Senate to speak about assault weapons in the wake of the shooting.
________________________________________________________________________________
Steve
December 17th, 2012
10:19 am
Sorry, gun nuts and Confederates, you are outnumbered now by people who are more grounded in reality. Change is a coming, and don’t worry, we are not going to take away your handguns and rifles.
DebbieDoRight - A Do Right Woman
December 17th, 2012
10:19 am
Is it safe to assume that you agree with everything that Scalia says, or just cherry picking?
Is it safe to assume that YOU agree with everything that Scalia says, or are YOU just cherry picking?
Keith
December 17th, 2012
10:19 am
And terrorists used boxcutters and airplanes to murder 3000. You proposing to ban those things too?
Rightwing Troll
December 17th, 2012
10:19 am
No td, you’re a joke.
Even Scalia the activist says the the 2nd amendment isn’t unlimited.
Once you start to support the children you would sheppard from the womb, then you have room to screech…
Joe Hussein Mama
December 17th, 2012
10:20 am
td — “a made up Constitutional right”
I love when conservatives start going down this road. It’s the first signal that they’ve run out of ideas and are about to start dispensing gallons and gallons of glurge in an attempt to make you share the same butthurt that they themselves are experiencing.
oops
December 17th, 2012
10:20 am
Jay 10:17 – I stand corrected. Thanks.
td
December 17th, 2012
10:21 am
Regnad Kcin
December 17th, 2012
10:17 am
“The World has been slaughtering people of all ages since the beginning of time, and guess what pal, it ain’t ever going to change”
I guess the difference is, conservatives are fine with it, the rest of us believe we can do better
Your protection of killing 2000 children per day for a Constitutional right VS the tragic deaths of 20 children as a cost to protecting a Constitutional right. Now tell us again whose heart is more hard?
JamVet
December 17th, 2012
10:21 am
You progressives are a freaking joke.
Says our resident psychopath.
td
December 15th, 2012
10:23 pm
After the law (criminalizing abortion) is changed I would hope their are penalties in place to fit the crime. Personally I would advocate a murder change and since it would be with malice and could have been prevented in the first place then the death penalty would certainly be on the table.
Go back to the Dark Ages where you belong.
Rightwing Troll
December 17th, 2012
10:21 am
Mike F,
Thus far it’s just been the usual suspects here screeching about the usual things. The NRA has been silent. It will be interesting to see what their reaction is. I don’t have high hopes, but let’s wait and see what they have to say.
godless heathen - Law Abiding Citizen
December 17th, 2012
10:22 am
Most of all the comments I’ve read on here are about passing sensible laws. And most of all the ones against them can not give one reason as to why these laws would not be sensible
Definitions of sensible will vary, but IMHO, laws that might make a difference should be considered so. No-one here has proposed any.
retired early
December 17th, 2012
10:22 am
Hunter’s guns are limited to 3 bullets or shotgun shells when hunting ducks, deer, dove and quail, etc.
They are fined if caught without their guns “plugged” to limit it’s capacity. There is no justification for allowing assault weapons to have such extreme shot capacity. So, when humans are the target, there’s no limit, but when it’s wild game, there is….
Keith
December 17th, 2012
10:23 am
How can Mr Bookman justify Obama handing out weapons to drug cartels while condemning LAWABIDING AMERICAN CITIZENS right to own the same weapons? TOTAL HYPOCRICY!
Brosephus™
December 17th, 2012
10:23 am
Keith @ 9:07
In case you didn’t figure it out, that was in reference to the totally off-topic rant about F&F and Obama. Hence the reference to the part of the post that I was addressing with my comment.
—————————
Or maybe it could be the fact that our government sold over 2000 of these assault rifles to ultra violent Mexican drug cartels.
When you have to lie to make a point, you don’t really have a point to make.
—————————
Notice something about that headline? Security always get “upgraded” AFTER a tragedy.
That’s because the will to avoid the extra costs seem to always outweigh the “potential” benefits. Hindsight is always 20/20.
td
December 17th, 2012
10:23 am
Rightwing Troll
December 17th, 2012
10:19 am
No td, you’re a joke.
Even Scalia the activist says the the 2nd amendment isn’t unlimited.
I guarantee you there are more laws on the books that restrict the 2nd Amendment rights then there are laws that restrict privacy rights.
Steve
December 17th, 2012
10:23 am
The real terrorists here are ourselves.
Jay
December 17th, 2012
10:24 am
The NRA claims 4 million members. Membership costs $25 a year. (Source: https://membership.nrahq.org/forms/signup.asp?CampaignID=iygr)
That accounts for $100 million of a $200 million annual budget.
Rightwing Troll
December 17th, 2012
10:24 am
“And terrorists used boxcutters and airplanes to murder 3000. You proposing to ban those things too?”
Why? That problem has been addressed. The TSA, whom you wingnuts take every opportunity to deride, does a fairly good job to insuring they don’t get on planes anymore.
Joe Hussein Mama
December 17th, 2012
10:24 am
R. W. Troll — “Thus far it’s just been the usual suspects here screeching about the usual things. The NRA has been silent. It will be interesting to see what their reaction is. I don’t have high hopes, but let’s wait and see what they have to say.”
I suspect the NRA will follow their past behavior in cases like these.
1) terrrible public shooting takes place
2) public argument and handwringing
3) NRA has no comment, keeps collective head down, waits for issue to blow over
TaxPayer
December 17th, 2012
10:24 am
Gun rights advocates are clearly fighting the wrong battle here. Let the people have their restrictions on guns and their limited effectiveness for such a high price and focus instead on building up your cache of hand grenades. You don’t even have to have good aim with those babies and they’re also much more cost effective when purchased in bulk. Contact your local NRA rep for more details.
Regnad Kcin
December 17th, 2012
10:24 am
td – once again, you are mistaken. I have never killed a child. But hey, thanks, it’s always nice to be accused of child-murder by an idiot.
JamVet
December 17th, 2012
10:25 am
Keith, misspelling words that an average seventh grader would not, does not lend any credibility to your bizarre, semi-literate screeds.
td
December 17th, 2012
10:25 am
retired early
December 17th, 2012
10:22 am
Hunter’s guns are limited to 3 bullets or shotgun shells when hunting ducks, deer, dove and quail, etc.
Not meant to be a factual statement.
The 2nd Amendment has nothing what so ever to do with hunting.
Chris Salzmann
December 17th, 2012
10:25 am
Keith @10:19 “And terrorists used boxcutters and airplanes to murder 3000. You proposing to ban those things too?”
They are if you want to take one on a plane.