Friday, June 26, 2015

Some Arms Are Too Darned Big to Bare

Thought for the day:  So what? Americans have right to bear arms? In Russia, we have right to whole bear. [Yakow Smirnov]


[seniorark.com]
I get it. I really do. I understand why so many Americans are so adamant about the Second Amendment, and their Constitutional right to own guns. Heck, I even own some myself, because, frankly, I like to target shoot. But, you know? There must be something wrong with me. Something seriously wrong. See, I have absolutely no desire to strap on a Glock before making my usual senior discount day run to the grocery store on Wednesday mornings. Granted, the sight of a little heat on my hip might encourage those other seniors to shuffle their chubby butts outta my way a little faster, and I'll betcha nobody would argue with me about who should get that last can of tomato soup anymore, either. Better yet, I'm sure I'd get much better service at the check-out counter, too. Oh yeah, I'd shoot right through that line... but no, no, never mind. Not my thing. I'll wait my turn.

I also have no interest in slinging a rifle onto my back before taking a walk around the block, or dragging a mini-cannon into town to show off at the next festival.

Even though, according to Georgia law, I can. If our state doesn't grant the broadest gun-owner rights in the country, it's gotta be in the top two, especially since our legislators passed their Guns Everywhere law. Wanta take your gun into a bar or restaurant? Okeydoke. To the park? No problem! You might not be able to smoke a cigarette in the park anymore, but by golly, feel free to tote your favorite sidearm.

[morguefile]
I've been to places where guys are walking around sporting guns, and it's almost gotten to the point of it not making me overly paranoid. Almost. It's a little like being in the Old West, if you think about it. Then again, in the Old West, gunslingers had to disarm before going into town, just to make it easier for peace officers to maintain the... peace. Oh, I dunno, maybe I'm making much ado about nothing, because there certainly haven't been any High Noon kinda shoot-outs around these here parts.

So I'm (gulp) not nervous. Nope, not a bit.

See, I don't have a problem with guns, and I'm well aware of a whole slew of famous quotes about the importance of the right to bear arms.


Like what Thomas Jefferson said about the dangers from within: The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.  

And having an armed population has probably saved us from dangers from without, too. Like during WW II, when Japan's  Isoroku Yamamoto said, I would never invade the United States. There would be a gun behind every blade of grass.

(Especially in Georgia.)



But none of that is what prompted me to write this post. This is: a few weeks ago, a local guy (AKA gun nut) took his AR-15 to the airport. The big airport in Atlanta. You know, the busiest airport in the world. What...? You don't know what an AR-15 is? Here... I'll show you.

                                                               THIS is an AR-15:

[morguefile]

But our local guy (AKA gun nut) wasn't satisfied with the idea of toting around an AR-15 with a standard clip, as shown in the picture. Oh no, not him. His gun was fitted with a 100-round drum magazine. Here's one of them in action:


The only difference was, the guy at the airport (AKA gun nut) had a single 100-round drum, instead of the two 50-rounders, as shown in this clip. Just the sort of thing you want to see someone carrying when you go to the airport, eh?

So why was he carrying it? Because it's his right, he said. Because, by Georgia law, he can carry a gun into the airport. Tell me, if you see somebody carrying around a weapon like that at the airport, are you gonna feel secure... or are you gonna pee in your pants a little?

Now, I will admit it. I have fired an AR-15 before... and I enjoyed it. Matter of fact, I laughed most of the time I was shooting, because it made this little old lady feel like a real badass... but I fired it under safe operating conditions at the range. And we don't even carry loaded weapons into the shooting club... weapons don't get loaded until we're actually situated at one of the shooting lanes. Again, that was at a range. Not in an airport. Not in the midst of an international crowd of travelers.

See, I don't get it. If that man wanted to bring a loaded gun into the airport, which makes me a tad nervous anyway, but if he did... why not a handgun? Something for simple self-protection, if that's what he felt he needed to do. Something he could carry in a holster, or unobtrusively in his pocket. Why such a kick-ass in-your-face kinda gun that's gonna scare kids half to death, give three people heart attacks, and make grandma tinkle in her undies? I'm just saying... why? To prove something, but... what? I get it. It's his right. How, I ask you, are the police supposed to know he's one of the good guys when they see him toting that bad boy around? See, here in Georgia, the law also says police aren't allowed to ask to see anyone's carry permit. How do ya like them apples? The game warden can ask to see fishing and hunting licenses; police can ask to see a driver's license, but as for asking to see a paper concerning the legalities of carrying a gun? Nope. Can't do it.

[morguefile]

Here's what I think. That guy is an ass. Sure, he acted well within his rights. But were his actions really intended as a means of embracing those rights, and making the public more comfortable with him and other gun owners exercising their rights, as he said, or was it more a matter of him trying to get his stinkin' fifteen minutes of fame? More like infamy, but he definitely got... and continues to get... a lot of attention.

I think it was the latter. I think that guy (AKA gun nut) has a bad bad attitude, and I also think his narcissistic actions only served to frighten people, demonize gun-owners, and stir up a hornet's nest of anti-gun sentiment. And the people who genuinely care about the right to bear arms should be just as ticked off at his look-at-me antics as the travelers he terrified at the airport are. To be perfectly honest, gun rights aside, it saddens me to think of anyone who only feels safe while carrying a loaded gun.

                                                        What do you think?


                                   Until next time, take care of yourselves and each other.

79 comments:

  1. I think you are right on. I do not like guns, they scare me because of the whack jobs that can get their hands on them. If responsible people want to own guns, fine, but they need to prove they are responsible...if that is inconvenient, I don't give a rats ass!

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    1. Well said. However, laws aren't going to prevent the bad guys from getting their hands on guns, so I do kinda understand why some responsible law-abiding citizens may chafe at the "inconvenience" of undergoing background checks and/or waiting periods. But we've gotta have SOME kind of safeguards in place, even if they're inadequate.

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  2. What do I think? It's what I've always thought. I don't care what the law says, If I see a weapon designed --with firepower calculated to kill lots of people very quickly-- for assault, I abandon my shopping cart, tools, airport doings, anything, and leave the premises. Nobody gets my business without a no-carry policy on their premises. True, guns don't kill people; people do --and that's exactly what I'm afraid of. When businesses owners realize they're losing money over ballistic indulgence, things will change.

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    1. I don't blame you. Very few places here are carry-free these days. On the plus side, public outcry, led by a coalition of religious leaders, put the kibbosh on legislative plans to allow guns in places of worship and on college campuses. This time around. No telling what the next legislative session will bring.

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  3. I really, really don't understand the numbers of people who feel 'safer' carrying guns.
    I have read far too many stories which indicate that the intruder you shoot and kill is likely to be a family member. And that guns are MUCH more often used to murder than to protect.
    But our culture is different. And this time I am happy with ours.
    Guns may not kill people but they do make it much easier for people to kill people - and more of them. And, like joeh, I am more than happy for people to have to jump through a number of hoops to prove their responsibility.

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    1. It's sad that some people only feel safe in public if they're carrying a gun, but a gun for in-home protection is a different matter. Unfortunately, some people buy them to give themselves a false sense of safety, without having the slightest idea of how to handle it safely. I think all gun-owners should be properly trained. Without training, common sense, and restraint, accidental shootings are much more likely to occur.

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  4. Hey, GA sounds a lot like TX. I'm all for the "right to bear arms" (even though it sounds rather archaic and primitive), but somehow the sight of good ol' boys toting them in public places unnerves me. A lot. And an AR-15 is a helluva lot more intimidating than a handgun (although they can both do the job).

    Unfortunately, if we ban guns or restrict them from being carried in public, the dangerous psychos will still have them...... like that monstrous cretin who recently killed nine people in church.

    Guns cause more problems than they solve.

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    1. Yeah, GA and TX have a lot in common. TN isn't too far off their mark, either. :)

      You're right. Taking away or restricting gun ownership would only mean the good guys wouldn't have them.

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  5. I'm from the UK - and simply don't get it. The murder rate (using guns) is higher than any other country in the developed world - and significantly higher than in any country where there are strict controls on guns - and you still feel it protects your freedoms. Freedom to do what?

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    1. Freedom to kill each other?

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    2. Because the "right to bear arms" is explicitly included in the second amendment to our constitution, many consider gun ownership to be a sacrosanct right, and an integral part of the freedoms laid out in the Bill of Rights.

      Sometimes it seems like that, River.

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  6. I texted that thought for the day to my son, who just got back to me saying it sounds like Yakov Smirnov. Now I have to google Yakov Smirnov!
    I will never, ever, understand the need for carrying guns. and I'm very glad to live in Australia where very, very few people own a gun if they aren't in the Army or police force.
    I do heartily wish, however, that our grocery stores had senior discount days like yours do. Little old ladies would always ask me if we gave senior discounts and I would have to tell them 'no'. It always disappointed me then and still does now that I'm a senior myself and having to stretch every dollar.

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    1. You're right; it DOES sound like something Yakov Smirnov would say. (Smart son!) Unfortunately, when I found the quote, it was without attribution.

      Senior discounts are the BEST. Almost makes it worthwhile to turn into an old bat. Almost.

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    2. I've discovered it is actually Yakov Smirnoff, like the vodka. I watched him on youtube, he's funny.

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    3. Very cool. Thank you. I'll add his name to the quote.

      Although it's been a while, I've seen him do stand-up many times, and he's really funny. Again, thanks!

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  7. I like guns, own guns, use guns and respect guns. What I really wish is that we would spend our time and money and political power to identify and treat mental illness, because I believe that is the core cause of violence in America. Mentally healthy people don't flaunt their 'power' or shoot 'em up.

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    1. Very good point. Who knows? Maybe the treatment of mental illnesses will finally get the attention and funding it deserves. It could happen...

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  8. Wow, what a nut job. Just an ignorant asshole to carry that into an airport. I don't care if people owns guns, but owning that type of gun or a sniper rifle or something like that? Stupid. What are you protecting yourself against with those? Aliens? lol Plus so many are nut cases to begin with. Shouldn't make it so easy for the nuts to get them. And as for the right to bear arms to protect from the government hahaha that is so outdated. Unless you have a bazooka, you aren't going to stop the US government, they can just order up some drones and call it a day.

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    1. Abso-doggone-lutely. I fail to see ANY upside to that guy carrying an AR-15 around in the airport.

      HA! Good point about the drones...

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  9. I'm sorry if this steps on anyone's toes but I am complety and totally against guns... let alone having that type of gun in an airport. Tell him to head up to Canada, he won't be able to do that in our airport. I understand people want their rights BUT when their rights infringe on others that is wrong. I agree with you that he just made his cause look bad....

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    1. You've lost so doggone much weight, I don't think I'd feel it if you DID step on my toes. Which you didn't. :)

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  10. Awesome, Susan. I'm a huge second amendment supporter, and I own guns. I agree, though, that guys like that make the rest of us look bad. Just because you can doesn't mean you should. Use some common sense...

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    1. Absolutely. "Just because you can doesn't mean you should." Well said. Common sense should always be applied before opening one's mouth, and before grabbing a gun.

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  11. Topics on the right to bare arms are always a sensitive subject. In the case of wanting to protect your family, or in the event of a Zombie Apocalypse, I get it. But toting them around town like a fanny pack, or being given one as a birthday present, I don't get.

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    1. Yeah, it is kind of a sensitive subject, but don't worry. I'll go back to my old insensitive self next time around. :)

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  12. What a question. Gosh I am on both sides.
    I am signing up for learning how to shoot a gun but I doubt I will buy one.
    I just think I should know how. I am also taking a course in invasive driving.
    The trouble is where I live in my border state and town, the cartels and illegals run drugs thru Tucson to Phoenix. And home invasions are up along with robberies. The latest gang caught was run by 5 Hispanic women ! Hello ?
    I have no answer for you.
    But when the bad guys are better armed than the police and the liberal courts and our government overlook the real problem you can see where some nut case wants to be a jerk.
    I guess.

    cheers, parsnip

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    1. If I lived in an area with a high number of home invasions, I would absolutely want to own a gun for self-protection. Whether or not you decide to buy one, it's a good idea to learn how to use one.

      Cheers!

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  13. excellent post. As you know (from the sneak peak at my new book), I am not a gun person but married to one. He's responsible. Most guns are in the safe. I try to not think about any loose in the house. I personally think that in a time of crisis, if it was up to me, I'd end up shooting my dang foot off or something of that nature. Thus, I should not have a gun. I think guns give people extra bravado, but unless they have some classes (like my husband has taken), the odds of things going wonky are high. Strictly an opinion. I also think the news and media make the world sound far more dangerous than it is. The hype has led to "OMG, I must have guns and ammo". Peace out. (BTW, I would get out of your way at a checkout line)

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    1. You may not be a gun person, but you have been to a shooting range, and have some idea of how to handle one. (Even if you don't wanta!)

      I agree with you about guns giving people a sense of false bravado, and also about the necessity of taking classes. It's about more than squeezing (not pulling!) the trigger. :)

      HA! You wouldn't have to get out of my way at the checkout line. I'd let you cut in front of me.

      Have a super weekend.

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  14. I think target shooting might be fun, but I'd have to touch a gun to do it. I don't want to touch a gun. When I was a young teenager, someone in my family who will not be named married a deputy with the sheriff's department (she's not going to see this, but if for some weird reason she does then she knows what I'm talkin' bout). The deputy was in our house one time and for some reason this family member took his gun from him and pointed it straight at me. At my heart. I was terrified. Absolutely terrified. I knew she hated me and would gladly shoot me and say it was an accident. Fortunately, our parents were standing there. My dad had always had a no guns in the house rule, and from then on, the rule was extended to the deputy, who was such an ass that he didn't have his dog spayed and then he mentioned very calmly that he was going to take her puppies out and shoot them. Okay, now I'm upset. Slow deep breath. Stay calm. It was many years ago. They haven't been married for a long time. I wrote about open carry on my blog a couple of time. The blogger Little Lotta Joy (Dana Wyzard) said she wouldn't open carry her gun because it was an invitation to a thug to take it. Now, I don't want a gun, and I'm not getting one, but Dana has the right to her gun. I appreciate her common sense about having a small gun and putting it away. She could probably shoot the shit off a man's butt. I love the gun toting women in her novel, Treadwell. I've never forgotten the clip of Reagan saying something to the effect of nobody needs an assault rifle and that's not what the second amendment protects. I loved that man. I know he was full of crap at times, but I loved him. He made us feel better as a country. All the radical Republicans who say they're like Reagan are full of it. He was moderate. It took me a long time to convince Favorite Young Man that Reagan was moderate. We had to talk about a lot of stuff that he couldn't remember because he was a baby when Reagan was president. We'll never have another Reagan, but I'm mighty fond of President Obama and one of the main reasons is that I have health insurance because of that man.

    Love,
    Janie

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    1. Thank you for such a terrific comment.

      Having the business end of a loaded gun pointed at you, especially as a young teenager, would be enough to give anyone an aversion to guns. I'm sorry you had to go through that. What can I say? That deputy sounds like an all-around ass, and exactly the kind of person who'd think nothing of toting an AR-15 around a crowded airport, or leaving his service revolver lying around unsecured.

      Dana made a good point. In some areas, carrying a gun in plain sight would be as foolish as waving around a wad of cash, and would be too much temptation for some of the bad guys to resist.

      Reagan was one of a kind. You're right; he DID have a way of making us feel secure. I disliked a lot of his policies, but that man sure knew how to give a speech. Maybe it was his acting background, but it was a pleasure to listen to him, even if I didn't always agree with him. And yes, compared to today's right-wingers, Reagan was not only moderate, but reasonable, and willing to compromise. (What a concept!) It's ludicrous for any of today's politicians to claim to be anything like him.

      Nice to hear something good about Obama, too. I get so tired of hearing nothing but mean-spirited (mostly untrue) stuff about him around these parts.

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  15. I grew up in a country where almost nobody has guns. I know it's different in this country, and I get that. People have the right to own guns - that's just the way it is. I also know about the "well-regulated militia" verbiage. And I realize a common argument is that if you make good people give up their guns, only bad people will have guns. And then I wonder - if we make sure that only good guys have guns (and check to make sure they are good guys), where would the bad guys get their guns?

    And I know there are a lot of questions, but no easy answers. Nice, thoughtful post, Susan.

    And I hope that guy in the airport was wearing his "I'm the good guy" shirt, otherwise some other, more nervous good guy might have thought he should spring into action protecting people from him!

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    1. The reason they say, "If we make good people give up their guns, only the bad guys will have them" is because if the government ever issued a declaration re confiscating weapons, only the law-abiding people, whose guns are registered, would turn them in. Most of the bad guys don't register their guns, and can easily obtain whatever they want through illegal avenues. I don't think confiscation would ever work in this country. Even the good guys, or at least a lot of them, would do whatever they had to do to hang onto their weapons.

      No, that guy at the airport wasn't wearing a good guy shirt, but even if he were, I would have steered clear of him. Claiming to be one of the good guys doesn't always make it so.

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  16. I think what you think. I grew up in a gun-owning family, hunters, but that is so different from AR-15s. Weapons like that scare me to death, and are a ridiculous extension of the 2nd amendment.

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    1. Being a hunter, or other responsible gun-owner, is a lot different from toting a loaded AR-15 around in a crowded airport. Now, that guy MIGHT be a responsible gun-owner, but his actions sure don't strike me as responsible.

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  17. Maybe someone should have shot him... then he might have understood. Guns are for 2 purposes only; 1 for hunting, 2 for killing people, which was he hoping to do?

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    1. I disagree about guns only being for hunting or killing people. They're also for target-shooting.

      As for that airport bozo, he'd probably say he was carrying his AR-15 to protect himself and others, but I think he scared more people than anything.

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    2. OK, 3 reasons. As an ex-target shooter myself, I should have known better.

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  18. I bare arms every summer. Legs too.
    They get quite brown, which makes the rest of me look odd (*~*)

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  19. I wouldn't like to see that an airport. Firearms scare me--too many bad and sad news items--although I believe people have to right to have them and protect themselves.

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    1. I wouldn't want to see that in an airport, either. No matter what the "intentions" of the person carrying the AR-15 might be, the sight of him wouldn't give me a warm fuzzy feeling of safety.

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  20. Hi Susan - thank goodness we don't have to make that sort of decision here - I'd be unhappy owning a gun. Can't get my head round the general public 'running around with a gun' somewhere ... way too dangerous. Hilary

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    1. Hi, Hilary. It's good to hear from you again. You folks in England must think we're a bunch of cowboys over here. :)

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  21. There's a lot of things going on in the world that validate one of my beliefs (I have quite a few, some of which aren't potty humor): just because you CAN do something doesn't mean you SHOULD do something. ESPECIALLY if your intent is to just piss people off by doing so piously claiming you have every right to do whatever the frik you're doing. An example: The police officer from North Charleston who was outraged because he was fired after he posted a picture of himself ON FACEBOOK wearing skivvies with the Confederate flag on them. I mean, C'MON, really? The timing of his championing of the First Amendment is just a tad suspect. I hope you get my drift.

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    1. Yep, I definitely get your drift, and agree with it. Just because manufacturers produce Speedos in size 4X doesn't mean a man who CAN wear something that size SHOULD wear them.

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  22. I think you and your posters summed up the current situation quite nicely. Great post.

    Greetings from London.

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  23. Well done Susan.

    People like guns because they give them power and they get attention. The scary part is that someone idiotic enough to carry a gun in public is the same kind of person who will shoot it in public if provoked.

    I'm glad I live in Portland where I've yet to see anyone carrying a gun. In Oklahoma it always scared me when I saw people with guns. I think the gun carriers like being able to put fear in others. I can see no other reason for carrying a gun.What is seriously scary is that they are never the sharpest tacks around. No sane person would need to have that kind of power.

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    1. Thanks, Rubye. It's good to hear from you again. It's been a while. :)

      There's a lot of truth in what you say about the power and attention-seekers openly toting around guns. Unfortunately. However, I don't think ALL people who carry guns fit that unsavory mold. Fortunately. Problem is, it's difficult for the innocent bystanders to discern the difference.

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  24. I concur 100% and I'll offer an analogy. The constitution also gives us the right to free speech but holy mother of God I can't count how many times I HAVEN'T taken advantage of it. Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should.

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    1. HA! Ain't that the truth! I have personally bitten holes in my tongue on more than one occasion.

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  25. I'm not a fan of guns at all, but I agree with you. I think he was just doing it to get attention which is not a good reason to carry a gun, in my opinion.

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    1. Not a good reason at all. Make me wonder what ELSE he might do to get additional attention.

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  26. Oh yes, I heard about that guy with the AR-15. What a nut.

    We're both gunowners. We both shoot for sport (clay pigeons), and having something to protect our homes is an added bonus. But you won't find us just walking out into public with a gun on our hips. I don't understand that. Especially because the kind of guy that you typically see with a gun strapped to his hip is some redneck with anger issues and the IQ of a lamp post. I don't want that walking around with a gun.

    Remember: just because you CAN doesn't mean you SHOULD. Legally, a 300 lb elderly man can walk out into public in nothing more than a g-string... but it doesn't mean he should.

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    1. Unfortunately, when something that happens in Georgia makes the national news, it's usually something like this. (Really makes ya proud...)

      I've never shot clay pigeons, but I think it'd be a lot of fun. Closest I ever came to it is throwing empty bottles into the air and trying to shoot them with a BB gun when I was a kid.

      UGH. Thanks for searing that image into my brain...

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  27. Completely agree with you. I'm nervous around guns anyway...not that we get to see many guns here in our country.

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    1. Australians are in many ways fortunate not to live in a gun-obsessed society.

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  28. I agree that man was completely out of line. It's horrible how he took pleasure in needlessly scaring others. I'm glad you didn't go Annie Oakley over the tomato soup. Aim higher, my friend!

    Julie

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    1. Yeah, he was a nut job. On the plus side, now one of the GA legislators has introduced a bill to keep guns out of the airport.

      HA! I'll hold out for the cream of mushroom...

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  29. I am so glad we have strict gun laws in Australia although people do own guns and unfortunately sometimes use them. You would not see a person with any type of gun out in public thank goodness.
    when I was in my early 20s I fired a .22 rifle at a small tree out in the bush and when I realised I had actually hit what I was aiming for that was enough for me. Personally hate guns but then before that there were bows and arrows and spear so man will always find a weapon of some kind with which to inflict pain or death on his fellow man.
    If I understand it correctly people in the US own guns to protect themselves and their families. If an intruder broke into our home and we shot him we would be charged with his murder. One is only allowed to use equivalent force so if the intruder did not have a gun you would have no right to use one on him.
    As an Australian I still feel the seoond amendment was meant to apply to the early days of America and should have been amended to fit the modern world.

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    1. Yes, Americans can legally shoot an intruder. There are even some "stand your ground" laws in effect in some states, which translate to a legal defense of self-protection if a person "believes he is threatened or in danger" and shoots someone. Talk about a slippery slope.

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  30. It's really too hard to carry those mini-cannons around to festivals, isn't it? I agree with your assessment of the guy. I have no problem with people's right to bear arms (or even to bare their arms, which we tried to say was our constitutional right in high school), but I think some people carry that right way too far. Personally guns scare me. People are much more likely going to shoot the wrong person than an intruder. I'm more of a bows and arrows girl, but you don't see people carrying around their archery set. I just don't get the need to carry a gun in public. It makes people uneasy and afraid and it also makes you a target. If a mass murderer wants to shoot up a bunch of people, who do you think his first targets will be? The ones with guns.

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    1. No, I can't say that I've seen too many people walking around with a bow and quiver of arrows slung over their backs. But I did see an incredible video of a guy who does speed-shooting with a bow and arrow, though. He's amazing! Not just fast, but accurate.

      A would-be mass murderer might target people carrying guns, but an armed person also has a better chance of stopping him.

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  31. The problem with allowing someone the freedom to walk around Hartsfield-Jackson with a loaded AR-15 is that the only person who would WANT to do such a thing is most likely a control freak with a dangerous streak of paranoia. A narcissist whose need for attention and lack of empathy make him so contemptuous of the reactions of those around him is exactly the person I don’t want to see armed.

    VR Barkowski

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    1. Good point. It seems unlikely that a "normal" well-balanced and reasonable person would consider the act of carrying a loaded AR-15 around in public to be a stroke of genius.

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  32. I'm not a fan of guns, and I'm really not a fan of people packing heat just because they can. I read about the guy at the airport. That would terrify me. And if I'm at the store, I don't want to see armed people. It's getting a bit crazy.

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  33. There are always extremes... I'm not sure I would like running into someone like that at the airport, but I would still support his right to own the gun. Still, what if someone else grabbed the gun and went to work? Methinks that's definitely not the brightest of ideas.

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  34. VT has no gun laws either. One of the first sights I saw here was a guy on a bicycle with a rifle over his shoulder. There are more hunting accidents than gunmen going nuts here. Not often, but you see guns randomly. It's these childish ego-morons who are spoiling it for the sane people.

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    1. Childish ego-morons. Great description! As one of the semi-sane people, I agree with you.

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  35. That guy is DEFINITELY an ass. No one needs to carry a machine gun to the airport, to the store, or to a restaurant to feel safe. He's a bully who want to intimidate other people. Period. (Even what you said jokingly, about strapping on a Glock at the grocery store and people would get out of your way shows that open-carry is more about intimidation than protection.)

    I'd also like to note that open-carry law apparently only apply to white people. How else can you explain a black man being shot dead by police in an open-carry state while he was walking around Walmart carrying AN AIR RIFLE he'd just picked up a couple aisles over?

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    1. Fantastic comment. Without a doubt, the results would have differed greatly if the guy carrying that AR-15 around the airport had a darker complexion. Sad, but true.

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  36. Don't like guns, gun totting people or gun blazing movies! There, I said it!

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    1. HA! That you did. I guess that's why you're such a fan of romantic stories. :)

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  37. Definitely that guy was a total ass. What the heck??
    Everyone else has commented so eloquently but all I can think about is how I love the bear who says you have no right to my arms. My brain is mush LOL.

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    1. Yep, that dude was such a huge ass, it's a wonder his legs could carry him.

      HA! That bear is cool. Too bad he isn't a polar bear... just for you.

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