Thoughts and Prayers

[UndertheHalo]

I’m not a big gun guy.  One might say the opposite in fact.  I don’t respect the 2nd amendment.  I don’t think ownership of a firearm should guarded in the same way that free speech is.  I’m not an absolute gun prohibition guy either.  Don’t get me wrong.  In fact as things seems to fall apart more, I’m a bit more sympathetic to the argument that people need guns.  I personally do not own guns and don’t really have any interest in owning them.  But that all said,  as the years go on my position on the gun thing has changed quite a bit.  Mostly because I have decided (maybe late to this) that there is no prohibition solution to the gun violence problem in this country.  I’ve argued for more robust gun buy back funding before.  I still think that’s not a bad idea.  But fundamentally i think that the gun violence is driven in large part by the despair that comes from a collapsing standard of living.  Neo liberal and conservative economic policy along with the absolutely batshit cultural worship of the American brand of individualism is going to destroy this country.  It doesn’t look like there’s any solution to that on the horizon.  Shit looks fucked. 

Edited May 16, 2022 by UndertheHalo

[UndertheHalo]

Like I don’t think @Jason’s gun hobby is particularly dangerous. 

Edited May 16, 2022 by UndertheHalo

[Jason]

10 minutes ago, UndertheHalo said:

I’m not a big gun guy.  One might say the opposite in fact.  I don’t respect the 2nd amendment.  I don’t think ownership of a firearm should guarded in the same way that free speech is.  I’m not an absolute gun prohibition guy either.  Don’t get me wrong.  In fact as things seems to fall apart more, I’m a bit more sympathetic to the argument that people need guns.  I personally do not own guns and don’t really have any interest in owning them.  But that all said,  as the years go on my position on the gun thing has changed quite a bit.  Mostly because I have decided (maybe late to this) that there is no prohibition solution to the gun violence problem in this country.  I’ve argued for more robust gun buy back funding before.  I still think that’s not a bad idea.  But fundamentally i think that the gun violence is driven in large part by the despair that comes from a collapsing standard of living.  Neo liberal and conservative economic policy along with the absolutely batshit cultural worship of the American brand of individualism is going to destroy this country.  It doesn’t look like there’s any solution to that on the horizon.  Shit looks fucked. 

Bingo. Guns are not the root of our issues. The socio-economic issues are. Not just with violence and crime as you could attribute mental health, suicide, drug dependence and many other things to it. These mass shootings like the one in buffalo are rather rare. The amount of gun deaths attributed to semi automatic rifles is a small percentage of the gun deaths. If you removed inner city violence from gangs and drug stuff then our firearm deaths would be rather small in proportion to the amount of guns we own. If you think about it, our firearm deaths are still low in that respect. 

[Jason]

2 hours ago, Jason said:

Riverside home invasion: Man shot several times when confronting 3 suspects who broke into home on Moss Road - ABC7 Los Angeles

Riverside getting hit hard with the home invasions

 

1 hour ago, jsnpritchett said:

Pretty much agree with all of this. 

I grew up around guns, due to living in the South and having friends and family who were into hunting. I did a gun safety training course and also did a hunter's safety course in order to get my hunting license when I was 13. (Side note: my friend who took the hunter's safety course with now runs a ministry called .30/.30 Ministries...) It never occurred to me to buy an AR-15 or similar weapon, because there's zero need for one for either hunting or safety. 

Seems perfectly rational that there should be some limitations to the types of weapons that are legally available to the public.  Frankly, I find it truly bizarre that of all the amendments, the 2nd is the one that is so fervently argued for any time anytime suggests almost any type of restrictions or limitations.  

Zero reason? The story above says otherwise. Three armed robbers versus one home owner? If I'm the home owner I want it to be an unfair fight. Also, the second amendment has nothing to do with hunting. 

[UndertheHalo]

6 minutes ago, Jason said:

Bingo. Guns are not the root of our issues. The socio-economic issues are. Not just with violence and crime as you could attribute mental health, suicide, drug dependence and many other things to it. These mass shootings like the one in buffalo are rather rare. The amount of gun deaths attributed to semi automatic rifles is a small percentage of the gun deaths. If you removed inner city violence from gangs and drug stuff then our firearm deaths would be rather small in proportion to the amount of guns we own. If you think about it, our firearm deaths are still low in that respect. 

I’d say that even the reactionary right wing populist movement that produced this dumb ass is a consequence of the failure of the socioeconomic order.  

Edited May 16, 2022 by UndertheHalo

[tdawg87]

I support 2A. I want a firearm myself, at some point. Perhaps after I get my depression under control.

There are far too many guns in this country, it's absurd. But at this point nothing can be done about that. You can make it harder to get guns, but you can't take away what's already there. It'll be used as a Republican scare tactic for the rest of time (the Democrats want to take your guns!). But they won't and they can't. 

Although, I really, truly don't understand why you need an assault rifle. It's semiautomatic. Just get a semiautomatic handgun. Why do you need 30 rounds? Are you trying to stop a home invasion by a fucking parade? King Kong? Cals? Whatever. Spend thousands on a LARP toy. It's your right.

The "tyranny" argument doesn't work in 2022. The entire government doesn't give a shit about you or your rights. They only care about money. And trying to take away your guns is a fucking bad way of making money, all things considered. Tanking the world's economy on a civil war and destroying your own infrastructure is also not a great way to make money IMHO.

Just get a bunch of glocks or something. Hell, get a shotgun. I want one of those. No one is going to invade your home when you pull out a fucking shotgun.

[Kotchman]

On 5/15/2022 at 8:13 PM, UndertheHalo said:

I’d say that even the reactionary right wing populist movement that produced this dumb ass is a consequence of the failure of the social and economic order.  

The lefts welfare programs are the primary cause of perpetual poverty.  These programs were designed to create an endless supply of fatherless homes and government dependent democrat voters. 

Edited May 17, 2022 by Kotchman

[Kotchman]

Just now, tdawg87 said:

I support 2A. I want a firearm myself, at some point. Perhaps after I get my depression under control.

There are far too many guns in this country, it's absurd. But at this point nothing can be done about that. You can make it harder to get guns, but you can't take away what's already there. It'll be used as a Republican scare tactic for the rest of time (the Democrats want to take your guns!). But they won't and they can't. 

Although, I really, truly don't understand why you need an assault rifle. It's semiautomatic. Just get a semiautomatic handgun. Why do you need 30 rounds? Are you trying to stop a home invasion by a fucking parade? King Kong? Cals? Whatever. Spend thousands on a LARP toy. It's your right.

The "tyranny" argument doesn't work in 2022. The entire government doesn't give a shit about you or your rights. They only care about money. And trying to take away your guns is a fucking bad way of making money, all things considered. Tanking the world's economy on a civil war and destroying your own infrastructure is also not a great way to make money IMHO.

Just get a bunch of glocks or something. Hell, get a shotgun. I want one of those. No one is going to invade your home when you pull out a fucking shotgun.

I haven’t seen a mass protest or trespassing at a private residence since last week. 

[UndertheHalo]

2 minutes ago, Kotchman said:

The lefts welfare programs are the primary cause of perpetual poverty.  These programs were designed to create and endless supply of fatherless homes and government dependent democrat voters. 

tHe LeFT.  Lol just fucking nonsense.  

[tdawg87]

8 minutes ago, Jason said:

 

Zero reason? The story above says otherwise. Three armed robbers versus one home owner? If I'm the home owner I want it to be an unfair fight. Also, the second amendment has nothing to do with hunting. 

Are you John Wick? Dude was pretty surgical with an assault rifle in the 2nd movie. But he's the best assassin in the world. 

I guess firing 30 rounds in the general direction of the people invading your home might scare them off. Or you could just be armed. Most people trying to rob you are scared pussies, even in groups.

And if they all have assault rifles? Oops?

[tdawg87]

Just now, UndertheHalo said:

tHe LeFT.  Lol just fucking nonsense.  

Stop replying to him.

[UndertheHalo]

And I gotta say.  I still really don’t buy this home invasion scenario.  Even if you go by what serious gun people describe as proper gun safety stuff when it comes to securing your weapons *especially* if there’s children in the house.  The scenarios where realistically you’ll get to use the weapon to protect yourself are almost zero.   But, like I said above.  This particular scenario aside, I do think that there is an argument to be made in good faith that it makes sense to have a gun in case things in your neighborhood get bad.  No, I’m not talking about needing to be strapped to go tot he grocery store or Starbucks.  

[UndertheHalo]

7 minutes ago, tdawg87 said:

I support 2A. I want a firearm myself, at some point. Perhaps after I get my depression under control.

There are far too many guns in this country, it's absurd. But at this point nothing can be done about that. You can make it harder to get guns, but you can't take away what's already there. It'll be used as a Republican scare tactic for the rest of time (the Democrats want to take your guns!). But they won't and they can't. 

Although, I really, truly don't understand why you need an assault rifle. It's semiautomatic. Just get a semiautomatic handgun. Why do you need 30 rounds? Are you trying to stop a home invasion by a fucking parade? King Kong? Cals? Whatever. Spend thousands on a LARP toy. It's your right.

The "tyranny" argument doesn't work in 2022. The entire government doesn't give a shit about you or your rights. They only care about money. And trying to take away your guns is a fucking bad way of making money, all things considered. Tanking the world's economy on a civil war and destroying your own infrastructure is also not a great way to make money IMHO.

Just get a bunch of glocks or something. Hell, get a shotgun. I want one of those. No one is going to invade your home when you pull out a fucking shotgun.

Please do not get a gun ever.  You don’t need it.  There’s no cure for depression.  It’s a part of your life and that’s fine.  You can be happy and healthy and manage it.  You gotta have just one bad day with a gun.  Not trying to talk down to you.  Just take care of yourself.  Go to the range with a friend when you need to get it out of your system or whatever. 

Edited May 16, 2022 by UndertheHalo

[Kotchman]

1 minute ago, UndertheHalo said:

And I gotta say.  I still really don’t buy this home invasion scenario.  Even if you go by what serious gun people describe as proper gun safety stuff when it comes to securing your weapons *especially* if there’s children in the house.  The scenarios where realistically you’ll get to use the weapon to protect yourself are almost zero.   But, like I said above.  This particular scenario aside, I do think that there is an argument to be made in good faith that it makes sense to have a gun in case things in your neighborhood get bad.  No, I’m not talking about needing to be strapped to go tot he grocery store or Starbucks.  

Did you see the lawyer from St Louis?

[UndertheHalo]

3 minutes ago, tdawg87 said:

Stop replying to him.

I try man. 

[jsnpritchett]

2 minutes ago, UndertheHalo said:

And I gotta say.  I still really don’t buy this home invasion scenario.  Even if you go by what serious gun people describe as proper gun safety stuff when it comes to securing your weapons *especially* if there’s children in the house.  The scenarios where realistically you’ll get to use the weapon to protect yourself are almost zero.   But, like I said above.  This particular scenario aside, I do think that there is an argument to be made in good faith that it makes sense to have a gun in case things in your neighborhood get bad.  No, I’m not talking about needing to be strapped to go tot he grocery store or Starbucks.  

One of my friends in 7th grade (not the same one I mentioned earlier who now runs .30/.30 Ministries) somehow managed to get a shotgun out of what was supposedly a locked cabinet of his father's, messed around with the gun, and accidentally shot himself in the stomach.  Was in and out of the hospital for most of a year.  Eventually recovered, but missed a year of school and was held back.

[cals]

30 minutes ago, UndertheHalo said:

Like I don’t think @Jason’s gun hobby is particularly dangerous. 

No but his intelligence level is.

[Kotchman]

1 /3 of all black pregnancies end in abortion. So this racist POS took 13 black lives today. The lefts abortion doctors piled up close to 1,000 black babies today. 

[tdawg87]

7 minutes ago, UndertheHalo said:

Please do not get a gun ever.  You don’t need it.  There’s no cure for depression.  It’s a part of your life and that’s fine.  You can be happy and healthy and manage it.  You gotta have just one bad day with a gun.  Not trying to talk down to you.  Just take care of yourself.  Go to the range with a friend when you need to get it out of your system or whatever. 

I'm not suicidal at all. In fact, my fear of death and general anxiety cancels the thought out entirely. 

I only mentioned it, not because I would ever actually hurt myself, but because it would give me an easy way out IF things got to that point. 

I'd want a gun for self-defense. I currently have a 7 iron for that purpose. 

[UndertheHalo]

7 iron pretty good imo 

[tdawg87]

Just now, UndertheHalo said:

7 iron pretty good imo 

Not from 150 yards out apparently.

[tdawg87]

But an AR from 150 yards out? Point blank baby.

Edited May 16, 2022 by tdawg87

[jsnpritchett]

[Kotchman]

I live in pretty safe suburban area. That said the police shot a guy last week I’m the neighborhood above mine. The man killed 3 people and led police on an hour chase. He ended up fleeing to a random house with a family inside. The police managed to shoot his ass. Now that family was lucky the police were in pursuit. The dad apparently wasn’t armed or prepared to smoke that fucker so they hid in a bathroom. Hell I made a wrong turn yesterday and before I could turn around I had a car full of young blacks throwing up gang signs and an 8 year old threw a rock at my car with his mother right beside him. I wasn’t even flying my rebel flag and got that response. I certainly felt a lot more relaxed knowing that I could have ended that confrontation at any time. 

[tdawg87]

I'll extend an olive branch to @Jason here and say that liberals like to say if you take all the drugs away, people will still find drugs. But if you take all the guns away, people still gon' have guns.