riflebrass: 762nukem: What’s even funnier was when that one reporter tried this, but his purc

riflebrass:

762nukem:

What’s even funnier was when that one reporter tried this, but his purchase was denied because he had a history of domestic abuse (as in, beating the shit out of his wife), completely disproving his point.

I recently re-read Jurassic Park. Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum in the movies) is pretty philosophical. In regards to scientific research (especially cloning dinosaurs) he sees them gaining great power without sacrifice. For example it takes years to master a martial art. After years of practice and dedication you get your black belt. You have the power to kill people with your bare hands, but in your studies you also gain the wisdom not to misuse it. On the other hand in science you learn what other scientists have discovered and you take it one step further so you get your goals without as much discipline. Then you sell off your discovery to some corporation who has less respect for that power because they made no sacrifice during that discovery. Malcolm compared it to a kid who found his father’s gun.

That’s what terrifies people about guns. There’s so much power that can easily be misused and pretty much anyone can access that power. It’s considered the norm to just be a decent person who doesn’t hurt others and don’t be psycho. You’re nothing special if you can legally own a gun but they think you should be special. That’s why they want mandatory training, licensing, registration and all that crap. If the government gives you a bunch of hoops to jump through then you prove you’ve made the sacrifice and are ready to own a gun.

What many anti-gunners don’t understand (especially those who live outside of the US) is that most gun owners have an informal training. Many of us were raised with guns in the home, some coming from several generations of gun owners. We were taught to be responsible, to respect firearms.

Many people who are new to guns are taught by their gun buddy’s. NRA spokesman Colion Noir for example didn’t grow up with guns. As an adult a friend took him shooting and taught him the basics. From there he was hooked and now he’s one of us.

Personal responsibility is a fading concept. These days you need government regulations to prove you are worthy. A lot of old timers talk about the good ol’ days where you could buy a gun in a hardware store no questions asked. Before 1968 you could get an AR-15 without any kind of background check. Up until 1986 you could legally convert a gun to full auto. Even up to the 1990’s high school students could drive to school with a rifle on a rack for hunting after class. Now we’re saying 18 is too young to own a gun, but we should lower the voting age to 16 in hopes the youngsters can pick politicians who will make it harder for other people to get guns. People want every kind of licensing and registration and tax they can think of so that the only people who can afford it are the wealthy elite.

If you ever want to find the authoritarian, ask yourself which political group wants the great equalizer to be a symbol of the powerful elite.