Wednesday, March 16, 2011

President Obama talks guns. Oh you just know the Teabaggers are going to get their panties in a wad over this one.

From the Arizona Daily Star:

It's been more than two months since the tragedy in Tucson stunned the nation. It was a moment when we came together as one people to mourn and to pray for those we lost. And in the attack's turbulent wake, Americans by and large rightly refrained from finger-pointing, assigning blame or playing politics with other people's pain.

But one clear and terrible fact remains. A man our Army rejected as unfit for service; a man one of our colleges deemed too unstable for studies; a man apparently bent on violence, was able to walk into a store and buy a gun.

He used it to murder six people and wound 13 others. And if not for the heroism of bystanders and a brilliant surgical team, it would have been far worse.

But since that day, we have lost perhaps another 2,000 members of our American family to gun violence. Thousands more have been wounded. We lose the same number of young people to guns every day and a half as we did at Columbine, and every four days as we did at Virginia Tech.

Every single day, America is robbed of more futures. It has awful consequences for our society. And as a society, we have a responsibility to do everything we can to put a stop to it.

Now, like the majority of Americans, I believe that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right to bear arms. And the courts have settled that as the law of the land. In this country, we have a strong tradition of gun ownership that's handed from generation to generation. Hunting and shooting are part of our national heritage. And, in fact, my administration has not curtailed the rights of gun owners - it has expanded them, including allowing people to carry their guns in national parks and wildlife refuges.

The fact is, almost all gun owners in America are highly responsible. They're our friends and neighbors. They buy their guns legally and use them safely, whether for hunting or target shooting, collection or protection. And that's something that gun-safety advocates need to accept. Likewise, advocates for gun owners should accept the awful reality that gun violence affects Americans everywhere, whether on the streets of Chicago or at a supermarket in Tucson.

I know that every time we try to talk about guns, it can reinforce stark divides. People shout at one another, which makes it impossible to listen. We mire ourselves in stalemate, which makes it impossible to get to where we need to go as a country.

However, I believe that if common sense prevails, we can get beyond wedge issues and stale political debates to find a sensible, intelligent way to make the United States of America a safer, stronger place. (Click the link at the top to read more.)

If President Obama actually believes that last portion he is completely unaware of how frighteningly delusional many of these gun nuts really are. They literally fantasize about the opportunity to blow some guy away with their shiny black penis substitutes.

And guess who is number one with a bullet (pun intended) on their list of those they want to shoot full of holes?

Personally I think it is way past time for much, much stricter gun control laws in this country.

I would like to see not only mandatory registration of weapons, but mandatory weapons training, mandatory background checks, and mandatory give me at least five good reasons why you think you need a weapon whose sole purpose is to end a human life.

And by the way the Teabaggers, militia morons, and flea market gun sellers can take their misunderstanding of the 2nd Amendment and shove it right up their asses.

27 comments:

  1. Anonymous4:14 AM

    Are you dispatching one of your "sources" to India to uncover a sex scandal ?

    Todd is traveling with Sarah.

    How did your "sources" miss that one?

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  2. Kimosabe4:47 AM

    Why do they try to ignore the first two words of the Second Amendment... "well regulated" ?

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  3. Anonymous5:24 AM

    bet they are already barricading their doors.

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  4. Anonymous5:44 AM

    you're right about the fantasies. the only thing they speculate more about than shooting a trespasser is how much prison sex will be forced on whichever citizen got arrested today.

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  5. Anonymous5:55 AM

    It would be wonderful to have the U.S. join the rest of the civilized world when it comes to gun ownership. I'm not holding my breath, though.

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  6. Not sure if your read it but ADN run an article not long after the Arizona shooting. Alaska has not filed one report, not one of any mental health people to keep them from buying guns. It is law that reports be reported and Alaska has not complied.

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  7. Anonymous5:56 AM

    Happening in my part of the world: The police chief, mayor, and village trustees of the tiny town of Columbus N.M. have been jailed for providing 200 guns to the drug cartels in Mexico. These guns were bought from a gun dealer in NM. He has also been jailed. These guns have been found at the scene of murders/executions in Mexico. The gun lobbyists have been saying there is no connection between guns in the US and Mexico's drug cartels. There are wire taps and very strong evidence there is a direct connection now. The tenacals from this will be vast. The NRA can hollar all they want.
    http://www.lcsun-news.com/las_cruces-news/ci_17624372

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous6:10 AM

    Kathy Griffin was on Glee as Palin.

    Transcript and video can be found here:

    Kathy Griffin on 'Glee' Mocks Palin and O'Donnell, Depicts Tea Party as Homophobic Birthers

    http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2011/03/16/kathy-griffin-glee-bashes-sarah-palin-and-christine-odonnell-depicts-

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous6:10 AM

    Kathy Griffin: 'A Dream Come True' When Sarah Palin Fought Back

    http://www.popeater.com/2011/03/15/kathy-griffin-glee-sarah-palin-broadway/

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous6:25 AM

    I think the people who do not understand what the 2nd amendment means are democrats. I also don't think gun advocates would object to tighter gun restrictions. Mandatory background checks etc should definitely be enforced.

    Gun ownership is an important issue because the presence of guns keeps people from becoming dictators and enacting laws that prohibit freedoms. Both the left and right are guilty of this - or so their opponents say. People take individual freedom seriously and when an elitest entity tries to outline what we should eat, how we should speak, what path we should follow in life, emotions will run high.

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  11. nancy6:29 AM

    To Anon 4:14:

    The only reason The Handbag Carrier formerly known as The First Dude is going to India with The Shrew is she now realizes the leash she had him on wasn't nearly as short as it needs to be.

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  12. Anonymous6:35 AM

    Sarah Palin - $4 per gallon of BS

    Sarah Palin is blaming President Obama (surprise, surprise!) for the high price of fuel. In her latest Facebook note she attempts to prove her claims by offering Exhibits A, B, and C, making very simplistic connections between domestic oil production and prices at the pump.


    http://palingates.blogspot.com/2011/03/sarah-palin-4-per-gallon-of-bs.html

    ReplyDelete
  13. Anonymous6:45 AM

    Sarah once again broadcasts her utter ignorance. She posts a slanted and full of crap article that her ghostwriter thought they were really gonna 'get' Obama THIS time...NOT!

    Note To Media: Experts Say It's "Not Credible" To Blame Obama For Spike In Gas Prices

    http://mediamatters.org/research/201103140030

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  14. Anonymous6:45 AM

    Sarah once again broadcasts her utter ignorance. She posts a slanted and full of crap article that her ghostwriter thought they were really gonna 'get' Obama THIS time...NOT!

    Note To Media: Experts Say It's "Not Credible" To Blame Obama For Spike In Gas Prices

    http://mediamatters.org/research/201103140030

    ReplyDelete
  15. Anonymous6:47 AM

    4:14, just because Todd and Sarah have a cold and sterile marriage doesn't mean Todd doesn't have a part to play.

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  16. Anonymous7:02 AM

    It would be a good idea to keep the guns out of mentally disabled people. If you are too mentally disabled to work, you should be to mentally disabled to use a gun in a proper manner, and too mentally disabled to drive a car. I bet there are a lot of teabags on it.

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  17. Anonymous7:15 AM

    The fear of Gun Rights being taken away is one of the Rethuglicans power holds on Alaskan voters. I hear it all the time, vote for Democrats and lose your guns.
    Well I guess Obama needed to give some votes to the regressive party, now it even less likely Alaska will see a Democratic victory.

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  18. I'm fairly pro-gun but there are a few things most people agree on:
    1) Don't let people on the Terrorist watch list buy guns. If we don't trust them to fly, how can we trust them to be armed.
    2) Instant background checks for felons/mental problems. One good thing that came from the shooting is even my state Kentucky has opted into this.
    3) Limit clip sizes to 10 bullets. Even Sarah Palin can take down a Caribou with that. As far as "protecting" yourself from the Army or SWAT teams, you won't get off 10 rounds away.
    These are some simple things that could reduce gun violence without interfering with people's rights. Polls show over half the country supports these measures.

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  19. Anonymous7:55 AM

    Were any of you part of the group that blamed Bush for things that Obamas getting blamed for now?

    Presidents have always and will always get blamed for everything. People need a scapegoat for things beyond their control that affect them. In reality obama the man is not to blame. Bush the man was not to blame. Clinton the man or woman was not to blame. Sarah the woman is not to blame.

    Also, I would maybe seek information elsewhere (like personal experience) other than a blog for a reliable take on sarah and todds personal life. just wanted to point out the obvious

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  20. Julie8:21 AM

    To 6:25 am---

    Unless you have a nuclear arsenal---or at least a tank---in your back yard, I doubt you stand a chance against that evil elitist gubmint.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Anonymous9:32 AM

    Yep, the Teabaggers are twisted up. The Alaska Militia group is using the Fairbanks arrest as a trigger sign and urging members to "go to ground".

    Rumor has it that DropZone Bill has signed over his store and assets and disappeared. He's been receiving "threats" because of all the media focus on him and some CNN story that misaligned him.
    What media attention? What CNN story? I must have missed that.

    Will he be reemerging in Arizona? Sarah Palin's security detail, ya think?

    ReplyDelete
  22. Anonymous10:15 AM

    But, Gryph: we NEED guns that shoot dozens of rounds in the course of seconds, in order to HUNT!

    How can we possibly wipe out any more species of animal, if we can only pop off one at a time?

    I mean, what's the fun in THAT?

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  23. Anonymous10:41 AM

    There are 129 million privately owned guns in the united states. All the registering and training in the world won't stop the nuts and the criminals from getting guns and using them. Why? Because they are nuts and criminals - they don't care about laws.

    I own guns, I use guns. I have no problem showing my ID when i buy one and having my background checked. I'm not part of the "cold dead hands" crowd but I am part of the group that is very suspicious whenever anyone wants to try some social experiment based on fear.

    I harbor no fantasy that I need a gun to engage in a gun fight in my house with some intruder. Most gun owners don't think about it as much as you say. Guns are tools and we usually only think about them when buying one or getting ready to use one.

    My experience is most people who are anti gun hate guns and/or are scared of guns. They dress it up in terms of gun deaths and gun violence but fail to note that the huge majority of gun deaths have always been suicides. I've seen no data to suggest that registration and other types of restrictions would stop suicides, it just makes people switch methods.

    The absolute worst example of someone to hope that gun restrictions would stop is a lone gunman like Loughner. Those guys are typically crazy enough to plan and accomplish a shooting but high functioning enough to avoid behavior that would put them on a list of people we don't allow to purchase.

    Given the national mood on this subject, I suspect there are better places we could spend our time. This isn't going anywhere.

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  24. Last week, my friend's dog followed someone out of their driveway down the gravel road. The people stopped and called back to let them know they had stopped by the side of the road and would wait until they got there to bring their dog back home. In the 2 minutes it took to get there, the dog ran into a neighbor's yard and grabbed a chicken. The neighbor ran out of his house and shot the dog dead on the spot.

    Now, this was not a dog who was a nuisance. (He'd never been there before.) Nor is it a farmer. (The chickens roam the yard, unfenced and unprotected.) The stunning thing is that the guy's first response to a problem is to use a gun with deadly intentions.

    And that's the issue I have with some gun owners. Once he found out who owned the dog, he said he was sorry. Too late, jerk. The dog is dead.

    I tolerate people who wish to own and use guns. I grew up with hunters. But never did I ever see a real hunter who looked for opportunities to shoot any live thing that moves -- including the neighbor's dog.

    The whole thing has gone too far.

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  25. Anonymous11:20 AM

    I only need one reason to keep firearms. I am a female senior citizen who lives alone, in Wasilla.

    There should be better background checks, obviously. BUT, criminals who want guns will get them no matter what the laws are. We are in real trouble when the only ones with firearms are the criminals.

    When the US stops the wars of aggression, and PEACE reigns supreme globally, then and only then would I consider not being armed. That's not going to happen in my lifetime, unfortunately.

    I am not a gun nut, nor a survivalist, nor a whacko religilist, nor in any way affiliated with nutjob militias. I simply choose not to be a victim.

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  26. Anonymous12:27 PM

    To anon@11:20

    I think the majority of people who are looking for stronger regulations on firearms are of similar mindset as you. I personally am a member of the NRA, own several long arms and a pistols, but absolutely see no reason why I *need* an assault weapon. Thus, I would have no problem with increased regulation (or even bans) on future sales of assault weapons, regulations on magazine capacities, licensing AND training requirements for the purchase of weapons, and the registration of the guns themselves.

    The 2nd amendment is not an absolute right, just as the 1st amendment is not absolute. We allow people to buy and drive cars - AFTER they test and prove they are competent to handle it. Why should ANYONE be allowed to buy a gun without so much as asking for proof they won't kill themselves with it accidently?

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  27. Anonymous3:07 PM

    7:55, you're right. who, other than levi, knows what really happens between todd and sarah?

    but... what happens between todd and shailey, well, i'll take shailey's word on that.

    ReplyDelete

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