Join up?
The only thing I know about you is that one post quoted in my OP. You might be the most wonderful person in the world, for all I know and care, but in that post you sounded like one scary bag-o-douche who thinks less of people who don’t carry and believe that you are doing the world a favor by burdening yourself with the stick-o-justice.
So yes, it is all about the pants-wetter bit. I am familiar with guns and have used them. I made a choice not to carry or own one, and I have nothing but respect for those who decide to own and carry them. I will laugh at those who think themselves better because they carry, though. And I wonder what odd delusions circle the mind of someone who thinks is doing me a favor by carrying. There are many valid reasons to carry, being nice to me is not one of them.
Do you mean “notional”?
Bad things, probably.
Still, if you think you or I or anyone else is going to successfully fight off the U.S. Army because we’ve got a couple of pistols tucked in a shoebox in the linen closet, you may wish to rethink your position vis-a-vis our “tradition of democracy”- because it’s all you’ve got.
You know, people keep pulling out that old canard and the flaw I see is that I know (and have known) quite a number of people in the military who say that if they were ordered to fight the American people - or enforce Martial Law against a recalcitrant population, they pack up and go home before taking part in it.
That’s the flaw in the Conspiracy Theory ideas about Bush (or any other president) invoking Martial Law in order to remain in power. The over-under on their life expectancy after declaring such would be measured in hours, because far too many people in the Military or even the Secret Service wouldn’t put up with that shit. Hell, they may not even live through the press conference announcing it before one of their own people stepped in and said “not today”.
Not a bad answer. That’s how I do it too. I still think Vunderbob wasn’t out of line, but WTF. Moving on…
Really Not All That Bright, care to guess who is by far the largest armed force on the face of the planet? That’s right, the American public. I’m not suggesting we could beat the military in an open fight, but it would make it extremely hard to keep us down. Lumpy’s got it right. Study some history.
Probably. Either way, she’s only a figment (of Idle’s imagination, not mine.).
Damn, I was waiting for some hot stenographer action too.
“Take off your pants” she typed quickly in a nearly indecipherable code…
I carry for me, not you, spanky; and I never said otherwise. So you can take the bit about “doing favors” and keister it. I guess that means things come down to your feelings were hurt by the term “pants-wetter.” You are a delicate little blossom, to be sure. I still find anybody who gets irrationally afraid at the sight of a holstered weapon to be a pants-wetter; even after this mighty pitting at your hands.
As for the people who simply don’t carry, I don’t have an opinion on them. Going about armed is, like many things, a very personal decision. Whether you want to or not is your choice. Where I get testy is when people (mainly pants-wetters) want to decide for themselves and for me.
I’ve been a 2nd Ammendment activist for about 27 years now, and I just don’t have it in me to be nice to dictatorial pants-wetters any longer. They’re irrationally fearful people and there will never be any end to catering to their fears once we start. Every time one of their laws fails to give them the feeling of safety they desire, they just propose another on top of it and usually call it a “first step.” They will never feel safe. I refuse to acknowledge their fears as having any bearing on how I need to live.
Don’t like guns? Don’t buy any. Don’t feel the need to carry? Don’t. It won’t make me think any less of you.
Fuck the pants-wetters, buckaroo, and fuck you if you think I’m wrong for being quits with them
In 65 years I have never carried a gun in fear. What are you so terrified of that you need a gun every where you go. You must soak your shorts every time a scary person comes in. Do you sit in a bar or restaurant with your back up against the wall to keep yourself a little safer?Do you end conversations thinking that person who just came in is dangerous and you watch them all the time?
You’ve long since renounced the necessary credibility to participate in any threads dealing with guns. Come back with those citations about the origins of the 2nd ammendment and handguns in colonial America and I’ll give what you have to say a glance. In the meantime, you’re a known liar and should avoid these threads as posting to them just reminds everybody that you are a liar.
You’re kidding right? There’s a thing that goes along with self defense of any kind, be it packing a gun, or a knife, or even just not wanting to become a victim that’s known as situational awareness. You do pay attention to those around you and assess their behavior as a clue as to when to escalate your responses. The first response is always to attempt to remove one’s self from a situation that you feel uncomfortable in. Think some skeevy looking dude has just entered the room? Leave if it bothers you. Skeevy looking dude confronts you? Make an apology and still attempt to extract yourself. Skeevy looking dude keeps coming at you? Run.
Those are almost always the only responses that you’ll ever need. This isn’t some Rambo shit, this is about not getting killed.
Skeevy looking dude pulls a knife and tries to corner you? Well, that’s when it’s decision time for you, but to suggest that anyone who carries does so for the chance to blow some dude out of his boots at the first sign of trouble is to accuse that person of being a murderer, because that’s exactly what that would be.
There’s also a crime out there known as brandishment. That’s just a fancy word for pulling a gun when you don’t need to in order to be threatening. It’s a felony and you will lose your right to not only carry a gun, but to even own one if you prove that you’re not capable of doing so responsibly.
Really there’s a great deal of misconception about people who carry a gun out there. It’s not macho, it’s not cool, it’s not tough. It requires you to behave in the least macho and bullying manner possible.
Immediately after typing this rant, Scumpup looked down and saw to his horror that a little bit of pee had leaked out. “Nooo!”, he cried, “I have become that which I most despise!”.
Look - not everyone who is anti-gun is a “pants wetter” (whatever that’s supposed to mean) or has an “irrational fear”. Dismissing people who don’t agree with you with childish insults is hardly the way to get your point across.
I come from the UK, so I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I’ve seen a gun in real life - and on those occasions I can confess to having done a bit of a double-take, but It’s not like I suddenly voided my bowels and ran off sobbing.
(Oh and for the record I have no opinion on gun control in the US. Not my country, none of my business. I like our laws but that doesn’t necessarily mean I think you should have them too.)
If you want to fight against gun control then I’m sure there are lots of rational arguments you could use that will stand up a debate. Posts like the one above and the one in the other thread just end up making you look like an idiot, appeal only to other idiots, and do absolutely nothing to help your cause.
I strongly suspect that in my (US) state, the cops would thoroughly support his trial and conviction for assault, attempted murder, reckless endangerment, and illegal discharge of a firearm. Hell, they’d probably push to have the shooter charged with armed robbery if he took his wife’s wallet back.
Cops around here hate civilians with guns, because they fear just that kind of behavior*.
And my husband would have wondered why I wasn’t carrying my money and credit card in my pockets. He probably would have been most upset that I wasted time calling him instead of 911.
- … and, of course, plan to support, when martial law is declared, our highly trained, well-equipped, professional, organized military, who are familiar with, oh, following orders, against an un-all-of-the-above populace, most of whom can’t even obey a red-light.
He meant “national”. She is kinda loose.
See how the US Army is faring against the Iraqi rebels, and now imagine them with 10 times the numbers, internet, college degrees and nowhere to run. I am not putting money on the US Army, even if the American public is handicapped by must-see-TV, obesity and an overall reluctance to leave A/C.
You can be all quits you want with them. You are just doing a big disservice to rational people who agree with you but want to go about it in an intelligent manner and without resorting to very stupid insults.
Even if he is currently my pittee, I don’t get how you reach the conclusion that he carries in fear. I have a spare tire in my car (with all the tools and the knowledge to use it), that doesn’t mean I am afraid of nails. I carry one so I can use if it ever comes to that (and hoping it never will).
It is all about preparedness. I carry water in my car, in case I break down with the kids in a distant place, but I don’t carry food as an emergency item. I have a couple screwdrivers, but no real toolbox. I have flares and a flashlight, but no thermal blankets. I have band-aids, but no anti-diarrheal. I have a piece of rebar, but not a gun. I have what I consider necessary for what my experience has led me to feel the need to prepare for, but I don’t carry what I consider is more hassle than useful.
Scumpup’s circumstances and mindset are different and he reached a different conclusion than mine, but that only means he is getting to the same place I am (peace of mind) by a different path. Not that he is more afraid of the world that those who don’t carry.
Accusing him of being afraid is just as stupid as him calling people pants-wetters.
Where are you getting “10 times the numbers” from? The US populace is no more homogenous than the Iraqi populace, and chances are there would be no more of us, and probably fewer (per capita) participating in armed resistance.
Believe it or not, Iraq has both the internet and colleges, too- and I’d be somewhat surprised if you could get the Earthlink guy to come out and replace your cable modem while you were fighting off National Guardsmen from your [del]walled compound[/del] subdivision.
Keep in mind that Saddam managed to keep the Iraqi people rather well cowed, or at any rate not revolting, for the better part of thirty years. If you think Bush or Obama or Future Evil President couldn’t do the same with a hundred times the resources and the basic guarantee that the American standard of living wouldn’t change, you’re nuts. You said it yourself- the American public won’t even get off the couch to vote. Do you really think it will get off the couch to get shot at because it can no longer vote?