# Stupid Gun news of the day (Part 1) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 29, 2013, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729 "2013-01-29T19:01:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 346
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/6901 "2016-04-07T19:50:23Z")
> [@Una\_Persson](#): > > Really? It isn’t on any of the Boards of Directors of advocacy groups and charities I served (or currently serve) on. Board members not only vote on very critical issues on a regular basis, they legally control and guide the organization within its bylaws. They also serve as a PR force for the organization, as they are out there making their speeches and touting their membership in their publicity statements. > > While it’s true that some board members treat it ceremoniously (I have witnessed absentee/publicity-seeking members on a regular basis), the NRA and pro-gun people in general should not hesitate to throw shitheels like Nugent under the bus as soon as possible. I doubt very highly he’s been a net positive for them. > > In fact, it was the presence and continued election of some asshats who were powerfully anti-LGBT rights to the NRA Board which led me to drop membership. Blackwell, Nugent, Norquist, Keene, Ross…I could go through the current list of 70+ as well as innumerable past members to make my point. It’s an ultra right-wing organization which focuses on self-defense and second amendment rights, but is also run by the sort of people which scare me and make me glad, with towering irony and some hypocrisy, that they do fight for my rights as a gun owner. Yeah that’s how boards of directors usually work but the position comes with no real power. The ballot usually includes something like 25-30 candidates for 25 spots and their main power is appointing the executive VP (and its ALWAYS going to be Wayne LaPierre unless he gets caught with a dead woman or live goat) and the executive VP pretty much runs the whole show. With that said, I wish they would kick nugent and norquist off the board. Unfortunately there is an element of the NRA consitutuency that is racist and southern and they vote for Nugent. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2016, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/6902 "2016-04-07T19:54:35Z")
> [@Algher](#): > > So we had an armed stand-off in Texas: > > [Armed hate group met at Texas mosque protest by gun-toting worshipers - Raw Story](http://www.rawstory.com/2016/04/armed-hate-group-backs-out-of-texas-mosque-protest-when-faced-with-gun-toting-worshipers/) > > Apparently the armed anti-muslim hate group didn’t like the armed black power hate group. Good for them. This is why gun rights are so important for minorities and the disenfranchised. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/6903 "2016-04-08T01:59:18Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > A [Minneapolis woman is in hospital “shot four times after she honked her horn at another vehicle that cut her off”](http://www.recorderonline.com/news/national_news/police-say-minneapolis-driver-shot-in-road-rage-incident/article_636d8ad6-92c0-5aa0-b477-fad5ea397b73.html). Little information is available yet; but my guess is that the shooter and driver will turn out to have extensive criminal histories and were in possession of firearms illegally due to previous felony convictions. Anyone want to bet I’m wrong? ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/6904 "2016-04-08T02:31:03Z")
I think that, yes, if I had lumps of lead in my arm and stomach, the criminal history of the shooter would make _all_ the difference. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/6905 "2016-04-08T03:01:44Z")
An armed society is a polite society. Not necessarily at first, of course. But eventually drivers will learn not to honk at each other. That’s just rude. Sure, we may have a few homicides until people understand the expectations. But once the new culture of politeness is fully established, you’ll practically never hear people honking at each other. And won’t that be nice? We’ll just have to crack a few more eggs for this particular omelette. Patience. Patience is all I ask. ---
**Author:** ![Esox\_Lucius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/848f3c/32.png) [@Esox\_Lucius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esox_Lucius)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/6906 "2016-04-08T03:11:40Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > Little information is available yet; but my guess is that the shooter and driver will turn out to have extensive criminal histories and were in possession of firearms illegally due to previous felony convictions. Anyone want to bet I’m wrong? I’ll go you one further–they were probably drugged up, too. My guess is that _ **if** _ they had extensive criminal histories and previous felony convictions, and were hopped up on some kick-ass drugs that made them feel like Superman, _they could still illegally get guns as easily as ordering pizza._ Wanna bet I’m wrong? Supply, meet demand. ---
**Author:** ![Esox\_Lucius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/848f3c/32.png) [@Esox\_Lucius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esox_Lucius)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/6907 "2016-04-08T03:19:15Z")
> [@Bayard](#): > > Patience. Patience is all I ask. You spelled “patients” wrong.😉 ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/6908 "2016-04-08T12:01:32Z")
> [@Esox\_Lucius](#): > > I’ll go you one further–they were probably drugged up, too. > > My guess is that _ **if** _ they had extensive criminal histories and previous felony convictions, and were hopped up on some kick-ass drugs that made them feel like Superman, _they could still illegally get guns as easily as ordering pizza._ Wanna bet I’m wrong? > > Supply, meet demand. Not at all. But my points were: (1.)This almost certainly wasn’t committed by someone from a middle-class background with no priors suddenly succumbing to a random fit of rage. Gun crime is NOT randomly distributed throughout the population. (2.)The very last people whom a gun ban would disarm would be the people who regularly break the law and know how to buy contraband. Face it, you’re never going to make it impossible to obtain guns. Never. And it’s no good saying “we ought to at least try”, because some efforts are not merely futile but counter-productive. For example, if the point of Prohibition was to cut back drunkenness and alcoholism, it not only failed but created its own evils that overall made things worse then they had been. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/6909 "2016-04-08T12:03:59Z")
> [@Bayard](#): > > An armed society is a polite society. Not necessarily at first, of course. But eventually drivers will learn not to honk at each other. That’s just rude. Sure, we may have a few homicides until people understand the expectations. But once the new culture of politeness is fully established, you’ll practically never hear people honking at each other. And won’t that be nice? We’ll just have to crack a few more eggs for this particular omelette. Patience. Patience is all I ask. Ha. Ha. I suppose it didn’t occur to you that shooting at people is also “rude”, and that its a much worse idea if they might shoot back. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/6910 "2016-04-08T14:17:40Z")
Whoosh, guys. (at least I hope so) ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/6911 "2016-04-08T14:35:10Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > Ha. Ha. I suppose it didn’t occur to you that shooting at people is also “rude”, and that its a much worse idea if they might shoot back. Agreed, if that woman had been armed, she could have shot him for cutting her off rather than honking her horn, and then she wouldn’t be in the hospital today. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/6912 "2016-04-08T14:40:37Z")
n.m double post ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/6913 "2016-04-08T14:41:01Z")
You see, an armed society is a \*polite \*society. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/6914 "2016-04-08T15:36:15Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > You see, an armed society is a \*polite \*society. :rolleyes: I’m reminded of the town of Shinbone - where everyone was polite, especially to Mr. Valance and Mr. Doniphon. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/6915 "2016-04-08T16:56:09Z")
Indeed, if everyone knew that rude driving could potentially spark a rolling shootout on the interstate, then we’d live in a society free of both honking **and** dangerous lane changes. Plus, the rate of shootouts would surely go down. If Mutually Assured Destruction is good enough to prevent nuclear annihilation, it’s good enough to prevent a little highway gunplay. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/6916 "2016-04-08T17:24:12Z")
Is \*polite \*a synonym for _terrified_? ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/6917 "2016-04-08T17:34:34Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > I think that, yes, if I had lumps of lead in my arm and stomach, the criminal history of the shooter would make _all_ the difference. So what are you proposing that would have prevented these criminals from getting their hands on guns? The fact of the matter is that most gun crimes are committed by people who cannot legally buy guns anyway so having a legal method of buying guns does nothing to stop them (at least for a generation or two) ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/6918 "2016-04-08T17:36:24Z")
> [@Esox\_Lucius](#): > > I’ll go you one further–they were probably drugged up, too. > > My guess is that _ **if** _ they had extensive criminal histories and previous felony convictions, and were hopped up on some kick-ass drugs that made them feel like Superman, _they could still illegally get guns as easily as ordering pizza._ Wanna bet I’m wrong? > > Supply, meet demand. Its not exactly clear what you are trying to say here. Are you saying that banning guns is pointless because it won’t stop criminals from getting guns, or are you saying that the legal possession of guns by law abiding citizens makes guns really easy for criminals to get? ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/6919 "2016-04-08T17:36:36Z")
Where do you think all these illegally purchased guns come from, then? ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2016, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/6920 "2016-04-08T17:56:43Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Where do you think all these illegally purchased guns come from, then? The main source is straw buyers (considered to be a grossly under-prosecuted felony). You’d have to ban the sale of firearms to the general public to even try to cut off the supply, and even then you wouldn’t succeed- you’d just make getting a black market gun a little harder and more expensive. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729.md?page=345) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729.md?page=347)