So what you are saying is law-abiding good guys with guns went out stockpiling weapons with every intention of owning and reselling illegal weapons?
Well, I already knew that, but I thought I’d point it out.
Compared to past actions, they expected a ban on the manufacturing or import of new ones, with existing firearms being grandfathered in. That would make an inventory worth a lot more.
Some of us made some good money on the Bush assault weapons ban when our .223 AR-15s tripled in value overnight.
It’s not illegal to own and resell grandfathered weapons.
As usual you guys don’t know what you are talking about.
Oh, they’re speculators. Here I thought they were loonies stocking their post-race war apocalypse shelters.
A president who’s a former Illinois Democrat with a voting record of favoring gun control. Whose infamous “cling to guns” quote confirmed in the minds of millions of conservatives that Obama is firmly committed to the progressive agenda of ignoring what the great unwashed want, and forcing what the mandarins of social policy say is good for “society” on the unenlightened- down their throats if need be.
At a minimum, they want to be able to own grandfathered weapons while they can still be bought legally. At worst- well, there’s a saying going around: “If it’s time to bury your guns, it’s time to dig up your guns”.
Yeah, millions of them.
http://money.msn.com/now/post--will-2013-mark-record-gun-sales-in-us
Millions of “loonies” and “racists” buying guns because the president is black.:dubious:
I think you’re right that either Democratic president in past couple decades engendered the same stupid overreaction from loonies, a very large subset of the “millions” you mention.
But you have to be full of pure stupidity or gross naiveté to not see the racism that is tinging some of the current irrational paranoia.
I don’t think race has much if anything to do with it, but I once thought there was a bit of irrational paranoia going around. Then Obama’s second term came and he tried to ban guns, just like the paranoid irrationalist said he would.
Some people would say the same thing about Roe v Wade and its never going to happen.
Some people would say the same thing about Citizens United and its not going to happen.
We have just never overturned a supreme court case that expands rights. By the time you have the political support to ban guns there aren’t going to be a lot of guns left out there to ban (it’ll be like Australia).
People are far less concerned about the 18,000 suicides a year suicide than they are about the ~100[?] shooting rampage victims every year.
I lived through the LA riots so my perspective is different. I hope nothing happens that changes your perspective.
I also don’t support the NRA’s current political activity (they really shouldn’t have anything to say about taxes and unions).
Can we agree that guns are not the cause and certainly not AR15s? They may be an aggravating factor in the violence but they are not a cause of the violence (and we already have laws that prohibit most of these gang members from owning firearms but they just don’t seem to pay much attention to those laws).
I think you are conflating correlation and causation. I think gun nuts and racists share a common geography so you end up with a lot of people who fall into both categories. I don’t think racism leads white folks to own guns any more than racism leads black folks to own guns, its just that black folks don’t live in gun country as much (and in gun country a lot of minorities own guns).
Don’t you think that picture is being taken a bit out of context?
Ooh literary reference to the Wizard of Oz. 
:rolleyes:
Well, the gun grabbers would be OK with the gun situation they have in Europe where guns are a hobby of the wealthy. For skeet/trap shooting and fox hunts, etc. They just don’t want them to be available to the average joe because rich people can be trusted because they’re better than everyone else.
Thousands?!??! If you are including the increase in all gun sales in the 3 months following Newtown versus the 6 months following Obama’s first election (to try and correct for the OMG a black liberal Democratic president!!!:eek: effect), you’re talking about millions son, MILLIONS.
I agree Levdrakon seems confused about the facts and IIRC there was a lot of criticism within the gun community over perceived gouging by gun stores and criticism of people who bought up guns and P-Mags with the intention of flipping them. Part of me is glad that these opportunists got screwed. Incidentally, if we dropped the ban on machine guns, we would cost gun collectors billions of dollars.
Nope, a lot of them just wanted to get them before there was a ban.
The guy at my gun store joked that they should elect Obama for a third term, it would do wonders for activating gun owners.
“Obama tried to ban guns”
You really believe this, don’t you? I mean, you honestly, deep down believe that Obama tried to ban guns.
There is no hope whatsoever to have any sort of reasonable discourse at this point.
Don’t you know Obama made a deal to sell America to the communist satanist space aliens? The precondition is he has to take all our guns away first.
Of course he did. Didn’t you know?
No fucking kidding, these guys gave Wayne LaPierre credibility. Fucking amazing.
By that standard, guns are already banned.
I wouldn’t be so sure about either of these things.
That’s probably quite true. As I said, there would have to be a massive change in societal gun culture. Probably this will not happen within in my lifetime, but who knows?
Which is one reason why I mentioned it, to bring it to the attention of the people in this thread at least.
I admit my contempt for the notion that guns are necessary for personal protection might change if I lived in certain, specific neighborhoods in the country. For the vast majority of communities in the nation, I stand by my comment.
Some are genius. Obama tried to ban a lot more.
No right is absolute. You do not have the right to yell “Fire!” in a public theatre, and you do not have the right to spread lies about someone in the press.
Similarly, you do not have the right to own every armament under the sun, such as, for example, tactical nuclear warheads.
People are basically disagreeing over where the line should be drawn. And the NRA/gun nut reaction is fairly summarized as egregious, paranoid overreaction.
But I do have rights to AR15s, Glocks, 50 BMGs, .338 Lapua’s etc., with whatever capacity magazines I want.
They’re not overreacting, they bought up exactly what guns they wanted and thought Obama was going to ban. Millions of them in fact.
And there lies the disagreement. I for one do not agree that you should have a “right” to all of that, especially the high capacity magazine.* A privilege, perhaps, for some items.
But high capacity magazines are of no value outside of killing large numbers of people. And I do not agree you should have a “right” to do that. Perhaps a privilege, for example, as a member of the armed forces with proper oversight and supervision. But a right? No.
The rhetoric is paranoid and overbearing. And, often, as demonstrated by the NRA pamphlet linked above, tinged with racism.
*(ETA) I acknowledge under recent judicial interpretation you do have the right to at least most of that. But I do not agree that the judicial decision leading to this was in the best interest of liberty, democracy, or a functional and stable society.
I’ll agree with your assessment. I’m the victim of a shooting in 1974. To me gun ownership is paranoia pure and simple and an anachronism from the 19th century. I own 2 Catahoula Leopards if you are familiar with that breed. I’m far safer with them than with a gun in any condition. Someone can ask why and I’ll tell them. I’ll leave that for now. When we begin bringing education in equal percentages to various cities, neighborhoods, towns or whatever, guns will end except for the fools that shoot animals for sport. Lack of education and opportunities lessens crime.
We must look at Europe as a model for success… not with disgust as many conservatives do. They’ve done it right. People are happier in the northern countries there. Education is higher quality, stress is reduced because no one fears getting sick and going bankrupt. We cannot call ourselves a great nation when we cannot stop crime and poverty.