The Down Range Forum
Member Section => Politics & RKBA => Topic started by: long762range on May 26, 2009, 10:19:46 AM
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http://www.examiner.com/x-2581-St-Louis ... rol-rifles
A bit of a "blast from the past," for people who may not have seen this before.
"Way back in October 2007 (long before I wrote for Examiner), I wrote about an . . . interesting distinction made in an editorial in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. The editorial was, for the most part, fairly unremarkable. On the one hand, there were the nearly mandatory (for Big Media) clucks of disapproval about the expiration of the ban of so-called "assault weapons."
And with each shooting, there is one unmistakable truth — the average person has absolutely no need for an assault rifle. They have one purpose — to hurt or kill people, namely cops. And the assault weapons ban needs to be reinstated by Congress.
The federal assault weapons ban sunsetted in 2004, and the National Rifle Association and others who supported the expiration will do everything in their power to make sure legislators don't revive it.
Police officials have justifiably been critical of the fact that the ban was allowed to expire. Those officials should have more sway than the gun lobby."
As I said, fairly typical stuff. Dead wrong, but when the subject is guns, "dead wrong" is typical for the mainstream media.
The editorial also referred to the fact that area police departments were equipping their officers with just the same types of firearms. Oddly, though, the editorial board approved of police having these weapons that, according to them, "have one purpose--to hurt or kill people, namely cops." Is that a police function now? My--how "to protect and serve" has evolved over the years.
"Officers in Miami-Dade can, for the first time, carry assault-type rifles. Deputies with the Broward Sheriff's Office must take a 16-hour training course in the weapons, and take yearly qualifications tests. Some deputies have spent up to $1,800 to have specially-equipped, semi-automatic Colt AR-15s. And they have to be able to justify when they handle one on duty. The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office and city agencies like Delray Beach have also started training more officers to use the rifles.
People shouldn't be opposed to cops having these weapons.
What people should oppose — strongly — is the guy across the street having one."
The obvious implication here is that merely by virtue of the lack of a badge and other trappings of government power, a private citizen ("the guy across the street") is to be viewed with suspicion--as being unworthy of trust in his ability to possess certain useful (they must be useful, else why issue them to the police?) firearms competently, responsibly, and morally.
Oddly, though, that would seem to mean that "the guy across the street" is less trustworthy than "Only Ones" like these (to examine the tiniest tip of the vast proverbial iceberg)--those examples, by the way, are just a few of the cases of firearms negligence by those we are to trust with fireams--outright criminality, some of it heinous (remember Deputy Tyler Peterson, in Crandon, WI?), is far from rare, also.
Again, though, such wrong-headed thinking is nothing new; we see it every day.
What makes this editorial special is the slick rhetorical gymanastics displayed in this sentence:
"Understandably, officers in more South Florida police agencies have been arming themselves — at their own expense — with patrol rifles to be on more even footing with criminals — particularly gangs — they encounter."
Get that? An AR-15, for example, that in the hands of "the guy across the street" is an "assault weapon," magically morphs into the much more benign-sounding "patrol rifle" when in the hands of a cop.
I mentioned Tyler Peterson a bit earlier. The firearm he used was, I believe, an AR-15. Here's the tricky question: was it a "patrol rifle," or an "assault weapon"?
In Memoriam
I would be remiss if I failed to address, however briefly, the solemn significance of this day. Memorial Day is a time to give thanks for the extraordinary courage and sacrifice of those who gave all in making our way of life possible. I cannot quite wrap my head around our incredible good fortune for the existence of such men and women.
On a personal note, I will be remembering 1st Sergeant Ernest Utt, killed in Iraq in 2004. Way back in the 90's, he was a Staff Sergeant, and section chief of the artillery crew on which I served. He was a good man, a good soldier, and a superb American.
Thank you, Chief. You are not forgotten.
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Tom Gresham pointed out Sunday 5/24 that the MSM, VPC, and other Brady co conspirators do not actually hate or fear "guns".
They hate and fear gun OWNERS for taking responsibility for their own safety and refusing to become wards of the socialist nanny state. Some that they themselves lack the intelligence , courage or moral fiber to do.
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What Brady never realized was, it wasn't the gun that crippled him, it was the lack of a timely response to a threat by the Secret Service....
Today, no one could ever get that close...
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What Brady never realized was, it wasn't the gun that crippled him, it was the lack of a timely response to a threat by the Secret Service....
Today, no one could ever get that close...
AND the pistol he (Hinckley), used would NOT be BANNED. Or the one used by Sara Jane Moore to take a shot President Ford.
Or Mark David Chapman who shot John Lennon, all "small caliber revolvers".
I posted the Scum Sentinel's "news" story in the Cafe, regarding one of those "AW's". in a shooting over Mem. Day.
Patrol Rifles, for LEO's, AW's for the citizenry. Nice Political correctness creeping,......
"Officers in Miami-Dade can, for the first time, carry assault-type rifles. Deputies with the Broward Sheriff's Office must take a 16-hour training course in the weapons, and take yearly qualifications tests. Some deputies have spent up to $1,800 to have specially-equipped, semi-automatic Colt AR-15s. And they have to be able to justify when they handle one on duty. The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office and city agencies like Delray Beach have also started training more officers to use the rifles.
People shouldn't be opposed to cops having these weapons.
People shouldn't be opposed to "LAWFUL CITIZENS" having these weapons either.
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AND the pistol he (Hinckley), used would NOT be BANNED. Or the one used by Sara Jane Moore to take a shot President Ford.
Or Mark David Chapman who shot John Lennon, all "small caliber revolvers".
I posted the Scum Sentinel's "news" story in the Cafe, regarding one of those "AW's". in a shooting over Mem. Day.
Patrol Rifles, for LEO's, AW's for the citizenry. Nice Political correctness creeping,......
"Officers in Miami-Dade can, for the first time, carry assault-type rifles. Deputies with the Broward Sheriff's Office must take a 16-hour training course in the weapons, and take yearly qualifications tests. Some deputies have spent up to $1,800 to have specially-equipped, semi-automatic Colt AR-15s. And they have to be able to justify when they handle one on duty. The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office and city agencies like Delray Beach have also started training more officers to use the rifles.
People shouldn't be opposed to cops having these weapons.
People shouldn't be opposed to "LAWFUL CITIZENS" having these weapons either.
If memory serves, Sarah Jane Moore lobbed a round in Ford's general direction from a .45 ACP 1911.
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Bear in mind this story was about Miami-Dade, and was written in Broward. Its sort of like reality down there, but a whole lot weirder. ;D ::)
FQ13
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Bear in mind this story was about Miami-Dade, and was written in Broward. Its sort of like reality down there, but a whole lot weirder. ;D ::)
FQ13
I wonder what the air is like on their planet.
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I wonder what the air is like on their planet.
I suspect like Mari ju ana.
;)
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If memory serves, Sarah Jane Moore lobbed a round in Ford's general direction from a .45 ACP 1911.
That was Squeaky Fromme. and she never took a shot.
But it was a.45ACP
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You know, BHO just changes the names of things to suit him, maybe we should start calling them defense rifles instead of Assault Weapons. ::)
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You know, BHO just changes the names of things to suit him, maybe we should start calling them defense rifles instead of Assault Weapons. ::)
How about "Green Rifles" instead? That should make them untouchable. My new G26 is green (not my first choice but there's no bad color for a good weapon if the price is right). If they're eco-friendly and union made, like Ruger, we're golden. ;D
FQ13
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TWyacht. Sarah Jane Moore lobbed a .38 round over Ford's head. She was arrested prior for carrying a .45 Caliber. At least that is what I read a little bit ago. The video is on the Today show and on MSNBC.
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TWyacht. Sarah Jane Moore lobbed a .38 round over Ford's head. She was arrested prior for carrying a .45 Caliber. At least that is what I read a little bit ago. The video is on the Today show and on MSNBC.
Sarah Jane Moore actually got off a shot that missed everything, bullet was never found.
Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme, a follower of Charles Manson tried to shoot Ford with a 1911 but never got a shot off because she could not figure out the safeties.
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Sarah Jane Moore actually got off a shot that missed everything, bullet was never found.
Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme, a follower of Charles Manson tried to shoot Ford with a 1911 but never got a shot off because she could not figure out the safeties.
Old Charlie must've REALLY been proud that day. ;D
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You know, BHO just changes the names of things to suit him, maybe we should start calling them defense rifles instead of Assault Weapons. ::)
Heck yeah...call them "SDR's".... Self Defense Rifles.....or "DAR's"..Defensive Action Rifles.