Obama and PFDs: A recipe for record Fairbanks gun show turnout
Published Monday, October 19, 2009
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FAIRBANKS — More than 2,000 people walked through the UAF Patty Center doors this weekend for the annual Tanana Valley Sportsmen’s Association Fall Gun Show.
Buyers, sellers and spectators alike this weekend attributed the nationwide surge in gun and ammo sales to worries that the Obama administration and a Democratic-controlled Congress will make a move to restrict gun ownership.
Though this weekend wasn’t the first gun show since the presidential election, the record turnout was also boosted by the release of the Permanent Fund Dividend.
“I think it’s common to see sales go up a little when the PFD comes out, but I think there is a lot of fear out there that is fueling people to buy guns and ammo,” said William Galligan, a senior at UAF and member of the Alaska Nanooks rifle team.
“Smith and Wesson sales have gone through the roof since the election, not to mention the price and availability of ammo. You almost can’t find it anywhere and a lot of people have resorted to trying to make their own.”
According to his teammate, Cody Rutter, finding ammo in town has become a challenge, even at major retailers like Sportsman’s Warehouse.
“Folks have really wiped out this town, but I think it’s a trend all over the country right now,” Rutter said.
Grant Lewis, president of the Tanana Valley Sportsman’s Foundation, said he was certain the gun show had a record turnout on Saturday, with more than 1,500 people.
“The good weather we’re having doesn’t hurt us, either,” he said. Lewis has seen a fair share of gun shows since he first arrived in Fairbanks about 40 years ago. The Sportsman’s foundation has hosted spring and fall gun shows every year for decades.
Lewis stood under a large National Rifle Association banner at the show’s front doors and greeted people as they arrived. He seemed pleased with the high turnout.
“It’s fine that people are buying guns so long as they know how to use them safely,” Lewis said. “It’s important that we pass this enthusiasm along to younger generations so that it doesn’t die off.”
The array of toys and firearms in the gym ranged from 1860s antiques to the latest competition rifles adorned with pink metallic flair. But guns weren’t the only thing on display at the show. Members of the Interior Alaska Conservative Coalition had a large display advocating a petition to require minor consent for abortions in one corner, while competitive cowboy gunfighters sat in costumes that made them look like they’d stepped out of a spaghetti western.
A loud rumble of voices echoed off the walls as dealers and prospective buyers negotiated gun and ammo prices.
“There seem to be a lot of people stocking up, maybe because they’re concerned that the government will try to take our guns away,” Lewis said. “Ammunition costs have gone through the roof and having that could be as good as gold someday.”
Mason Filler passed by a table with a wide selection of bullets and was admiring an antique pistol on display. Filler said he was visiting from Provo, Utah, this weekend specifically to purchase ammunition from the gun show.
“It’s almost impossible to find ammo in the Pacific Northwest these days without paying a fortune,” he said. “I don’t know if it’s because the government is raising prices or because people are buying it all up.”
He sells guns in Utah and said his business hasn’t been so strong in years.
“It’s not the first time I’ve seen a big boom, though,” he said. “When we were all terrified of Y2K, I made a fortune Outside, but this past year I almost can’t find enough to sell.”
Filler wouldn’t speculate on why gun sales were up but said he had heard complaints of losing gun rights with the election of a Democrat as president on conservative talk radio.
“I’m sure a lot of people are worried about our gun rights, but so far the president hasn’t said much about them,” he said. “It’s not the first time we’ve had a Democrat in office, but things seem to be pretty heated right now in politics.”
Carol Holz of the Golden Heart Shootist Society said said she’s seen an increase in the number of people at local gun shows since the last election cycle.
“Just yesterday the lobby was completely full of people waiting to get in, and I’ve never seen that here before,” she said. The organization competes in single-action Cowboy Shooting, where members dress in costume and perform shooting feats on stages mimicking famous western films, like Sergio Leone’s 1966 “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly” or the cult classic “High Noon.”
The shooting society wasn’t at the show to buy or sell guns but to advertise their club and offer advice on gun safety.
“Owning guns is a large part of the Alaska lifestyle, especially since carrying concealed weapons is legal,” she said. “Whether people own guns or not, everyone should know how to be safe around them,” she said.
Contact staff writer Rebecca George at 459-7504.
Community Discussion
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What a frightening picture! I don't know the young man in the picture holding the rifle (?), but he puts me in mind of the Columbine killers, who also bought their weapons at gun shows. And as for the man with the shaved head and the "Give me liberty or give me death" tshirt - I suppose you think that shirt and that pose makes you macho or perhaps patriotic. I think that you're neither. I think you're a show-off and a coward.
I'm sickened by those who feign patriotism to describe their "need" for weapons. True patriots don't need weapons like the ones pictured. Have a pistol if you want to defend yourself in your own home, have as many hunting rifles as you need - but that kind of weaponry belongs in the military, not on the streets of MY town.
And to those adults who push their paranoia of having their weapons "taken" and their ammunition "rationed" onto impressionable youngsters, you will bear the responsibility of turning children into paranoid clones of yourselves should those children turn to hoarding guns and worshiping weapons as you do. I fear for the next generation - they will be far more violent than you are, and we'll have you to thank when they do.
Go ahead and make fun of me, all of you who are wont to do so. I'm just an old grandmother with fears of a violent future and what do I know? All I really know is that while I fear for my grandchildren, I take comfort in knowing that I'm not long for this world and I won't live to see the day when people walk around with the kind of weapons pictured here on the streets of my once peaceful town.
yeah youre disillusioned alright. what nonsense you spew.
It's not just guns. Obama is going to take away our beer, too. Who will save us from this monster?
What would Jesus do?
Yay! I feel so much safer now, specially seeing that picture of the kid wielding what looks like a semi-assault rifle!
I am so glad we can buy guns for fun without background checks just so we can feel a little more manly~
disillusioned if you truly care for your grandchildren, then stop the paranoid assumptions about people who chose to exercise their constitutional right to arm themselves and open your mind. Guns dont kill people, people kill people. If that gun is on the street, it wont do anything on its own.
You know, I've got no problem with folks owning guns--it doesn't scare me. I own guns, including at least one that would probably scare Isanova or Disillusioned.
But this, "“I don’t know if it’s because the government is raising prices or..." is the kind of talk that really scares me. Do people honestly think that Obama's big plan is to confiscate our guns? Really? Is he going to "raise the price of ammunition?" How would he accomplish that, really?
No, that kind of talk is ignorant, close-minded, and stupid. And it makes ALL gun-owners look bad. The government is NOT out to get you and NOT out to take away your 2nd Amendment rights.
Sweet71, My paranoid assumptions? Those who fear that their guns will be taken and their ammunition will be limited are the paranoid ones. Guns in the hands of killers most certainly DO kill people. Don't be ridiculous. If that gun is an automatic weapon, it only takes a finger on its trigger to start a deadly rampage.
Sometimes I read the comments on this website and wonder if I had any of you in school in Fairbanks going back to 1960. If so, I'm saddened that your grammar and punctuation have deteriorated as they apparently have. And I'm appalled at your simplistic views and deplorable lack of reasoning. I would never have passed you on to the next grade level had you demonstrated that lack of ability!
Be nice if the News Miner could cut and paste all the comments on the guns and Palin articles so we don't have to read the same comments over and over.
Thank the Daily Newsminer for feeeding into the Paronia with that HEADLINE!, No wonder gun sales are going through the roof.
Henry......
Thank You....my sentiments exactly on the Obama and government thing.
You would think with all the pressing issues affecting this country, common sense thinking should tell one and all that attacking the right to bear arms, and 2nd Amendment rights definitely doesn't rate very high on the government's proverbial "to do" list.
If at all.
I am a gun owner and support our constitutional rights but I have never seen how we should be allowed to buy assult rifles. I have never seen a hunter use a AR-15 or a M-4 to hunt moose or deer. But on the subject this fear of gun rights being restricted has been going on for 11 months ever since the election was finalized. Personally I think that if the President was to attempt to greatly affect gun owners you would see a large fight on his hands and knows better at this point.
First, can anyone name one president (Republican or Democrat) that has proposed taking away our guns? You can't, because this hysteria was created by some ultra-conservative as a way to create fear and sell more guns. Second, the only purpose of an assault rifle is the hunting of humans. So, I guess from the News-Miner's sensation headline, they must be advocating a new form of hunting. Indicentally, I am a gun owner, retired hunter, and I am not a vegetarian.
It is frightening that someone like "disillusioned" can become so lacking in logic and reason that she equates a young man holding a gun with "Columbine killers" or that the phrase on a tee shirt, "Give me liberty or give me death" makes her see red. I wonder what epithets she would have shouted at Patrick Henry when he made that famous remark.
disillusioned
Wow you certainly use the term paranoia readily.
Like any politician, you’re ready to use a great tragedy to promote your own agenda. You invoked the phrase “Columbine killers”. You and your cronies, who include members of the Christian right, overly simplify this great tragedy.
You also use the phrase “not on the streets of MY town.” Then I suggest you go there, and be happy. A free people have no ruler, esp you. BTW how are the munchkins?
Then showing signs of a possible multiple personality you use the phrase “True patriots”. Odd since you have declared yourself, some sort of supreme commander. It’s widely recognized in this country anyway, patriotism = freedom. What it like in your country?
"Certainly one of the chief guarantees of freedom under any government, no matter how popular and respected, is the right of citizens to keep and bear arms.... The right of citizens to bear arms is just one guarantee against arbitrary government, one more safeguard against the tyranny which now appears remote in America but which historically has proven to be always possible. "
Hubert H. Humphrey
Vice President of the United States of America & what a Liberal Democrat stood for a mere 40 years ago.
Why the paranoia?
Answer: United States Supreme Court Judge Sonia Maria Sotomayor
geist60, First, can anyone name one president (Republican or Democrat) that has proposed taking away our guns? Yes, I can, Bill Clinton (by way of the Brady Bill).
Is Paranoia justified?
In the overall history of this country have all people been treated fairly? Have the Native Americans? Have the Blacks? What about early union organizer?
Speaking on overall fairness, what about the eugenics movement? Anyone could be a victim if deemed undesirable.
All of this is history, but does give some grounds for paranoia. Remember history can repeat itself.
More recently Department of Defense terror training material said public protests should be considered "low-level terrorism,". ("Defense Department sees protests as terrorism" 06/14/2009 Tri-Valley Herald - Pleasanton,CA,USA)
Obama is just going to TAX the ammo and weapons. That has been Handgun Controls agenda all along. Then instead of requiring registration you will have to purchase gun safes for your home. Well guess what, I bought a gun safe, so it must mean I have guns too. And all of this will be TAXED and owners recorded.
When they finally come for your computer because you did not resist... And Anita Dunn of the Obama administration recently called out a certain network that Obama is angry with.
You guys should keep up with the Supreme Court-
"The Supreme Court, in a landmark decision, in District of Columbia v. Heller, 128 S.Ct. 2783 (2008) ruled that "[t]he Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia, and to use that arm for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home" and "that the District’s ban on handgun possession in the home violates the Second Amendment, as does its prohibition against rendering any lawful firearm in the home operable for the purpose of immediate self-defense."[148][149][150][151]"
Relax, they can only take this gun from my cold, dead hands.
My memory of that history is fuzzy but I believe Abraham Lincoln did some confiscation of the people's firearms. Not 100% sure though, may have just been the people he imprisoned for disagreeing with him.
Why do people think Liberals want to take all their guns away? Why do they think the President does? Last I heard, his only statement on gun control is that he supported the supreme court's decision in the Washington DC case, which also kinda settled the matter RE a total ban on privately owned firearms. Also the ammo tax idea was something one kooky congressman proposed and only four representatives supported it, also not supported by the whitehouse or any party leadership.
But... the government's gonna getcha. They're coming to take you away, oh no, they're coming to take you away! Be Afraid, vote for XYZ Party! It's on par with people claiming the Republicans are going to take senior citizens social security checks away. They're exactly the same kind of partisan hysteria.
Guns help keep people from over population. Republican form of birth control!
disillusioned, I agree with you. I too am an oldster and worry about the fear that has seeped into every part of our lives. We think the answer to fear is to act tough. I don't have a problem with hunting weapons or handguns for self defense but I do have a problem with vigilante mentality. We no longer believe in the rule of law but in the power of force.
What an irresponsible headline--I am sure most folks who went to this event went because they like guns--not because of Obama--That said, the picture is enough to scare the heebie geebies out of me. Yeah, it's like the Y2K hoax, whip people up to sell 'em stuff. Sad.
The NRA and gun and ammunition manufactures are relying on fear and paranoia as a marketing ploy to promote sales. The Obama administration and congress have done nothing to compromise 2nd amendment rights in this country, nor are they planning to. It's not even on their radar screen. It's just more of the politics of fear to incite people to do foolish things rather than think for themselves. I certainly don't need an organization as disingenuous as the NRA to tell me what to think about anything. I've owned many guns in my time (still do), but I would never in a million years have even thought about owning something like the young man in the photo is holding. What's he going to do with it? That's about as ridiculous as it can possibly get!
Bang!!! oops I mean Dang my gun right were taken away when I was young, dumb, and full of ...for a felony drunk driving in the early 80's, so like driving is a privilege so is gun ownership.....So when they take away "your" rights, maybe it will be time to give them a couple of lefts.
A little digging shows the weapon in that boy's hands is a Golani Sporter .223 semi-automatic rifle, a civilianized version of the Israeli army's version of the venerable AK-47. It's designed for the weekend warrior Im-compensating-for-something American customer. It is also apparently capable of accepting assault rifle ammo clips. No idea what it's max rate of fire is.
I could not see any sensible hunter using one of these, and the only reason one would call on it for home defense is if you're fighting back against a gang drive-by shooting. What possible use is it aside from the "ohh it looks cool man" appeal?
ooooohhhh that looks cool man
happiness is a warm gun.
"No idea what it's max rate of fire is." Pull trigger, one bullet go out. Pull trigger again, one bullet gout again. Folks I know in the lower 48 use AR-15's for coyote.
We have a half dozen 223's, bought my first Colt preban A2 for $400 in late 80's; now around $1600. But Obama made me buy another Stagg Arms 15 this spring just the same. The old slickster had me buying case after case of 223 too, back when it was $179/thousand; now $400. My grandkids will be still burnin it out, ha.
When the dems and their goofy gun control ideas are in power, I buy 6-7 guns a year and all the ammo I can afford. When the repubs come back in power, I start buying guitars and other toys like everybody else I know. I have never regretted buying guns or ammo; heck my wife doesn't even question or dispute my logic anymore.
Funny thing is if old Obama was a hunter/shooter, and wasn't so antigun; half my people would be dang dems; and they'll never figure it out either.
there are numerous reasons gun and ammo sales are so far up. it's more than just the fear that obama might take them or stop their sales. i personally am glad americans are stocking up on these. i know that some of you are worried by it. frankly, i hope you lose a lot of sleep over this. i don't think of a columbine shooter when i see that picture up above of the young man holding the assault rifle. i see a young patriot.
"semi-automatic" isnt that like being a little bit pregnant? Why would anyone buy a car that will go 100 MPH? What differance will it make if you are dead ?
Isanova -- "No idea what it's max rate of fire is."
1 tap = 1 bullet
I don't see any mention in the article about the dozen or so tables where people were selling (**GASP!**) candles, jewelry, and assault fudge. Thank goodness the Jerky Hut wasn't there. Oh, there was also a guy next to our tables that was giving away bits of fossils to kids and talking biology with them, not a single gun on his table, horrible behavior for our youth to see.
The guy holding the rifle in the picture was standing in front of my table when the NM was interviewing him. He was carrying it around trying to sell it, not just trying to look cool. He didn't exactly have a line of people next to him trying to buy it. So much for hoarding guns.
geist60 asked: "First, can anyone name one president (Republican or Democrat) that has proposed taking away our guns? You can't, because this hysteria was created by some ultra-conservative as a way to create fear and sell more guns. "
Your current Vice President for one. Get off the blogs for a while and find out what he had to do with previous gun bans and gun control legislation. But it's not only him. It's congress that we are concerned about.
As far as hysteria being created by ultra-conservatives, wrong again. It's been brought on by the current administrations anti-gun history. YOU are the one acting hysterical an are obviously uninformed, or you just want to go along with the rest and tell us the emperor is wearing his new clothes.
The semi automatic rifle has been sold to the citizens of this country
since after ww11. No great hue and cry about assault rifles until
recenr years. Thousamds of thes rifles ARE used to hunt with as well
as a armed populace who would have the capibilities to resist any
invader of our nation.
All this hysteria has feed the demand for ammunition, lowering supply, and driving the prices up to 1000%.
Thanks Rush and others ......ordinary hunters from bush Alaska can not hang around town waiting for gun shows.... or afford expensive cab rides from store to store looking for shells to hunt with. All these people with garages full of ammo buying every thing in sight, are a real hardship to Joe Villager... looking to get dinner.
Yer fullofit reakoff -- hunting cartridges and shot shells are still abundantly available, as always. It's the self-defense and specialty ammunition that is scarce.
Look for the people that are making money on all the gun/ammo trade. More than likely these same folks are working hard to increase the hysteria.
Oh goodness! The Chosen One, the Hussein, the Magic... well, you know... is out to get us! Save us all!
Thanks, DNM, for keeping up the insanity. Now, looking forward to the predictable stories about "accidental" self inflicted wounds, killings, etc. At least the gun nuts keep their own population under control.
the democrats provide a wonderful stimulus for the arms industry and a growing appreciation of our second ammendment rights. isn't irony cool.
The Democrats in 1994:
"From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
The Federal Assault Weapons Ban (AWB) (or Public Safety and Recreational Firearms Use Protection Act) was a subtitle of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, a federal law in the United States that included a prohibition on the sale to civilians of certain semi-automatic firearms, so called "assault weapons." There was no legal definition of "assault weapons" in the U.S. prior to the law's enactment. The ten-year ban was passed by Congress on September 13, 1994 and was signed into law by President Bill Clinton the same day. The ban only applied to weapons manufactured after the date of the ban's enactment.
The Federal Assault Weapons Ban expired September 13, 2004, as part of the law's sunset provision."
Don't even try telling me the Democrats do not want to control weapons.
Obama is the nations number one firearm and ammunition salesman!! The best part is he does it for free!!!
Wait. More importantly, Obama is trying to take away our beer?!?
I knew I shouldn't have voted for Nader!
Fairbanks is changing. The changes that I see aren't for the best. I would never imagine that anti-gun beliefs would be developed in the city with the most successful college rifle team in the country.
The gun show was great. It was highlighted participation by the young members of UAF rifle team and the area's high school rifle teams.
Disillusioned, did you know what George Washington did with his first big check from the Continental Congress?
He bought an expertly manufactured flintlock rifle. Our country won its independence from GB not only because a want of liberty and self-determination but because rifles were commonly used in the colonies and the people were skilled with them.
I saw many young people asking questions about guns. Not how to kill people but were instead interested in different types of guns and how they safely worked.
I know that I took my handicapped father to the show who was also my teacher. He absolutely enjoyed it and bought all of his daughters and his daughter-in-laws jewelry for Christmas. It is hard to get guys to go to holiday bazaars but they will go to gun shows and they tend to do their holiday shopping there.
Guns are not just for survivalists. They represent an important part of our collective heritage. I want to thank all of the people that made the gun show possible. My father really enjoyed it.
I prefer the 375 H&H mag. No need for high volume fire with that one. No car door or vest or kevlar helmet is going to stop 300 grains moving at 2,400 fps. And yes, some moose do wear body armor.
Do you think, Fairbanks may have just found an answer to some of it's economic woes. Gun and Ammo Makers are welcome to come and open up plants. I bet Hopkins would be against and Wilson for it. Why isn't FEDCo looking into bringing gun makers up here. Tax breakers should be given.
Why this sudden sensationalism by DNM?
This article is very - ah - warped?
I've had tables at the Gun Show.
There are always thousands who
come out to the show, the show is always filled with
vendors, ammo like everything else has become more
expensive. And now President Obama has something
to do with it?
I (myself) have no problem with most people owning guns, as long as they are RESPONSIBLE with them, meaning not sitting in their vehicle at the movies. If you can't keep your weapon secure then you don't deserve it. Gun control DOES mean more than just "shooting straight" or "using both hands", it also means keeping your weapon secure so that the only people who get shot with it are people of your choice.
People who leave control of their guns in a place where they can be relatively easy to steal do not deserve to own them. I'm sick of reading about stolen gun, or guns in the paper- leave them at home, in a safe, if you can't keep control of them. Or- just keep on justifying gun control...
----------------------------------------
The Assault rifle held by the skinny young man in the picture is an I.M.I. (Israeli Military Industries) Galil, not "Golani". The .308 (or 7.62 NATO) is a much better version of that rifle, especially if it has the attached folding bi-pod with integrated wire cutters (so you can belly crawl up to a fence and cut through it while keeping your barrel on the enemy).
http://media.photobucket.com/image/galil...
(This comment was removed by the Newsminer.com staff. Please see our User Agreement for further information.)
oops, it is a Golani, oh well......
it's still made by IMI and the .308 version is still better.
nevermind, it's made by "CAI"....but it's still Israeli...
Coming up on a year soon. I guess Obama is just biding his time. <Snicker>
[i]
"i don't think of a columbine shooter when i see that picture up above of the young man holding the assault rifle. i see a young patriot."[/i]
Geez I only have a bolt action .22, guess we're not good Americans!
scary gun pic's!!!! I'd better hide!!!! assault,auto,rate of fire...scary words ..must be bad.....
I haven't missed a gun show at the University for the past ten years. Guns and ammo are getting harder to find at reasonable prices. Some Democrats play innocent about the move to "take your guns." Others like disillusioned are emotion-driven. Either way, they aren't your friends. It's amazing that so many of them exist even in Fairbanks.
I don't own any military-looking weapons, but how they look is the most superficial aspect of guns. Nevertheless, appearance is the first thing superficial gun-grabbers care about.
Gotta git me some of that thar assault fudge.
On July 2, 2008, Barack Obama said: “We cannot continue to rely on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we’ve set. We’ve got to have a civilian national security force that’s just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded.”
Isanova: Lincoln suspended habeas corpus. He confiscated people. Not one of his prouder moments.
After that little incident with Hitler in the 40's you would think that every Jew who could own an assault rifle would. Someone need to explain the concept of a liberal Jew to me. Seriously, that one I don't understand.
TonkaTruckGreen, I know people who use AR-15s to hunt caribou, and wasn't there a polar bear killed not to long ago in Ft. Yukon with either an AR-15 or a Mini 14?
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
The Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms. The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.
-Thomas Jefferson, Proposed Virginia Constitution, 1776
To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of people always possess arms...
- Richard Henry Lee, 1788, Member of the First U.S. Senate.
That the said Constitution shall never be construed to authorize Congress to infringe the just liberty of the press or the rights of conscience; or to prevent the people of the United States who are peaceable citizens from keeping their own arms...
- Samuel Adams, Debates and Proceedings in the Convention
of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
The beauty of the second amendment is that it will not be needed until they try to take it.” - Thomas Jefferson
I sympathize with people who want to ban guns, but I can't agree with them. We have to be careful in our zeal to abolish guns that we don't wind up with counter-productive legislation that will leave armed only the people most likely to do harm with them.
- Hugh Downs, veteran ABC newsman
Gun bans don't disarm criminals, gun bans attract them.
- Walter Mondale
U.S. Ambassador to Japan
Certainly one of the chief guarantees of freedom under any government, no matter how popular and respected, is the right of citizens to keep and bear arms. The right of citizens to bear arms is just one guarantee against arbitrary government, one more safeguard against the tyranny which now appears remote in America but which historically has proven to be possible.
- Senator Hubert H. Humphrey
If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege.
- Arkansas Supreme Court
Experience hath shewn, that even under the best forms (of government) those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny.
- Thomas Jefferson
LOL.. I saw the title and knew all the nutz would be posting
Not Americans!
My wife and I fear people like disillusioned and Isanova.My wife says,no real Americans more like Socialist.
mr_one_time: Your wife needs to check your sentence structure before she lets you post.
From what I have been reading, the Supreme Court will extend the ruling concerning gun ban in DC across all America; I guess they are nuts too.
We use mini-14's & ars off snowmachines alot; good old 223s. I want to get a nice M1 and dress her up some. I think the new ones are around 1200 bucks in 30-06.
Only goes to prove the old saying, they only thing you have to fear is fear itself.
I say keep stirring up the hysteria and you'll get your fear! All this 2nd Amendment fear, I attended a meeting back in May I think, what a bunch of fear mongers, the NEWSY paperboy running the podium was like some skinhead that dressed like some Disney newboy character. Montana's finest attended spewing their hate of Obama, even had people declaring their rights from some flier they concocted....most ignorant show of ignorant people I've witnessed. If Obama does decide to pull the reins I would say it's out of ENOUGH IS ENOUGH......you're asking for it!!! Keep it up you dumbies....oh and the show of handguns on the hip, wasn't impressed......big deal.
What would Schaeffer do?
trust the the newminor to get cute instead of factual. they are known for promoting a liberal agenda and it really gripes them we have a gun show without goverment intervention. the news minor has no citizen's well being in mind. they are not locally owned and reflect the values of the lower 48 mentality. if you want news go somewhere else come to the news minor for grins and giggles.
"Keep it up you dumbies"
Well, I'd say that comment speaks for itself.
Is a Dumby like a Gumby?
I too attended the gun show because, well, I like guns. It is not about what we need. It is about what we want. Nobody needs an assault rifle, or high performance car, or a jet ski, or a kitchen aid mixer. But so what? That is the whole point of liberty, to do what you want to do. If my neighbor wants an M-1 tank, and is responsible, no shooting of tanks in the neighborhood, then power to him. Being responsible is the adult side of having liberty. I am not opposed to gun show buyers of guns having to do the same paperwork as someone buying from a dealer. It makes it a little harder for the mentally disturbed and felons to arm themselves, but I am under no delusion that it will stop them either.
There are people in the Democratic Party that would love to restrict access to guns, but such a thing requires way too much political capital and, at the present time, they have other more pressing things to spend it on. If you are trying to change the way a whole country pays for health care then you don’t want to use up your sound bites on unpopular causes.
Gun sales and show have gone on for a couple hundred years.
Those that are 'dismayed' by people who own different varieties of guns,
would live in fear if the were in Switzerland. Basically ALL households are armed.
The_Alaska_Curmudgeon
My wife and I think you're a dumb-bell or just maybe dumb-struck.
My wife and I think this topic is going to continue to be a hot one here in Fairbanks. You know how I feel about it as a proud liberal and reformed former republican.
I'm a middle aged female - I own guns, I even have an AR-15. Just because someone in Wash.DC may or may not want me to have guns, doesn't automatically mean they are going to be at my door tomorrow to take them. I shoot my AR-15 for respect for a well functioning machine - just as you would drive a ferrari in admiration of it's form and performance. I also shoot as a test of my hand/eye coordination - as a challenge to put a very small bullet (or not so small) in a small area very far away. The UAF Shooting team is one of the best in the nation - some would say why bother? I say, please bother - it's a skill that may or may not be needed. If you had to have a gun to defend yourself - wouldn't you want to be able to shoot accurately so that you don't hit the innocent bystander behind the bad guy? I don't know how old the young man is in the picture but what I immediately thought of was all of the 19 year old soldiers who are given assault rifles before they can even drink alcohol. There are plenty of contradictions in our world. I would like to think the best of those who own guns - like myself who respect them for the power they have and choose to only use them in a safe, controlled manner. I think people are afraid of guns only because they're afraid of the potential for violence inherent in a gun. If you take the time to learn how they work and respect them for the damage they COULD do, they probably wouldn't be so frightening. I truly believe in the saying "guns don't kill people, people kill people". Because if you really thought about it - what's the difference between using a gun vs bow & arrow, blunt object or kicking someone to death? If the intent is there a person will find a way to kill, regardless of method.
Wasn't able to make it to the Gun Show this weekend; from the pictures, I'd guess that everyone who did make it there had an good time. I'm glad for them...
Gun Control? If you think it can't happen here then you had better look down under. Australian's turned in their guns - except the criminals. Now they are wondering why their gun related crime rate is climbing. The Supreme Court can redecide this issue any time they want. Our weapons are not only to protect us from criminals, or for hunting, or for target shooting. They are to protect us from a government intent on making us dependant on the federal government. Read the history of our founding fathers.
To those posters here that believe Obama won't try to do away with private ownership of firearms, you only have to look at his past voting record. There was not one (1) piece of anti-gun legislation that crossed his desk he did not agree with and then signed onto! And just look at his appointments to his cabinet those with very strong anti-gun records, some coming from the Clinton administration! Lastly, his appointment to the Supreme Court! He has not shown all his cards yet, just like a poker player and the words coming out of his mouth are nothing more than a bluff! Regardless of the ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court in the Heller -vs- Washington DC case, he will make every attempt to restrict our guaranteed rights. Actions speak louder than words!
Rational fear influences a person to buy extra caches of necessary commodities in case of emergency. Commodities such as nonperishable food, water, ammunition, etc.
Irrational fear influences a person to stockpile and hoard necessary commodities when there is no overt threat of emergency or imminent danger.
The firearms industry is laughing all the way to the bank. Their record profits are being fueled by the irrational fear of many 2nd amendment advocates, whose hoarding behavior is responsible for the shortage of ammunition. Supply and demand being what it is in a capitalist country, the price of ammo has shot through the roof. No surprise there.
I appreciate the pro-gun views expressed in this thread, but disagree with a number of them.
I respect the expressed concerns for constitutional rights, for being able to protect the people from a tyrannical government. I value people's comments about history and the need to remember lessons learned. I absolutely believe in the need for people to be ever-vigilant of government.
I just don't happen to think we're at the point of having goose-stepping feds/Nazis bust open our front doors in order to confiscate the people's munitions. I disagree with those 2nd amendment advocates who suggest our government is now tyrannical. They fan the flames of irrational fear with those views. They are, in fact, creating a powerful undercurrent of fear that is itself frightening.
The greatest, actual threat to the U.S. is not the Obama administration by any means. It is instead the pervasive violence in our society, from inner-city gangs to rural para-military groups, from foreign-born to home-grown terrorists. American culture is awash in violence. It's hard to watch the news, tv programs, or the movies without seeing something blowing up, getting gunned down, crashing into something else, getting dissected, spouting blood. How many virtual murders has the average American witnessed via our "entertainment" industry? How much does that number sky-rocket for this country's avid video game playing population, e.g., America's youth?
The people of this country are becoming increasingly desensitized to violence, and more willing to act on it. That's the most dangerous trend I see.
Assault Rifles DON'T exist. There are a liberal media artifice. It is meant to scare bed-wetting liberals; like themselves. All guns of all calibers have practical applications or the market wouldn't support them.
Gun manufacturers do try to appeal to different demographics with different appearances. I have seen child sized guns in bright Barbie pink- what demographic is targeted there. How about the high-shine, sparkly, silver, glitter-finished gun I saw at this gun-show? To quote Jeff Foxworthy "Red-necks like shiny things...". This does not make the manufacturers evil; just savvy to a free-market economy.
If you think there is no place for 'that kind of gun', then maybe you can't handle it. Just like a sports car or a motorcycle- if you can't handle it; you don't need to own one. But you can- and no one will stop you, because it is your RIGHT. So don't trample on other people's.
I'd just like to vouch for the young man in the picture. He was a victim of the Newsminus and their anti-gun agenda.
The young man in that picture does not look as he is portrayed - he was the victim of a bad picture. If you ever met him in person you would not even recognize him.
He is a good young man and he is still in high school. He is considering going on to Bible college. Please do not look at the picture and judge him as something he is not!
I agree - scary picture...but, that is what the newsminus was going for!
I think the photo is perhaps unflattering to the man pictured, but I think the named concerns about the pose come from viewer's baggage and not the photo itself. We are the people who overreact to the image of a young man wearing black clothes and carrying a gun. I don't think there is anything objectionable in the photo itself! In fact, he is obeying at least two gun safety rules in this photo: barrel pointed in a safe direction, finger nowhere near the trigger. Plus, I'm guessing those orange tags have some safety meaning, too? I'm not sure.
I'm sure that the photographer was just taking a picture, not making a statement. Without any corroborating information, it is unfair to cast doubt on him.
Run for your lives!!
Head for the hills!!
Lock yer' doors and windows!!
Pull the blinds and shades!!
Don't look anyone in the eyes or reciprocate a "hello!" or "good day!"
Get yer' women folk off the streets before sun-down!!
Is it Abayoyo??
Frankenstein??
No, it's much worse than that!! The People have guns, and some of them have medical cannabis!!
<GASP!>
Run!! Run Bambi!! Don't look back, Bambi!! Run as fast and as far as you can!!
-----------
BTW, the Golani has little in common with an AK-47, other than for being a gas-operated, locking bolt, feeding the chamber from a magazine with a blow-back mechanism that's fed ammunition from the magazine via the gas tubes from the forward area of the barrel, where it's ported to the tubes, with the return pressure causing the bolt to unlock by roating under specific pressure following each shot, cycling the action SEMI-automatically.
Its closest brother or sister in the "Oh my Gawddd!! Loook at that!!" look-alike category is the very fine Israeli-made Galil... (Everyone should have two... One in .308, and one in .223 or 5.56 mm.)
I nearly forgot to add that the 2nd Amendment has ZERO to do with hunting, target shooting (except as it applies to militia drills), or appeasing a neighbors neuroses where pointy or other potentially hazzardous objects are concerned...
There are anti-depressants and psychotropic medications for those purposes.. But if you check your Physicians Desk reference, many of -those- things are truly dangerous, without -any- regard to how they're used...
A quick look at history will tell you that all of the tyrannical regimes around the world were able to disarm their people BEFORE the regimes took solid hold. With weapons, the people can fight back if they need to.............and they will. God bless the Snewsminer for running this topic. You guys just boosted the gun sales and gun awareness to Interior folks.
So if someone votes/is in favor of one bill restricting guns they suddenly want to take them all away from you? There is a huge difference between wanting to regulate firearms and wanting to ban them entirely. The President, Bill Clinton and others have voted in favor of restrictions sure... that doesn't mean they are in favor of eliminating all guns.
I'm not saying I am in favor of gun bans... I favor restriction and licensing of guns, including a national registry of firearms and closing the "buy it with cash" loophole of gun shows. I am not a hunter, my grandfather passed before he felt I was old enough to entrust with a gun, but that doesn't mean I hate them. I do not understand why anyone needs a semi-automatic or automatic gun though, 6-shooters and bolt-action rifles should be enough IMO.
how can you find out when the gun show is coming? i always seem to get the news after it happens.
LadyNYC wrote: "The greatest, actual threat to the U.S. is not the Obama administration by any means. It is instead the pervasive violence in our society, from inner-city gangs to rural para-military groups, from foreign-born to home-grown terrorists."
The current administration has a history of supporting ANY AND ALL gun control legislation at the federal, state and local levels. Guess who gets hurt by it? Us law abiding citizens who want to protect ourselves from the very ones you mention above. A cell phone and 911 is not going to do it whether it is a home invasion or a local disaster like the hurricanes they had in New Orleans or the LA Riots a few years back or even a local earthquake or flood or some other disaster.
What we have in Washington now with the current administration and congress are Political Terrorists. There won't be a door to door gun grab. But, we will see more and more government takeover at all levels in the name of "protection" or "solving the current _______ crisis". You know, it's "for your own good".
If the administration was really concerned with "gun violence" in our society they would create a national program to educate kids in school about what to do if they come across a gun. Instead, they are taught that guns are evil, only cops and bad guys have them. There is a tremendous lack of education. The Eddie Eagle program by the "evil pro-gun lobby group the NRA" teaches kids what to do if they come across a firearm. "STOP, DON'T TOUCH, LEAVE THE AREA,TELL AN ADULT!!" Why not have some kind of program like this in ALL schools nation wide? They could teach the kids how to put condoms over the barrels while there at it. Have it be a private contract and it would fall under the economic stimulus package.
But, I guess we can't pollute their minds with NRA propaganda now can we. We'll leave it to the fear mongers, video games and hollywood to educate them instead.
DISCLAIMER: Evil NRA Eddie Eagle Propaganda....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIEBrb_wR...
barb707, Obama called. He wants you to criticize his administration more comprehensible. Said it was 'for your own good', whatever that means.
TAC - I'm trying to make a comment in your style. How'd I do?
The pictures chosen where done with only one thought in mind. To create a since of fear by using an illiusion of guns in the wrong hands. I wonder how many hundreds of other photos where taken that could of shown a happy family man looking for a new hunting or sport target shooting gun. Maybe even brought his family along side. Or a smart woman looking for that perfect self protection firearm. Oh but that wouldn't have generated as much interest to see how bad by only two pictures we alaskan's could be seen.
"disillusioned" What is scary is that you chide us for calling you out on your paraniod rant...but yet you apparently seem to fail to realize that that man with the shirt is quoting a famous founding father of our country. I know my history, I've studied the American Revolution. Perhaps you need a refresher course.
And check your emotions at the door...you really need to calm down.
Just a side note -
The DNM is neither consistently extremely "pro" liberal, or "pro" conservative, as far as political issues go - a lot of that depends entirely on the source[s] their stories are fed from. Any partisan bias of the DNM [publisher or editors], is more commonly to be found in which articles they print, or omit.
The slant that the DNM DOES consistently show is "pro" Greater FBK Chamber of Commerce/FedCO.
Isanova
There are already hundreds of federal laws on the books regarding purchasing and licensing of firearms. But the anti-gun zealots want more. So where do the regulations and restrictions stop? You mention a "national gun registry". You only need to look at Australia and Great Britian to see where that leads.
What about wanting guns and stocking up simply to take care of OURSELVES??!!??!!
The US currency is tanking, food becomes more expensive every day. A solution?- hunting. Alaskan climate limits the food that can be grown (giant cabbages aside); but we are quite abundant with the food that can be caught or shot.
Also, paranoia is a natural response to be called a terrorist. Remember all veterans are consider home-grown terrorists now. And we have seen clearly how terrorists are treated. It would certainly lead me to the 'ain't takin' me alive' mentality. Being paraniod DOESN'T mean they AREN'T out to get you.Looking over your shoulder in Bear country isn't paranoid; its how you come home alive!
What do you think is the end purpose in all the LAW-ABIDING citizens registering their firearms? It does end with the government going door to door and confiscating them all!! Ask the Dutch, ask the British, ask the Aussies. And those places have proven the gun-owner's points that criminals don't obey the law (DUH!!), people can be hurt, maimed and killed with anything; and that unarmed people who cannot defend themselves are easy pickings for the whims of criminals.
REAL MEN don't need "MY WIFE AND I" to blog on here.....honestly, buck up!!!
AK1958
My wife and I both pack.
If I remember correctly, the Colmbine shooters did not get their guns at a gun show. If you think that we do not have rpresentatives who want to ban all guns, look at Sen Feinstein of Ca. " If I could I would say Mr and Mrs America turn them all in."
GUN OWNERS OF AMERICA
"I'd just like to vouch for the young man in the picture. He was a victim of the Newsminus and their anti-gun agenda.
The young man in that picture does not look as he is portrayed - he was the victim of a bad picture. If you ever met him in person you would not even recognize him.
He is a good young man and he is still in high school. He is considering going on to Bible college. Please do not look at the picture and judge him as something he is not!
I agree - scary picture...but, that is what the newsminus was going for!" - sherry29
_______________
Thank you Sherry. I'm sure he would be less than pleased that the NM has portrayed him in that light (as he should be) and that "disillusioned" (and others like her) in her biased ignorance equates his appearance combined with that mean looking black gun with the Columbine killers. It kind of reminds me of Obama's grandmother being afraid of black people.
@max0330: "But the anti-gun zealots want more." As I look through the comments, it's pretty clear which side the zealots are on.
@tami26: "A solution?- hunting." ADF&G's own figures show that Alaska wildlife production is not sufficient for this to be done sustainably, even under intensive predator management, for more than a few percent of Alaska's population. That's a pretty limited "solution".
I'm an avid gun nut, went to the gun show on both Saturday and Sunday. Been there so many times over the years most of the regular exhibitors recognize me. I own more than 30 firearms, I both build and modify weapons.
I can't really get a firm read on what President Obama wants to do about firearms. His past record is not favorable, but he was involved in the Democratic party, having a pro-gun record would have hindered him within the party.
There are already laws preventing the sale and transfer of automatic weapons, without special permission (tax stamps, etc.). Any particular bans are redundant, especially if what is being banned is already illegal for most people.
The real issue should be what are the purpose of firearms? The founding fathers were clear, they wanted the average citizen to be able to protect himself, and to have those citizens come together to defend each other in times of need. This has not changed, and nor should it. Unfortunately what has changed is the sense of community. Instead of looking out for one another, many are looking to take advantage of one another.
In reality people aren't equal, some are larger, stronger, faster, etc. Without guns the physical differences between people are the decisive ones. My grandmother cannot defend herself against a physical attacker if she doesn't have a gun, she simply is too small to defend herself. With a gun she is as dangerous as any attacker.
It should be about individual freedoms, and the right to choose how to live one's life.
Although Heller V. DC was a great victory for those who support the right of lawful citizens of the U.S. to own firearms, it has done little to liberate the folks in DC in their pursute of gun ownership. Many local roadblocks have been errected to make it very difficult to own a gun in DC....(a city with one of the highest gun crime rates in the nation and has seen this high gun crime rate come down since Heller was decided)
The case for us all now to watch is McDonald V.Chicago....the Supreme Court has agreed to hear this case in the current session and it will likely have a broader effect on how the 2nd amendment is interpetered nation wide. Alaska has fairly good gun laws but there are many states and cities, across the land where is very difficult to own or use a firearm...
Make no mistake...the Obama admisistration is working on may fronts to make it more difficult to own and use our firearms...from California's efforts to finger print anyone purchasing ammo or requiring all ammo to be ID'ed in one fasion or another...more permits and more registration of anyone owning fire arms...lets all watch the Justice departments position in the McDonal V. Chicago case and we will get a better piture of their anti gun positions.
Isanova
I believe your first post said "semi-assault rifle." What is a semi-assault rifle anyway? Is that like being semi-pregnant? And exactly what is an "assault rifle."? Because it's black and looks menacing? Because it can shoot multiple times? Bolt-action rifles and semi-automatic shotguns can shoot multiple times, so does that make them an "assault guns too?
Background checks are required for handguns and the proper federal forms are required to purchase long guns and those forms are provided to the BATF! So in essence the government already know what gun(s)
you purchased!
In 1929, the Soviet Union established gun control. >From 1929 to 1953, about 20 million dissidents, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.
In 1911, Turkey established gun control. From 1915 to 1917, 1.5 million Armenians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.
Germany established gun control in 1938 and from 1939 to 1945, a total of 13 million Jews and others who were unable to defend themselves were rounded up and exterminated.
China established gun control in 1935. From 1948 to 1952, 20 million political dissidents, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminate
Guatemala established gun control in 1964. From 1964 to 1981, 100,000 Mayan Indians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.
Uganda established gun control in 1970. From 1971 to 1979, 300,000 Christians, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.
Cambodia established gun control in 1956. From 1975 to 1977, one million educated' people, unable to defend themselves, were rounded up and exterminated.
Defenseless people rounded up and exterminated in the 20th Century because of gun control: 56 million.
It has now been 12 months since gun owners in Australia were forced by new law to surrender 640,381 personal firearms to be destroyed by their own government, a program costing Australia taxpayers more than $500 million dollars. The first year results are now in:
List of 7 items:
Australia-wide, homicides are up 3.2 percent.
Australia-wide, assaults are up 8.6 percent.
Australia-wide, armed robberies are up 44 percent (yes, 44 percent)!
While figures over the previous 25 years showed a steady decrease in armed robbery with firearms, this has changed drastically upward in the past 12 months, since criminals now are guaranteed that their prey is unarmed.
There has also been a dramatic increase in break-ins and assaults of the ELDERLY. Australian politicians are at a loss to explain how public safety has decreased, after such monumental effort and expense was expended in successfully ridding Australian society of guns. The Australian experience and the other historical facts above prove it.
You won't see this data on the US evening news, or hear politicians disseminating this information.
Guns in the hands of honest citizens save lives and property and, yes, gun-control laws adversely affect only the law-abiding citizens.
The next time someone talks in favor of gun control, please remind them of this history lesson.
With guns, we are 'citizens'.
Without them, we are 'subjects'.
During WWII the Japanese decided not to invade America because they knew most Americans were ARMED!
I am truly amaized that nobody has mentioned the Ammuniton Accountability Act. These are the folks that want to serial number every bullet and piece of brass. Although they truthfully report the cost to laser engrave the numbers is only pennies per round - they fail to mention the final cost of labor to keep track of the serial numbers during purchase and the vast computer data base will add $42 to a box of ammo. It has been introduced in 17 states. Read about it here http://www.ammunitionaccountability.org/...
How many of you have ammo that is older than a few years - or ammo older than your kids? That will be become a felony under that AA. Once the AA is enacted - you have 6 months to use or surrender un-registered ammo.
Why no mention of the Latin American Gun Ant-Proliferation Act of 2009 that Obamma signed this summer? This little beauty of legislaton is aimed at preventing clandistine 'Ammunition Manfucturing Plants' in Latin America, but, also applies to the USA. In Alaska this is called 'Handloading' and 'Reloading' - yup - America technically has a teaty on the books that bans handloading and reloading in this county...... just waiting for the right emergency conditions to 'implement' it.
And least we not forget the Governator of California signing into law a requiremnt for fingerprinting of all people buying ammo this past Friday?
Buying ammo legally as a teenager on a rifle team back in the 1970's with no ID - is soon to become a felony in just a few months in some states. Not a misdemeanor or a ticket - a felony.
Hmmm...... so, how far away are we from 1939 Germany? Lots of things got outlawed then 'for the good of the childern and family values'. Will it be 5 years or 15 years before we hear.... Papers please ..... papers please...... show me your papers.......
Prospector -
what ever is the cause of the present ammo shortages, it definately DOES concern people in need of ammo to hunt and feed themselves, and common hunting ammo can be very hard to find right now.
I usualy get a big box of .22long rifle for the winter, but this year, after looking every time I was in town all summer, I've had to ask friends in town to keep their eye's open and send any they find out, with anyone coming my way.
No point in being armed unless you know how to use such arms and are willing to use them. Get some training and practice, practice, practice.
Charlie, the anon email you have pasted here is a decade old 'forward this now' message mistaken about at least about Australia's statistics:
http://www.factcheck.org/askfactcheck/pr...
The short version is that Australia's gun control changes happened thirteen years ago and their homicide rate is at a record low as of 2007. Their gun murder rate has dropped, too. There is some argument about whether or not the gun control changes helped this in any way, but no one is saying that gun crime is worse.
Snopes covers a slightly different version of that same letter here:
http://www.snopes.com/crime/statistics/a...
They conclude that the quoted statistics are misleading and not particularly applicable to the U.S. anyway.
Also, I'm pretty sure that the claim that the Japanese did not invade the mainland U.S. because the civilians had guns is bunk. The factcheck article backs this up. They can't find any evidence that Japan was planning an invasion, let alone that they were concerned about armed civilians. Moreover, it doesn't make much sense for a trained army to be concerned about civilians with guns. After all, an attacking army has to deal with an opposing army that has guns (and much more besides).
Husband and wife both pack here also...but I have my own opinions.
The only people who are responsible for the current shortage of ammo - short of .223 that is - are the people buying ammo. If I were a gun dealer I would vote Democrat across the board and retire rich and early.
tom54 -- "Moreover, it doesn't make much sense for a trained army to be concerned about civilians with guns."
Tell that to our armed forces in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Horn of Africa.
I may have phrased that a bit incorrectly, Prospector. Certainly, they should be concerned. However, it wouldn't stop an invasion.
And the point still stands that the quoted sentence is false.
The ammunition accountability act is the one nutjob legislation I mentioned before, it was not supported by the white house or either party's leadership.
max0330,
by semi-assault I mean semi-automatic assault rifle, an assault rifle first devised in WWII by the germans IIRC, and the AK-47 qualifies.
As for registration, most of the gun laws on the books are ineffective. Gun shows let you buy as many guns as you want without the 3-day background check in most states. What I mean by supporting a national gun registry is that every gun bought will be registered as well as the bullet's rifling (as they love to show on NCIS) so that if they do find a bullet at a crime scene that happened to be fired by a legally registered gun, it will be easier to track. Not 100% effective (can scratch up the rifling inside the barrel with a file) but it helps. What is wrong with that idea? It doesn't require massive bureaucracy like the idiotic stamping ammo with ID numbers idea.
I'm glad that all the liberals posting here don't like to own guns. That way the criminals will visit them instead of me. Oh, and there are more guns left for me too.
Flathead,
there are a lot of conservatives and moderates who don't like guns, and a lot of liberals who do. Being a member of the NRA doesn't require someone to be a Republican. :P
(This comment was removed by the Newsminer.com staff. Please see our User Agreement for further information.)
Isanova & Gun Rights
My wife and I think you just don't get it!
Isanove
Hitler and his National Gun Registry
Isanova and Gun Registry
Hitler and his National Gun Registry
The quote may be false but the gist of it is correct. The Japanese Admiral that was against the bombing of Pearl Harbor DID in fact hold that belief. He fought against invading mainland America because he had gone to school in the US and had seen the American spirit and the fact the majority of the populace was armed. Pearl Harbor was a compromise, using weapons from afar and no boots on the ground. Then when the Japanese did try to attack in Alaska; They got their a$$e$ handed to them!
Armies don't do well fighting a war of attrition. Ask the Eastern German Army how the trip was across Russia (if you can find any).
Mr_one_time,
what Hitlerian gun registry are you talking about? Are you just trying to throw out the Nazi argument because you can't think of a real rebuttal?
I support the idea because I know how much it will help solve gun crimes, and anyone who uses their guns lawfully need not fear it. I don't want a SS-style government internment of anyone anymore than you do, but if that were to be tried we'd have the Supreme Court and Military rising up against... this is what the separation of powers is.
Isanova
My wife and I says,Obama's National Gun Registry and Citizens Disarmament Act,is more than just a forced registration of all firearms in America.No different than Hitler and todays U.N.
With respect, Tami, please prove it. If you read the link to Factcheck.org's work on the topic, they can find no quote attributed to Adm. Yamamoto to that effect. Indeed, as I said before, Japan wasn't even considering a mainland invasion. I quote from fact check:
"(Note: The author alludes to a belief, widely held by supporters of gun rights, that Japan's WW II Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto advised his country's leaders against invading the U.S., supposedly saying "You cannot invade mainland United States. There would be a rifle behind each blade of grass." This alleged quote appears literally thousands of times in various Internet postings. So far we have seen none that cite any source, or even give a specific time, date or place where Yamamoto is supposed to have said or written this. We invite any of our readers who can validate this remark to send us a citation that we can check out. Until then we must classify this alleged quote as unverified and probably a fabrication.)"
Also relevant is the fact that Japan was not planning to invade the mainland. According to the U.S. Army's Center for Military History, Japan was only planning to fight a limited war. They wanted control of the Pacific, not control of the mainland.
http://www.history.army.mil/books/AMH-V2...
Isanova and Hitler
Hitler and Gun Registry? Do your homework please
(This comment was removed by the Newsminer.com staff. Please see our User Agreement for further information.)
I bet every gun shop owner in town had a McCain sign in front of the store and secretly voted for Obama. What a great deal for them.
All Obama has done with gun rights so far is follow through on the plan to allow guns in national parks. He doesn't have any plans to restrict gun rights, because (a) he cares about results-based policy, and gun bans don't produce results, (b) he honestly respect the Constitution, and (c) even if he favored more gun restrictions, it would cost him too much politically and endanger his agenda on important issues like health care, climate change, and financial market regulation.
I don't understand how people can be as stupid as some of the posters above, like this: "My wife and I says,Obama's National Gun Registry and Citizens Disarmament Act,is more than just a forced registration of all firearms in America.No different than Hitler and todays U.N." The poster refers to a conservative name for the "Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009" (http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd...) a silly bill some inner-city representative introduced to pander to his constituents. The bill has no chance of getting out of committee, let alone passing the House, let alone being signed by Obama. Obama has never expressed support for this bill, it will never cross his desk, and he's probably never even heard of it. Yet those facts aren't enough to stop morons from making the "Obama = Hitler" comparisons.
By the way, I'm a proud liberal who owns several guns. Obama doesn't pose any threat to them whatsoever. Also, just to reiterate my above post:
"Obama's National Gun Registry and Citizens Disarmament Act" is:
* Actually the "Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009"
* Only about registration, not disarmament.
* NOT A LAW, anyway. Just a kooky bill that won't pass.
* NOT created or even supported by Obama.
* Never going to become a law.
Yeah Obama is JUST like Hitler alright!
Guns don't kill people.
Nope.
People kill people.
With Guns.
You want to claim that the government wants to register guns because they want to come and take them away in a modern Kristallnacht against Conservatives/Gun Owners/White people/whatever... it's rather silly.
They couldn't possibly want to solve crimes. Heck the national fingerprint database must exist just so that they can track you down and put you in the Gulag when the time comes! Because of course anyone not in the Republican Party is obviously a Nazi who just wants to institute a dictatorial genocide on those god-fearing good Americans.
You know, best to get those un-American Americans before they get us. Next time we get a Republican in office they should use the patriot act and get those liberals before they take us and our kids away from us! At the same time why not get all those illegals (read non-whites) too, so America can be for the Good Americans once again! We don't need those liberal commie scum in "Our" country!
Now your catching on Isanova, but I'm fairly confused by you writing this earlier: "I am so glad we can buy guns for fun without background checks just so we can feel a little more manly."
LOL @ Isanova :)
I love how the small, fractioned, angry right-wingers are just SO MAD they aren't the majority of this country anymore!
@charliebussel: "The next time someone talks in favor of gun control, please remind them of this history lesson. With guns, we are 'citizens'. Without them, we are 'subjects'."
Iraqis under Saddam Hussein had nearly unrestricted access to firearms, which were pervasive. Why didn't you mention that?
"With guns, we are 'citizens'. Without them, we are 'subjects'."
At one point in time this saying might have had meaning. But it doesn't any more; are you going to shoot the people trying to pass laws? Or Congressmen you don't agree with? Because you have the ability to go on a killing spree (which would be no match for the U.S. military)you feel more patriotic? I am serious- I want someone to tell me what this quote means to them. It is often just part of the rhetoric spouted without thought.
TunaFingers,
I meant how easy it is to buy guns with cash at gunshows. One student, after that university shooting a year or two ago went out to prove a point and bought over 70 firearms in three states without a single background check, and they were all legal purchases. There's no way to do a gun show and have a background check the way you would at a gun store, because nobody is going to sit there and wait a week for the paperwork to clear... it would make gun-shows unpractical. That might make buying a gun more difficult and less easy, but it would be safer. Right now our gun-laws don't work by and large, because I can walk in with cash and a fake ID and buy myself the firepower and ammo needed to go on a killing spree regardless of me being a convicted felon or declared mentally incompetent.
It totally bypasses the law, only the laws totally banning things like selling full automatics have any effect... because buying anything like that requires special licenses.
Obama, the Attorney General and Sotomayor are a huge threat to the 2nd Amendment. Without the 2nd Amendment there is no 1st Amendment.
...People kill people. With Guns..../Q
or their bare hands, an axe, poison, antifreeze, drowning, etc.
Oh, and to some using the word CLIP, as in paper, hair, or to trim something or hold something together....
It's MAGAZINE. Thank you.
Gypsy, get real. Also with drunk driving & with knives & with stupidity & with... Well. you should get the idea, but I wonder if you will.
In what way, noainc? Please, expound on this idea, I am interested...
ha ha you guys are so scared of obama.... "he's the next hitler!" ha ha. plus i already got my ak's, so i am good. listen, there is no way you will be able to take away peoples rights to guns. they will probably just try to make it more expensive to own a ton of guns, but i am cool with that.
"Right now our gun-laws don't work by and large, because I can walk in with cash and a fake ID and buy myself the firepower and ammo needed to go on a killing spree regardless of me being a convicted felon or declared mentally incompetent." Hogwash!
I would ask you to try this exact thing. Isn't going to happen.
I am not saying you cannot buy from a private seller or seller's all day long. There is no law against individual/private transactions. Big difference.
It is not that firearms laws don't work--it is that criminals refuse to operate by the **rules**!! When will folks get that into their head?
Akprincess- I think you missed the point. But here, let me help you:
http://www.statemaster.com/graph/cri_mur...
That's right, we are #2 in gun-related deaths in the U.S.
Not California, not New York, not Illinois, not Michigan.
http://74.125.155.132/search?q=cache:BXI...
Almost 3 times the amount of people who died in drunk driving accidents died from a firearm.And these aren't all drug dealers and gang members.
Last year 11K people died in the U.S. from drunk driving. It's terrible, but 35K people die of gun-related deaths- a much bigger problem.
Idiots + Guns = not a good idea
Why is it such a scary idea that we don't want morons and crackheads packing guns everywhere? I seriously don't get it. The only people who should be worried are drug addicts, the mentally ill, the stupid and the psychotic!
What an asinine headline!
Setec and Isanova Wake Up
My wife and I says,Google Obama's H.R.45 Gun Grab!
WarOnGuns.Blogspot.com
U.N. Gun Control
My wife and I say,Google The United Nations and "Gun Control"
I found the comment about "when we were all terrified of Y2K" quite amusing. I for one was never terrified of Y2K. Now they think Obama is going to take away their guns. It appears these people are looking for something to be paranoid about. Not that there's anything wrong with gun shows, of course...I like guns myself, although I can't afford to buy another one.
"Last year 11K people died in the U.S. from drunk driving. It's terrible, but 35K people die of gun-related deaths- a much bigger problem." So you are advocating that folks should not be able to buy cars along with weapons???
mr_one_time, I can't believe you're so STUPID that I could explain H.R.45 to you and you're STILL freaked out about it.
H.R. 45 is completely unrelated to Obama, except that it was sponsored by an inner-city politician he once ran a race AGAINST. It's just one of the many thousands of bills that get sponsored by one guy and then sit around gathering dust until they're thrown out. Nobody was even willing to co-sponsor it. None of the websites you get from Googling H.R. 45 show ANY evidence that anybody's even TRYING to pass that bill. Every page consists of some right-winger talking about how awful and scary the bill is. Yes, it's a stupid bill, which is exactly why it's going nowhere and it poses no threat to anybody. But don't let that stop your conspiracy theories...
Ah, and I see Godwin's Law has already been fulfilled in this thread. Great job, folks; you're right on target, Obama is the next Hitler.
You know, I've never been able to see what all this fuss is about. I'm pretty conservative and you won't ever see me supporting an Assault Weapons Ban, Ammunition Accountability Act, or anything of the sort. I believe in the Second Amendment both because I hunt and because it embodies the principle of citizen supremacy. But I'm also not a paranoid conspiracy theorist. President Barack Obama has two wars, a health care crisis, a slumping economy, climate change, nuclear proliferation in Iran and North Korea, and who knows how many other problems on his plate. He's got the most difficult job in the world. Do you people really think he cares about your hunting rifle? Please get real.
This article doesn't have anything to do with Tammie Wilson. Stop trolling.
blue5011
" So you are advocating that folks should not be able to buy cars along with weapons???"
Hmmm, I don't think I said that. No, it would seem you are jumping to conclusions (which is also fairly dangerous). The point is that there are regulations to bring down the number of drunk drivers, high penalties to discourage it, ect. There is certainly MUCH more public awareness that there is a problem, and beyond that, acceptance of the problem.
Kids getting killed with guns is 100% preventable. There needs to be stiffer fines, mandatory gun lock use, and greater penalties. It's a huge problem in the U.S.- but people ignore it because they are so terrified of everything, so scared, that they need their gun on them/within reach at all times. I've known about a dozen kids growing up that were injured or killed with guns left out by brainless parents- and none of the parents were locked up for any amount of time.
Who says liberal dems don't own guns. I have 4 guns, I hunt, I am a military vet, fly my flag, love my country, and know my rights. Most of all, I'm not afraid of any President (GOP or DEM) or Congress taking away my right to own a gun. Stop the paranoia! Guns are simply tools.
Well said, hilgeinak.
Gypsyforlife: I don't actually think it's the government's prerogative to enter a private home and tell someone how to store their weapons. Yes, kids getting killed with guns is a tragedy, but the vast majority of citizens who are responsible and law-abiding should not be subjected to invasive regulations just because a few people are idiots.
I like your approach hilgenakl; I am a democrat, and I also have guns (mind you, not fully-automatics or semi-automatic handguns)for hunting and bears (better have a pistol for that!) but I don't clutch them or carry them to Fred Meyers with me...
Setec H.R.45 and U.N.
"My wife and I always keep vigilance when it comes to any law that could be an encroachment of our "God given Rights" Just like the United Nation Gun Grabbers." Your foolish comments were stupid!
"Kids getting killed with guns is 100% preventable."
In your dream world...
That's a good point AK_WDB. But I just think that something should be done- Alaska is literally #2 in the nation for firearms deaths- which is totally CRAZY.
Maybe it's because we have a unique situation of actually *needing* guns on a day-to-day basis (especially the bush) so people are really blasé about them, or half-assedly try to teach their kids about them.
Maybe require an I.Q. test? Hahaha- just kidding.
I don't think that increasing personal liability of ownership would punish responsible people- make it a mandatory 5 years in prison if a child is injured with your gun? But that would have to be well written, excluding guns being stolen, ect.
It's the 21st century, we can't even keep cars from killing people.
>>"Kids getting killed with guns is 100% preventable."
In your dream world...<<
Yes, in my dream world! It's not that complicated: keep your guns secure and make sure your kids KNOW they are not toys (taking a child moose hunting seems to do the trick). Really, it's not hard to do!
People like Disillusioned are basically afraid of guns. So when they see a picture,like the guy with the rifle,they get paranoid. MOST people who own guns,are decent law abiding people. Of course,there will alway's be a few bad apples. Let's not forget the facts that guns,can prevent crimes too. Alot of times without even firing a shot. As far as the term "Assault Weapons" here's a little history. Many years ago anti-gun pioneer Josh Sugarmann needed a catchy phrase to scare the public,to promote their anti-gun agenda. Along with Sarah Brady. His so called assault weapons,are guns that look like the real thing. The true assault weapons are fully automatic and illegal. As far as Obama not being a threat,think again. Unless he has a change of heart. I don't think so. I would not exactly call his past record pro-gun. Actions speak louder than words. Same for the rest of his administration. All he did was sign one bill into law. But he's shrewd. Let's not forget the fact,that he does want to reinstate the assault weapons ban. Part of his pledge to Mexico. Which was a proven failure. Pres.Clinton himself once said,it didn't live up to the expectations. This reinstated ban will add hundreds of more guns,not on the original ban. And also wants to make this ban permanent. He has just announced he and his administration,will participate with the UN,with their global small arms treaty. Which is a extremely serious threat to firearm ownership in the US. Take a look at Britian,who's pushing for the US to join with them,and Australia. They want us to be like them. Obama is highly endorsed by the Brady Campaign. Not who i would exactly call pro-gun. Trust Obama on guns. No way. JohnZ.
>>It's the 21st century, we can't even keep cars from killing people.<<
So we shouldn't try? Let's abolish all road laws and speed limits and see what happens? Ever been to South America? It's not pretty.
I've said it before and will say it again, although it will fall on dear ears, or rather, blind eyes, on this thread: No one is coming to take your guns.
Hey, send me to jail today, in five years I'll be out and ready to collect social security. What a plan! Why didn't I think of that!
There is a million things that cause death--someone just has a bent on **legal** weapons. Barking up the wrong tree buddy--you'll never convince me--three comments up you exposed your democrat side.
SlyArticFox
VIGILANCE is the ANSWER
Excellent argument, blue5011. Obviously it's not worth listening to someone if they have a "Democrat side".
flathead - "I'm glad that all the liberals posting here don't like to own guns. That way the criminals will visit them instead of me. Oh, and there are more guns left for me too."
So, is there a card that you put in your window that identifies you as a conservative gun owner, or do you just smear the blood of the animals you shoot around the doorframe so the bad guys will pass over?
Democrats seem to be against **legal** ownership/possession of weapons. It has been the democrat stand for years, nothing new here, move along... Getting back to the drunks and automobile thing--do we ban them too?
>>Getting back to the drunks and automobile thing--do we ban them too?<<
Yes, as a matter of fact, we do. Read much? Listen to the radio? The drunk-driving laws get stricter every year.
"drunk-driving laws get stricter every year." Really? Lowering the threshold from .10 BAC to .08 BAC just put more folks through the criminal justice system. So there is no one in Fairbanks driving drunk right now? More **feel good** laws.
Oh, scary gun, let's make a law against it...
We just disagree on guns and cars.
I though the guy in the picture was a hunter from Point Hope looking for ammo,but I could be wrong.
Maybe I shouldn't be pulling out facts and logic on you, but since these "feel good laws" have been strengthened, drunk driving fatalities have decreased by 30% from 2002 to 2006. (http://www.alcoholalert.com/drunk-drivin...)
I'm not saying we should outlaw guns- I'm in favor of people should be held accountable for owning them, and keeping them secure. I don't think that's too crazy, but you don't seem like a very rational person, blue5011. I am sure I am wasting my words.
Obama n guns...
For anyone to push for guns to be banned and come into your homes to take them away would require either an amendment to the constitution or violating it. Whatever you think of the President, and mind you the man is a constitutional scholar, if he was lying everytime he's talked about the issue and is secretly harboring urges to take all the guns in America away, he would need to basically violate the constitution. I don't care if the judges are liberal or conservative, they uphold the law not make it, and would step in. He would have to spark or at least risk civil war if he tried.
It's a stupid idea, and it will never happen... no matter how nefarious the Democrats are or how many seats in power they get. It simply will never happen, they'd be stupid to try for it.
This is the second time that I have seen the argument about the Japanese not invading us because civilians had guns. One doesn’t always need guns to invade a country. Besides the Aleutians, the Japanese did in a sense invade US soil but from the air. They used balloons. They send bomb balloons onto US soil and were also considering sending balloons laden with disease-causing agents. Both of these methods required less manpower and resources on their part. When they invaded China, they started experimenting with strong strains of anthrax, cholera, etc. on the Chinese. They dropped these agents from planes on Chinese in towns and confined Chinese prisoners to small enclosed areas cages where they dosed them with these diseases. They were hoping to find a sufficient dosage to stricken a population. The theory behind their use of bio-agents for warfare was that a sick army takes more of the enemy’s resources to combat than an army that is killed outright in a fight. Googling “bioterrorism Japanese WW II balloons” provides more info on this.
If they could have followed through with the diseased balloons strategy, I doubt if guns in civilians hands or even the army’s would have stop anything.
(BTW, amazingly enough, Hitler was very much against bioterrorism.)
That was a dumb headline alright. And the kid in the picture is as nice a kid as you'd ever want to meet, and I was surprised to see him with that big of a gun. He's still in high school though, so while I'm a Second Amendment supporter, I can't see kids being allowed to own guns. They can't buy cigarettes or alcohol until they're 19 and 21 because they're not mature enough to make those kinds of decisions, but they can own assault weapons? That just doesn't compute.
The biggest threat to freedom in America is the corporately owned and operated government. Heck, the swine flu could be used to put us all under Martial Law, and if/when that happens they'll own and operate EVERYTHING, including the food and the guns and all the property. AND FEMA and Blackwater soldiers will be the new law of the land, just like they were in New Orleans and the California wildfire emergency. And besides, the weapons industry and their lobbyists will never allow guns to be banned anyway. There's WAY too much money in weapons for that to ever happen. I'd love to believe it was the Second Amendment principles that would keep them from banning guns, but it isn't. It's the money, pure and simple. They banned six out of ten civil rights with the Patriot Act, but nobody lost any money on the deal, so they passed it. But if they try and abolish the Second Amendment, an entire industry would be wiped out, and that just ain't gonna happen. America loves money even more than it loves guns, so I think our guns are safe for now. Until the swine flu pandemic happens, that is. :-)
Makes me wonder what folks' response here is gonna be about the time they do a fingerprint scan when you buy your ammo; that just went into effect down in Kali this fall.
Yes, please do google Ammunition Accountability Act.
That'll put a knot in a few knickers. PAY ATTENTION.
I just took another look at the Michael's face in the picture and wanted to add that it's a common look for him, as he's a very thoughtful guy. Sometimes when people are deep in thought, they look as if they're angry or something, but this kid isn't like that at all, as far as I know. He has a beautiful smile, which would be evident if this was a video and not just a single frame of him.
I love the photo of the guy with the Patrick Henry quote on the back of his shirt. Nice job, John.
recently i completed a roundtrip from fairbanks to maine. i checked often in sporting goods stores, including ll beans and cabellas on the avaliablity of ammo and the price. the only place in the whole u.s. that is short on ammo is fairbanks!!! you figure it out.
U.S.Supreme Court Justice Scary
My wife and I want you to take notice in the District of Columbia v.Heller a 2nd amendment landmark legal case the decision was 5-4 Scary 4 of those justices wanted to disarm homeowners in Washington D.C.
gypsyforlife-
You’re comparing apples and oranges. You can't look at total firearms deaths and compare it solely to the criminal act of driving while intoxicated. The fact is that there are over 40K motor vehicle deaths in the U.S. per year. Firearms related deaths total just over 30K. Now if you factor in the fact that 55% of all gun related deaths are suicides the actual statistics are that you are almost three times more likely to be killed by a vehicle than be killed by a firearm. Considering that vehicles represent a significantly greater chance of death and you don't have a constitutional right to drive it makes way more sense to outlaw cars than it does firearms. You also imply that drunk driving laws are the same as gun control laws. That is ridiculous. Drunk driving laws are in place to punish criminals. Gun control laws punish people whose only crime is that they want to exercise their constitutional rights.
Of course you will not agree with this, because you probably love to drive and have no vested interest in owning a firearm. For many Americans the 2nd amendment is not a matter of convenience, but a matter of principle. We have a constitution for a reason. It has served us well and helped to make us the greatest nation on earth. If we are unhappy with an aspect of the constitution we have the ability to amend it, but unless that happens, “the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed”, is the law of the land and not subject to debate.
blue - "Democrats seem to be against **legal** ownership/possession of weapons".
Conservatives like to say that because it makes liberals seem as if we are anti-Constitution and anti-Bill of Rights, and infers that we're anti-American. Conservatives want you to believe that they are more patriotic than liberals are, when in fact, both groups are patriotic, both believe in and support Constitutional rights and neither is more "American" than the other.
I don't personally own a gun because I choose not to - I'm not a hunter, I have kids to think about, and I don't believe that I need a gun for protection. If someone broke into my home, I'm a big boy and I can, and have, defended myself without the use of a guns. I don't personally know anyone who has successfully defended their home and family with a weapon. I do know several people who have been accidentally wounded, or whose children or loved ones have been shot, and even killed by weapons in their homes, in the homes of others, or while hunting. That's a big reason why I choose not to own a gun. But that's my choice. You have your choice, I have mine.
But please, don't ridicule me for my choice, and I won't ridicule you. I don't think that owning or carrying a gun makes a man more of a man. A man is someone who provides for and protects his family, who knows his responsibilities and lives up to them, who gives his word and keeps it, and who is honorable and dependable.
Guns are a part of our world, though, and I accept that - I just ask a few things of gun owners. Please don't bring your guns to public places where children are present - the fact that you CAN doesn't mean that you SHOULD. Use good sense with those concealed carry permits, please.
Please don't sell weapons to children or to convicts, and please, obey the gun laws, whether you agree with them or not. We're a civilized society, and following the law is what civilized people do.
"A man is someone who..."
I was all for you until I saw you trying to say "what is" when it's actually your opinion.
"those concealed carry permits"
Not needed
"Please don't sell weapons to children or to convicts"
One can be sure in half those cases I guess.
"We're a civilized society, and following the law is what civilized people do."
Wouldn't your audience have to agree with this before they abide by it?
DWT- it is easy to assume that people's opinions are black and quite. No, I don't 'love to drive' and avoid it when I can, and yes, I do own firearms, in fact, quite a few. Had you read any of my other posts, you would know that. But assumptions are easier. Yes, I own guns, and yes, I think people should be held responsible for what happens with the guns they own. It is terrible that such a large proportion are suicides, but it doesn't change the fact that ever day, 75 children injure themselves with guns.
I know most people are irresponsible, and don't like being held accountable for their actions, but they need to grow a pair, buck up, and lock their firearms securely, keep them out of reach of kids, or at the VERY least, educate their kids about firearm safety- is that really too much to ask? I guess so, as evidenced by the number of accidental shootings and injuries every year.
So if the safety of the people/kids around you isn't enough to motivate you to be a responsible gun owner, which is obviously isn't, we need to increase penalties for improper firearm use- your kid gets your handgun out and blows half their face off, and you shouldn't be allowed to own handguns anymore, and you need to spend some time in jail.
Us LIBERALS don't need to rush to buy guns.
1. We already own all we need.
2. And all the ammo we can use in a year.
3. We use them to feed our families.
4. We don't scare easily and don't follow ignorant politicians that try to brainwash us into believing we are being taken over by other races of people that are going to kill us and take over our country.
Poor scared children!!!
disillusioned...GREAT COMMENT, i agree!!!
Also,where in this picture is 2000 people??? Not in this pic...
more propaganda by the pubs...
Gun deaths are primarily suicides. The image of kids accidentially shooting themselves or others, while horrifying, is a very small percentage of gun deaths. Unfortunately, the best way to keep from becoming a gun death statistic is to keep the gun out of your mouth.
I also wonder how much of this shortage and price run up is caused by the gun community (read dealers and manufacturers) fanning the flames to boost prices.
Sorry Whynot, I'm going to continue to carry and I can't decide whether I'm going to carry based on a scan of an area to see if there are any children. If you think about it, the only places that exclude children are ones where it is illegal to carry. I've likely sat next to your kids at Lemongrass or walked past them at Freds with a pistol on my belt. I was the guy sitting there with his two girls and wife. I don't think they were in any greater danger because I had a pistol.
I really do sense fear in the posts by people who anti-gun. I'll admit there is a sense of phallic transferrence underlying some of the pro-gun posts. BTW, Japan didn't have the population or the supply infrastructure to invade the mainland US, it had nothing to do with civilian gun ownership.
I'll admit that i don't own guns because i'm afraid of some bogeyman invading my country or house. I own guns because i like to hunt and i like plain guns. I like the way they work and feel and sound and i like shooting them.
I don't think anti-gun people are anti-patriotic, they are scared. If you are in support of gun restrictions, ask yourself if it is really based on rational analysis or are you scared they will hurt you or someone you love?
whynot - Your comment on what a man is sounded perfect to me; I'll bet you're an awesome husband and father. As I read it, I was smiling and thinking that's exactly the kind of man I'm looking for. I can't tell you how many times I've gone out with someone, only to find out that a) he's a loser who can't keep a job; b) he's a paranoid freak who's worried about Obama seizing his guns and/or ammo, so he's stocking up on both; c) he's got kids who he never sees and doesn't support - or he has shared custody so he doesn't think he has to support them, but he does nothing for them; d) he's undependable, never calls or shows up when he says he will; or e) all of the above. I wish they could have "L's" tatooed on their foreheads as a timesaver for girls like me.
Fireguy - What's your problem? Of course it's whynot's opinion - were you expecting someone else's opinion? Hello??? This is a comment section - we're supposed to give our opinions here... He asked people to "use good sense with those concealed carry permits" - I'm pretty sure he meant don't carry concealed weapons into places where they're not needed and might be a problem. You have a problem with that?? I don't want some drunk moron to bring a gun into a bar I might be in, get into a fight and fire it off - and don't think that doesn't happen - watch youtube lately? Duh! He asked people not to sell weapons to children or convicts - what? You think THAT doesn't happen? Um, hello? Columbine? And if you follow the law, you WON'T sell to convicts because their record will show up. DUH! Hell yes, people should abide by the gun laws, like them or not. I'd LIKE to think that we're a civilized society - but then there are idiots out there who apparently don't know what that term means....
And no, I'm not opposed to people owning guns - my dad has rifles and pistols, and he's taught me to use them. I don't feel comfortable owning either, but I don't mind if other people do. I just wish that there was an IQ test that people had to pass before they could get their grimy hands on 'em.
On the gun article, really - could they have picked a worse picture? People who know him here say he's a nice guy and everything, but the guy with the Golani looks just a little too intense... And I agree with "disillusioned" - wearing the kind of slogans like the guy in the last pic doesn't make you macho OR patriotic - you just look like you're trying too hard. It's like the way Bush used to wear that flag pin on his lapel - we all know you're an American and we're sure you're patriotic. So are we. We just don't have to wear stuff to remind us.
Alaskaman, you said, "I've likely sat next to your kids at Lemongrass or walked past them at Freds with a pistol on my belt."
and then,
"I'll admit that i don't own guns because i'm afraid of some bogeyman invading my country or house. I own guns because i like to hunt and i like plain guns. I like the way they work and feel and sound and i like shooting them."
So, you were hoping that an animal would mosey by while you were eating or shopping that you could take a shot at? Or were you just hoping to fire a couple of rounds off in Fred's or at the Lemongrass just to hear the sweet sound of gunfire?
If you're not afraid of bogeymen, why the need for a gun in your everyday life? I know people who have concealed carry permits who are lawyers, judges and police officers, who may be targets of criminals they've dealt with - they should be prepared. I know a lady who works for the borough assessing department and you can guess why she feels it necessary to carry a weapon. But I know a lot of morons who just feel cool carrying - for no apparent reason. That's just stupid to me - why put weapons out there on the street? This isn't the wild west - no cowboy is going to challenge you to a shoot out at the old corral.
The answer is simple, I carry my gun the same reason I carry my leatherman - I might need to use it. In this case for self defense, not to tighten a screw. I don't know who these people you know who have "permits" are since we don't have those up here. It's not a matter of "cool" it's just one of three things that go onto my belt (other 2 are leatherman and cell phone) when i get dressed in the morning.
It's rare that i stumble onto game (it's happened twice that i can shoot with a handgun bit i do keep birdshot rounds in my truck for that purpose). It is not unknown in this town for people to be victims of crime including violent crime in public establishments. A few years ago I had a moron challange me to a fight in Walmart because of a perceived slight to his girlfriend (literally was going to fight me over "cuts" in line). Although i was carrying, and actually felt like my safety was threatened, I asked the manager to call the cops rather than escalate the situation. If he had gotten physical, i would have likely shot him.
I'm not interested in a shoot out. I just don't want to be the guy who shows up to the gun fight with a knife.
Alaskaman
Yes, we still have CCW permits here, even though you don't need one anymore to carry concealed. I renew mine each time it comes up for renewal because it's a lot less hassle when I want to purchase a handgun from one of the local dealers! I show them the CCW permit and it's a done deal! Besides, when someone ask for my picture ID, I show them the permit. I've even had some of the local retailers tell me that the permit is not valid identification, even though it has my picture and my driver's license number on it! Raises a few eyebrows with secutiry at the airport though!
Alaskaman - I know that my friends have permits to carry concealed weapons, and they do carry their weapons on occasion. Here's information on how to obtain an Alaska Concealed Handgun Permit from the Department of Public Safety: http://www.dps.state.ak.us/statewide/Per...
It's incredible to me that you don't even know that permits are available, even if they're not required. It's scary to me that the state doesn't require them, but that's another story.
"If he had gotten physical, i would have likely shot him."
Geez, I hope I never accidentally run over your toe with my cart in WalMart. But that's pretty unlikely, since I avoid WalMart as much as possible. On the rare occasion I HAVE to go there for something that I absolutely can't find elsewhere, I'll be on the lookout for a guy with a leatherman, a cellie and a gun on his belt. Can't be more than a hundred or so hanging around the Fairbanks WalMart....
Krissy
If we are carrying "concealed" you would never know! Sheesh, is that big lump a gun...leatherman...cell phone or is he just in love with me? LOL
max - keep it in your pants, big guy.
People still commenting on that picture...Look at it this way. We all went to school and had "picture day". Have any of you ever had the awful picture that just doesn't look like you. How about a picture that you hated because you thought you looked awful. Give the kid a break - it was a bad picture that was used by the newsminer to make people think such thoughts as Disillusioned. Too darn quick to judge.
More Guns
"My wife and I believe that quote."A polite society is a armed society"
More Guns
My wife said the right quote."A armed society is a polite society"
Good point
krissy: I would have to argue that most, yes most, of the people that carry concealed do so because they understand that there is a time that violence is the only way out alive. It isn't fear or paranoia, it's just the realization that innocent people are victimized every day weather they are armed or not. None of the dead at Columbine or Virginia Tech were armed, in fact whenever you see a shooting spree happen almost all of the victims are unarmed. Most of these shooting sprees happen in "gun free" zones. The measures taken to keep guns out of those zones do nothing to stop people from bringing guns in.
I started carrying regularly when I was doing security work, at that time I chose to carry on the job but not off. Then I started looking at the reality that I was not making a wise choice by not carrying all the time. I am well trained in hand-to-hand combat, but I can't rely on those skills if I have to deal with multiple attackers; and most people can't even reliably deal with a single attacker. If I can't depend on my skills to stay safe, how can I expect others who are not as well trained to keep themselves safe?
Carrying a gun is like wearing a seat belt. You hope to never need either, but must realize that without any warning either may become absolutely necessary at a moments notice, with very final results if the proper tools are not at hand.
@13khael: "I would have to argue that most, yes most, of the people that carry concealed do so because they understand that there is a time that violence is the only way out alive." Anyone have any stats on how many times this has actually panned out? What I mean is, when has some gun-packing citizen avoided death or averted tragedy by pulling his weapon?
My sole experience with a gun-packing citizen was in NC when I asked one of my neighbors to please keep his dog off of my property (I did ask very nicely). His response was to pull his gun. So while I realize that he does not (I hope) represent the majority of gun-toting citizens, I would like to know how often guns have actually been used constructively by packing citizens. I would hope that something offsets incidents like mine, or the one here a couple of months ago when some jerk cut in line at a gas station and showed his piece when an off-duty police officer intervened.
Krissy
I'm not a, b, c, d or e! Try me! OK DNM, I know, stay on topic! LOL
I'm a major Alaskan born and bred moose hunter and wild game hunter and have 5 guns. However, I feel like there is something very different about these folks with their guns and attitude. This is not good. Owning and hunting with guns should be more modest and not something to bost about and strut around about, with violent looking faces and t-shirts. They should have shown an older Alaskan with respectable clothes, a single shot 22 and his birds he got for lunch to feed his son, instead! They aren't promoting gun ownership in Alaska, instead they are scaring people and making people not want ANY alaskans to own guns. Especially after the motel 8 shoot out next.
put your boner away
He's my son, and he's a good boy. He was just concentrating on the guns that were being sold. Thanks for all the blogging. It's pretty cool.
Doris said: "so while I'm a Second Amendment supporter, I can't see kids being allowed to own guns. They can't buy cigarettes or alcohol until they're 19 and 21 because they're not mature enough to make those kinds of decisions, but they can own assault weapons? That just doesn't compute."
I hate to tell you this, but those same children that you say aren't mature enough to make those kinds of decisions are enlisting in the armed forces and regularly do handle those weapons and far deadlier ones.
However, thank goodness they can't have a DRINK or SMOKE yet! sigh... and we wonder why our youth spit at the laws that are created - they make NO sense...
littlelostone - Why does the picture of the young man with the gun scare you? Is it because you think he looks like a drug dealer or because his gun is black? Prejudice such as yours is not rational.
High ammo prices and shortages is the easy way for Obamas cronies to attack us without getting to much into the Second Amandement I feel they figure if they cant get ammo the guns are no use to the people .
I say get all you can even if you dont have a gun for it and stock pile it.
dirtprof: I would suggest reading some magazines like American Rifleman, Guns, Guns & Ammo, etc. Some of them have "survivor stories" where armed citizens use firearms to protect themselves.
Also, when someone pulls a gun and stops an incident from happening without firing a shot there isn't any "news" there. So when incidents like this occur they aren't as likely to be reported on any major scale.
The only time you had an incident with a gun is just one example. Every time you go anywhere in Fairbanks you likely pass a couple dozen armed people that don't do anything at all.
arcticcajun, does your son still have that rifle? i know it's only rock and roll but i like it, i like it yes i do.
dirtprof -- "I would like to know how often guns have actually been used constructively by packing citizens."
I don't think that you really want to know, but in case I'm wrong, you can start your research here:
http://www.nraila.org/ArmedCitizen/defau...
"During the decades the American Rifleman has published “The Armed Citizen” column, thousands of incidents of law-abiding Americans using firearms to halt or prevent crime have appeared in the magazine. Editorial space allowing, the total could have been far greater of course, as award-winning survey research shows that each year in the U.S. gun owners use firearms for protection as frequently as 2.5 million times.
This archive contains “Armed Citizen” entries from the present back to 1958. The database is searchable by key word and state and results are displayed in chronological order according to the month of publication in the American Rifleman."
The pictures of the boys with guns are just pure creepy. Can't you gun crazies come up with better hobbies?
Unfortunately I was working for this gunshow; it sounds like it was a good one.
You mean safer hobbies like rock climbing, paintball, football, motorcycles, knife juggling, running with scissors, golfing in the rain, flying, beer pong, road racing, cow tipping, ice blocking, etc? Any of those sound fun to you?
I have yet to see a safer hobby than the shooting sports. On a designated shooting range or a range properly set up for shooting with set safety rules that all participants adhere to in order to use the shooting range I have yet to witness a person being hurt through responsible use of a firearm. I encourage you glow to enlighten yourself; attend a Single Action Shooting Society or Cowboy Action Shooting Society match, you might be pleasantly surprised at who actually participates in these events.
Dare to try your hand?
The pictures of the boys with guns are just pure creepy. Can't you gun crazies come up with better hobbies? - glow
_______
Not many hobbies are better than guns. Don't you think you would be better to mind your own business when it comes to personal things?
Criminals pay no attention to gun laws, and more gun prohibition will only create a black market. Law abiding citizens will be the only ones unarmed in a total "gun free" society.
There are adequate gun laws now. Enforcement is the issue.
Personally, I think everyone should be required to carry some form of protection. We would all be less likely to be attacked by would be thugs if they knew everyone could protect themselves.
The Constitution is as applicable today as ever. History tends to repeat itself. If you think a U.S. president, or congress can't bypass our Constitution, I would submit to you the "Homeland Security Act". This has done more to stomp on our constitution than any other presidential act.
Every parent has the responsibility to teach their children proper use of firearms and gun safety. It's not up to anyone else. Teach them that every gun needs to treated as a loaded gun. An unloaded gun is a useless tool.
Rest assured, every gun in my house is loaded. If you treat them as such, there will be no mistakes, or "accidents".
I hate to disillusion people, but the government can't protect everyone from themselves. There are many things in our world which can do us harm, and people can, and do die. Educate yourself. It's your responsibility, no one elses. Period.
If you see me in public, you will never know I am carrying a firearm, and I will make every possible effort to keep it that way. I never want to have to use a gun to protect myself, and will use every possible alternative to avoid it. I hope to go the rest of my life without having to shoot someone. But I won't be a victim- will you?
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