Like Clockwork…

It’s a terrible recurring problem; a violent firearm loaded itself, drove itself to a mall, got out of the car, walked itself into a mall area and shot a bunch of people until a valiant Police Officer confronted that firearm and shot it dead. You think I’m joking? From the emotionally charged hysteria, reactionary arguments that anti-firearm advocates are offering, that must be exactly what they think happened.

Now for a more measured reaction from a partisan Democrat who self-identifies as a classic liberal. Side note: it seems people can self identify as whatever they want these days regardless of contradictory evidence. Dave Cieslewicz the “classic liberal” blogger over at the Madison, Wisconsin based Yellow Stripes & Dead Armadillos blog, came out with a post Texas mass shooting blog post titled “Is This What It Takes?” Feel free to swing by his blog and give the entire thing a read. Since he won’t allow comments from me, I’m going to briefly address one paragraph he wrote. Here is the paragraph…

“As I almost always like to note when I write about guns, I own a couple of hunting rifles myself. I’m happy to submit to any regulations that might come. Personally, I think I should need to register my guns and hold a license to operate them, and I should have to pass a rigorous background check and go through training and testing at regular intervals in order to hold the license. Not unlike owning a car, although I think it should be much harder to get a gun license.”

Here is my comment in full…

Dave you don’t seem to understand that you are one of the “gun nuts” in the eyes of the anti-gun cabal of activists.

Dave wrote, “I should have to pass a rigorous background check”

I’ve never had a problem with rigorous criminal background checks as long as they don’t violate other constitutional protections. We have a constitution for a reason and part of that reason is to prevent government overreach.

Dave wrote, “…go through training and testing”

I’m all for effective safety training and testing as long as neither is a requirement for owning because requiring it would literally violate the 2nd Amendment. Safety training is always a good thing and routinely reviewing safety training is a fabulous idea regardless of age.

Dave wrote, “Personally, I think I should need to register my guns and hold a license to operate them…” “testing at regular intervals in order to hold the license. Not unlike owning a car, although I think it should be much harder to get a gun license.”

I know you know that the right to bear arms is specifically enumerated in the 2nd Amendment to the United States Constitution, there is no such “right” to own and operate a motor vehicle. You cannot, I repeat cannot, legally treat firearms and owning and operating a motor vehicle in the same way. License requirement to bear arms violates the 2nd Amendment, requiring license for motor vehicles violates nothing in the Constitution. There is a difference.

The only way the anti-gun advocates are going to effectively address firearms to their satisfaction is to dramatically change or completely abolish the 2nd Amendment.

Solution to the problem? Maybe society should properly identify the root problem first.

We have a violent criminal behavior problem and that’s the root cause of gun violence, firearms are NOT the root problem, anyone that thinks firearms are the root problem is literally delusional as in holding false beliefs or judgments about external reality that are held despite incontrovertible evidence to the contrary. Society, and you, need to focus on the root cause and enforce existing laws!

Personally I think a good start would be that we as a society should absolutely refuse to allow any plea bargains for any crimes involving firearms. All people that abuse their 2nd amendment rights by engaging in criminal activity with a firearm should be prosecuted to the FULL extent of the law, and the laws should be strict and the punishment should be severe! Anyone, and I do mean anyone, that engages in violent criminal behavior with a firearm should have their 2nd Amendment rights stripped for life, period.

…that’s my comment.

Anti-firearm activists, and those that support anti 2^nd Amendment regulations, will never admit to the absolute fact that firearms aren’t the root cause of the gun violence we’re seeing, violent criminal human behavior is the root cause. If anti-firearm advocates admit the factual truth it will effectively disarm their emotionally charged hysteria, reactionary arguments and squash their goal of disarming everyone in the USA. So like clockwork, we’re faced with more and more emotionally charged hysteria and reactionary arguments where all firearms owners are demonized and logic, critical thinking and actual firearm statistical facts are completely ignored in favor of mindless screams to “do something”.

[EDIT: 5/8/2023 Changed the visual format of my comment within the post so it is easier to read without scrolling in a WordPress reader. Content remains original.]