Thoughts on gun control

The most recent mass shooting on a college campus in Roseburg, Ore., has brought on the expected renewed calls for more stringent controls on firearm ownership. President Obama wasted no time in calling for more bans on firearms even as others said his proposals would not have prevented the Roseburg shooting. As an aside, when he visited Roseburg to promote his agenda, he got a chilly reception.

Democrat legislators in Washington announced, while surrounded by armed guards, that they plan new gun control legislation. Evidently, they feel their life is more important than yours or mine.

There was something new floating around this time. Constitutional provisions aside, several national media figures suggested that gun owners have lost their right to keep and bear arms because there have been irresponsible acts committed with firearms.

Media figures have regularly biased their lies, I mean reporting, through acts of commission, omission, or obfuscation. Since they have not reported responsibly, perhaps they should lose the special privileges granted to the press. Different amendment, same logic.

For example, George Stephanopoulos and most recently Anderson Cooper, both of whom have moderated Presidential debates. Both neglected to disclose their large contributions or board memberships to Clinton organizations. Maybe there isn’t a problem, but there is an appearance of one. For anyone but themselves it is the seriousness of the charge, not the act of the wrongdoing.

Every time a gun control push arises, gun owners tout numerous facts supporting the ownership of firearms. There is no doubt that facts from government and unbiased sources are overwhelmingly on the side of gun owners. The problem is gun owners already know those facts and the liberals don’t care.

Liberals never let things like those pesky facts interfere with what they feel “should be.” They keep pushing with the same rhetoric and appeal to the uninformed who just feel guns are bad. Liberals have a knack of twisting anything to their own means. How else could the NRA somehow be blamed for the Justice Department’s failed Fast and Furious program? That is the one where the government bought weapons from legitimate firearms dealers and then sold them to the Mexican cartels. It backfired in a big way when a Border Patrol agent was killed with one of the weapons. It was gun dealers following the law that allowed the weapon to be traced back to the Justice Department. How is that the NRA’s fault?

Since liberals ignore all but cherry-picked facts, I propose, instead, that you have some fun with them. These suggestions are guaranteed to cause liberals to clench their teeth to the point of cracking, to the delight of dentists everywhere.

When a liberal states, as they nearly always do, that guns are kill people and should be totally banned, simply say, Oh, so you must be pro-life then.” The ensuing long silence should not be broken by your laughter, as that ruins the effect.

Another statement you can make is “You must be sexist.” Since this one rarely registers initially with liberal logic, you can then explain that a firearm will put a 100 pound woman on an equal footing with her 200 pound male attacker. Expect another long silence.

A favorite argument of the gun control groups is that if everyone can carry a gun, it will be like the Wild West. Logical minds know this to be false since gun ownership nationwide is on the rise (thanks, Obama) while gun crime rates are declining. Only in gun free zones such as schools, military bases, some private facilities like movie theaters, and a few large cities are these statistics reversed.

Nevertheless, gun control advocates continue this drivel. One response is “I thought you believed in evolution? Doesn’t a Wild West atmosphere do its part for survival of the fittest?” While not as effective as the preceding suggestions, it usually stops this argument.

Keep in mind that these suggestions for liberals only. There are a lot of other people whose only perception of firearms is from movies and biased newscasts. Gun owners still need to know the facts for those people.

Concealed Carry permits are on the rise nationwide. It is inevitable that someone carrying concealed will have their weapon seen by another, or a hunter will have a weapon similarly exposed. If you see someone looking fearful in that case, take the time to explain the laws, responsibility, and mechanics of gun ownership. You have a duty to do so.

Tom Riggins is an LVN columnist and may be reached at news@lahontanvalleynews.com.