While I hesitate to answer the culture question, I know exactly what I'd do if this happened in a store I was in.
Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I would sit on my hands (figuratively speaking) and not do a thing. From the way I read the article, no one was actually threatened or harmed during the criminal proceedings. My firearm is a last resort and only to be used in case of imminent threat to life or limb.
Stealing a Hot Pocket and some Doritos...not so much.
be.
I received a message from a user (who shall remain anonymous) that I'd like to copy over in its entirety. What do you think of this?
Repeal the Second Amendment - Run for Congress
Tue Mar 01, 2011 at 07:25 PM PST
Phase One - Repeal the right to keep and bear arms.
Phase Two - A Tax; Following adoption of the constitutional amendment, a
bill to tax:
1. There is imposed an annual tax on each and every firearm in any household
in the United States as follows:
a. first firearm, $10
b. second firearm, $20
c. third firearm, $30
d. fourth through ninth firearms, $100 each
e. firearms in excess of the ninth, $1,000 each.
2. This tax is assessed and payable on each April 15 for firearms held by
a household at the end of the preceding year, to be paid with a schedule
listing firearm type, manufacturer and serial number, the schedule submitted
along with the tax return of such member of the household as the members of
the household may choose, with other members attaching a copy of that schedule
to their tax returns as well indicating by which member the tax will be paid.
Where firearms are owned by a partnership, if there is only one general
partner the arms shall be included with the schedule of that general partner;
where there is more than one general partner, the partners shall choose
which partner will report the firearms. Where firearms are owned by a
corporation, the corporation shall report and pay tax as if it were a
household. Where fiscal years do not coincide with calendar years,
reporting shall be as of the end of the previous fiscal year. Where
firearms are owned by a legitimate museum, the museum shall report the
ownership annually as if it were a household, but shall be exempt from the
tax except for the penalties in section 4 below.
3. This tax may be avoided by selling the firearm to a licensed gun dealer or
by turning the firearm over to an official firearm collection location before
December 31 of the prior year. Once a month such collection locations shall
turn collected firearms over to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and
Explosives for destruction, except that the Bureau may withhold from
destruction such firearms as are of historical interest for later donation
to an appropriate museum.
4. Any firearm lost or stolen will incur a $1,000 penalty in the reporting
year it was lost or stolen. For any such lost or stolen firearm that is
subsequently recovered by the owner that $1,000 penalty shall be rescinded
and refunded, except if the firearm has been used in the commission of a
crime chargeable as a felony an additional $1,000 penalty will be imposed.
5. For each firearm sold by a licensed firearm dealer that is subsequently
used in the commission of a crime chargeable as a felony a $1,000 penalty
will be imposed against that dealer for each such year in which that firearm
was used in such a crime.
6. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Internal
Revenue Service shall jointly promulgate regulations for administering this
Act.
- - -
Hey, this could help balance the budget!
Best wishes, (user)