I've been a long time reader here but have recently started engaging (rather than lurking) more on social media and now am taking the next step by creating an account here and posting this, my first diary.
Thinking that somehow democrats are going to seize, confiscate, or take away over 300,000,000 guns is about as stupid as thinking republicans are going to be able to deport 12,000,000 illegals. No one is going to take your gun. Obama has confiscated exactly ZERO guns.
That said, the word 2A freaks will ALWAYS leave out when they quote the amendment for you is "well-regulated". They aren't interested in well-regulated. They want everyone to be able to buy any gun on demand, like ordering a movie off netflix.
Democrats would like to simply impose some sane, sensible regulations on the ownership of these deadly weapons. You have to take a test, get a license, carry insurance, and pass an inspection to operate an automobile, which gun rights enthusiasts are quick to point out are just as deadly. I agree. So let's make that a requirement for gun ownership as well.
"We don't need more gun laws. We need to enforce the laws already on the books." is another you will hear 2A advocates say. But the NRA won't let us. They have bought enough of congress that every time expanding, fixing the loop hole in, or funding the National Instant Background Check System comes up, it dies before it even gets a vote. A rule was proposed recently that Social Security add to the NICS database those people that aren't mentally competent enough that their monthly checks are sent to a third-party and the right-wing freaked out!
Here's the thing. My dad hunts. My nephew runs a gun safety school. And they both shoot competitions. I don't have anything to worry about from those activities. But the damned problem is when you can't go anywhere, without taking into account that every asshole you run into is probably packing. Hell, we have open carry in Texas now, so you can't even tell the good guys from the bad guys until the bad guys actually open fire.
THAT'S F'ING INSANE.
Had a brief conversation on facebook yesterday about my being a little afraid to put a "I <3 Hillary" bumper sticker on my car for fear some dumbass redneck will shoot at me. So now some twit's 2A rights are trumping my 1A ones. That's not freedom. That's intimidation. And it's not America.
eta clarify my point I don't have any answers. Except that we have to try something else. There are a lot of votes out there if we just take bans off the table. And there is a lot of stuff we can do that isn't a ban. That's all I'm saying.