RKBA is a DKos group of second amendment supporters who also have progressive and liberal values. We don't think that being a liberal means one has to be anti-gun. Some of us are extreme in our second amendment views (no licensing, no restrictions on small arms) and some of us are more moderate (licensing, restrictions on small arms.) Moderate or extreme, we hold one common belief: more gun control equals lost elections. We don't want a repeat of 1994. We are an inclusive group: if you see the Second Amendment as safeguarding our right to keep and bear arms individually, then come join us in our conversation. If you are against the right to keep and bear arms, come join our conversation. We look forward to seeing you, as long as you engage in a civil discussion. RKBA stands for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms.
Ok, this week we have the open thread comments (quite a few) AND a diary submitted by CalvinTheBold.
So let's hit up CTB's diary first. This was copy pasted directly from him. I did not edit anything.
RKBA: Definitions, and why they matter.
In the wake of the recent Tucson shootings, there have been many diaries regarding gun issues on Dkos. In almost all of them, certain terms related to firearms have been misused, and I am writing this diary in an attempt to clarify some of these terms, and to explain why these misuses matter.
As this is my first diary, despite the fact that I’ve been here since, well...forever, I suppose that a bit of background is in order.
Guns have been an integral part of my life for as long as I can remember, having grown up in a family of hunters. I don’t know when I fired my first gun, but I’m sure I was very young. My father taught my brothers and me to handle guns safely, and we learned those lessons well. I am a Gulf War veteran (19D Cavalry Scout) and I earned an Army Achievement Medal in basic training by shooting 40 out of 40 on the marksmanship qualification range, so my early lessons served me well.
Now, on to a few of the terms that are commonly misused when speaking of firearms:
Automatic weapons. The fact is, most of the time when persons who are unfamiliar with guns speak of automatic weapons, they are actually referring to a semi-automatic weapon. A semi-automatic weapon is one that fires one round each time the trigger is depressed, provided that the weapon is loaded. An actual automatic weapon is one that fires multiple rounds when the trigger is depressed, either in a burst or continuously as long as the trigger is depressed. These weapons are also referred to as select-fire weapons. They are heavily regulated for private ownership and have been since the passage of the National Firearms Act in 1934. These weapons are prohibitively expensive for an average citizen to purchase, and the tax burdens/transfer requirements/registration process make the private ownership of these weapons very, very uncommon.
Assault weapons. This term is essentially a misnomer that is commonly used to describe semi-automatic weapons that look like their military counterparts. They are not the same. A true assault rifle is one that is capable of select fire (either burst or full automatic). Weapons such as AR-15s may look like the military M-16, but the former is not an assault rifle, while the latter is.
Clip versus magazine. A clip is an ammunition storage device that is used to store and quickly load ammunition into a magazine. A magazine is an ammunition storage compartment, either fixed or removable, that feeds ammunition to the weapon. An easy way to remember this is that the clip loads the magazine, and the magazine loads the weapon.
There are many more terms that are commonly misused in these discussions. "So what?" you may think, "aren’t we really just arguing semantics?"
I think not, and here is why: I take my Second Amendment rights very seriously, and when I see or hear these and other terms misused, it becomes glaringly obvious that the person misusing them does not have an extensive knowledge of firearms. Just as I do not want my legislators voting on items about which they are uninformed (I get far more of that than I need right now, with Michele Bachmann representing my home district), I do not want people who are uninformed about firearms to be the persons determining how best to restrict my constitutional rights. As is commonly said, knowledge is power. Learn the terms, use them correctly, and you will be taken much more seriously by gun owners.
Thanks for the diary Calvin.
On that note, I was sent an IM about hollow point ammo not being outlawed by the Geneva convention as has been put forth in RKBA diaries. It was outlawed by the Hague Convention of 1899. This is from a brand new user (SuperVehicle001) who saw DKos RKBA and signed up as a Kossack because of our group.
Now on to your regularly schedule open thread RKBA diary.
Fog dude:
Two Tucson Links to keep up with the news
Newspaper
Arizona Daily Star
TV
KOLD 13 CBS TUCSON
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Mark Kelly, husband of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, released the following statement Sunday night:
Many of you have offered help. There is little that we can do but pray for those who are struggling. If you are inspired to make a positive gesture, consider two organizations that Gabby has long valued and supported: Tucson's Community Food Bank and the American Red Cross.
Community Food Bank
3003 S Country Club Rd # 221
Tucson, AZ 85713-4084
(520) 622-0525
American Red Cross, Southern Arizona Chapter
2916 East Broadway Boulevard
Tucson, AZ 85716
(520) 318-6740
The family of Christina-Taylor Green, killed in the Saturday shootings, has announced a charitable memorial fund to honor her life and memory.
Here are the ways to make a donation in memory of Christina:
* Online at www.cfsoaz.org - click on the link to the Christina Taylor Green Memorial Fund.
* E-mail christinataylorgreenmemorial@cfsoaz.org
* Call (520) 545-0313.
* Send a check to: The Community Foundation for Southern Arizona, In Memory of Christina Taylor Green, 2250 E. Broadway Blvd., Tucson, AZ 85719
The Community Foundation for Southern Arizona is looking for a volunteer to assist with processing donations made in Green's memory.
Shooters Tackler credits his military training
Like many of the others injured in Saturday's shootings, retired Army National Guard Col. Bill Badger had just gone to say hello to Gabrielle Giffords.
He didn't know he would have to try to dodge a spray of bullets and help take down a gunman. Badger, 74, is recovering from a bullet graze to the back of his head. Badger's military career included six years as commander of the Western Army National Guard Aviation Training Site in Marana before he retired in 1991.... "When the shooting stopped, I stood up, dazed. I didn't realize he was walking by right in front of me. Just as he passed me, another individual took a folding chair and hit him on the back of the head. The guy slumped forward so the chair hit his back. His left hand came out, and I said, 'There's my opportunity.' And I grabbed his left hand and twisted it behind his back, and at the same time I took my right hand and put it between his shoulder blades and started pushing him down."
"I credit my military background with being able to react like that."
"We held him down for five to 10 minutes until a deputy arrived and put him in handcuffs and took him away."
"I didn't realize all the blood that was running down my arm and over him and onto the sidewalk was coming from my head."
Shadan7 has some more bullshit going on in New Jersey. You want to click that link.
He also has these:
Is it any wonder that many people think that guns are inherently dangerous and "go off" on their own, when we get crap like in this official statement:
At 12:30 a.m. on Wednesday, January 5, the Framingham Police SWAT Team served a search warrant at 26 Fountain St. in Framingham. During the service of the search warrant Mr. Eurie Stamps was tragically and fatally struck by a bullet which was discharged from a SWAT officer’s rifle. Despite immediate intervention by tactical medics, he died at the scene.
That bullet didn't discharge itself. It was fired from a rifle which was being carried by a member of the SWAT team, and the officer who fired it is responsible, whether he will be cleared by his department or not.
Gah.
Interesting link from Johnathan Turley's blog here.
Lefty Gunner has this (KV note: THIS IS A BFD):
From Calguns.net:
"In a dramatic ruling giving gun owners a win in an National Rifle Association / California Rifle and Pistol (CRPA) Foundation lawsuit, this morning Fresno Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Hamilton ruled that AB 962, the hotly contested statute that would have banned mail order ammunition sales and required all purchases of so called "handgun ammunition" to be registered, was unconstitutionally vague on its face. The Court enjoined enforcement of the statute, so mail order ammunition sales to California can continue unabated, and ammunition sales need not be registered under the law."