I think some people need to calm down

When all it takes is for a single member swing in the Supreme Court to CHANGE HOW THE COURT INTERPRETS THE 2nd AMENDMENT, we should all be a "little paranoid". We are only one vote away from losing it all.

I highly doubt that they will ever ban guns (or at least any time soon,) BECAUSE we are paranoid, suspicious, active, vocal, and resolute. If WE WEREN'T ALL OF THINGS, they would ban them tomorrow. And I am not exaggerating or speaking figuratively. The reason politicians aren't talking about guns (right now) is because paranoid people like us never quit breathing down their necks. It's because congressmen like Matheson (D, UT) know that the only thing they need to do to get dumped from office without ceremony is vote anti-gun ONE time, and the following day, they will know they are finished. They won't be able to do any of the OTHER things they want to do.

I am stricken with fear when four of the five justices sitting on the Supreme Court wouldn't even acknowledge the text and intent of the United States Constitution.

Yes, we have had a good roll for the last several years. Yes, we have made a lot of progress. Yes, the momentum is on our side. Heller and MacDonald will stand for a long time, because even if the court shifted tomorrow, it still might take decades for challenge cases to get there. But to say; "Hey, relax, it's all good now.", is like scoring 20 points in the first quarter and assuming that the other team can't rally and knock you over. The only thing that will ensure our right to keep and bear arms being upheld is that I never stop fighting for it as long as I am alive, and that I teach my children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren how important it is.

I am stricken with fear when four of the five justices sitting on the Supreme Court wouldn't even acknowledge the text and intent of the United States Constitution.

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No offense, but where do people keep coming up with this "4 out of 5 judges sitting on the Supreme Court" nonsense? Heller was decided by the standard panel of 9 judges, 5 of which ruled in favor of Heller. The USSC IS NOT comprised of 5 judges, but rather 9. The case was decided by a margin of 5 to 4, not "four out of five"

No offense, but where do people keep coming up with this "4 out of 5 judges sitting on the Supreme Court" nonsense? Heller was decided by the standard panel of 9 judges, 5 of which ruled in favor of Heller. The USSC IS NOT comprised of 5 judges, but rather 9. The case was decided by a margin of 5 to 4, not "four out of five"

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Right.

Which means that if JUST ONE JUSTICE of the nine had voted the other way, both Heller and McDonald would have been losses, not wins.

You are absolutely correct, I was typing entirely too quickly.

I highly doubt that they will ever ban guns.

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I doubt it too anytime soon. As mentioned, the same could be said about England and Australia. But "control guns" is another matter. Stay vigilant. Now they are going to start "controlling the internet" via the FCC. That means once they figure out how, they are going to tax it. Communist China trys to control the information flow via the internet to their citizens.

"gun laws have become a lot less restrictive over the past few decades."

We're still not back to where the laws were prior to the gun control acts of 1934 and 1968.

Your timeline of "the past few decades" is not long enough. You need to look at all of history and not just 30 years or so.

John

"Plus, I highly doubt they will ever ban guns."

Hmmm! So the whole Brady thing wasn't about banning guns?

I`m of the opinion that the Constitution is a piece of paper that we all hold dearly but to the government and its minions it`s a piece of paper that is no longer relevant.... Laws have been in place for the government to do anything they want, whenever they want. At this point the government doesn`t see gun control legislation as being of interest for a variety of reasons but make no mistake at some point, in the future it will and presto the Supreme court will vote "for serious gun control", the Supreme Court does what it`s told. For every law you think will protect you, there are a hundred that make those laws null and void.... Many feel this country stands for freedom and it once did, we now are moving into a one world government that has the goal of dominating world population and making individual rights history.

Short term, we see bullets getting more expensive, I believe they will get far more expensive, so expensive many will not be able to afford them, many now say they shoot 22 lr`s because it`s getting to expensive to shoot anything else. I believe they will start levying unrealistic taxes and fees for gun ownership, hunting and everything related. There are large numbers of fools that think they will be safe if guns are banned.... Being Paranoid about gun control is simply viewing what the future will bring, we all know it`s coming, everything now is about how far we can push it back so we can keep our guns. The only thing that will really change everything is a revolution and I don`t see that happening because everyone hasn`t suffered enough and most are still praying that things will get better. HUH!

The last two SCOTUS appointees are certain that the COTUS does not protect an individual's RKBA. One more like them and it's gone.

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Exactly!

Count me among those who think that defense against a tyrannical government has everything to do with RKBA. 100,000,000 others would probably agree,but they were killed by their OWN governments in the last century.

I think some people need to calm down

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Hi guys. I just think SOME people are a little to paranoid when it comes to gun control. All you have to do is: be NRA or other org. member, vote, protest anti-gun bills. Worrying every second about your guns isnt going to help any thing. It will just cause grey hairs.

Plus, I highly doubt that they will ever ban guns.

a) we have it in our constitution and supreme court 4/5 people agreeded to it.
b) EVERY ONE owns a gun
c) this country was built on guns, guts, god and glory
NO one can take that away.


Have a nice day, god bless the land of the free AND ALWAYS FREE
Thank you,
-Josh

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Tell that to the folks in Australia.

I dont mistake calmness for complacency, or vigilance for paranoia.

Fact is, everyday there are some in power that would erode all of our constitutional rights for the "greater good".

Whether or not the Anti-Gun folk, Gun Grabbers etc. can or cannot ban guns is speculative. The FACT they want to should not be taken lightly. They will usa any means to that end.

The number of overreacting gun owners, "zealots" if you will, is nothing compared to the indifferent, unknowing and apathetic gun owners who will not lift a finger to fight for their rights. They don't even come up with good excuses in my mind.

For those of us who have maintained a balance throughout their life it is not a problem to be Pro-Gun and lead a normal life. Letting an issue consume you may not be for most people, but there seems to be that niche to fill on this earth in that aspect.

My father, now well in to his seventies, remembers a time when there was a funded and organized rifle team at his high school in Pennsylvania. They competed against other schools in the state. The team shot bolt action 22's and these rifles were kept in the school's armory.

A quick search of the internet yeilded a high school yearbook picture of the La Sierra High School (CALIFORNIA) Rifle Team ... from 1969!

http://www.calcadetcorps.org/la_sierra.htm



Imagine a gun on school campus now.

chaplain tom said:

When all it takes is for a single member swing in the Supreme Court to CHANGE HOW THE COURT INTERPRETS THE 2nd AMENDMENT, we should all be a "little paranoid". We are only one vote away from losing it all.

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Correction: We are only one vote away from them SAYING it's over.

Woody

"My father, now well in to his seventies, remembers a time when there was a funded and organized rifle team at his high school in Pennsylvania."

The tradition lives on in PA.

The linked page includes pics of the range they built with non-school funds for the district's high school rifle teams. The thread is a sticky in the Open Rimfire forum.

www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=69761&page=9

This is one of the most inspirational things I can recall, gunwise. They started with nothing but a goal.

From an 11/06 post - "We're having pretty good turn-outs for our public shoots and both high school programs are having very healthy participation."



From the 11/09 update:

"Back in 2003 when we broke ground for our range and started our program, I think there were only 5 teams competing. This year we'll have 14 schools!"

Post # 16 HSO + 10,000
They can outlaw guns and they will turn many otherwise law abiding citizens into felons.

JohnBT: thanks for that!

There are real people in the US who want to ban private ownership of guns. Some of them are politically powerful/connected, some are very wealthy, and they will not rest until they succeed. Not that I'm paranoid or anything like that...I'll lighten up when they lighten up.

preachnhunt said:

Count me among those who think that defense against a tyrannical government has everything to do with RKBA. 100,000,000 others would probably agree,but they were killed by their OWN governments in the last century.

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They didn't help the Japanese Americans during WW2, they didn't help the blacks in the pre-bellum south (or post-bellum, for that matter), they barely helped the labor movement and they weren't enough for the Indians. If you want to secure social justice and liberty, you have to do it at the polls. The point at which an armed insurgency can overthrow a modern industrial nation is many hundreds of years past.

Now, if it was the RKBPSN*, then maybe you'd have a chance.

*Right to Keep and bear predator drones, spy satellites, nuclear warheads.

ShaiVong said:

They didn't help the Japanese Americans during WW2, they didn't help the blacks in the pre-bellum south (or post-bellum, for that matter), they barely helped the labor movement and they weren't enough for the Indians. If you want to secure social justice and liberty, you have to do it at the polls. The point at which an armed insurgency can overthrow a modern industrial nation is many hundreds of years past.

Now, if it was the RKBPSN*, then maybe you'd have a chance.

*Right to Keep and bear predator drones, spy satellites, nuclear warheads.

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The armed forces in this country pledge allegiance to the Constitution, not the President. If it came to rebellion, we'd have plenty of soldiers fighting alongside us. Google "oathkeepers".

Mr.Davis
The armed forces in this country pledge allegiance to the Constitution, not the President. If it came to rebellion, we'd have plenty of soldiers fighting alongside us. Google "oathkeepers".

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Who's us? I'm not signing up to obliterate the infrastructure and population of this country in armed rebellion, now or later. If in a fantastical imaginary future the united states turned into 1950s soviet Russia, I would have long since emigrated.

There's no basis to think that any modern, industrialized nation is going to slide into totalitarianism. Even states / nations that have obscene levels of gun control (Western Europe, Canada, MA) that I would be unhappy to live beneath couldn't be improved by violent and protracted civil war.

Two things I'd like to add to this discussion.

1. I believe that our rights are preserved by consistent and powerful political advocacy.

2. I believe that the common layman can easily become paranoid when he lacks facts.

Things are not as bad as some believe, but advocacy like the NRA is absolutely vital to keep it that way.

Plus, I highly doubt that they will ever ban guns.

a) we have it in our constitution and supreme court 4/5 people agreeded to it.
b) EVERY ONE owns a gun
c) this country was built on guns, guts, god and glory
NO one can take that away.

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A ban on *all* ownership of *all* styles of guns is very unlikely, yes. But we came closer than I'd like to a ban on over-10-round guns, modern-looking rifles, etc., and those proposals are still on the table, even if they're not going anywhere right now.

American gun owners already tried being complacent and politically docile in the early 1990's, and we almost went down the same road as Australia. We can't make that mistake again, IMO.

I do agree that paranoia and defeatism are uncalled for, but I agree with others that the single biggest risk we face is probably pre-1994-style complacency.