Dick said:
How do I feel about that? Disappointed. If a respected editor can be forced to resign and a controversial writer's voice be shut down by a one-sided social-media and internet outcry, virtually overnight, simply because they dared to open a discussion or ask questions about a politically sensitive issue . . . then I fear for the future of our industry, and for our Cause. Do not 2nd Amendment adherents also believe in Freedom of Speech? Do Americans now fear open and honest discussion of different opinions about important Constitutional issues? Do voices from cyberspace now control how and why business decisions are made?
Dick, you did not open a discussion. You gave your opinion. I don't know what kind of "discussion" you think can be had by writing an article in a magazine, but I don't think you'll be seeing this.
The internet is comprised of people, who without it, would be sending G&A letters, instead of emails. We're the same people that buy the magazines, and the same people that hold the future of G&A. So yes, business deicisions are made based off of the responses of PEOPLE, not HOW the people get those responses across.
And we believe in Freedom of Speech and Press as much as anyone. You clearly do not understand the scope of the First Amendment. You got your money's worth out of it. The fact that you lost your job over it is because you are EMPLOYED to make money. You cost G&A money. You were not fired for saying anything, you were fired for costing your company money. If you do not get the difference, do not begin to question the Second Amendment.
Dick said:
Let me make myself clear (again): I believe without question that all U.S. citizens have an absolute Constitutional right to acquire, keep, and bear arms.
At the same time, how can anyone deny that the 2nd Amendment is already regulated by innumerable federal, state, and local statutes, and always has been? Even the Supreme Court's widely applauded Heller and McDonald decisions affirming an individual right to keep and bear arms, and the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals' Moore ruling overturning the Illinois ban on concealed carry, specifically held that other firearms laws and regulations do pass constitutional muster.
Of course they are, and no pro-2A individual should be happy about it. You made the assumption that I'm okay with how the laws are, and that is not the case. Every single legislative session, I and every pro-2A person I know, is pushing to get rid of a lot of those restrictions. Just as gun control works little-by-little, regaining the Constitution works little-by-little.
Dick said:
Difficult as it may be for some to believe, To those who have expressed their vigorous opposition to the content of the December column (and to my continued existence on this planet), I would pose these questions:
1. If you believe the 2nd Amendment should be subject to no regulation at all, do you therefore believe all laws prohibiting convicted violent repeat criminals from having guns are unconstitutional? Should all such laws be repealed?
2. Do you also believe all laws establishing concealed-carry licenses are unconstitutional?
3. Do you have a concealed-carry license anyway?
4. Are you thereby violating the Constitution yourself?
I would hope this discussion could continue.
--Dick Metcalf
1. If I can't trust them with a gun, why do I trust them to be out of prison?
2. Yes.
3. Yes.
4. No, I just don't see the use in starting a full revolution over something that we can work to remove from legislation.
In short, get your head out of your ass.
browningguy said:
Sorry folks, but Metcalf is not "one of them", and the fact that the great majority of gun owners on this and other boards don't even want to allow a discussion is just sad. You apparently don't think you can have a reasoned discussion with anyone who doesn't believe in absolutism.
As Metcalf pointed out, guns are already regulated, for better or worse, and these regulations have been held to be constitutional. Anyone heard of NFA firearms? How about NICS checks? Age restrictions? Import bans on particular firearms?
Do I need to keep going? Did anyone even really read the original or follow up article, or are you all too busy bashing him for daring to have an opinion that differs even slightly from yours?
Do you also support Taliban operatives having the right to preach in America? Isn't that covered by one of those pesky amendments? If one is going to be absolute then all the others have to be, and that leads to a very dangerous place.
Brother, you, just like Dick, do not "get it".