In All Sincerity, How Do You Anti-California Bashers Feel Now?
I feel like the situation is largely California's fault, since the state is just as big a source of anti gunner sentiment as the North East if not more so, despite the valiant fruitless efforts of pro-gun Californian super-minorities.
Are Kali's seriously getting Schadenfreude from the potential of federal gun control legislation? What the hell are you petty idiots celebrating? That you finally lost your pointless battle to influence Senators who don't even know you exist, or that you squandered countless dollars & energy in the attempt, while sustaining the oppressive regime through taxes and popular apportionment? You could've been forcing the hand of at least half a dozen other senators with your influence, and tipping numerous statehouses in our favor with the same output directed almost anywhere else. We'd probably be capable of getting protective
Amendments passed (no I don't favor this) at that point, not to mention whatever friendly congressional legislation or repeals we wanted. Kali's two senators would gnash and weep as they do now, as most all of their colleagues overrule them, and their reduced House apportionment is similarly forced to submit to the RKBA by the rest of the nation.
My dissapointment with California is special, since at least according to ammo sales stats, there actually are still a goodly number of gunowners there (not like NY or HI, where even if you gathered them all in one place it probably wouldn't tip a swing state). They also seem to be especially vocal about their advocacy, in the form of various orgs & blogs, that raise a lot of awareness while not accomplishing nearly as much as they would practically anywhere else in the country. From a mercantilist point of view, it's a terrible waste of a truly precious resource.
Would you leave the country?
Switzerland
Uruguay
New Zealand
Czech Republic
In that order, should the US become as oppressive as your state, yes. Not because those nations are so much 'freer' by comparison (they're not) but because that kind of deterioration of American liberty would loudly herald our rapid descent into despotic madness. I won't wait for Uncle Sam to ride in and slaughter & eat my family's only cow like back in Austria, or for politically-connected businessman to expropriate my land during a depression & force me to buy it back at a markup like in England (half Germanic, half Irish, here). While it worked out well *once* in pretty much all of human history back in 1776, the violent rebellion inevitable here on our current path isn't something I'll be betting all my chips on.
That it's best to chip-in and nip things in the bud if possible rather than retreat?
Seriously, this is rich coming from a Californian. Bad things emanate from your state, because they hardly ever get nipped in the bud; your ultra-progressive (historical definition) over-represented government is incapable of regulating legislative and fiscal activity. There is pretty much no mechanism for bad ideas to be examined & rejected due to your initiative system.
Do some of you anti-NRAers now realize why supporting the NRA is so very important?
I know it'll end up meaning a hell of a lot less if they're responsible for us getting disenfranchised after being put on a secret list by faceless bureaucrats, for merely being associated with groups or people to be deemed 'radical' at a later date.
The Watch List stuff basically moves the firearms prohibition game out of the congress & courts, and turns it into a regulatory gambit responsible to the president, alone. REALLY stupid strategy for the NRA to pursue, they'll be blacklisted within a decade ("We've got to ban the NRA! I have in my hand a list of 205 Lifetime Members who are on the Secret Terror Watch list --no you can't see it, it's classified-- clearly this group is up to no good & must be banned!")
There's a saying in the South. It goes something like ....Ain't Skeered.
Well, after San Bernadino, 'our' side wasn't making unreciprocated approaches toward the opposition. I actually seem to recall Mr. "We've got to do something this time" McConnell actually catching heat after stating in no uncertain terms that legislation would not be seeing the light of day. I guess when someone manages to kill more people in practically the same scenario, it's "different" and action is required, lest "we lose our phony-baloney jobs"
I don't mean this to be an inflammatory posting.
Well isn't that so very Californian of you.
TCB