.38 Special
Member
- Joined
- Sep 15, 2006
- Messages
- 7,398
Like it or not, the guy makes some valid points, even if some of us are apparently incapable of understanding them, or are simply too busy leaping to conclusions to be bothered with them.
One of those points is that we do see these guns used in high-profile crimes. He is correct in noting that a certain type of nutjob is attracted to these guns -- and high capacity magazines -- for use in mass murders. If you stop shouting and think about it for a moment you realize that this paints a very negative picture in the minds of the average non-gun owning citizen, and it's easy to understand why they might look askance at people who own "assault" rifles themselves.
Moreover, the stereotype of the tinfoil-hatted survivalist sitting alone in the dark, cleaning his rifle and preparing for the end of the world is still strong with the public and is perpetuated by many of the things said and done by "assault" rifle owners, including some who post to this website.
In the end, my only real argument with the column is that we have ample evidence that tossing the "assault" rifle crowd under the bus isn't likely to make the gun banners go away. If it were magically possible to guarantee that legal limits on magazine capacity or rifle design would be the end of it, I'd personally be fine with it -- but we all know it wouldn't. That point, rather than the angry, misspelled "I got my rights, fudd!" diatribes, is the one that ought to be made with the gentleman.
One of those points is that we do see these guns used in high-profile crimes. He is correct in noting that a certain type of nutjob is attracted to these guns -- and high capacity magazines -- for use in mass murders. If you stop shouting and think about it for a moment you realize that this paints a very negative picture in the minds of the average non-gun owning citizen, and it's easy to understand why they might look askance at people who own "assault" rifles themselves.
Moreover, the stereotype of the tinfoil-hatted survivalist sitting alone in the dark, cleaning his rifle and preparing for the end of the world is still strong with the public and is perpetuated by many of the things said and done by "assault" rifle owners, including some who post to this website.
In the end, my only real argument with the column is that we have ample evidence that tossing the "assault" rifle crowd under the bus isn't likely to make the gun banners go away. If it were magically possible to guarantee that legal limits on magazine capacity or rifle design would be the end of it, I'd personally be fine with it -- but we all know it wouldn't. That point, rather than the angry, misspelled "I got my rights, fudd!" diatribes, is the one that ought to be made with the gentleman.