Saturday, April 08, 2006

Let Them Pack Heat?

I am against handgun ownership.
I think the framers of the Constitution had in mind muskets when they gave us the right to bear arms in the Second Amendment. I doubt they imagined modern automatic weapons with laser gunsites and armor piercing ammunition.
Muskets used lead balls packed in a paper cartridge which also held gunpowder. The balls came wrapped in a loosely fitting paper patch that formed the upper part of the cartridge.The lower part of the cartridge contained the gunpowder. They loaded the gunpowder first, followed by the paper from the lower section of cartridge used as wadding. Then they loaded the ball and the upper piece of cartridge. Finally, a ramrod served to compact the ball and wadding down onto the gunpowder. The process took a while.
Loading a musket gave potential victims (or bad guys) plenty of time to de-escalate the battle by getting the hell out of firing range.
You could also spot a guy carrying a musket from a block away.

George W. Bush's first act as Governor of Texas was to legalize the carrying of concealed handguns.
Yes, in Texas, anyone with the proper permit can pack heat anywhere they want, unless a business (such as a bar or government property) posts a sign that specifically prohibits it.
That's not so uncommon in the other 50 states, either. In fact, only six states prohibit the carrying of concealed weapons.
I wonder what pro-National Rifle Association/Pro Gun Bush would do if he were to appear in an outdoor venue and everyone in the crowd was legally packing a handgun or a rifle?
Would he trust that everyone in the audience carefully complied with the brief gun safety course they took before they got their permits?
Would the Secret Service check everyone's permits, then allow them to proceed to their seats with their guns at the ready?

The Constitution also guarantees citizens the right to peaceful assemblies.
If a group of peaceful protesters swarmed the gates of the Crawford Ranch carrying concealed handguns or non-concealed rifles, do you think the Secret Service or local police would enforce either constitutional amendment and allow the peacefully assembled group to continue their protest?

Just wondering.

16 comments:

Unknown said...

First off, their still spying on the peaceful protesters so they would know what they are planning and would nix it before they even hit the friggin ranch.

JimBob said...

Did you know that, in Texas, if you are addicted to any substances, you cannot get a concealed-weapon permit?

My question is: if I'm a friggin' addict, and I want a concealed-weapon permit, why the hell would I admit that I was an addict on the application paperwork? I mean, let's face it, active alcoholics and addicts aren't the most HONEST folks around...

Also, KZ, I take offense at your tongue-in-cheek attack of my GOD-GIVEN RIGHT to carry high-powered automatic weapons with armor-piercing-explosive-depleted-uranium ammunition. I need all that stuff in case the King of England invades. Or maybe if an 8-point buck strays into my neighbor's yard while he's away...

Also, have you noticed that it's OK to make jokes about outright killing those anti-war anti-government commie-hippie-pinko-fags, but make one little remark about how the Chimp needs an enema and allofasudden the ATF is swarming all over yer compound.

Sorry, haven't ranted in awhile. Had to get it all off my chest.

Anonymous said...

There's never been a direct challenge in the Supreme Court of the United States that would force the justices to finally and forever explain exactly what "the right to bear arms" in the 2nd amendment really means. I tend to believe what a lot of people think its original intent meant and why it was included in the Bill of Rights.

Concentrate on the "militia" concept and the fledgling status of our new nation. The country at the time was too damn broke initially to maintain an army that could rise up to face potential threats, so they shucked the responsibility onto individuals who could arm themselves at their own expense and run off at a moment's notice to serve and protect the country.

Gun owners biggest claim of "the threat" to their 2nd amendment right is that if guns were registered, the government could knock their doors down and take their weapons away without warning. That's a bullshit argument, and unfortunately, like all their other bullshit arguments, is meant to inflame and outrage the public.

Eventually, the Supreme Court will be faced with a challenge to the 2nd amendment that will force them to finally shit or get off the pot. Don't expect it to happen in our lifetimes though.

The Educated Eclectic said...

Well said Penny Pincher...I agree! You never know, though...it could happen sooner.

Karen Zipdrive said...

Thanks for all the thoughtful and reasonable comments, y'all.
And JimBob, you look so damn sexy in your camoflague outfit with that big gun in your tooled leather holster, I don't think the rules should EVER apply to you.

JimBob said...

KZ, you know I took off the camo outfit a few years ago (and the attitude that went with it...)

But I DO appreciate the compliment about my big gun. LOL!

Penny Pincher has a great point. This issue NEEDS to go to the SCOTUS. However, not the current SCOTUS. If THEY were to interpret it, we'd see a Ford or Chevy TANK in every driveway, complete with .50 cal machine guns and depleted-uranium ammo (for those times when highway traffic is especially heavy)...

Unknown said...

Holy shit..JimBob is back..hide the kids and the women :P

The Educated Eclectic said...

Seriously, what is this seemingly-rabid need to carry a handgun?

Karen Zipdrive said...

It's very nice to see the old regulars back and in such good form.
The depleted uranium ammo bit makes me laugh everytime I read it.

Anonymous said...

JimBob's comment about a Ford or Chevy TANK in every driveway made me laugh and reminded me of the episode of The Simpsons called "The Last Temptation of Krust" http://www.snpp.com/episodes/5F10

Here's the lyrics for a song in that episode:

Can you name the car with four-wheel-drive?
Smells like a steak and seats thirty-five!
Canyonero! Canyonero!
Well, it goes real slow with the hammer down.
It's a country-fried truck endorsed by a clown.
Canyonero! Canyonero!
Twelve yards long and two lanes wide,
sixty-five tons of American pride!
Canyonero! Canyonero!
Top of the line in utility sports!
Unexplained fires are a matter for the courts.
Canyonero! Canyonero!
She blinds everybody with her super-high beam.
She a squirrel-squishin', deer-smackin' drivin' machine!
Canyonero! Canyonero!

Anonymous said...

Oh, off topic, but check out the great comment I found over at "another" blog:

[Title of article:]
Senior Iraqi official says Iraq already in "undeclared civil war"

[Comment:]
'Civil War' is a double-plus ungood word in the Bush regime's NewSpeak dictionary. It implies they've lost control over the situation in Iraq -- not that they ever had it in the first place. But for a long time, the MSM lapdogs kept repeating the neocon talking point that things were getting better, getting better every day.

Civil war is the huge steaming turd the family dog just dropped on the middle of the Persian rug during a swanky formal cocktail party. All of a sudden, it's there, undeniable, and although everyone knows something needs to be done about it, nobody wants to be the first to actually shoo the dog outside and clean up the mess... so the GOP and Bush and the rest continue to pretend that it isn't actually a odiferous dog-turd at all, but merely a canape.
Technowitch | Homepage | 04.09.06 - 3:35 am | #

Karen Zipdrive said...

I LOVED that civil war quote.
I discovered how much the GOP hates the idea of a civil war when I first mentioned it to Barcode Clyde in an e-mail.
He came unglued and started calling me "dear" and "sweetheart" as he began his GOP-talking points lecture, as if he was talking to a doddering old aunt he was visiting in a rest home.
It's so easy when to tell when I hit a bullseye with him- he goes into frantic GOP overdrive.
I think I'll e-pnkjiamail him that comment and see how he responds.
:)

Karen Zipdrive said...

ooops- I accidentally entered my secret comment code in the middle of the word "e-mail."
Please disregard.

Karen Zipdrive said...

Here's Clyde's reply to that comment:
"Karen, a "civil war" is a very specific type of conflict, involving rival governments and rival armies massing to fight each other. That just has NOT happened, and no amount of wishing by you and others will make it so. There's certainly internecine violence occurring between rival religious sects, but it's not a "civil war," any more than "The Troubles" in Northern Ireland were."

HAHAHAHA! My favorite part was the word "internecine." I'm so sure he came up with that all by himself!

Anonymous said...

People joining the Republican party these days probably get a free copy of The Karl Rove Dictionary/Thesaurus when they lay down their bucks. "Bad" means "good," "black" is "white," "disaster" is "success," "Worst pResident EVER" means "The baby Jesus, reborn," "Hurricane Katrina aftermath" means "grey skies are gonna clear up, put on a happy face"...

Did I just dream it, a nightmare actually, but was Dubya nominated for a "Peace Prize" some time back?!

Karen Zipdrive said...

That was the Peach Prize he was nominated for. It's given to the person whose brain most resembles a ripe peach when given a CT or MRI scan.