NRA today (Chicago: buy, car, companies)

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by Chicago South Sider

People are so sad. Spill coffee on yourself? It's the restaurant's fault! Fat? Well, that's because there are so many fast food offerings everywhere. Committ mass murder? It's because of the guns! Run into someone while texting and driving? It's because of cell phones! Etc, etc...

This is a common point made, and has a good point, but I think the issue is a lot deeper than that (and some examples of the above are actually as that..while others are not). The gun doesn't make you do anything, just like money doesn't MAKE you do anything, and what not, but they're enablers. I really don't think it's as cut and dry as some people make it out to be.

I know many gun owners are lawful people, but for a lot of people, I don't see the need for a gun if you live in a town of 3000 people without any major gang or drug problem, and you don't live anywhere near dangerous wildlife you have to shoot down.

In the end though, of course it's not the gun making you do it. Laws are there to protect stupid people from doing ****. Think about it. A smart person would know not to text and drive at the same time in a busy area, but some people do it anyway because they frankly just aren't smart and IMO most people are not too smart in the world and need some sort of guidance. This is not getting into other **** like psychology and what people do when they're really desperate (otherwise normal people do crazy **** when they're going hungry for example).

In the end though, the NRA is stupid because they feed into everyone's fears that there's bad dudes lurking around every corner and you need your guns to defend yourself when that's only true of a small percentage of areas in the country. Even my friend who works for the Missile Defense Agency and has about 5 handguns and 3 rifles thinks the NRA is a bunch of dolts. The problem with their statement today is basically feeding the same thing into that fear by saying all schools need armed guards. Some schools do have this, they're the ones with the most danger, but don't tell me that mass murders at schools in towns like Newtown are going to happen. It was an outlier. It reminds me of when in college I was the head of a sports club and we had a few (non serious) injuries happen one week. The director of Rec Services got real angry and wanted me to do all this stuff. IN the end, I told him it's sports, these things are bound to happen. I told him I could slip on the ice walking to class and break my neck, and all of a sudden we can't walk on ice?

Sorry, but people are pathetic in that they fear everything. A mass murder happens in Newtown and all of a sudden they think mass murders in schools are just going to rampantly pop up in other areas. Nothing is further from the truth. The odds of that happening is slim to none. We have a few school shootings in the matter of 100+ years in the US, and all of a sudden we need armed guards at normal schools with no drug or gang problems? Give me a ****ing break.

[Irishtom29]

Originally Posted by Chicago South Sider

Thanks for pointing out the typo. I wish that I had half of your intellectual prowess.

I think you do.

[Lorielicious]

Originally Posted by oakparkdude

Are there any restrictions on weapons that the NRA would agree to?

No.

I find it amusing that their solution to everything is more guns. I swear I could get cancer, and they would tell me to shoot it.

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by Lorielicious

No.

I find it amusing that their solution to everything is more guns. I swear I could get cancer, and they would tell me to shoot it.

Of course. They are nothing but giant salesmen when you think about it.

"Isolated shooting incident for the first time in 15 years? We need way more guns. In fact, every school needs a gun!"

Unfortunately, there's dumb enough people to buy into that.

[ChiNaan]

Originally Posted by Lorielicious

No.

I swear I could get cancer, and they would tell me to shoot it.

There has to be at least one hospital somewhere in Texas being funded by the NRA to conduct trials of this treatment method.

[Manigault]

The NRA used to be an organization as to sportsmen and gun enthusiasts but now it is primarily a political organization.

I think that it is directly responsible for some of the shootings in the US. Ever see "The Fisher King"? A shock-jock's rhetoric is put into action and some folks get killed. Well, in 2008 the NRA kept saying how bad Obama was and how much a threat he posed to confiscate guns. (The first few months of the president in office, he said he had no interest in fostering additional gun control.)

What happened is that an individual accepted NRA rhetoric as factual and believed the government would take his weapons. Next, there was a shootout in Pittsburgh where two cops died. The president still pushed no gun control but the NRA this again said he was a major threat to gun ownership.

You think the NRA fosters freedom? Wrong! Indiana has a law that says employers cannot control what comes on to their private property parking lots, thanks to the NRA. That's less freedom. FL used to have a law restricting what questions a doctor could ask a patient, thanks to the NRA. (A federal judge struck that one down.). That's restricting freedom.

So, I think that the NRA publicity has been irresponsible. I also think the statement from LaPierre today was guano.

If it makes any difference, I am a gun owner and an avid hunter.

[Rakin]

Originally Posted by Lorielicious

I swear I could get cancer, and they would tell me to shoot it.

I did hear it was a great cure for a Brain Tumor.

[Chicago South Sider]

Originally Posted by Irishtom29

I think you do.

Thanks for the compliment. I should send you a bag of organic potatoes for Christmas.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by Vlajos

While the NRA Was on TV Talking About the Need for More Guns Some Guy Was Walking Up and Down a Road in Pennsylvania Shooting People

Thoughts?

Not sure what this has to do with Chicago?

[chitownperson]

Well, it seems that with every additional mass shooting, the NRA and their supporters/believers pushes even more guns. One day they are going to run out of people to push guns on.

I'm just waiting for the day when they say; "look, a nuclear bomb is just a tool, the problem is the terrorist".

The NRA blame all these shootings on the "coulter of violence brought on by movies, music and video games", but asserts that it has nothing to do with the fact that there are limitless guns for all. Interestingly practically every other developed country is exposed to the same, if not more, amounts of violent entertainment, yet the levels of gun violence in those countries are astronomically lower than that of Americas. Maybe it's time America stops thinking it has all the right answers and starts looking to other countries that do have the right answers.

"If it's not broken, don't fix it", but in this case it IS broken.