Friday, January 6th, 2017
Stephan: I had to read this story twice to really absorb what it was saying -- I just don't have an adjective strong enough -- of what is now happening with guns. Here is just one point from this story, "Although fatal shootings are already a more common
cause of death in Missouri than car accidents, a new law allows anyone 19 or older who owns a gun to carry it in public, concealed, without getting training or a permit." What could possibly go wrong with 19 year olds wandering into bars, or at sports events, or parties legally armed with a completely unregistered hand gun. Our we going to return in the United States to the age of dueling and coredors stoking the roads.
We have reached a form of madness that I can only ascribe to the fear fugue that is the normal state now for the Theocratic Right. A consensus is growing amongst neuroscientists that this fugue state is the result of that cohort's overactive Right Amygdalas. A little almond shaped structure in your brain associated with your fear response, fight or flight, and correlated strongly with highly conservative religiosity and politics, and lack of rational thought. It's one of the reasons fake news is now an issue. Once people seeking power understand this psychophysical dynamic they see how easy it is to manipulate. In my view the American gun situation is an textbook example of this process in action.
AP/Eric Gay
The new year means new legislation, and Republicans in at least two states have gifted their constituents with laxer gun restrictions to kick off 2017.
Although fatal shootings are already a more common
cause of death in Missouri than car accidents, a new law allows anyone 19 or older who owns a gun to carry it in public, concealed, without getting training or a permit.
“This law would allow anybody to go get a gun, carry it, and never have to fire the weapon until they think it’s necessary to use it, without any education whatsoever,” Sheriff Mike Sharp of Jackson County, who was among several law enforcement officers opposed to the law, told NBC News’ Pete Williams.
Despite a veto from Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon last year, the Republican-led legislature voted to override the blockade. The new measure allows owners to avoid a state-approved training course previously required in obtaining a permit to carry. Owners of firearms will be able to conceal and carry them anywhere in Missouri. Some public places, such as courtrooms and jails, are […]
Meanwhile Japan has almost eradicated gun crime
.http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-38365729
Tough subject. I am an advocate of training & education. However I observe drivers behavior and skill degrading despite mandatory training & licensing requirements. Likewise with compulsory public education I see degrading literacy, math skills and basic comprehension. Citizens with conceal carry permits up to now have typically not been the folks we needed to worry about. With freedom comes responsibility and risk. I guess the question is do we wish to live in freedom or not? I prefer freedom, others may not and I support their right to choose not to. However, those who choose not to live in freedom do not support my right to live in freedom. The problem lies therein. Hence I think a useful experiment is for people who choose freedom to have a separate space available to do so. The current federalist USA does not afford this opportunity.
I was trained to handle and shoot fire arms as a child, hunted and shot targets through my childhood, and eventually joined and served in the USMC for five years. I feel confident in my ability to handle a fire arm, and at one point even took classes to get my concealed carry permit in North Carolina. Though I feel confident in my ability to aim and shoot, after the concealed weapons course, and after being informed that I was approved for a concealed carry permit, I never picked it up from the county court house. In short, after being educated on the responsibilities one takes on when leaving the house with a pistol, I decided it was not in my best interest. That being said, I believe that there should be a path to receiving a license to carry, but without proper education there are most certainly issues that will arise, and issues with fire arms will much of the time equal loss of life.
Wondering if gun luv in US is the result of a morphic field or resonance.
Growing up, way before NRA, I noticed a weird emotional attachement to guns (pieces of metal and wood) by the men folk.