Yee-HA! California Makes Guns Legal

Hooray!  Somehow the Ninth Circuit of the Court of Appeals got something right.  They ruled that it is Constitutional for citizens to open carry guns for safety in California.

I live in California.  I have a gun.  Where can I get a good holster?

Note:  My commenting system isn't working for some reason.  I'll see if I can find out why.

Liberals Welcome Mass Killers (Cartoon)

Grade School Fascism and Anti-Gun Hysteria

Yosemite Sam

Fascism is force.  Fascism is indoctrination.  Fascism is ostracism, punishment and intimidation of those who violate its tenets, however far-fetched the crime, however young and unwitting the perpetrators.

For several years I have watched in increasing anger and dismay at the severe indoctrination and intimidation of grade school children by progressive fascists, mainly over guns and knives.  The latest example is here, where a 7 year old was suspended for allegedly eating his pop tart into the shape of a gun.

The extremism of local school boards has reached unprecedented levels of absurdity, but it is not without purpose or design.  The current generation of grammar school children will someday grow up to be the adults who vote.  By then these new adults will be so terrified of guns that they will vote away the Second Amendment in a heartbeat.  To create the new docile and manageable American adult, any and all discussion or depiction of guns must be ruthlessly suppressed.

One must never be allowed to think about guns, mention guns, depict guns in any way, either by toy replicas, or by drawing guns, or by pointing one's fingers to simulate a gun, or by eating pastry into a gun-like shape.  Those who do will be severely punished, not for actual deeds, but for thought crimes.

"Come and Take It!"

It is time to counter such insanity with strong measures.  If it were up to me, the Maryland community that is served by this school would picket the school, hoisting signs and placards that depict real guns in photographs and drawings.  Informational pamphlets would be handed out to passers-by with pertinent facts, such as "this is a picture of a real gun.  It does not shoot.  It cannot harm anyone.  Depictions of guns harm no one!  Know the difference.  End anti-gun fascism now!"

They could hand out toy guns to school kids outside of school grounds, offer free pastries baked into gun shapes, post pictures of cartoon guns on telephone poles, patrol the school perimeter armed with super-shooter squirt guns, bubble guns and toy guns with barrel flags that say "BANG!"  Candy makers could make bubble gum in the shape of tiny handguns;  women could wear handgun earrings and (fake) bullet necklaces, men could wear gun-shaped lapel pins.  Informational pamphlets depicting real guns, and how they differ from imaginary guns, could be mailed to every member of the school board and teachers' union.  Planes could be hired to drop leaflets depicting comic guns with "bang" flags over all local school grounds.  T shirts with Yosemite Sam brandishing cartoon six-shooters could be worn by all protesters.  (What are they gonna do, arrest Walt Disney?)

In other words, absurdity should be fought with counter-absurdity.  Everywhere the grade school fascists turn, they should see the comical depiction of a gun.  I say comical so they can't claim intimidation or interpret the depictions as any kind of implied threat.  The goal is to rub the fascist nose in the asininity of progressive paranoia while deliberately flouting its program.

Stephen King, Leftist Hypocrite, Deplores Gun Violence and NRA (Photoshop)

Stephen King has written an essay called "Guns," in which he blames the National Rifle Association for recent massacres by mad men. Stephen King wrote:

"One only wishes Wayne LaPierre and his NRA board of directors could be drafted to some of these [violent] scenes, where they would be required to put on booties and rubber gloves and help clean up the blood, the brains, and the chunks of intestine still containing the poor wads of half-digested food that were some innocent bystander’s last meal."

It's too bad that Stephen King is a hypocritical leftist.  He has authored some of the best horror fiction ever written, novels like "Carrie," "IT" and "The Shining."  I have truly enjoyed his fiction and have savored his writing talent.  However, early in his career he wrote some dubious novels under the pen name of Richard Bachman.  One of those was a short novel called "Rage," in which a mentally disturbed student brings a gun to class, kills the teacher, and holds the classroom hostage while police gather outside.  I didn't like the story.  It was very violent but had no point, no moral message.  It was violence for the sake of violence.  There was no epiphany, no satisfying resolution.  I wondered why King would write such trash.

News Busters reports:

In subsequent years, numerous school murders occurred around the country with the assailants saying they had gotten the idea directly or loosely from "Rage."

One can only wonder if Adam Lanza, James Holmes, Jared Loughner, Seung-Hoi Cho, Eric Harris or Dylan Klebold got their ideas from "Rage."  All of these incidents involve some similarity to King's violent fiction, "Rage."  Indeed, Lanza, Cho, Harris and Klebold all carried out their gun murders on school grounds or campuses.  All four shot teachers and students to death.

Other documented cases connected with "Rage" are listed at Wikepedia here.

So when it's time to get the boots and buckets and mops to clean up the gore, maybe we should call on Stephen King, who has undoubtedly inspired mass murder with his fiction.  The NRA?  No.

Read more about it at News Busters here.

Molon Labe, Bitches

The Fascist Administration is moving ahead with its goal of disarming Americans and castrating the Second Amendment.  Read their disgusting plans here.

I am looking for a Bushmaster rifle.  Anyone know where I can get one?

I will rejoin the NRA this week.  I suggest that you do too, if you aren't already a member.

Impeach the SOB!

GOP Congressman Steve Stockman of Texas has warned President Obama that Stockman will file articles of impeachment if Obama attempts gun control through executive order.

It's about time.  Not since Woodrow Wilson or Abe Lincoln has the country suffered a worse despot, someone who rules by decree and suspends the Constitution by whim.

Obama has a totalitarian mentality.  He know's best, and his way will be done, no matter how many Americans oppose it.  A more arrogant fool has never before stunk up the Oval Office than this A-hole.

Wyoming Plan To Nullify Federal Gun Laws

I have been saying for awhile now that we need a few brave states to stand up to Obama's federal government and just say NO.  Wyoming may be the first state to do so.

From K2 Radio, Wyoming:

Several Wyoming lawmakers are proposing legislation designed to protect gun-owners from any potential federal firearm ban. The “Firearms Protection Act” bill, introduced this week, would make any federal law banning semi-automatic firearms or limiting the size of gun magazines unenforceable within the state’s boundaries.

Anyone trying to enforce a federal gun ban could face felony charges under the proposal. It also includes a provision allowing the Wyoming Attorney General’s office to defend any state resident against any federal firearm ban.

 If the bill is passed, it will nullify any federal gun control laws passed after January 1, 2013, making such federal laws unenforceable in the State of Wyoming.

Rep. Kendell Kroeker, the lawmaker that spearheaded the bill, explained that he hoped that the federal government would recognize their constitutional rights based on the Tenth and Second Amendments.

"I think that its necessary when the federal government violates our rights in the Constitution we have to act," he explained.

The Tenth Amendment Center, which I have had linked in my sidebar for sometime, has made Model Legislation available for states wishing to nullify unconstitutional federal gun laws. See The 2nd Amendment Preservation Act.

An Indiana Republican is also studying nullification as a means of beating federal gun laws.  With any luck, the nullification movement will rapidly spread.

American Dictator Planning Gun Grab?

This morning conservatives are talking about Joe Biden's insinuation that Obama may seize all guns by Executive Order, rather than wait for any vote by Congress.  The Weekly Standard quotes an interview with Biden:

"The president is going to act," said Biden, giving some comments to the press before a meeting with victims of gun violence. "There are executive orders, there's executive action that can be taken. We haven't decided what that is yet. But we're compiling it all with the help of the attorney general and the rest of the cabinet members as well as legislative action that we believe is required."

Biden said that this is a moral issue and that "it's critically important that we act."

Biden talked also about taking responsible action. "As the president said, if your actions result in only saving one life, they're worth taking. But I'm convinced we can affect the well-being of millions of Americans and take thousands of people out of harm's way if we act responsibly."

No, Biden, you ignorant fool, you will be putting thousands of people into harm's way, by disarming them and preventing their self-defense.  You will be putting millions of American's into harm's way of losing their Constitutional freedoms.

Note to Obama and Biden:  Be careful what you put into action.  We are willing to fight, and we are determined that America will not become a socialist tyranny.  It that takes another civil war, so be it.

Related Posts:
View From the Right: Tyrannical Liberalism Announces Itself

Moonbattery:  Socialists Demonstrate Why We Need Guns

American Power:  Obama Administration Takes Action on Guns

RealClearPolitics:  Krauthammer: Gun Confiscation "Unconstitutional And Would Cause Insurrection In The Country"

The Right Scoop:  Pat Caddell: "This country is on the verge of an explosion."

Pravda:  Americans, Never Give Up Your Guns

Replacing Gun Hysteria With Knowledge and Common Sense (Video)

A San Jose Police Officer explains what "assault" weapons are and are not. Amazing -- common sense from California! Will miracles never cease.  Hat tip:  Moonbattery.com.

 

Department of Homeland Security Preparing for Civil War?

The Department of Homeland Security -- Why Is It Buying Millions of Hollow Point Rounds?

It sounds incredible -- on second thought, not so incredible anymore -- that the Department of Home Security is preparing for a civil war or an economic collapse.  One website claims the DHS has purchased over a billion hollow point rounds of ammunition.  The site further claims that international law prohibits the use of hollow points by the military, and that they can only be used domestically.  Putting two and two together, one might conclude that the DHS is preparing for civil war.  See their video here.

The same video documents the massive public purchases of firearms following Obama's re-election, as well as massive buying of ammunition.  Many Americans appear to be preparing for a civil war as well....as rebels.  Much of the public instinctively knows a great internal conflict is coming and want to be ready.

The same website claims that the Illinois State legislature is planning to ram through a state law banning all firearms from the state, with confiscation to follow.

The Signs Are There:  the Federal Government Has Become a Threat to Liberty

More and more, our federal government appears to be plotting to end our freedoms and impose a form of fascism on the country.  Obama's re-election has emboldened the Left, and they appear to be seizing an historic opportunity to transform the United States into a socialist/fascist tyranny.  They have been at this for decades, but previously were content with a slow gradualism of transformation, a subtle pollution of the zeitgeist.  The metaphor most often quoted for this is "boiling the frog."  If you drop a frog into a pan of boiling water (the theory goes), it will immediately jump out to save itself.  However, if you increase the heat a degree at a time, the frog will be cooked before it realizes the danger.

We seem to be moving from slowly increasing the heat to microwaving the frog.  Feinstein's fascist gun confiscation bill is proof.  Obama, a radical punk, continues his destruction of the economy and forcing many more citizens onto the welfare rolls, making them dependents of the state.  A New York Times Op-Ed this week advocated ending the Constitution of the United States so that government politicians can do whatever they like.

A few months ago, a military magazine carried an article advising the military on how to prepare for and fight an internal insurrection -- a civil war.  Of course, that eventuality will be moot if the populace is disarmed and unable to fight.  In any case, statists are recognizing the possibility of civil war.

Time to Bring Back the Militias?

I believe it is time to bring back the militias, and to support them and fund them.  Under Bill Clinton's regime, many concerned citizens feared the destruction of their rights, and formed unofficial and unrecognized militias.  Militias were groups of armed men who practiced target shooting together and even trained together in military tactics.  They held meetings and discussed survival tactics and techniques.  These militia members saw themselves as the "unorganized militia," as provided for in Title 10, Subtitle A, Chapter 13 -- United States Code.

The Left did its usual slander job on the militias following Timothy McVeigh's bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma.  McVeigh was not a member of any militia, nor was he acting from any philosophy or dogma put out by the militias.  Nevertheless, the Left successfully tainted the reputation of the militias, and hung the McVeigh albatross around militia members' necks.  Now when you mention "militias," many people automatically envision mass murderer Timothy McVeigh.

In spite of this, it's time to bring these militias back.  The threat of an oppressive, unconstitutional federal government is now greater than ever.  Once gun confiscation begins in mass, it will be time to fight.  We cannot give up our guns meekly.

Will the Military Step In, and If So, Whose Side Will They Take?

The U.S. Military is largely patriotic, loyal and conservative.  If civil war breaks out, will they support the federal usurpers, or will they support the Constitution and the people?  Aren't the military sworn to oppose all enemies, foreign and domestic?  If there is a domestic enemy, will they consider that enemy us, or the Democrats in office?  What about Posse Comitatus?

Since the Obama and the Democrats are already busily dismantling all of our constitutional protections, why should the Military be any different?  Military leaders should privately think on these awful possibilities, and what their reaction will be in the event of civil war.  Instead of becoming an arm of tyranny, they could become the sword of liberty, by deposing an out-of-control, leftist tyranny.

Gun Control and the Long Night of Tyranny: a Cuban Exile Speaks

Guest post from Carlos Perera

I arrived in the U. S. in 1962, a child-exile from Communist Cuba. I will be eternally grateful to the American people for having offered my parents and me a place of refuge and the opportunity to make a place for ourselves in this country (allowing us to rise from absolute poverty to comfortable middle class status in the space of a few years . . . albeit with a great deal of hard work and disciplined husbandry). Because of the great love that I bear this, my adopted country, I am made sad beyond my powers of expression, by the apparent willingness of so many of its people to surrender the ancient liberties recognized by the U. S. Constitution, of which the right to keep and bear arms is one of the most important. (Note that only the fundamental rights of conscience and its expression come before it in the Bill of Rights.)

One of the first steps historically taken by would-be totalitarians is to disarm the population to be ruled: the Bolsheviks did this in Russia, the Nazis in Germany and the occupied countries, the Maoists in China, the Castroites in Cuba, and on and on. In some cases, as in Cuba, weapons of limited military value, like single- or double-barrelled shotguns, are allowed--as a privilege and under permit--to be possessed by the well-behaved . . . though permitted ammunition is generally limited to birdshot. (Of course, especial rules apply to members of the _nomenklatura_, e.g., many of the Soviet big-wigs were avid big-game hunters.)

I fear that our Leftist ruling class--cynically and heartlessly following Rahm Emanuel's dictum never to let a serious crisis go to waste--are exploiting the Newtown, Connecticut, tragedy to take the first (of many to come) steps intended to disarm the American people. Note that they are artfully "shaping the narrative" in terms of limiting the possession of "unneeded" military-type weapons, like semiautomatic rifles and pistols, while grandly and generously permitting us to retain what they deem to be "acceptable" weapons for self-defense and hunting . . . though you can bet the farm that this latter category of acceptable weapons will be progressively whittled down, until, if we are lucky and our overlords are generous, we shall be allowed to retain single- or double-barrelled shotguns with a "reasonable" number of birdshot cartridges.

The right to keep and bear arms has next to nothing to do with hunting or self-defense (though these are admittedly useful incidental consequences), and everything to do with the people's ability, when all peaceful political action fails, to defend their ancient liberties. A tyrant can never feel secure when he tries to impress his will on an armed populace, which is why the regimes to which I alluded above moved early and vigorously to disarm their populaces. If we let the the crowd now in power do the same to us, our future as a free people shall be compromised for a long time to come. We must fight them, else we shall deserve the long, dark night of tyranny that shall eventually descend on us.

Surprise, Surprise: Prez Commie Obamie To Go For Guns in 2013

Our Marxist President has stated that he will go after guns in 2013, in order to "do everything we can to make sure that something like what happened at Sandy Hook Elementary does not happen again.”

Actually, Barack Obama has been against the 2nd amendment for all of his political life, and has sought to ban private ownership of guns long before he ever darkened the halls of Congress or the White House. Sandy Hook merely provides him with an excuse to once again argue for the disarmament of the American people, a long-time Marxist goal.

It is clear to me that the Republican strategy for the next four years should be to block, defer, oppose, filibuster, challenge and vote "no" on any and all policy initiatives put forth by the Obama administration.

Meanwhile, is there any state government, anywhere, who is willing to stand up to this extremist, to nullify unconstitutional federal dictates, to just say "NO"?

Communist Revolution: I Never Thought It Would Come to This

Since I was about 12, I have known that the communist left was dedicated to replacing America with a collectivist tyranny.  I remember Khrushchev pounding his shoe on the table at the United Nations and threatening "We will bury you!"  I became a news junkie at 13, scouring the San Jose Mercury News each morning for the latest Cold War developments.

I never could understand it.  How could anyone believe in a totalitarian tyranny that destroys freedom, starves millions and executes millions more?  Apparently, a lot of people do -- or at least, believe in their version of it.  The long march through the institutions was completed some time ago, and both academia and media have a near monopoly on the transmission of biased news, cultural demolition and the ability to affect public attitudes.  The "closing of the American mind" is just about complete.  Moonbattery blog has an article today called "Brainwashing Works."  The author, Dave Blount, points to a sign in NYC's Penn Station where a graffiti artist has penned "Kill All Republicans!"  This sentiment is not an isolated occurrence.  Twitchy.com reports daily the most vile bile from the left, the unhinged hatred, the desire for violence against Republicans and conservatives.   The Democrat Media Complex has created a vast swath of human botnets, which can be set off in mass to launch denial-of-liberty attacks on any and all who oppose the New Progressive Order.  Like computer botnets, the human variety is programmed and programmable and act in concert, unhindered by scruples or actual thought.

Lately swarms of human maggots on Twitter have tweeted their joy at the death of General Norman Schwarzkopf yesterday, expressing hope that he died painfully and is now burning in Hell.  They have said similar things about former President George H.W. Bush, who is in the hospital with a serious illness, hoping that he dies "in agony."  I do not recognize this leftist human scum as fellow citizens, but as traitors, agents of hostile foreign powers and ideologies.  With the election of one of their own to the presidency, they are now emboldened to finish off the Republic, and as Blount notes at Moonbattery, are now in a rush to disarm us.  A generation ago, Diane Feinstein's proposed gun control bill (to photograph and fingerprint all gun owners) would have resulted in widespread outcry and alarm.  A day or so after its announcement, there is hardly a peep from the populace.

Feinstein's Bill to Destroy the 2nd Amendment: It Is Way Past Time to Openly Defy the Federal Government

The federal government is now the enemy of freedom and the Constitution, and it is time to openly defy it. Diane Feinstein, US Senator from Marxist California, has proposed a federal gun control bill that will make numerous existing handguns and rifles illegal. The bill would create a federal database of gun owners, and require photographing and fingerprinting gun owners. Like hell, bitch.

You can read the details of this Orwellian overreach at Powerline today.

Every day seems to bring a new federal outrage to light. Absolutely nothing that the Party of Treason does surprises me anymore. If this bill ever passes, I will personally defy it. I will neither obey nor recognize such a law. Meanwhile, I will seek to purchase a Glock handgun and a Bushmaster rifle, and begin regular shooting practice with them, at shooting ranges; and I will seek professional instruction on the safe handling and use of such firearms. I will register such weapons with my state, as indeed I have no choice; but I recognize the constitutionality of state law. I will not register any firearms with the federal government. I will rejoin the NRA.

Reasonable gun control laws should be passed by the states; the federal government has no such authority. It is time for "civil disobedience" to the Marxists now in control of the nation, and we must prepare ourselves for civil war in the event the Feds decide to play rough.

Note to state governments: get off your asses and protect the constitutional rights of your citizens. Nullify such laws and arrest any federal officials who attempt to enforce them. Call up state militias if necessary to oppose federal force, e.g. by such agencies as the BATF.

Business as usual is not an option. At the very least, it is time to discuss and plan for such contingencies at the state and local level. It is time to draw a line in the sand.

Statistics on Gun Use in Crime, Self-Defense (Graphic)

More good stuff from El Opinador Compulsivo:

A Posted Sign That Will Prevent Gun Violence In Schools

You decide.  (Hat tip:  El Opinador Compulsivo)

Actually, I think the sign on the right might prove too frightening to many. I would be satisfied by a sign that merely says "These premises guarded by armed and trained personnel."  Or even "These premises guarded by professional security" with an image of a uniformed guard.  No depiction of a firearm would be necessary -- it would be implied by the image.

UPDATE:  I photoshopped another alternative, less scary but possibly just as effective:

"An Opinion on Gun Control" Article Goes Viral

An excellent and informative essay on guns, crime and gun control has been posted at a site called Monster Hunter Nation.  The author is Larry Correia, a gun expert who has sold weapons to police and military, is widely knowledgeable of existing gun control laws, and has trained police and others in the operation of firearms and shoot/no shoot scenarios.  The article has gone viral, with thousands of people visiting the site to read it.

The article is An Opinion on Gun Control; it is a long article but worth the time to read.  Correia states important points like these:

Correia's Qualifications: 

Basically for most of my adult life, I have been up to my eyeballs in guns, self-defense instruction, and the laws relating to those things. So believe me when I say that I’ve heard every argument relating to gun control possible. It is pretty rare for me to hear something new, and none of this stuff is new.

Arming Teachers: 

No. Hear me out. The single best way to respond to a mass shooter is with an immediate, violent response. The vast majority of the time, as soon as a mass shooter meets serious resistance, it bursts their fantasy world bubble. Then they kill themselves or surrender. This has happened over and over again.

The average number of people shot in a mass shooting event when the shooter is stopped by law enforcement: 14. The average number of people shot in a mass shooting event when the shooter is stopped by civilians: 2.5. The reason is simple. The armed civilians are there when it started.

Gun Free Zones

Gun Free Zones are hunting preserves for innocent people. Period.

Think about it. You are a violent, homicidal madman, looking to make a statement and hoping to go from disaffected loser to most famous person in the world. The best way to accomplish your goals is to kill a whole bunch of people. So where’s the best place to go shoot all these people? Obviously, it is someplace where nobody can shoot back.

In all honesty I have no respect for anybody who believes Gun Free Zones actually work. You are going to commit several hundred felonies, up to and including mass murder, and you are going to refrain because there is a sign? That No Guns Allowed sign is not a cross that wards off vampires. It is wishful thinking, and really pathetic wishful thinking at that.

The only people who obey No Guns signs are people who obey the law. People who obey the law aren’t going on rampages.

Read it all here. Link it, refer it to others.

The NRA: Target and Scapegoat for the Hyper-Angry Left

Over at Twitchy.com there are many examples of hateful tweets put out by famous celebrities.  The latest hate-fest is against the National Rifle Association, a target of misdirected ire over the Connecticut school shootings of a week ago.  The latest is from author Joyce Carol Oates, who wants NRA members to be victims of gun violence so that they can better sympathize with other gun victims and allow gun control.

One of the characteristics of the loony left is a hair-pin trigger for anger, over-developed adrenal glands and a strong tendency to find a scapegoat for the cathartic expiation of their emotions.  When the actual source of their anger (the shooter) is not available for punishment, a substitute will do just as well.  They need someone or something to hate, someone to act as punching-bag for their anger, someone to blame.

Their strange logic goes like this:  crazy man gets guns, kills people.  The NRA supports the rights of gun ownership.  Therefore, the NRA killed those kids in Connecticut.  Brilliant logic. Or not.

Actually, the NRA has, for over 100 years, supported the safe and responsible ownership and use of rifles and guns.  They teach firearm safety courses.  When I was around 11 years old I went to one of them, as a precondition for going deer hunting with my father.

There are those on the wacky right (the Alex Jones types) who find scapegoats of their own, namely, antidepressant medications, which have nothing to do with the murderous rampages of the insane.  But blaming the medication satisfies a human need to find someone or something to blame.

So is anything to blame for the recent murderous rampages of the insane?  Yes.  Just supply your favorite pet peeve here:  keeping God out of schools; the deterioration of family values; income disparity among the populace, etc, ad infinitum.  However, I think there are objectively considered, real reasons for the violence.  They may (with emphasis on "may," as an admission that I don't have all the answers) include:

1.  The mainstreaming of the dangerous insane, rather than institutionalizing them.  Yes, we want to avoid institutionalizing the non-dangerous insane -- like the professor in "A Beautiful Life" or the man who believed in a giant rabbit named Harvey.  However, when a mental patient has a history of hurting people or expresses a reoccurring desire to harm or kill someone, he should be institutionalized if, say, two independent psychiatrists agree.

2.  The creation of target rich environments by specifying certain areas as "gun free zones."  This is nonsense.  There is no logic in assuming that making people defenseless will make them safer.  All areas where lots of people congregate should make provisions for defending against the occasional mad shooter, areas like schools, colleges, shopping malls, train stations, airports and movie theaters.

3.  Absurdly restrictive Gun Control Laws.  California is a good example of how absurd gun control can be. You cannot carry a loaded gun in public, concealed or unconcealed.  If you are caught doing so, you are subject to arrest and imprisonment, even when such incidences are accidental.  If you carry a gun in your car, it had better be locked up and in the trunk; it may not be loaded, and the magazine may not be close by the gun.  This is allegedly to prevent traffic rage incidents where drivers shoot each other.  It also prevents defense from carjacking or robbery while in the car.  We need the right to carry loaded concealed weapons, under a reasonable training and licensing program.

4. Overly Lax Gun Control Laws.  Those who wish to carry concealed weapons should know what they are doing and how to prevent accidental discharge of weapons.  Along with mandatory training, testing and licensing, I wouldn't be opposed to some kind of psych examination of applicants either, at the very least, a questionnaire:  "Have you ever murdered anyone?  Do you plan to do so?  Are you a lunatic?"  The usual background check for a criminal past should also be a requirement for licensing.

Conservatives tend to oppose any kind of gun control, but I think that is going to have to end.  No one should be able to buy a gun without a procedure for licensing, training and a background check.  No buying guns at pawnshops, Craig's List or gun shows, without first undergoing a licensing and training procedure.  Mark David Chapman murdered John Lennon with a pistol he bought at a pawnshop.

5.  Irresponsible Handling of Guns by Gun Owners.  Too often crazy killers get access to their parents' guns and then use them to murder.  Obligatory training courses for gun ownership should include restricting access to one's guns by unauthorized or unlicensed family members, with criminal penalties for those who fail to do so when such failure results in gun deaths.  Adam Lanza had access to his mother's guns and used them to murder school children.  The Columbine shooters also used their parents' guns to commit mass murder.

6.  Extreme Violence in Movies and Video Games.  It isn't clear how much the extreme violence in movies and video games contributes to insane gun rampages.  Logically, I would assume that they have some impact upon the impressionable and undoubtedly contribute to gun violence.   This would be especially true for psychotics who cannot differentiate between fantasy and reality.  More study is needed.

7.  One More:  Teenage Bullying in High Schools.  High school is a terrible time in the lives of many.  You are either one of the cool, in-crowd, or one of the despised and ridiculed masses.  Many teenagers love to bully, beat up and humiliate the less popular.  Sometimes the bullied get pushed too far and snap.  Harris and Klebold were two such teenagers, and finally struck back with mass murder.  Bullying in high schools cannot be allowed, with strict and swift punishment for those who practice it.

That's the way I see it.

Psycho + Guns = Tragedy: The Solution Is More Guns, Not Less

Taser:  A Tool For Stopping Violent Criminals

Adam Lanza has joined the pantheon of mass-murdering psychopaths in what might be called the SUPER "revenge of the nerds"  -- socially awkward people with mental problems who kill and then commit suicide.  Well, not all of them commit suicide -- take Jared Loughner and James Eagan Holmes, for example.

However, there is a distinct and predictable pattern here, expressed by the scientific formula:  psycho + guns + numerous available targets = tragedy.

How can we keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill?  That would surely decrease the number of mass murders.  We could ban all guns, forcing nut jobs to use knives, swords, baseball bats or bombs instead.  Then they might kill less (maybe more if bombs are used).  In any case, a young female school teacher would still be at a severe disadvantage when a Lanza enters her classroom looking for targets.  The size and strength differential between the teacher and psycho would be reduced to zero had the teacher a loaded gun.

The truth is, guns cannot be sufficiently banned to stop such incidents.  Outlawing guns means the criminal will have a gun and you won't.  What is needed is more guns, not less.  Teachers should be packing.  Anywhere there is a crowd of people -- in theaters, hospitals, schools and the shopping malls -- someone sane and trained needs to be armed and ready for psychos who show up with intent to kill.

Weapons for defense need not be limited to handguns.  Perhaps stun guns or better yet, tasers, could be issued to teachers, head ushers, hospital guards and others in lieu of traditional firepower.  Tasers can be used to floor someone from a distance, generally 15 feet for civilian tasers and 21 feet for police tasers.  The problem is that you only get one shot and if you miss, you're likely to be dead.  Still, a taser is a lot better than nothing.  Discussion, experimentation, training and research are needed to increase the options for civilians in dangerous situations.

We cannot disarm the bad guys, but we can arm their potential victims, so the latter will have a fighting chance at survival.

Related Post:  See Joseph Farah's article on How to Stop the Slaughter of Innocents.

Will the Aurora Incident Finally Kill the Second Amendment?

After a long parade of maniacs with guns, many Americans are ready for gun control.

As the Democrat Rahm Emmanuel said, "You never let a serious crisis go to waste. And what I mean by that it's an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before."

Removing guns from private ownership has been a long goal of the left. Like all of their prohibitions and compulsory laws, it's for our own good, dontcha know. The Aurora incident will be used to renew the clamor for increased gun control.

Many conservatives oppose any form of gun control for fear that, once the door has been opened, more and more restrictions will occur over time. Using the left's patient gradualism, they will have set in motion the process by which we will eventually be disarmed.

Many conservatives oppose gun registration, for fear that it will give government a list of gun owners, making it much easier to confiscate weapons once that government decides to do so.

I understand these concerns because they are valid. The question is, how can we keep guns out of the hands of maniacs without denying guns to peaceful, responsible citizens?

Should there be some sort of gun control, i.e., preventing the sale of Thompson machine guns to the public at large? How about preventing the sale of guns with huge ammo clips, ones that allow assailants to fire 60 bullets without reloading (like the one used by the Aurora shooter)? Why would such firepower be necessary for merely protecting one's home or business?

James Holmes purchased thousands of rounds of ammunition in preparation for his killing spree. Should there be a limit on the amount of ammunition that one can buy at a given time?

The gun control question is one of freedom vs security. More control might mean the purchase of more security (from armed psychotics) at the expense of less personal liberty. Would the transaction be worth it? Or is more freedom worth the risk that some will abuse that freedom to perpetrate evil?

Would the availability of guns to a well-armed public prevent such massacres in the future? Personally, I believe that it would. Surely the maniacs would understand that their killing spree would likely end in their own deaths. That wouldn't stop them all, especially if they want to die as martyrs. It would, however, slow them down. Right now, the Jared Loughners and Seung-Hui Chos and Dylan Klebolds know that they will be shooting fish in a barrel, i.e. that their targeted victims will be unarmed and unable to return fire.

In my opinion, we need to give them a new paradigm on which to construct their fantasies: one of a well-armed, gun savvy public who will kill them in short order should they draw down on innocents. I support right-to-carry laws, now more than ever. However, having said that, some reasonable controls over gun ownership are inevitable and probably desirable. Furthermore, those controls should be made at the state level, not the federal.

I'd be interested in hearing from readers. Where am I right and where am I wrong?