GOP thread

[nine]

I’ve pointed this out before …but in America, military and law enforcement personnel are arguably the best trained, most experienced, and most qualified users of firearms in American society.
 

They’re also the country’s most heavily regulated and closely monitored gun owners.   They’re required to maintain their weapons and re-certify on a regular basis, and the owners are held directly responsible for storing and securing their weapons:   if a firearm is lost, stolen, or goes missing, the owner is in serious hot water with intense scrutiny and disciplinary measures.  
 

Again…these are the rules for the best trained, most experienced, and most qualified gun owners in our society.   And nobody bats an eye.  
 

But among the general population who are infinitely less qualified, there’s virtually zero oversight for gun ownership.   Anyone who wants one can get one.  And if they lose it or it’s stolen…hey, no problem.  Just go buy another one.  
 

But of course, whenever anyone dares to suggest that perhaps normal everyday citizens with little or no training or experience should be required to meet some minimum standard of responsibility (or any standard at all, really)….Republicans  lose their minds and declare it unconstitutional.  
 

Or in the case of the Tennessee legislature,  they simply shut down the entire conversation as a means of silencing those who aren't on board with their agenda.    

[reo]

2 hours ago, IsntLifeFunny said:

What are your ideas of how to regulate guns? 

 

Ideally? I want strict background checks, mental health exams along with a strict licensing, training and certification process. Along with that I want an in depth database of gun sales and ownerships attaching gun serial numbers to their owners as well as a method to track fired bullets back to the gun that fired it. And I want to drastically increase funding to the ATF along w/ increased viability to improve their ability to actually enforce gun laws.

 

I want different levels of gun licensing and certification w/ increasing difficulty to achieve and maintain depending on the lethality of the weapon and your intended purpose ala CDLs for truck drivers or motorcycle licenses for motorcycles but more in depth.

 

Want an AR-15? Great. Do it. Go through the 6 months of training required to own one and recertify that training on at least a yearly basis.

Want a handgun that you won't carry on your person daily? Sure. A lot less strenuous of a licensing and certification process.

Want to carry a handgun in public? Sure. Have a process on par w/ AR-15 training if not more in depth and rigorous. This needs to be something that if you want to do badly enough that you train for it regularly and not just you and your friends in the backyard. This needs to be run by a licensed professional, probably at least to start by former military and/or police. 

 

But that's just my ideal off the top of my head. I'm open to much smaller incremental reform.

[begooode]

Let the free market resolve it!! seems like the rote answer to so many things in America when regulation is considered.  With this in mind one change that would have a huge impact while government actually gets out of the way instead of more perceived overreach -- amend or end all together the limitations on liabilities for gun manufacturers.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protection_of_Lawful_Commerce_in_Arms_Act#External_links

Edited April 10, 2023 by begooode

[ChemEngr79]

3 hours ago, ctm said:

Multiple shooting casualties being reported in Louisville.

Sadly, just another day that ends in “y” in the USA…

[IsntLifeFunny]

Does anyone care to explain to me how exactly it is that Republicans are this fucking stupid?

 

In recent weeks, Donald Trump has discussed sending “special forces” and using “cyber warfare” to target cartel leaders if he’s reelected president and, per Rolling Stone, asked for “battle plans” to strike Mexico. Reps. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) and Mike Waltz (R-Fla.) introduced a bill seeking authorization for the use of military force to “put us at war with the cartels.” Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) said he is open to sending U.S. troops into Mexico to target drug lords even without that nation’s permission. And lawmakers in both chambers have filed legislation to label some cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, a move supported by GOP presidential aspirants.

https://www.politico.com/news/2023/04/10/gop-bomb-mexico-fentanyl-00091132

[oldschool]

4 hours ago, nine said:

I’ve pointed this out before …but in America, military and law enforcement personnel are arguably the best trained, most experienced, and most qualified users of firearms in American society.
 

They’re also the country’s most heavily regulated and closely monitored gun owners.   They’re required to maintain their weapons and re-certify on a regular basis, and the owners are held directly responsible for storing and securing their weapons:   if a firearm is lost, stolen, or goes missing, the owner is in serious hot water with intense scrutiny and disciplinary measures.  
 

Again…these are the rules for the best trained, most experienced, and most qualified gun owners in our society.   And nobody bats an eye.  
 

But among the general population, there’s virtually zero oversight for gun ownership.   And whatever  anyone suggests that normal everyday citizens with little or no training or experience should be required to meet a minimum standard  of responsibility (or any standard at all, really)….Republicans  lose their minds and declare it unconstitutional.  
 

Or in the case of the Tennessee legislature,  they simply shut down the entire conversation as a means of silencing those who aren't on board with their agenda.    

 

Not only this but I recall hearing a former FBI Firearms instructor say they had data that even the best performing Law Enforcement  members at the range have a drop in successful hits when under duress on average of 40%. Point being the idea the average untrained gun owner will be able to defend themselves is really just made up nonsense. Ties directly into the stats that show people with guns in their home are like 60-80% more likely to injure themselves or some in their family than they are use it in defense. Just call it what it really is. Some of us really like guns. Its not about self defense.

[Alzarius]

6 hours ago, ctm said:

Multiple shooting casualties being reported in Louisville.

[Starkiller]

[Somedude]

[reo]

2 hours ago, Starkiller said:

 

Incoming voter restrictions for what IDs qualify in red states and other things to make it harder for young people to vote.

[titanruss]

8 hours ago, oldschool said:

 

Not only this but I recall hearing a former FBI Firearms instructor say they had data that even the best performing Law Enforcement  members at the range have a drop in successful hits when under duress on average of 40%. Point being the idea the average untrained gun owner will be able to defend themselves is really just made up nonsense. Ties directly into the stats that show people with guns in their home are like 60-80% more likely to injure themselves or some in their family than they are use it in defense. Just call it what it really is. Some of us really like guns. Its not about self defense.

 

Pretty sure its like 100: 1

 

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/statistical-life/201701/the-true-odds-shooting-bad-guy-gun

 

edit: actually thats 100: 1 for using it for a felony or harm yourself or others by accident.

 

still some fun stats in that link

[OILERMAN]

This is awesome:

 

 

 

[begooode]

If DeSantis is seeing similar internal polling data holding steady, he'll remain on the sidelines until Trump falters in court(s).  White knight is his only play.

Sidebar - Nikki Haley has to feel like shit considering she's raised $11mil in her first qtr, but she's barely ahead of Liz Cheney. LOFL.

 

Former President Trump widened his lead over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) in a hypothetical Republican primary matchup to 33 points, according to a new poll.  A Morning Consult poll found Trump with 56 percent of the vote among a group of current and potential GOP challengers for the nomination and DeSantis in second with 23 percent. This marks Trump’s widest lead in the poll since Morning Consult started tracking the hypothetical primary in December. 

 

The most recent poll found Vice President Pence came in third with 7 percent, followed by former Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley with 4 percent and former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) with 3 percent. 

[Starkiller]

2 hours ago, begooode said:

If DeSantis is seeing similar internal polling data holding steady, he'll remain on the sidelines until Trump falters in court(s).  White knight is his only play.

Sidebar - Nikki Haley has to feel like shit considering she's raised $11mil in her first qtr, but she's barely ahead of Liz Cheney. LOFL.

 

Former President Trump widened his lead over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) in a hypothetical Republican primary matchup to 33 points, according to a new poll.  A Morning Consult poll found Trump with 56 percent of the vote among a group of current and potential GOP challengers for the nomination and DeSantis in second with 23 percent. This marks Trump’s widest lead in the poll since Morning Consult started tracking the hypothetical primary in December. 

 

The most recent poll found Vice President Pence came in third with 7 percent, followed by former Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley with 4 percent and former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) with 3 percent. 

If DeSantis were smart, when he enters the race he will say that he supports Trump but there needs to be an alternative on the ticket because of the “Democratic persecution of Trump in the courts” (or something similar) and the possibility that Trump will be in danger of being “illegally imprisoned”. Get the cultists eating out of his hands.

Edited April 11, 2023 by Starkiller

[begooode]

Tenn governor pushing back on his “nothing we can do” gop legislators  or looking for empty laws that sound good?

 

Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee on Tuesday urged the state’s legislature to pass additional gun control measures, an especially charged subject in a state that recently suffered a school shooting and the acrimonious expulsion of two Black Democratic lawmakers who called for greater firearm restrictions.

 

“I’m asking the General Assembly to bring forward an order of protection law. A new strong order of protection law will provide the broader population cover, safety, from those who are a danger to themselves or the population,” Lee said at a news conference, adding that he would like legislators to pass the legislation within the current legislative session, which ends in a few weeks.

 

The governor said specifics for the order of protection plan had yet to be determined but encouraged lawmakers from both parties to work together on the matter. 

 

It is unclear if the Tennessee House and Senate, which are both GOP-led by a wide margin, will bring up the matter. CNN has reached out to the state’s Senate majority leader and House speaker for comment.
 

“We should be very serious about real solutions and about getting real solutions across the finish line and I look forward to working with the General Assembly to do just that,” Lee said. “It is possible to get this done. We should work to set aside our differences and accomplish something that Tennesseans want us to get accomplished.”

 

Lee signaled that he plans to sign an executive order strengthening the state’s gun background checks by setting a 72-hour clock for new criminal activity. Lee said it will also ensure courts will provide timely and accurate information to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/11/politics/tennessee-gun-laws-governor-bill-lee/index.html

 

Edited April 11, 2023 by begooode