SUV's, Pickups, and the Second Amendment

[BlueCollar]

Is it possible for a member of the Democratic Underground to own a Full size Pickup/SUV and favor the Second amendment without being villified?

Based upon some of the conversations that take place out here I'm beginning to wonder.

Anyway, I've had enough of the BS some I'm coming out on this one...

I like my SUV and I believe in the second amendment.

If you don't like it ... to damn bad !!!

I'm voting Kerry-Edwards anyway.

[dogman]

1. I sure hope you're not the only one.

I like your plan.

[Wheelie_Alex]

2. My Sig P226,

rides in the seat next to me in my Hummer H2! Voting Kerry/Edwards also.

[rwenos]

3. Context is All . . .

In West Los Angeles, or the Crenshaw, guns are BAD. They should be regulated. The cops should have heavier firepower than the bad guys.

In Sierra County, guns are GOOD. They kill rattlesnakes, mountain lions and discourage escaped prisoners from the Cal.State Pen at Susanville.

And maybe, just maybe, a derringer or mace is good for my daughter to have on the wrong streetcorner. But I teach her there's another way -- common sense, stay out of bad situations, think self-defense.

Depends on where you are, when and why.

[BlueCollar]

17. Thanks

for an educated response

[CanuckAmok]

4. I own an SUV.

Haven't carried a gun since the Forces, but I believe in your right to do so, as long as you don't use it on people.

Assault rfles and stuff, I dunno. But it all comes down to use, for me. Don't point your gun or your SUV at me or my family, and I have no problem!

[Placebo]

5. Yay SUV's, Yay Guns, Yay Capitalism, Yay!

I hear ya, and I feel your pain. But no one should beat up on you for your beliefs, and if they do, that's their problem.

[BlueCollar]

8. It's not me that is getting beat up

It's the potential alienation of thousands of sportsmen and women accross the country

[CanuckAmok]

10. I agree...

...the SUV is the poster child for all that's evil. It's this year's acid rain.

And my observation is that most of the people who vocally oppose SUVs are drivers themselves. Just because your car is smaller doesn't mean you're not part of the problem. All automobiles are destroying this planet, and our social structure. The difference between a new hybrid and an H2 is a matter of degrees; it's just splitting hairs.

[NV Whino]

24. The difference between

56 mpg and 11 mpg is a pretty thick hair.

[CanuckAmok]

27. Yes, it'll take exactly five times as long to...

...deplete the same natural resources and create the same pollution, if both vehicles are driven the same way.

Splitting. Hairs.

[noahmijo]

6. I'm with you for the most part

I own more guns than most neo-cons probably (father is a retired Fed so I grew up with them) as far as SUV's go, I have some contempt for those that drive huge gas guzzlers for no reason other than to feed their ego, you can tell these types cause they usually are the only ones in the vehicle and they drive like jackasses.

But on the other hand in alot of areas they're almost a necessity I mean if you need to carry large loads, or you dig recreational activities you need something like that to haul your jetski, you gotta drive through snow you got a family to haul around hell who wants to pack a family of 5 into a Civic? Plus you're paying for the damn gas bill as it is.

As for me, I'm eyeballing that new Ford Hybrid Escape.

[rwenos]

7. Hybrid Escape -- Intoxicating

I personally am sorely tempted to borrow up to my eyeballs to get one. I am so SICK of high gas prices. And the Administration that props them up.

[noahmijo]

9. LoL you and me both

I'm a recent grad so I don't have the means to afford a power wheels vehicle let alone that, however being someone who falls into the I carry large loads and enjoy recreation category, needless to say a small car doesn't do it for me but at the same time I hate using so much gas.

That Escape looks like it's perfect it's the perfect size and everything not too small or big and if gets so much as 27 mpg I'd be thrilled that would be like owning an SUV that gets the same amount of mileage as my Prizm!

The way I see it though in some ways it's good neither of us could get it now because it's good to allow the vehicle to be in the market for a bit let the errors and bugs come out now so that a year or so from now they'll get fixed (if any).

[rwenos]

11. Ford says . . .

40 mph in town, 35 on the highway. In-town is higher because most low-speed driving will be on electric-only.

[noahmijo]

13. Yea I read that but it varies I think

In extreme areas of heat or cold from what I understand hybrids falter a little bit, however Ford is claiming that even these conditions it can pull off the mileage it promises.

Well I hope so we will see I have nothing but high hopes to see them succeed with this.

But as I was saying even if down here in the extremely hot area of Tucson, Arizona I get only about 27-30 mpg I'd still consider it worth getting and so long as nothing breaks or goes wrong I'd be a happy customer.

[BlueCollar]

14. I just get so tired of the

sanctimoniousness of some of our fellow dems on these issues

[Susang]

28. The sanctimony seems to go both ways

As you just posted what appears to be a very antagonistic post that assumes quite a lot about people you don't know. :eyes:

[Wcross]

12. I drive a chevy truck,

I own numerous firearms, even a few so called "assualt rifles". I intend to vote for Kerry.

[noahmijo]

15. List your assault rifles here!

Mine

1. AR-15

2. Hungarian AK-47

3. Russian AK-47

For you gun-haters out there these weapons are NOT for home defense and are locked up in a safe that not even a master thief with an atom bomb could crack. They are merely for collector value and the occassional fun at the range that can be had with them. (I shoot cans and plastic bottles with them sometimes)

None of these are full-auto of course and were purchased legally.

[BlueCollar]

16. well now

Russian SKS

M-14S

and a 1999 Jeep Cherokee

[noahmijo]

18. LoL That Jeep has gotta be the most dangerous one!

;)

That's funny, cool man I gotta say it's nice to be able to come out of the closet to be part of what I assume is the small "gun-nut" wing of the Democrat party, that although many will look at us in contempt for owning these machines, however one thing I think we all share is that we are safe with them and would never ever turn them on any living thing without a good reason, like terrorists have breached our backyards and are firing on our homes (fantasy people pure fantasy never gonna happen we know we know)

Seriously though I could live without being able to purchase an AK-47 at my local Wal-Mart or I have to go through extensive background checks, the fact of the matter is there are no boogeymen out there no one's gonna break into my house and if anyone is fool enough to it probably means they're drunk and a whack with a baseball bat not a bullet is all they need.

[BlueCollar]

36. i think more people drive under the influence than

gun owners shoot under the influence...

[Wcross]

22. Ok...

M1a, Ar-15, Benneli M3 shotgun.

[Endangered Specie]

19. Gun lovers dominate the Gungeon forum

(Justice/Public Safety)

[Wcross]

21. Gun lovers?

Must one "love" guns in order to own them? I love guns as much as I love my compound miter saw, both are tools as far as I am concerned.

[CanuckAmok]

23. compound miter saws don't kill people; people kill people!

;)

[Wcross]

29. More people have been injured by my saw than my gun...n/t

[CanuckAmok]

33. Me too, but it's because I made my saw full-auto.

A good idea, in theory. THEORY.

[Endangered Specie]

25. There are both

some treat them like a tool, but a good number do "love" guns, they post "gun porn" frequently.

[BlueCollar]

38. But I'm talking about those of us

who drive SUV's and own firearms...double whammy...

[JohnnyRingo]

20. I've never slept in house that didn't have a gun.

I'm not paranoid, I don't think I would ever shoot anyone, I just like guns.

If Triumphs drank more gas than SUVs, I would still have one.

[noahmijo]

26. JohnnyRingo.....the deadliest pistoleer since Wild Bill they say

What do you think DU.....should I hate him?

;)

[NV Whino]

30. Grrrrr

That said. Let me say also that I support the right to bear arms, although I personally dont... I might shoot someone.

SUVs are an atrocity. Don't misunderestimate me, I own a pickup in addition to my Celica convertible, which gets 30 to 35 mpg. (down from my old Prelude which got 35 to 40 mpg). But I'm thoroughly pissed off that the Ranger I just bought gets only 27 mpg at best as opposed to the junker 25-year-old Toyota truck that died which got 30 to 35 mpg. You need carrying capacity, get a truck. But do you really need a Hummer. For God's sake, they don't even have passenger air bags! They can't carry shit. They get 11 mpg.

All I can say is big car, little dick.

[Wheelie_Alex]

31. What is with all the penis comments?

This is the third thread that this has been brought up on today. Big Hummer/Little dick! Come on! I am almost average. :(

[CanuckAmok]

34. Seriously, you're new here...but you will learn...

Owning an SUV makes you a villain on DU for some reason.

It's pretty sad that *some* progressive thinkers can be so simplistic about complex issues...

:shrug:

Still, good people, whether they're making fun of your willy or not.

[lagniappe]

32. I've got a GMC Sierra pickup truck and a 12-gauge shot gun.

Surprisingly, I've seen quite a few gun rights supporters on DU, however, you are right that there seems to be a very vocal few that spew venom at SUV owners. My next car will probably be a Cadillac sedan. Those don't get much better gas mileage than some SUVs. I wonder if it is on the approved list here at DU.

[EstimatedProphet]

35. Well, I have a truck and support the 2nd amendment

and nobody's slammed me, to my face at least.
On edit: .45 acp, 20 Ga. shotgun, 9mm rifle, M1 30cal.

[DemWitch]

37. I inherited my Grandpa's shotgun,

and my Dad gave me his old Blazer... neither I would give up. I live in upstate NY and my folks, who I care for live in the boonies, live 6 miles from me... all uphill... I need a 4X4 to get there and back in winter.

SUV's do get a bad rap, but... When the Excursion came out, I think Ford went way overboard. Unless your hauling horses or have 10 kids, no one needs a vehicle that big. For a suburban Mom to tool around in and take her 2 kids to band practice, Explorers, Cherokees and TrailBlazers are fine... in my own opinion. And there is no reason they cant get better mileage...

<tin foil time>

For those old enough to remember... back in the 60's and 70's, THEE cars to own were Impalas, Bonnevilles, Electras, Sedan De Villes, Marquis, LTDs, New Yorkers, TownCars. They were symbols of the upscale suburban families, particuarily the big station wagons. They all got 12mpg on a good day. Then in the mid 70's the government passed the CAFE standards, and automakers went apopoletic. Can't do it, kill our business, blah, blah, blah. But It came to pass, Impalas got 23mpg, New Yorkers the same. My 89 TownCar would get 30mpg on the open road. But in the early 80's just as the cars were meeting the standards, out came the S-10's Cherokee's (smaller ones, now called Cherokee Classic) and Bronco II's. Smaller cousins to the bigger 4X4's and thier matching mini-pickups. They were marketed beyond belief as safer vehicles and status symbols. Soon, you were going upscale if you drove a S-10 Blazer Sport, Cherokee Wagoneer, or a Bronco II Eddie Bauer. The came the Voyagers and Astros, mini-vans. None of these vehicles were covered by CAFE standards because they were trucks. They also didn't have to have the same stringent safety standards. People gobbled them up, becasue of advertising. And gas consumption went through the roof.

So here we are 24 years later. Impala's are getting 35mpg on the open road. Crown Vic's and Marquis are cruising at 30mpg. But everyone is buying Expeditions and Explorers.

I wonder why the car companies pushed so hard for the trucks to become faily haulers. I wonder if they had any conversaitons with the oil companies. Just wondering.

<removing tin foil>

Anyway, I love my Dad's S-10 and will drive it until the body rusts away, which with NY winters should be in three to five more years.

[Aftershock]

39. Ok. You can keep polluting the environment then.

You know, I could care less if I breathed in fresh oxygen anyways. I've always wanted to breathe in a bunch of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and methane. Mmmmmmmmmm...that'll not kill ya. And who cares about global warming? I mean, Florida is full of people anyways. When it sinks into the Atlantic Ocean, are we really gonna miss those people? How about California? Is anyone gonna miss California when it sinks into the ocean due to the ice caps melting? Or how about shorter winters? I mean, who cares if we don't get snowfall. It's not like the water from the snow has helped anyone anyways, right? Hell...let's just keep the temperature to a nice 75 degrees all year round! Who needs winter?

</sarcasm>

[BlueCollar]

40. I'm sure that China and India

are glad to hear you couldn't care less if you breathed in fresh oxygen anyways

[Aftershock]

41. *cough*that was sarcasm*cough*

[DemWitch]

42. Well, we could save the environment from imminent disaster...

If everyone (except farmers) who lives outside of a major metropolitan center moved into it, therefore enabling them to use mass transit instead of having to drive everywhere. Farms could go back to using horses for plowing, but the transport of those good to the cities would more than likely make the choice of veggies like moldy carrots, moldy potatoes, moldy corn, or moldy beans because of the 4 day trip without refridgeration. International travel on airlines would need to be stopped, thereby going back to sailing ships. Hopefully, if your planning on a european vacation your boss wouldn't mind giving you 6 months off.

Yes, pollution from cars, all cars is a problem. Blaming only Explorers for that is just like Shrubya invading Iraq. It's an easy target, and half the people won't bitch. I'm all for alternative fuels. Find me a vehicle that can go through 3 feet of drifting snow, have zero emissions, not cost an arm and a leg and I can refuel at Stop N Shop, I'm there...

[BlueCollar]

43. me too

but I need a place to put the gunrack too...