Have any of you thought of getting a gun in the recent past?

[dsc]

Poll question: Have any of you thought of getting a gun in the recent past?

I must admit, to my shame, that I am giving it some consideration. Maybe I am getting paranoid in my thirties but I just keep reading these stories and think maybe a gun would be a good idea. I haven't acted on it yet and most probably wouldn't but as time goes on who knows.

[Erika]

1. We already own weapons

Two rifles and a handgun. Many, if not most, democrats in the West, own guns.

[mitchtv]

7. about the same here,

a rifle, a shotgun,a handgun.A baseball bat near my bed. a can of mace in the kitchen. We have home invasions in my small city. Lots of seniors- easy prey.Illegals are easy prey too. I live in a 50% gay suburb.

[Igel]

2. I always thought about getting a gun until the kid arrived on

the scene.

He gets into everything, picks up everything, and seems to revel in pushing buttons and pulling or pushing little bits.

No gun. If I had one, it would be locked up so out of sight that it wouldn't do me any good, unless, of course, the social order completely breaks down.

[Erika]

6. Responsible gun owners store them safely

Which we do ours. Having a good house alarm system, a dog, and a gun gives you a safe feeling.

[Catt03]

3. I think you need to get one

and I am not a gun enthusiast.

This is the time in America that those without them are at risk.

[woodsprite]

4. We've been having a rash of home invasions

around our town. Over 100 since October. I would get one if I didn't have a 4yo son. We're the only un-firearmed members of our family.

For the survivalism aspect of it. Yeah. I've thought about it. But again. I figure the family will probably be all together at that point anyhow and they have a ton to spare. We do all have trailers, complete with generators. My one SIL is a paramedic and has been collecting survivalism items. We also have 3 ex-military, 4 survivalist trained guys out of our extended family of 15, so if we were together, we'd have some direction. We all live within 5-10 minutes of each other, and hubby and I work within that range also. The family is also ham radio licensed, and the trailers are equipped for that.

Now food supplies, that's a different story. Gotta work on that.

[applegrove]

5. Your gun manufacturers are all jumping for joy today and saying:

as long as we never have to pay for 'externalities' we can ride this pony into the end of time.

[Poppyseedman]

8. First of all, there is no shame in taking advantage

of your rights as a citizen.

Owning a gun is a serious step which should be carefully considered.

I would suggest, go to your local gun range, rent a hand gun, get a feel for the power and to see how well you can handle one. It isn't as easy as it looks.

If you decide to buy one, ABSOLUTELY take a gun safety course. Nothing worse than an idiot with a gun that doesn't know how to use one.

If you are strictly looking for home protection, I would suggest a 12 gauge shot gun instead of a hand gun.

[dsc]

9. There would be the hypocrisy angle

in that I am a staunch proponent of gun control, though I would take safety courses and the like.

[solinvictus]

13. Take some steps first..

Find a range that'll rent them for use with some trained supervision. Research long guns and pistols on the internet to decide which will suit your stated purpose.

[Lazpash]

15. Safety courses - definitely.

However, the alleged "gun control" issue is the ONLY one I completely disagree with the Democrat "majority".

The second amendment gives teeth to the first... and all the others, for that matter.

Besides, all the "gun control" measures did little to NO good in Georgia. If CHL holders were allowed to have a firearm in the courthouse, we may not be watching "Brian Nichols" News now ... at least not 24/7. When the criminal element KNOWS who IS and IS NOT armed (anyone in a uniform) it's easier for a semi-intelligent jerk to USE that knowledge to his advantage... as he so evidently DID.

[Colorado Blue]

10. On the other hand I have three cats:)

[sundog]

11. no, I hate guns

I've always lived without them & plan on continuing that way :)

[solinvictus]

12. Own 'em

Wouldn't be caught without them in this climate. Try this website: www.pinkpistols.com

[xchrom]

14. i am SO anti-gun -- and i've thought about it.

much to my shame.
basically i want nothing to do with guns and gun owners -- don't want 'em around me at all.

but i think conservatives of all stripes are going to push this thing really far -- i don't think they can stop themselves.
they've become addicted to power, control, the politics of division.
they can't give up the rhetoric of hate -- and there can be only one outlet for all that energy.
violence.

it's what their asking for.

i haven't bought a gun -- i hate them.
but i find now that i am conflicted regarding the future of the country.

well, those are my feelings -- i'll stop here because it's all unformed as of now.

[Lazpash]

16. Shame???

I see NO reason to be ashamed of strength, nor power if utilized properly. _I_ would be ashamed if I relied upon others EXCLUSIVELY for my own protection.

There are 2 good sites, IMO (though a few of the straight ones are okay too... except for the bigoted asshats ;)

http://usp45usp.proboards42.com/index.cgi (Gays with Guns)

http://www.pinkpistols.org/ (Pink Pistols)

And for info, this site is pretty good: http://www.d2a.org/ (Democrats for the 2nd Amendment)

[xchrom]

17. i don't EXPECT anybody to have a gun.

and i see plenty of shame in relying on guns for any notion of personal strength -- i can think of nothing that denotes a certain lack of character more than that.

i come from an extremely violent past -- weapons of all sorts being plentiful.
and i trust no one with a gun -- no one.
every one is far too human.

now -- aside from that -- i think the right is pushing the envelope and i don't think they are going to stop.

so it would be with a grimness of purpose -- a real willingness to sell others lives very short -- because i have to -- that i would get a gun.
and that's where i think we are going --

i have no need of ''support groups'' for why i would get a gun -- and i would know why i have one.
and there would a real sense of defeat for me to own one.

[dsc]

18. well said

and the same here. Given my horrendous vision without glasses, I doubt I would ever follow through but the thought of it is bad enough.

[Ian David]

19. Check out the Pink Pistols.

www.PinkPistols.org

[Ian David]

20. Arming the Left: Is the time now? --by Charles Southwell

Arming the Left: Is the time now? --by Charles Southwell*

I hope you didn't open this page to read what we already know: that this is the most rightwing government we have ever had in the US, even far right of Bush I, that our rights are being eroded daily, and that our democratic process is all but gone, if it isn't already gone.

I hope you came here to read about tactics for action that will finally have some consequence. I hope you agree that our protests, petitions, letters, and on and on, have been utterly ignored. The fascistas that run our country laugh at us. They believe they can do anything and that we haven't got the guts to revolt, but only to wage a war of words. I have seen the Bush cavalcades, as they drive away, his aids sneering and jeering and laughing and mocking our protests. They think we are a JOKE. Tens of millions of Americans protested the war, but because we posed no REAL THREAT to their power, we were UTTERLY IGNORED.

As long as we pose no REAL threat to the powers-that-be, to what is shaping up into a dictatorship, we will continue to be ignored. Right now, we are ignored because we present no organized power to fight this onslaught of anti-democratic, totalitarian government that we are up against.

It will take time, but it's time to get more left-leaning liberals and outright leftists to at least POSE a threat, by getting organized and getting ARMED. It's time to get well past this liberal phobia and taboo about weapons and force. After all, our liberalism was won with a REVOLUTIONARY WAR! they used real guns in that war. The French Revolution was also a WAR and they used real weapons there too.

More:
http://www.legitgov.org/essay_southwell_arming_the_left_is_the_time_now_102203.html