I know that many (most [all]) here have contacted their respective Congressman / Senator, and the calls seem to be having an impact. While I don't know what you have conveyed to them, I would like to offer some suggestions of information to pass on to them so they will be better prepared to argue against gun legislation. I know, I know, "read the second amendment" should suffice, but we should realize that to many it doesn't. You can call them idiots or whatever, but that will not sway them. Please, take this advice and use information.
The first is why guns should not be legislated. This article was shown to me by Slapstick, and it is very applicable. This is the take-away quote:
Americans have historically modeled their choices of home protection and personal defense handguns on what the cops carried. When the police carried .38 revolvers as a rule, the .38 caliber revolver was the single most popular choice among armed citizens. In the 1980s and into the 1990s, cops switched en masse to semiautomatic pistols. So did the gun-buying public. Today, the most popular handgun among police seems to be the 16-shot, .40 caliber Glock semiautomatic. Not surprisingly, the general public has gone to pistols bracketing that caliber in power (9mm, .40, .45) with similar enthusiasm. The American police establishment has also largely switched from the 12 gauge shotgun which was also the traditional American home defense weapon, to the AR15 patrol rifle with 30-round magazine…and, not surprisingly, the law-abiding citizenry has followed suit there, too.
Massad Ayoob » Blog Archive » WHY GOOD PEOPLE NEED SEMIAUTOMATIC FIREARMS AND
If law enforcement of America deem it necessary to use these weapons, then so should normal citizens. After all, citizens will be the ones standing off intruders until the police get there, and the police will be arriving in larger numbers than the victim. Shouldn't they be as protected as the police?
The second point is more of a diversion, but is true nonetheless. There are two common themes that run through all of these mass shootings. The first is obviously guns, the second is the use of psychiatric drugs by the perpetrators. Americans have always been pretty heavily armed, yet shootings are becoming more common. It is no coincidence that the rise in violence mirrors the rise in prescription psychiatric drugs.
The giant, gaping hole in Sandy Hook reporting
There are many in America that want to be on the side of the 2nd Amendment, but don't want to be tied to the strict dogma and literalization. If you can give them something like these pieces of information, we may gain converts because it all seems to make sense. I know it means you will actually need to converse and not just shout "What part of 'shall not infringe' . . ." but you are much more likely to reach people with reasonable conversant points instead of yelling. You know, honey v. vinegar and all. Use this how you will, but it is information that people you talk to, including your legislators can pass on. It will make them feel smart because they can defend the 2nd without sounding like a broken record. Beside, smart sounding information will be passed on to others, so it will help spread your message when you are not there.
The first is why guns should not be legislated. This article was shown to me by Slapstick, and it is very applicable. This is the take-away quote:
Americans have historically modeled their choices of home protection and personal defense handguns on what the cops carried. When the police carried .38 revolvers as a rule, the .38 caliber revolver was the single most popular choice among armed citizens. In the 1980s and into the 1990s, cops switched en masse to semiautomatic pistols. So did the gun-buying public. Today, the most popular handgun among police seems to be the 16-shot, .40 caliber Glock semiautomatic. Not surprisingly, the general public has gone to pistols bracketing that caliber in power (9mm, .40, .45) with similar enthusiasm. The American police establishment has also largely switched from the 12 gauge shotgun which was also the traditional American home defense weapon, to the AR15 patrol rifle with 30-round magazine…and, not surprisingly, the law-abiding citizenry has followed suit there, too.
Massad Ayoob » Blog Archive » WHY GOOD PEOPLE NEED SEMIAUTOMATIC FIREARMS AND
If law enforcement of America deem it necessary to use these weapons, then so should normal citizens. After all, citizens will be the ones standing off intruders until the police get there, and the police will be arriving in larger numbers than the victim. Shouldn't they be as protected as the police?
The second point is more of a diversion, but is true nonetheless. There are two common themes that run through all of these mass shootings. The first is obviously guns, the second is the use of psychiatric drugs by the perpetrators. Americans have always been pretty heavily armed, yet shootings are becoming more common. It is no coincidence that the rise in violence mirrors the rise in prescription psychiatric drugs.
The giant, gaping hole in Sandy Hook reporting
There are many in America that want to be on the side of the 2nd Amendment, but don't want to be tied to the strict dogma and literalization. If you can give them something like these pieces of information, we may gain converts because it all seems to make sense. I know it means you will actually need to converse and not just shout "What part of 'shall not infringe' . . ." but you are much more likely to reach people with reasonable conversant points instead of yelling. You know, honey v. vinegar and all. Use this how you will, but it is information that people you talk to, including your legislators can pass on. It will make them feel smart because they can defend the 2nd without sounding like a broken record. Beside, smart sounding information will be passed on to others, so it will help spread your message when you are not there.
