tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3480383418556368648.post8285786740371739747..comments2024-03-14T16:50:10.223-07:00Comments on Seattle Moxie: All I want for Christmas is a ban on assault weaponsMJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00564714863783376506noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3480383418556368648.post-60731495596787917402012-12-25T09:00:15.497-08:002012-12-25T09:00:15.497-08:00Hi Anonymous. No one's going to take away all...Hi Anonymous. No one's going to take away all your your guns, it will never happen in this country, so chill. <br /><br />I want strict licensing, mandatory background checks, waiting periods alongside banning the most dangerous -- the military-style assault weapon (handguns are not assault rifles, big difference, you're mistaken in lumping them together). I would think responsible gun owners would be the biggest advocates for such basic safeguards. <br /><br />The government has thus far done little to nothing about gun control, so I'm not sure who the "sheep" are you're referring to? The current action taken by the President to address gun violence is a result of a groundswell, a large number of American citizens who are no longer OK with the "nothin' we can do!" stance and want something to be done. It's the people insisting on change from their elected leaders -- looks like democracy to me. <br /><br />You seem to be insinuating these kinds of things (an execution of a first-grade class) are just the price to pay for your right to bear arms. I disagree. It's not what the forefathers intended, and those kids had rights, too. <br /><br />As for, "they only happen once in awhile" (which struck me as a very cold statement) I'll offer this -- the fact it happened even once and nothing changed is a sign of a cultural malady. And yet it happens time and time again here in the U.S. of A. Any solutions in mind? <br /><br />I have no problem publishing your comment. As long as it's not abusive, I'm OK with publishing just about anything someone has to say on here. I don't expect everybody to agree with me but I sure wish they would.<br />MJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00564714863783376506noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3480383418556368648.post-44077449185575963222012-12-24T23:33:30.588-08:002012-12-24T23:33:30.588-08:00I couldn't disagree more. I am a mother of two...I couldn't disagree more. I am a mother of two children, for the record.<br /><br />The right to bear arms is our right as American citizens. This is something that is documented in our country's constitution. <br /><br />Because a handful of people decide to do something so tragic and sick does NOT mean that the entire country should have to pay for it and have current weapons retrieved. <br /><br />Think about it. You only hear about something like the elementary school shooting once in a while. <br />But I feel quite confident that there are enough situations that occur on a DAILY BASIS where people who are your average American citizen (not mentally insane) has a situation where their gun can assist them (rapes, robberies, violence/attacks). It's a LOT of things that happen in the world that does NOT receive news coverage where someone has to use a weapon for a legitimate reason. I am not sure of where you've been or what you've been through in your life, but I have seen/heard of situations countless times. <br /><br />I am also not sure of how closely you or your Blog followers have been paying attention (and I am not talking about what they choose to cover on CNN or your local news station) to what's actually going on to this country. Every time I turn around, the president or someone in politics are speaking about some Bill that is STRIPPING AWAY AMERICANS RIGHTS. <br /><br />That's what's happening.<br /><br />The Patriot Act<br />NDAA Act- where American citizens can be detained indefinitely on U.S. soil without a trial...IN THEIR OWN COUNTRY!<br />TSA with all that they do.<br />They have also been trying for quite a while to pass a bill/law where the U.S. government can obtain your personal information/records/billing info. a.k.a. whatever the hell they want from a company if they 'have reason to believe you are a threat to homeland security'. Give me a fucking break. <br /><br />And NOW...they want to ban assault guns. I don't know how much knowledge you ACTUALLY have about guns. And to be quite frank, I am not a Gun Know-It-All, but having common sense, I know that assault guns are pretty much all guns. It covers a HUGEEEE amount of available guns that the average American has. It's basically handguns. <br /><br />So, if they enforce a ban on handguns, then what? Of course, they will get them from the crazies. But what about the 36 year old husband/father who has a doctorate degree, is a homeowner, and is responsible who happens to own a handgun? Because there is a ban on guns, he is no longer allowed to have it, right? His right to possess it has been stripped away from him, correct? Being that he already has this gun, like millions of other gun-registered citizens, he has two options:<br /><br />1. Turn in his gun to the Government<br /><br />or <br /><br />2. They will come and take it from him.<br /><br />THAT makes absolutely no sense to me. And it really upsets me to see Americans continuing to follow behind EVERYTHING the government says like a pack of sheep. Be your own person. Do you own research. And truly understand what is happening to this county. We are truly on our way to martial law.<br /><br />I really hope you don't decide to reject my comment just because I am the only one who disagrees. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3480383418556368648.post-55595009106405649882012-12-21T14:01:58.786-08:002012-12-21T14:01:58.786-08:00Thanks, Chrissoup.Thanks, Chrissoup.MJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00564714863783376506noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3480383418556368648.post-16010118856830557662012-12-21T14:01:34.220-08:002012-12-21T14:01:34.220-08:00Now the NRA wants an armed policeman in every scho...Now the NRA wants an armed policeman in every school. This is getting so eff'g ridiculous I can't stand it anymore. Arming teachers, cops in school..... really? These "solutions" make sense to people? What the hell is going on over here?MJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00564714863783376506noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3480383418556368648.post-1754824209919343732012-12-21T13:56:25.106-08:002012-12-21T13:56:25.106-08:00I hear the Australia assault weapon ban worked ver...I hear the Australia assault weapon ban worked very well, good for your country for seeing a problem and making a change. We aren't there yet.<br /><br />Strict licensing for gun owners too, please. <br /><br />Courageous politicians would really be something. Fingers crossed.MJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00564714863783376506noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3480383418556368648.post-14481011641100084702012-12-21T13:54:14.103-08:002012-12-21T13:54:14.103-08:00Yes.Yes.MJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00564714863783376506noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3480383418556368648.post-32840314651053480552012-12-21T13:54:01.722-08:002012-12-21T13:54:01.722-08:00Too many guns, poor health care for the mentally i...Too many guns, poor health care for the mentally ill, a culture enamored with violence. We can't be surprised we are where we are, I guess. Time to change something! MJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00564714863783376506noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3480383418556368648.post-80350358203466693962012-12-21T13:53:03.019-08:002012-12-21T13:53:03.019-08:00Thanks, Deb.Thanks, Deb.MJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00564714863783376506noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3480383418556368648.post-80421094368417216292012-12-21T13:52:42.510-08:002012-12-21T13:52:42.510-08:00Ooops, my bad, didn't mean to delete that.
Me...Ooops, my bad, didn't mean to delete that.<br /><br />Meant to say -- If I ever come face-to-face with a mass murderer, please oh please let him be wielding a knife instead of an assault rifle. <br /><br />Thanks, Duchesse. Hugs.MJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00564714863783376506noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3480383418556368648.post-69792719319721646782012-12-21T13:51:04.230-08:002012-12-21T13:51:04.230-08:00Thanks, ParisReally.Thanks, ParisReally.MJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00564714863783376506noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3480383418556368648.post-42762826856586786812012-12-21T13:50:19.526-08:002012-12-21T13:50:19.526-08:00I hear Australia's assault weapon ban worked q...I hear Australia's assault weapon ban worked quite nicely. Nobody cares about that here, though, and I recently heard an NRA spokesman claiming the crime rate went UP in Australia after those guns were banned. <br /><br />It's incredible what some people believe, even when facts point to the opposite. We're very good at paranoia and fear-mongering over here!<br /><br />I hope we make those kids' lives count, too. Cross fingers.<br />MJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00564714863783376506noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3480383418556368648.post-88064870485340155002012-12-21T13:47:51.695-08:002012-12-21T13:47:51.695-08:00Not creepy, Steph, happy to have you around.
We...Not creepy, Steph, happy to have you around. <br /><br />We shouldn't have to feel terrified dropping our kids off at school, yet I do now, every single day, and likely will always feel a measure of fear. God Bless the U.S.A.MJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00564714863783376506noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3480383418556368648.post-28665644382880557712012-12-21T13:44:47.035-08:002012-12-21T13:44:47.035-08:00This comment has been removed by the author.MJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00564714863783376506noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3480383418556368648.post-62774568160122767902012-12-21T13:43:28.365-08:002012-12-21T13:43:28.365-08:00Minda, you do whatever you can do. I'm on a c...Minda, you do whatever you can do. I'm on a crazy petition signing, political calling spree myself. Feels like the only thing to do and not very helpful, but it's so much better than shrugging and doing nothing. Go, girl.MJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00564714863783376506noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3480383418556368648.post-53128359758017524802012-12-21T13:42:18.699-08:002012-12-21T13:42:18.699-08:00Agreed, but there are countries, such as England, ...Agreed, but there are countries, such as England, as pointed out by a friend who lives there, where access for mental health treatment is also lacking but you don't see crimes such as this because unstable people don't have easy access to guns. <br /><br />Lots of mentally ill people suffering in many countries but we're the only one who've come to expect a mass shooting every couple months or so. MJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00564714863783376506noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3480383418556368648.post-29595377507945167582012-12-21T13:38:14.023-08:002012-12-21T13:38:14.023-08:00No civilian needs an assault rifle for self defens...No civilian needs an assault rifle for self defense. And not all mass killings are committed by mentally ill people. The shooters at Columbine, for instance, were just pissed off kids. (Also, not all were in designated "gun free zones," such as the movie theater or the shopping mall.)<br /><br />The only constant is easy access to guns capable of killing many people in a short amount of time. There's no excuse for that. MJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00564714863783376506noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3480383418556368648.post-25292019726651298352012-12-21T13:32:09.438-08:002012-12-21T13:32:09.438-08:00Well said, MoxieWell said, Moxiechrissouphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00398602853402174732noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3480383418556368648.post-20315028087228760592012-12-21T07:04:14.600-08:002012-12-21T07:04:14.600-08:00I agree with Bill, above. I remember when then-Ca...I agree with Bill, above. I remember when then-California governor Ronald Reagan shut down California's mental institutions as a budget-cutting move. He effectively moved the crazies right out onto the streets...where they live today. If a society cannot manage mental illness (which is the case), then they MUST provide a place to lockup the insane. All that exists right now are ephemeral measures: you take the crazy/suicidal/deranged person to the ER, where they find him/her a bed for possibly 48 hours. Drug and release. Over and over and over again.<br /><br />Even if Adam Lanza's mother had tried to put her kid in a psych lockup (and we can't know if she ever did); he would not have stayed more than 48 hours. <br /><br />At least in France we can lock 'em up. The Paris Chronicleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02667503853760168339noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3480383418556368648.post-53718650702371502112012-12-21T02:30:54.777-08:002012-12-21T02:30:54.777-08:00I'min Aus so the whole second amendment thing ...I'min Aus so the whole second amendment thing makes absolutely no sense to us here which means I don't think I can make much of a sensible or insightful comment but to say that it stuns me every time this happens how little insight some sectors of the USA have about how the rest of the world deals with things. Socialised medicine, schooling, and gun controls being seen as dangerous fringe behaviour doesn't make sense to me, and it's so hard to fathom living somewhere where such a vocal crowd can not only yell these things but somehow have the political clout to have people listen. I hope that all those in America that have ini the past been ambivalent about the NRA"/bearing arms" stand up now and make those babies count. Much love to you and yours. Jennhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10875757234483528006noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3480383418556368648.post-16270957655844790962012-12-20T19:21:04.889-08:002012-12-20T19:21:04.889-08:00AMEN. My heart has been completely broken. I can&#...AMEN. My heart has been completely broken. I can't shake the fact that I have had issues with the regulations (or lack of) in this country for so long and I was so apathetic about it. I'm still not sure what I can do, other than give money. But I am considering the Million Kid March on D.C. I've been emailing the every elected official I can think of, begging them to fight the good fight. We are the majority. We just have to be brave enough and have the energy to keep fighting this until our voices are heard. (please, G-d, let them be heard.) -MindaTzipporah Nivcharahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01935816507231531375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3480383418556368648.post-88746501634529840062012-12-20T15:21:07.273-08:002012-12-20T15:21:07.273-08:00Just remember, if 'laws' worked we wouldn&...Just remember, if 'laws' worked we wouldn't have any crime.<br />E.G., if they made abortion illegal (as the Bible thumpers keep trying<br />to do) it wouldn't stop abortions. It would be driven underground,<br />often to unsafe conditions. A law won't stop it or make it go away.<br />My fear is that criminals and the deranged wouldn't obey the law -<br />leaving us defenseless against criminals and the insane.<br />All of the mass murders in the last decade or two were committed<br />in gun free areas. And all the killers were mentally ill.<br />And all were taking some form of 'crazy' pills medication. <br />Part of the problem is not institutionalizing the insane.<br />And I can't help but think that growing up on a steady diet<br />of video games which, so very very many, involve killing has<br />a negative effect, especially to someone with a screw loose.<br /><br />I have no solutions except to not live in a voilent prone society<br />and in a place that has some culture. hmmmmm? France maybe.Billhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15370052261806995497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3480383418556368648.post-63189201785599385802012-12-20T11:09:07.423-08:002012-12-20T11:09:07.423-08:00I found your site awhile back while browsing for b...I found your site awhile back while browsing for blogs about Americans in France. I never commented b/c it's probably a bit creepy getting "love what you said" posts from complete strangers. But as a fellow mom I have to say: LOVE WHAT YOU SAID. I left work early last Friday to pick up my youngest at daycare. Visceral reaction. Bless those children and everyone who loves them. Steph in PAAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3480383418556368648.post-86020761858324353442012-12-20T01:11:38.759-08:002012-12-20T01:11:38.759-08:00I hear you Sister.I hear you Sister.ParisReallynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3480383418556368648.post-35525788691999224212012-12-19T14:33:50.408-08:002012-12-19T14:33:50.408-08:00Arming teachers?! God help us! Have people lost th...Arming teachers?! God help us! Have people lost their friggin' minds?!!Duchessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10360905353598716073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3480383418556368648.post-10868335843791400122012-12-19T14:29:23.225-08:002012-12-19T14:29:23.225-08:00Couldn't have put it better, Sweetie. We'r...Couldn't have put it better, Sweetie. We're not in the friggin' Old West anymore. Enough with the right to bear arms already!<br /><br />As if it weren't sick enough, that same day in China, some psychopath stabbed an 80-something lady and then barged into a gradeschool where he stabbed 22 little kids between 6 and 11! They all survived, but barely! Enough already!<br /><br />It seems that every year in December, some disaster of some kind occurs, as if some people are not meant to see the New Year...Duchessehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10360905353598716073noreply@blogger.com