Trigger happy in the cowboy country (MEGA BARF ALERT)

Khaleej Times on Line ^ | July 15, 2006 | PHILLIP KNIGHTLEY

[libstripper]

HERE is an amazing statistic for you— children in the United States are twelve times more likely to die of gunshot wounds than any other country in the world not actually involved in civil war.

That is not all. Not only is it possible in many American states to buy a handgun over the counter, no questions asked, but it is also possible to buy bullets whose sole purpose is to penetrate the body armour worn by policeman.

Yet despite years of pressure by advocates of gun control, Congress has apparently been unable to agree on any measure that would significantly curtail the availability of guns. Any move to do so is met by the wrath of the National Rifle Association, one of the most powerful lobbies in the United States.

[gitmo]

It turns out that there is no need to do so. The full Second Amendment reads: "A well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to bear arms shall not be infringed."

So it was the right of the people to organise and arm themselves as militias, repeat militias, that was being guaranteed, not the right to carry arms when on private business.

Apparently, the author is illiterate. It does NOT read "the right of the people to belong to a militia shall not be infringed."

Its case is simple: the framers of the American Constitution, those self-reliant frontiersmen, won freedom from English repression in the War of Independence because they had a Constitutional right to bear arms.

He also doesn't know history. The Bill of Rights wasn't ratified until 1791. There was no Constitution during the Revolutionary war.

[mtbopfuyn]

Surprise, surprise: at no time before 1850 did more than a tenth of the adult male population own guns.

Before 1850 we just threw rocks at the Indians, Mexicans, bears, and rattlesnakes. If we wanted dinner that day, we'd chase it down and have a hand to hoof/paw fight.

[Peach]

Wow! Thank you for checking into this so thoroughly, libstripper. I hadn't known any of that.

[nmh]

"In part, but also in part because they had a father (1 each, although sometimes a step father because their biological father had died) who would whip their A$$ if they did anything so stupid."

Yeah old fashioned discipline and an INTACT NORMAL family.

Could you imagine the uproar if a homosexual wanted to have a "family"? To divorce was almost unheard of. "NO fault" divorce wouldn't have been a big hit either.

[definitelynotaliberal]

I couldn't bring myself to read the article, but the first line was certainly encouraging. I'm delighted to know that children in the United States are twelve times more likely to die of gunshot wounds than any other country in the world not actually involved in civil war. That means nobody needs to worry about children in Gaza. Here I thought those kids were just getting mowed down.

Thanks for the barf alert. Please post any articles this writer produces on kids getting killed by suicide belts, etc.. I'm certain those too will be illuminating.

[A Strict Constructionist]

I still remember in the 60's when students had shotguns in their cars at school so they could go hunting after school. No one ever pulled a gun on anyone or even made a threat. I also don't remember the violence in movies and a lack of parental involvement. The great society as solved so many of our problems, and the liberals want more.

[Reactionary]

Ah, yes. Once again the brainy liberals define "children" as anyone who helps support their delusional ravings.

[50sDad]

Does this statistic recognise the SIZE or POPULATION in its math?

[leaky acres mac]

Yes absolutely correct, this is a fact that is lost, on purpose, by the main stream media to further their support of the anti gun crowd, so they paint sophisticated street thugs as "children" and unfortunately too many people buy in to it.

[paul51]

The full Second Amendment reads: "A well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to bear arms shall not be infringed." So it was the right of the people to organise and arm themselves as militias, repeat militias, that was being guaranteed, not the right to carry arms when on private business.

Wrong. It was necessary for the state to maintain a militia. In recognition of that and the fact that this could result in tyranny against an unarmed populace, the founders recognized the right of the people to also be armed.

[Little Bill]

I remember this in Massachusetts in the early 60's, I used to go deer hunting in Vermont over the Thanksgiving Holiday, I went to a very liberal prep school and no one objected to much.

[DustyMoment]

HERE is an amazing statistic for you— children in the United States are twelve times more likely to die of gunshot wounds than any other country in the world not actually involved in civil war.

And, here's another statistic back at ya - by opposing and obstructing teaching firearm safety, the leftists have caused the number of "children" killed/injured by guns to rise. Just as they have caused the numbers of people worldwide who die of mosquito-borne diseases to rise; and the number of aborted children to rise; and . . . . . .

[verbal voter]

Very good posts from nearly everyone.

Our founders knew that england had tough gun ownership laws from about 1720. Gun ownership was tied to land ownership. In their proven wisdom, they didn't want that to happen here.

[muir_redwoods]

"When mass production made guns cheap, then every cowboy in the West carried a Colt, walked tall and was ready for a gun duel, just like in a Hollywood western. Not so, says Palmer. Tombstone, Arizona and Dodge City, Kansas, towns notorious in Hollywood mythology actually had very low murder rates because cowboys had their guns confiscated at the city limits."

So, they confiscated the guns they weren't carrying because almost no one had one?

Mr. Knightley cannot claim logic as his strong suit.

[Christopher Lincoln]

Philip Knightley is the writer who reported that the U.S. military was murdering reporters.

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/iraq/story/0,12239,977702,00.html