Guns

[Doreen Peri]

25 miles (approx) west of DC, so yeah, probably technically northern virginia but sprawling suburbia (yuck.. but not so bad), far away enough from the city not to be a city person (I'm NOT!) and close enough to drive out to the mountains (or hills as some people call them) for a day trip (like to the Shenandoah area or to the panhandle of WVA... so beautiful!). We're practically neighbors. We should have a poetry reading event or a cup of coffee or something. (What's with all these parentheses? I don't know.)

[Artguy]

Teach your children well,,,So guns equal the culture of fear that exists amongst those who just know little outside of the fear of anyone that are not exactly as they are living within their own perimeter...It's time we all reached out to show them there is nothing to fear...

[Doreen Peri]

I hope the human race eventually evolves and that all weapons are eliminated. We don't need weapons.

[Atehequa]

I hope the human race eventually evolves and that all weapons are eliminated. We don't need weapons.

Now harboring a fear that the sale of these assault rifles is coming to an end, the gun nuts are buying many of them. If the government is going to act, let it be soon.

There's been another shooting, some nut started a fire at his house and then took to shooting firemen as they showed up. Seems these whack-jobs are sprouting up like weeds after a spring rain. Hell, I may have to start packing a pistol again in case one of these psychotic fruit-loops happens to snap at the grocery store or at our favorite restaurant across the river. Don't want to see my family, friends, myself, or anyone get shot up because one of these freaks going off.

I don't agree with the NRA or any dingbat, right wing government leader's position on assault weapons, but if I happened to be packing a 44. and had a clear shot at one of these nut bag while he was attempting to massacre innocent people,,

[Doreen Peri]

The redneck gun culture is alive and well in Virginia.

I'm different than you. If I met a gun-crazed lunatic, I'd just let him kill me. I would never own a weapon.

[Atehequa]

Rather be a red man than a redneck.

We are all different and for that I'm glad. Where ever I go these days is usually with my wife and children. Would you let someone take your family and friends out of this world. ? Not me.

Being in such a horrible situation is not in my wishes, but I don't see my family, friends, or myself as lambs fit for slaughter. Even if it was you in some psychopath's sights, I'd do my best to take him out of this world.

[Doreen Peri]

Yeah, there's no telling what I'd do when my animal survival instincts kick in. I just think being armed is more dangerous than not being armed. After living so long, you'd think I wouldn't be so naive to think peace is possible. I've watched enough TV news reports and witnessed enough conflicts to know the world is a dangerous place to live in. But my instincts tell me.... when in doubt, run like hell.

[Atehequa]

Yeah I guess against an assault weapon, the best course is a swift one away. I'm just wondering why here recently there's more of these whack-jobs going off the deep end ?

Of course every time this happens there are those who say everyone owning a gun in America is some kind of barbaric Clint Eastwood 'shoot em up cowboy', especially the Brits, but I wonder how they would carry on if allowed to own firearms. As it stands now the only people across the pond allowed to have hunting guns in Britain are the gentry class who have large game stocked estates. The British Shooting Sports Council. Lords, ladies and their personal lackeys. Hard for me to imagine living in a land where I could not bring home fresh meat and would have to be content eating chemical treated beef or mutton all the time, that is unless my name happen to be Lord Richard(Dick) Wankerton or Sir Samuel Snobington.

[Doreen Peri]

My "when in doubt, run like hell" philosophy is probably stupid in this regard, on second thought. I don't think I could outrun bullets from an assault weapon.

Yeah, those American shoot-em-up flicks were a trip, a big part of American culture. "The Bad Guys" vs "The Good Guys". So much violence in films. And have you seen any of the video games? They contain constant killing.

I'm glad you have fresh meat. All I have is the grocery store. Monsanto-treated choices.

Maybe we'll all die before the revolution from tainted food products. haha (not funny, but might as well laugh)

[Atehequa]

We were in the grocery store today and saw an elderly woman at the meat section picking up various items, reading the price tags and placing them back all the while shaking her head. I saw her later with two loafs of bread and jar of peanut butter heading to the checkout.

Gas is going up again that means everything else goes up. I think these big oil goons need to be skinned alive for what their greed has done to so many good people. Curse a government which allows this slime to carry on in such a way.

Wait until the people become hungry and desperate enough to really snap.

[Artguy]

Assault rifles is just one issue. My take is ban any gun that is not specifically designed for hunting. As I said before I have a great deal of respect for sustainable hunting culture. The bigger issue is moving forward with a political culture that is so polarized I'm surprised that the USA is not in a constant state of civil war. How can a country that portrays itself as one unified under it's flag be so divisive???? To the point of hatred for each other.

[mnaz]

in america it is our god-given right to keep and bear arms. you know, in case the government, with its tanks, destroyers, carriers, jets, nukes and drones gets any ideas . . . just let 'em try it against a disjointed, untrained "militia" of pistols and various semiautomatics . . . we'd show 'em, the bastards . . .

god, guts and guns. pass the ammo.

what would jesus do? the ar-15? or maybe just a handgun? ...

[Atehequa]

How can a country that portrays itself as one unified under it's flag be so divisive???? To the point of hatred for each other.

Ask Quebec

It must be the Yengeese heritage of those who call the shots here and that of the fathers who founded the United States. Those who back in 1607 were among the first to bring guns to this land. One dying empire born from another. Both having red white and blue banners along with the same tongue.

[Artguy]

Quebec? ya that was the sixties and seventies....all the revolutionaries got mortgages... now it has all but faded away and Quebec still has it's language and culture...we here in this house are bilingual...