My $.02

[darkwolf45]

I don't know about others here, but this has been bugging me for a while as I have read the posts in here over the last several days.

I've lost count of the number of arguments I have had on the topic of gun control. SImilarly, I have lost count of the number of times over the years that the conversation ended with a phrase to the tune of "one of these days some psycho is going to break into a school and kill a bunch of kids and then you'll see, and we'll finally get something done!"

I realize that none of the individuals I argued with speak for the gun control movement, but I have thought of all of those arguments over and over again since December, and find the current impetus to get new laws passed incredibly disingenuous, as I'm sure many of you do as well (though possibly for different reasons). I doubt that everyone in the gun control movement feels this way, and would bet that most who believe in "gun free zones" despite how unrealistic it is, but I've long wondered how many are out that beieve so strongly in their cause that they were almost eager for something like this to happen to the point where they were perfectly willing to let others be at risk simply so they could attain their political goals.

Not trying to put out a conspiracy theory here, but after hearing it enough times I just wondered how many people actually feel the way I described above, or even more strongly.

[2in2out]

I think that's probably quite common. Senator Feinstein from CA is a good example - she's said as much.

Cuomo and Bloomberg in NY are other examples.

[Tronster]

The times I've had an in depth "conversation" with anti gun people (who are usually big city people), it has reaffirmed to me that they whole heartly believe that guns are much to dangerous for the general public (almost as if all gun owners are secretly plotting to kill them). They would be perfectly fine with a Britain type gun ban, insisting that the government can do no wrong and is looking out for their best interests and will protect them.

Even my own Representative stated that this is the USA and horrific genocides of other countries could NEVER happen here, so we need not fear gun control or registration. At that point I thanked her for her time and walked away in a face palm. Obviously she forgot about what the government did to the Native Americans.

[ferric021]

I've heard this argument before as well, only too often:

Even my own Representative stated that this is the USA and horrific genocides of other countries could NEVER happen here, so we need not fear gun control or registration.

How quickly do people forget that the United States of America, like every other human institution in the history of mankind, is not immune to perpetrating atrocities.

http://www.chgs.umn.edu/histories/minnesotans/andHolocaust/

The University of Minnesota housed the Dight Institute for the promotion of Human Genetics that was interested in the same type of
eugenics as Nazi medicine. The Institute existed at the U of M until the early 1960s.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kent_State_shootings

The guardsmen fired 67 rounds over a period of 13 seconds, killing four students and wounding nine others, one of whom suffered permanent paralysis.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992_Los_Angeles_riots

Widespread looting, assault, arson and murder occurred during the riots, and estimates of property damages topped one billion dollars. The rioting ended after soldiers from the California Army National Guard, along with U.S. Marines from Camp Pendleton were called in to stop the rioting after the local police could not handle the situation. In total, 53 people were killed during the riots and over two thousand people were injured.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/01/AR2005090100533.html

Fresh waves of National Guard troops began pouring into the region in an attempt to quell the unrest, but large swaths of New Orleans and other sodden areas remained essentially ungoverned.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_American_internment

All who lived on the West Coast of the United States were interned, while in Hawaii, where the 150,000-plus Japanese Americans composed over one-third of the population, an estimated 1,200[4] to 1,800 were interned.[5] Of those interned, 62% were American citizens.

These are real events, these are not fairy tails. This stuff actually happened. Here, in America. In the last 100 years.

[brewerbob]

And 70 some years ago, we put American citizens in concentration camps because they physically resembled an enemy we were fighting during war.

"But that could never happen here!"

Sorry. Just saw the post above. Reading skills impaired. Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.

[brewerbob]

And 70 some years ago, we put American citizens in concentration camps because they physically resembled an enemy we were fighting during war.

"But that could never happen here!"

[northernbird]

So this is going to sound really wacky... but here goes anyway.. Recently a close family member shared a dvd with me called 'The Agenda', I fell asleep watching it last week (2am) but from what I saw of it so far it goes like this... Back when communism was something everyone was worried about the communist part in america had an agenda of how to subvert america and turn it into a communist state... not by being elected and saying 'we're now communists', but by changing our culture into believing and adopting socialist and communist practices and beliefs.. The video basically talks about what that agenda was, and where we are at now.. If you buy into the premis that such an agenda existed, and forces with a knowledge of it have been working to implement it.. its a rather interesting video.. kinda freaky actually.

Anyway, I bring this up to illustrate how something that 'could never happen here' is never really more than a generation or so away. Change the values and beliefs of the young and shape the future. If you convince people that our constitution has parts that are not important, or where misguided, or no longer apply in our society with the 'progress' we've made to be more 'civilized', then the next logical step is to remove those parts, or to 'clarify' them to the point that they dont mean the same. For example, that whole free speech thing... seems like a civilized nation should be able to outlaw out right hate speech and thought. Speaking negatively about this great nation and our democratically elected officials and causing decent among the people could be dangerous to the state or large groups our our society. Its not fair to the rest of the population to expose them to risk while the government builds a case, who cares if it takes 10 years.. why keep due process? why trust a group of peers to cast judgement? a panel of appointed 'experts' should do that (actually heard a story on the news about someone suggesting this).. for the sake of the future/children/public good/safety/etc..

so to summarize this rambling.. the only way those things 'do not happen here' is for the citizens to be vigilant about protecting the rights we have, and speaking out when attempts to remove them arise. like the old saying goes.. you cant drop a frog into boiling water, gotta raise the temp slow.