NRA Push-Poll

There is no (0.00 / 0)

UN treaty that the US can be a signatory to that will supersede the Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.

This ridiculous trope has been around for years, and every time I read a blog post from someone who got that call (I've sen a few on a number of sites) I find myself wishing they would call ME.

You think YOU gave them an earful......let ME at 'em.

GRRRRR.

I think the next time the NRA gives me a jingle, I'm going to remind the caller that, thanks to their relentless efforts, "comes the revolution," the 99% will have a ready arsenal at hand with which to take a steely bead on that privileged 1% whose water the NRA has been so eager to carry in recent years.

YEP!

Paging Breitbart.......:)

But this:

nothing gets 'em to their feet like threatening the potential to empty hot-lead into the unfortunate carcass of a fellow American.

doesn't help. That makes you as guilty as they are of bombast and hyperbole, you're just coming at it from the other direction.

I am a progressive.

Human rights are the most progressive of values.

Self-defense is a human right.  

"That the people have a right to bear arms for the defence of themselves and the State ..."- Vermont Constitution Chapter 1, Article 16

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by: kestrel9000 @ Sun Oct 23, 2011 at 20:09:58 PM UTC

I get that, (0.00 / 0)

it's just my gut reaction.

I honestly can't see it as a "human" right.  "Constitutional right," I'll give you; but
"human right," I just don't see.

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by: Sue Prent @ Sun Oct 23, 2011 at 21:51:52 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Sorry, I missed that last line. (0.00 / 0)

Yes; I agree that self-defense is a human right.  

I don't believe that right is compromised by simply requiring registration of firearms.

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by: Sue Prent @ Sun Oct 23, 2011 at 22:53:40 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

The ATA does NOT affect American firearm ownership (4.00 / 2)

The treaty being discussed at the UN has ZERO affect on American's 'right' to buy, sell and own firearms.  The language of the treaty specifically sets aside legal frameworks within any nation for private citizenship to own small arms.  The treaty is specifically aimed at bulk purchases of military-grade small arms that are moving across the borders of state entities (meaning nations, not US states).

This treaty is aimed at the M-16, NOT the AR-15!  While they look the same, they way they work is different.  And one is for civilian use within a nation and the other is shipped between nations for use in a war zone.

The NRA clearly knows the difference and is knowingly lying to the American People in order to increase their membership.

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by: Comrade Rutherford @ Mon Oct 24, 2011 at 00:58:11 AM UTC

It's like religion (0.00 / 0)

Or maybe one's reaction to the flavor of cilantro. People seem to be born with their opinions on gun control locked into their DNA. Arguments on the subject make the ownership of land between the Mediterranean and the Jordan River seem an easily resolvable issue.

That said, I am a gun owner and a recreational shooter (and political progressive) and I have no interest whatsoever in joining the NRA. An analogy:

Let's say you owned a smartphone and were quite reliant on your cellphone service, so you joined a cellphone user's organization. The organization's supposed mission is to advocate for you, the user of cellphones and mobile communications services, and to produce publications that provide news and product reviews.

But wait - you realize that the organization receives major funding from the companies that manufacture phones and accessories and that provide wireless services (Verizon, AT&T, Motorola, LG, HTC, Apple, Sprint, etc.) If I were you I'd be suspicious of the motives and policies of such an organization. Sure, there would be some overlap of interests, but mostly conflict of interest.

The NRA gets major funding from firearms, ammunition, and accessory manufacturers and distributors. This is reflected in its board membership. Its policies reflect this. The chicken little "liberals are going to outlaw guns - buy more now" message has allowed firearms and ammunition manufacturers to shrug off the recession completely. The economy is falling around our ears and firearms and ammunition are selling like crazy, with prices higher than ever.

So yes, spreading panic is part of their marketing plan.

Minor Heretic
"Damned for 25% of eternity"

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by: Minor Heretic @ Mon Oct 24, 2011 at 15:51:00 PM UTC

I understand and respect the place that gun ownership holds in Vermont. (0.00 / 0)

Hunting is a huge component of the culture and that makes people more comfortable around guns in general, I suppose.

I grew up in Chicago in the 50's and 60's, where hunting was something of a rarity; and the weapon of choice on the streets was a knife...worrisome enough, let me tell you; but at least they had to get pretty close to do a whole lot of damage!  

I do remember one evil little monster named Dickie B. chasing my sister down the street with a real bow and arrow!  

In my north Chicago neighborhood, if (as I only remember happening once) it became known that some parent owned a gun, that was reason enough for us to be forbidden from visiting that particular household. The question of how the weapon was stored never even entered the conversation.

I moved from Chicago to Montreal, as an adult.  A lot more people owned hunting rifles up there; but handguns were still out of the picture.

A couple of years in Berlin brought me no nearer to fire-arms.

I've lived in Vermont for thirty years now, but my attitude to guns was shaped in the urban pressure-cooker of Chicago.  

That is probably why the idea of "self defense" for me doesn't automatically suggest guns.

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by: Sue Prent @ Tue Oct 25, 2011 at 00:10:35 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Condoms & guns (0.00 / 0)

Now, a way to fuck with both the NRA and the Christian right is to expose the decades and decades old practice of American ground troops and civilian gun owners, and God knows how many foreigners, using a condom on the business end of a rifle or handgun to protect it from rain, mud, humidity and shit.  Done it myself--it works.  You should know this, kestrel.

So...here we have the NRA connected with birth control.  Or the Christian Right connected with a conspiracy to make guns 'unsafe' and thereby opening up the door to Federal Consumer Legislation which would, at the very least, require all firearms to have their barrels engraved with this Consumer Warning:  "The Surgeon General has determined that use of this product may be a hazard to health.  The Surgeon General has also determined that the use of a condom with this product would greatly reduce risks to Consumer Health & Safety, although not necessarily in certain States, where use of a condom with this product, or use of this product with a condom, may engender other health risks, including mental & emotional ones.  Contact your physician for further advise on the use of this product.  If you do not have a regular physician, one will be appointed to you by the U.N.  Have a nice day.  And don't forget, clean this product after shooting your load."

Man.  Here's an issue for Michelle.  And Jon Stewart.

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by: PeteySweety @ Mon Oct 24, 2011 at 18:11:34 PM UTC

"Lef', lef', lef', lef' " (0.00 / 0)

Then there's the famous marching chant of the U.S. Army:

"This is my weapon.
This is my gun.
One is for killing.
The other for fun."

Both, apparently, needing condoms.

NanuqFC
The word liberal comes from the word free. We must cherish and honor the word free or it will cease to apply to us. ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

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by: NanuqFC @ Tue Oct 25, 2011 at 13:34:37 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Michele Bachmann got the call, (0.00 / 0)

and dagnabbit! she's going to warn people about it!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...  

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by: farjas @ Wed Oct 26, 2011 at 15:49:12 PM UTC