Carrying Guns

[Gumbo4x4]

But that’s not a significant amount of votes. That’s roughly 1.5% of the US population. The rest of the $ comes from manufacturers, big business, etc. So 1.5% of the US population is by far the majority of Americans voting for these laws.

Add in their spouses (90+% of NRA members are married) and the myriad of similar thinking gun owners who don't bother to pay dues, then consider the fact these people NEVER fail to vote. It's a powerful voting bloc. 54 seats in the house were flipped in the '94 mid terms primarily in response to the "assault weapons ban".

 

[LSUmiss]

You think 9% can't swing an election?

I’m saying about only 9% of the population are on that side (using pp’s numbers). If they have the power to swing an election it is usually b/c of $$$ which leads back to the original post that $$ controls things. It’s not that a majority of Americans necessarily agree with the position which is ashamed & not the point of democracy that an outspoken & well funded select few can dictate policy. Although I know that’s the way it is which is why I said earlier to you that I wish I believed that it was just as simple as voting.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Vehicle ownership & ability to operate one are government regulated. I’m only for regulation not prohibition. The rest do not have the power to inflict mass casualties relatively quickly & the main purpose of the object is not to kill. Also, the value/use they provide to the general public supercedes their potential for abuse.

It is about firearms, but ppl have argued that objects aren’t dangerous by themselves so you should be allowed to legally own whatever you would like...e.g. any type of firearm. My response to that is that bombs are “just” objects also & not capable of harm by themselves, but it’s illegal b/c of the potential to inflict mass harm in the hands of the wrong person. I honestly don’t see this as a stretch.

Actually, vehicle ownership is completely unregulated. People with no driver's license can purchase and license a car. People with multiple DUI's are not banned from owning cars. Convicted murderers and mental patients can legally buy cars. Obtaining a valid driver's license is regulated. But, that's it.

Now, if you believe more regulations on guns is necessary, that's certainly a valid opinion. But, I don't think you can really use cars as the justification.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

I’m saying about only 9% of the population are on that side (using pp’s numbers). If they have the power to swing an election it is usually b/c of $$$ which leads back to the original post that $$ controls things. It’s not that a majority of Americans necessarily agree with the position which is ashamed & not the point of democracy that an outspoken & well funded select few can dictate policy. Although I know that’s the way it is which is why I said earlier to you that I wish I believed that it was just as simple as voting.

I think you're vastly underestimating the pro-gun population of the US.

 

[LSUmiss]

I think you're vastly underestimating the pro-gun population of the US.

Maybe. I don’t know those numbers. I was basing my comment on the the pp’s posters numbers of 3% plus the ppl they know.

 

[LYSE]

I’m saying about only 9% of the population are on that side (using pp’s numbers). If they have the power to swing an election it is usually b/c of $$$ which leads back to the original post that $$ controls things. It’s not that a majority of Americans necessarily agree with the position which is ashamed & not the point of democracy that an outspoken & well funded select few can dictate policy. Although I know that’s the way it is which is why I said earlier to you that I wish I believed that it was just as simple as voting.

I was mostly agreeing with you on the voting block which is small yet pretty much the biggest block of its kind, however there's no way that those are the only people voting against GC. (There are a lot of gun owners and their friends and family etc..much more any organization has)

The United States of America is not now and never has been a democracy. I don’t care if your indoctrination text in college was called The People Make a Democracy. The Founders didn’t want a democracy. They wanted a republic. A democracy is a form of mob rule, in which everything—including your individual, inalienable rights—is subject to revocation if a sufficient number of citizens can be convinced it would be best. The Founders created a system that protects those rights, even when the majority would like to take them away. The system of checks and balances is designed to prevent any one branch of government from being superior to the other two, and the Bill of Rights forbids the Congress—regardless of their overwhelming majority vote—from violating your rights.

The United States is a representative republic

 

[LSUmiss]

I was mostly agreeing with you on the voting block which is small yet pretty much the biggest block of its kind, however there's no way that those are the only people voting against GC.

I absolutely agree with the 2nd part which I find disheartening at times b/c to me it means those with the most $ and/or power win. The pp said that votes mattered AND $, but I don’t think that’s the case...at least not in the straightforward definition of going to the polls & voting.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

I absolutely agree with the 2nd part which I find disheartening at times b/c to me it means those with the most $ and/or power win. The pp said that votes mattered AND $, but I don’t think that’s the case...at least not in the straightforward definition of going to the polls & voting.

Think of it this way. The NRA can spend $$$ on ads for candidates that allow those candidates to get the word out that they are pro-gun. But, if being pro-gun didn't matter to the voters, those ads wouldn't really have any impact. We've all seen instances of candidates that vastly outspent their opponents and still lost. It doesn't matter how many people hear your message if it's not the message the voters want to hear.

 

[yoopermom]

The one thing that I can say most definitely about the NRA is that it is an extremely homogeneous group. We are (and know) many "lifetime" members (only $300 if "referred" by a current lifetime member), and they are more similar than they are different. This means that when the NRA sends out a mailer asking for a donation for "X", they know that a large portion of the constituency will send back something, whether that be $5 or $5000. If you go to the employment section of their website, almost all of the postings have to do with sales/marketing/lobbying/etc. It is an extremely powerful, solidified group.

 

[RobDoc]

OK - the arguing, attacks and political discussion have gone way beyond far enough.

Thanks for playing. Please don't bother a restart of the topic.