1hundredsixty8

It seems difficult to have a nuanced public discussion on firearm ownership. Both the NRA and the proponents of tightening controls cling to unrealistic positions. For example, those who resist comprehensive background checks prior to the purchase of a gun maintain that this is only the first step onto the slippery slope that slides inexorably downward to universal registration and, ultimately, the confiscation of guns by the government. I wonder if some of these same people saw a similar slope in the Patriot Act when it came to the erosion of our civil liberties and right to privacy.

On the other side, the fascination with assault weapons is similarly supeficial. Does the term "assault weapon" describe a gun capable of full-automatic firing? Or, does it mean a weapon that appears to be a military-style gun? You can purchase a toy that is a convincing replica of a military weapon. Guns such as the Bushmaster (or AR-15) are semi-automatic, as are most handguns. They simply look like military rifles. Using such flimsy arguments diminishes the possibility that gun-control advocates will convince the large numbers of responsible gun-owners to join with them. I am referring here to groups such as hunters and target shooters, not survivalists, doomsday preppers and militia members.

My favorite group are the black helicopter paranoiacs, those who feel that owning a firearm will allow them to defend themselves against an oppressive government. Can't you picture it- the lone patriot with his AR-15 and 30-round clips versus an M1-A1 Abrams tank? Haven't these people heard of drones?

Tip: If you feel the compelling to need to own a firearm for home defense, a 12-guage shotgun is undoubtedly the most effective.

The NRA Task Force on School Safety issued its report yesterday, the core of which is their foregone conclusion that what schools need are armed personnel- security guards, or even teachers and administrators.  I haven't read the report yet, but I wonder if they also called for issuing bullet-proof vests to all school children.

The concept of armed school guards got me to thinking about bank guards. There must be studies and statistics about incidents in which bank guards used their weapons, how many times they successfully prevented a robbery in doing so, and how many times an armed guard was killed or wounded. This is the best analogy to having armed guards in our schools.

Now that I think about it, will we arm school crossing guards, too?