America's gun culture - fading slowly?

[P89]

[quote=GunLawyer001;176232]why do we build the ramps everywhere?[quote]

Because kids now days are too lazy to bunny hop a curb on their BMX.
I think the rollerbladers & skateboarders got in on it too.

Americans with disabilities act of 1992.
I deal with it all the time, PennDOT really pisses me off.

[Siobhra]

Originally Posted by GunLawyer001

I don't care if gun owners shrink to 1% of the population; until they amend the Constitution to rescind the 2nd Amendment, members of Congress violate their oaths every time they make a law infringing the right to keep and bear arms.

Yes but, the small the percent they can convince the politicians then the easier it is to get them to vote to infringe our rights.

"They are only X% of the population"

I have heard that for why we should not care about what some groups say for a long time.

[RocketFoot]

The NRA picked up on the original posted article...check it out:

http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Read.aspx?ID=3356

Friday, January 11, 2008


This week's outrage comes courtesy of columnist Bernd Debusmann of Reuters News Service, and an article he recently penned. This story, masquerading as a legitimate news article, might as well be an anti-gun organization's press release. Debusmann premises his piece on the argument that the American gun culture is "fading slowly," that gun ownership is declining, that support for stricter gun controls has been growing steadily, and that those in favor of stricter gun control laws represent a majority of the public. The source for this information is, not surprisingly, Josh Sugarmann of the vehemently anti-gun Violence Policy Center (VPC). And where did Sugarmann get his spurious information? From the National Opinion Research Center (NORC), a group who received grant funding from yet another anti-gun group, the Joyce Foundation.

Contrary to Debusmann's (read: Sugarmann's) assertions, statistics show that the number of privately owned guns is at an all-time high. The number of gun owners is at an all-time high. And the number of states with Right-to-Carry (RTC) laws is also at an all-time high, up from 15 in 1991 to 40 today.

No one should be surprised by an increase in the desire for self-defense following incidents such as 9/11 and the illegal gun confiscations that occurred in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. This premise is supported by statistics from the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), which has noted an increase in the sales of guns, particularly handguns, in recent years.

Support for stricter gun control has also declined, despite Debusmann's claims. Notably, a recent poll by Gallup concluded that support for gun control is declining. And according to a 2007 Zogby poll, 66% of the American voting public rejects the notion that new gun control laws are needed.

None of the above indicates a fading American gun culture. For Debusmann to declare otherwise just doesn't pass the "straight face" test. His claims are not only untrue and laughable, they're outrageous.

[Philadelphia]

Originally Posted by RocketFoot

The NRA picked up on the original posted article...check it out:

http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Read.aspx?ID=3356

I'd have to agree with the NRA's take on it all. I know several people, myself included, who were raised with guns but put them aside for many years just as a result of dealing with typical adult "responsibilities" and demands on your time.

Many of us "sleepers" have taken up shooting sports again and introduce many friends to guns as well. Given what's happening in the world in terms of terrorism and locally with violent crime and the unwillingness of the gov't to lock up violent criminals, the interest in gun ownership and training will only increase. I've seen plenty of irrational liberals have kids and suddenly realize owning a gun to protect your family isn't such a bad idea. Similarly I've seen plenty of idealistic young women read descriptions of brutal crimes and decide that idealism is great but presenting 1911 is more effective than calling 911

We should all take it upon ourselves to pledge to introduce and teach at least two other people interested in the shooting sports to shooting sports, including practical competitions. Share your knowlege with a younger person who has some interest or apptitude, or with friends who might be curious about guns but have never handled one. Too many people come out of the gate believing media propaganda that guns are just too dangerous in and of themselves. If we all expose as many as we can to their own personal experience actually handling a gun, learning gun safety and proper handling, and even having some fun in a shooting sport, the media's lies would be believed by far fewer people.

[Story]

Found this -

http://www.saysuncle.com/archives/20...le-4/#comments

That article I and others criticized by Bernd Debusmann for taking dictation from The Violence Policy Center seems to have disappeared. It has now re-appeared here with the caveat: Bernd Debusmann is a Reuters columnist. The opinions expressed are his own

Ya'll might also find this little bit of bio on him interesting, good German that he is.

http://media.www.theeastcarolinian.c...-2462745.shtml

[1trueamerican]

i'm always suspicious of reuters news articles myself...they always appear to be anti-american.
i think reuters is a european news outlet.

Originally Posted by Calvin
I always reply I dont own guns to any survey or questions like that. maybe people just dont want the govmt to know how many have guns.

i agree, i have done this on occasion...depending on who i am speaking to...

i take my 10 year old son with me shooting a lot, and always offer to take interested newcomers to the range.

mike