The General Ten Gun Control Ideas

 1.  Raise the purchasing/ownership rules to age 21.

The illogic here is that you volunteer into the US military and are given the weapons as a 'matter of trust earned'.  How would you explain X and then Y?

Would the gangs and under-21 criminal gangs continue to use weapons?  That's the general idea that you are stuck with.

Adding to the illogic....if they aren't to be trusted....why allow them $100k loan potential for college debt, or allow them the right to vote?

But if you wanted to accomplish something with maximum public support....getting little to nothing in resolving the issue....this would be the key idea to embrace.

2.  Remove all semi-automatic military assault weapons from the nation, period.

This idea floats around and has three key problems.  First, the AR-15 is not a military assault weapon....no military in the world has purchased as 'such'.

Second, you'd be talking about a minimum of 25-million....if you go to all of the general characteristics.   This would require compensation to occur....in the range of $15-billion minimum.

Third, just how many would accept your 'order'?  I'd guess fewer than 30-percent would cooperate, and some national 'raid-your-house' situation would develop, with people very uncooperative from this start-up.

3.  Seize all weapons.

You just won't find more than 10-percent of the nation that really sees this as a potential answer.  

4.  Start a mental exam requirement.  

On the face of the idea.....might have potential except for the fact that one-third of people holding weapons today....might not pass the exam.  To be honest, if you applied the same exam to holding Senate/House offices or the Presidency....I'm guessing fifty of these folks would be going home.

5.  Require a completion of a gun-safety course, and an occasional refresher to occur.

I think 99-percent of people would accept this idea, but there's zero proof it'd reduce incidents.

6.  Expand background checks.

This comes up and no one has a clear explanation how it gets more intense.  Some people zero background checks occur today, which is false.  You could go and mandate a credit check but that doesn't resolve much of anything.  

7.  Mandate smaller ammo clips/magazines.  

Considering how many magazines already exist in the nation.....it's doubtful this has potential.

8.  Make more 'red-flag' laws.

But this would go back to mental stability and if 'Joe' was truly dangerous.....it's not just enough to deny him a gun.....he needs to be in a fenced-in facility.  You aren't willing to do that.

9.  Arm teachers.

Maybe a good idea, but at least a third of them (my estimate) don't want the responsibility, and could not put down a student.  

10.  More guards in schools.

Well, for about a quarter of society....they don't want to see guards in schools.  You also have the problem of hiring some unqualified people for a remarkable role in protection.  You don't want to hire up 500 Barney Fife characters.  

So, here's some plain blunt truth.....out of 300-million people in the nation, you can figure that in terms of pure-evil like this young guy.....there must be at least 10,000 of his 'kind' out there, and just waiting for one day to go-off....wanting to end the lives of twenty-odd people. 

On top of that 10,000.....you probably have another 300,000 meth-heads around the nation....guys who are willing to kill you over a item of value around $250....to cover the cost of tomorrow's drug of choice.  Home invasion is their game, and your life isn't that important. 

Convincing people of more control?  Your one chance was in the 1990s before meth and home invasion came along.  A fair number of Americans today won't agree to much of a change.  

Finally, as the fog lifts off this recent shooting and the way that the local cops handled it.....general trust in the police to be there to save/protect you?  I think that element lost a good bit 'shine'.  

Observations

 1.  I noticed this one odd factor about the Robb Elementary School in Texas.  Not that it really matters, but it says something about the town in general.

US News/World Report says only 29-percent of kids were at/more than proficient in math.  Same story on reading skills.....25-percent. 

Would beg the question if the local schools were in the same mix, and all the police were 'graduates' of the system there.

2.  Nancy Pelosi's husband given 4.5 hours after DUI detention....to take alcohol test?  Still gets a .08?  Probably up around .20 when stopped?  

California

 “California is an ex-girlfriend I used to love to hang out with who joined a cartel and does meth.”

- Joe Rogan quote

Back around 1982, I spent around seven days going from the most southern point....along the coast, up I-5 to Highway 1, to exit the state into Oregon.

Things were safe in those days.  You could stop and take in some great majestic landscape.  

I sat one evening in a bar and got a full hour-long lecture on the California of the 1950s by two retired guys.  

It was one of those experiences you needed in life.  

Today?  I'd just skip it.....nothing to be gained.  

HR 1136 (Draft)

 A Republican gal in the House (out of Arizona) has gone and written up a draft bill....to define what a woman is.  Reference this to HR 1136.

Odds of it passing?  I'd put it near zero.   Oh, there will be enough Republicans, but I just don't see any Democrats being willing to vote on this.

If you'd said in the 1920s....that we needed to have a federal law to identify what a woman is....most folks would have laughed at you.

But here we are.

How Landscape Changes

 I grew up in a particular Alabama country that is densely rural.  Today's population around 92,870 (2020 numbers).  Homes, trailers, apartments, condos?  Around 44,720 (Census numbers).

If you asked to figure a number on the homes/farms that have a minimum of one weapon (out of the 44,720)?  I'd take a guess that it's near 95-percent.  

No one is going to really volunteer this information, and most would be suspicious if NY Times/WaPo reporter showed up and asked them the direct question.

I'd also take a fairly educated guess that roughly half the homes have a minimum of one rifle, one shotgun, and one pistol.  

Trying to say it's way more than the 1960s?  No, there was some point where an awful lot of hunters existed in the county, and then in the 1970s to 1990s....those folks 'died-out'.  

People consumed to own weapons?  Well....I would take another educated guess here that more than 50-percent of folks who work.....have some type of pistol in their car, in their purse, or carry on their person each morning.  

Guards at churches?  In the past decade, a fair number of churches have to having at least one guy....sometimes two.....who walk the 'perimeter' of the church parking lot and the building.  These are guys who'd prefer to pray to Jesus for your good health, but probably would put you down like a rabid-dog if you were to identify yourself as a threat.  Nothing personal, you understand.

This crossing over to the M-4/AR-15/SABs shotgun?  Some folks would suggest that things were progressing in the 1980s, and by 2000....society was looking at acceptance of the evolution.

Homes with some type of semi-automatic rifle?  Probably over 50-percent are in that range, and 10-percent might have two semi-automatic weapons.  

Home invasions, and meth-heads evolving people into putting down an undesirable generation?

At some point about seven years ago....local guy had owned a boat, and sold it.  Deal resulted in roughly $3k of cash.  Guy had lunch one day and noted his luck.  Gal handling the order told some relative who was a meth-head.  Meth-head came to the house....killed the guy with a rock, and walked away with the money.  Cops did figure things out.....arrested the meth-head.  

One could say ever since that point....folks have a blunt view of reality.  Could be some idiot in the grocery parking lot.  Could be some guy in local McDonalds.  Could be some guy living out of a cousin's garage.  Any of them could present a challenge to you living.

So, yeah, there's a different attitude now.  In 1970.....probably fewer than 300 folks in the county kept a pistol around the bedroom.  In 2022, there's probably 10,000 folks who keep a pistol in the bedroom.  

The sad thing here, if you ponder upon it....there's probably a hundred meth-heads or home invasion folks in the county.....who are potentially always on their final 24 hours on Earth.  They don't think much about it or the consequences of what'll happen at 1 AM to end their life.

All of this a sign of society breaking down?  Maybe if the police did something over the meth-heads or the home invasion business was deemed a crime requiring you to spend 20 years in prison....it'd be different.  So that enthusiasm for the weapon....is cruising along and won't be lessening any time soon. 

Deep Space Nine Wrap-Up

 This week, I finished up a three-month viewing of the 176 episodes of the series (ending in 1999).  (yeah, I am a binge viewer)

Back in the 90s....I probably watched around ten episodes....mostly because I was stationed overseas at the time.  Since it's on Netflix....I figured to satisfy my curiosity.  

My seven observations:

1.  On my soap-operaish scale....it's a '9'.  In fact, I consider more of a soap opera than a science fiction series.

2.  The Dax character?  She's a four-star slut/tramp and the writers everything possible to bring her across as a nice and intelligent tramp.  

3.  The Ferengi folks?  Actually, the storylines that involves these capitalistic folks interested me the most.  

4.  The last season (season 7) was fairly crappy on story content, and just seemed like a waste.

5.  Probably out of every episode I'd rate as 4-star....there was one that were marginally worth watching.  I'd blame part of that on scripts, but some lead back to zero-exploration....which is the gimmick that made the original Star Trek series worth watching.

6.  The romance episodes were cheesy 'General Hospital' soap opera gimmicks.

7.  Finally, Captain Sisko....pound for pound, gave Kirk a run for his money. 

Random Thoughts On The Gun Topic

 1.  You ever noticed after an event.....most all news organizations want to share some poll showing 55-percent or more of people want 'control'?  It'll always be labeled 'Sixty-two-percent of Americans want X'.

Most of the polls center around 2,000 participants, and usually involve a fair number of people in urbanized areas.

Personally, I would like to see polls done state-by-state, and a minimum of half the participants to be rural or small town occupants.  

If you walked around rural Arkansas....probably 80-percent of people want as little changed as possible.  If you walk around Detroit....it's probably near 60-percent who want to ensure nothing much changes on themselves and their home-weapon (which might be a AK-47).

2.  Ever noticed most all of the mass-shooters are male?  It's like 99.5-percent.  Women?  If they are in a shooting situation....it's always a one-on-one, and about some wrong that the person done to them.

3.  Chief reason why Germans don't have a lot of these?  This goes back to two key factors (national ID card, and your doctor reviewing your past medical history on whether you get a license or not).  

4.  Number of AR-15s in the US?  They throw the 20-million number around, and it might be true.  

5.  Who are the major groups on this 'control' topic?

Well.....first, you have the total anti-gun, total-control group.  

Then, you have the hunter group, who probably own at least three rifles, a shotgun, and a minimum of one pistol.  This is the group who might agree to some marginal changes, but fear that anti-hunting schemes will come up next.  

Then, you have the farmer/rancher, who have a AR-15, a couple of shotguns/rifles, and probably carry a pistol in the truck.  Oddly enough.....none of the mass shooters ever come from the farm or ranch folks.  They don't want a bunch of regulations to occur.

Then, you have the local drug/cartel guy or meth-head, who doesn't care what you do on gun control....because he doesn't intend to play by your rules.

Then, you have the ex-Army/Marine folks who have sixteen weapons in the house, and it's more of a hobby than anything else.  

Then, you have the political folks who keep claiming they can write 'magical' text to resolve all gun problems/mass shootings....but can't seem to get baby formula to grocery stores.  

These groups all have an agenda.  The amusing thing...more than half of society want dangerous nutcases put into a facility, while the remaining folks want total freedom for the nutcase crowd.

6.  Finally....the minute that you go at this and say it's an age thing....that no one should buy a gun until age 21, then you trigger the question 'why should I let you vote, if you are that immature'.

I could buy into the age discussion, but then why stop at just guns?  There's probably forty things I'd dump into the age discussion.  Why should I allow you to get stupid and borrow $120,000 from the government and be in debt for twenty years?