The Standard

LOL! If you consider that a center position, I would hate to see what you consider left of center.

If you're going to give opinions on different topics, at least do a little research. This way it won't sound like you pulled your thoughts out of your rear end.

Concealed carry means that people can't see you are carrying a gun, not that you can deter criminals with "Display of force - buy a large gun and just carry it on your back, First Person Shooter style".

Did you honestly miss that little detail? As for concealed carry, many democrats have voted in favor of it. You know that this is a state issue, right? Concealed carry laws are settled on the state level. As for the National park issue, it simply said that the federal government will recognize and respect the will of the particular state the park is located in. Is there something wrong with that?

You do know that it was the continental, super animal-killer and gun enthusiast Teddy Roosevelt that made the National Park System, right? I don't think he'd disapprove.

If you are an aspiring journalist, the first thing you should do is RESEARCH. A five-minute internet search would have at least given you enough information to appear knowledgeable.

Good luck in life.

The problem is, gun laws only make it easier for law abiding citizens to be killed. Law abiding citizens do not, by definition, commit crimes. Therefore making it harder for law abiding citizens to own the means of self defense most logical in a cramped urban setting (pistol) only means they are more likely to be unarmed when the assault you say is likely to happen happens. The criminals on the other hand, do not have any regard for these laws in the first place, or they would not be criminals. Most crimes are comitted by unlawfully obtained firearms.

Wow.

The fact of the matter is the 2nd Amendment is about citizens being able to protect themselves from tyranny in government. Slaves don't own guns. With that thought in mind, let's do a little mental exercise. You're sitting in class and someone off his meds gets his hands on an illegal firearm and comes in to kill everyone because his dog told him to or his parents didn't hug him enough. Do you honestly feel safer knowing that guy is the only one in the room with a gun?

You admit you are not responsible enough for firearm ownership and use that as evidence that no one should have one. Following your logic we should ban liquor and automobiles, however I think the safer thing to do is ban whatever liberal bile you've been force fed your entire life to bring you to such a ridiculous conclusion.

Remember the quickest way to turn someone from a citizen to a subject is to disarm him. Now the funny thing about that is that while you on the left complain about the right wanting to take away your freedoms somehow, it's only the left that is trying to take away our means to defend those freedoms. "May your chains rest lightly upon your neck and may posterity forget that you were once our countrymen".

As you so effectively demonstrate, any fool can spout disingenuous and inflammatory rhetoric...but the capacity for honest, informed commentary remains the province of a minority of humankind. If you ever manage to wean yourself from the cowardly practice of cherry-picking one or two data points that support your agenda, while ignoring all others, you will be forced to grapple with the fact that no statistically meaningful correlation between gun-control legislation and reductions in violent crime rates has ever been demonstrated. But, while you're still addicted to the anecdotal approach, try reconcililing your claims with the draconian (for now) gun restrictions imposed by the city of Chicago with that same city's routine position at or near the top of the country's violent crime rate leaders. Or the fact that prior to Washington D.C. having it's gun bans struck down by the Heller decision, that city shared the same dubious honor as Chicago. But 18 months after those bans were eliminated by that SCOTUS decision, the murder rate in D.C. has *decreased* by over 30%. Not terribly convenent things, these facts that you prefer to ignore, eh?

I can sum up your entire op ed by quoting one sentence.

"I mean, I'm not mature enough...."


Grow up and get back to us in a few years.

Your disillusioned. You spent the weekend shooting guns but deplore their nature? That makes you a elitist or a hypocrite, or both. Luckily because of the second amendment we have the first. Nifty how that works.

Sir, You are a moron. All you do is write about your emotions and not facts. You Liberals are stupid. I hope someone breaks into your house when your sleeping.

Ah, the delusions of the young who somehow think that someone inclined to commit homicide cares a whit about precious laws to protect your prissy sensibilities. Excuse me, but your naivete is showing.

There is good and evil in the world, and people out there of both dispositions. Taking guns away from the good only promotes evil.

I'll tell you, however, something that DOES get innocent people killed, and that's your prissy sensibilities as well as your own anger and fears. That says, well the evil Republicans let someone carry a gun but even though they're a background checked, trained and certified "good guy" that *I* am scared of you so you can't carry a gun if you go into the post office, or a restaurant, or the game, or on a bus, or walk across campus. The result of that lunacy is instead of arms owned by good people resting quietly, safely and unnoticed in holsters, that some of those guns will end up stolen by thieves, involved in an accident (a child killed just days ago because of this), or an innocent person is unable to protect themselves when they need it because criminals by definition do not obey laws.

"Handguns are responsible for more homicides than any other firearm." Handguns, sir, have not been responsible for a single homicide in the history of mankind - guns are a mechanical object, inert until someone places it into operation; your entire reasoning process thus is exposed as the failure that it is. You know why you're scared of handguns? Because you know what you and your cousin back in Arkansas did, your own lack of self control and irresponsibility as exemplified later on in your article... "I'm not mature enough to carry an awesome handgun around without some "Look what I can do!" misfire at some point or another".

Legally carrying a firearm for protection on a daily basis is a thoughtful and serious endeavor, undertaken by thoughtful and serious people whether sworn law enforcement or private citizens. These people, and the inanimate tools they carry, are not the rightful recipients of your scorn just because you fear your own lack of self control. You are not one of those people, you know it, and you don't carry a handgun so all is well. People of good disposition do not go about committing homicides just because they have a gun, just as they do not randomly run over pedestrians with a car or set fire to places they visit.

I would respectfully suggest that you work on growing up, and get some experience or at least insight into the world beyond your college campus comfort bubble before pontificating about how your fear should take precedence over others' freedom, security, and possibly even their lives.

Perhaps where you live, there are no people intent on indulging their violent tendencies, and the police are 100% effective at arriving just before anything bad ever happens. Where I live, though, although well-intentioned, police just aren't that quick or that lucky. They have to actually get to wherever it is you're having a problem and then find you. Half the time, they are receiving their information third-hand, and as a former LEO, I can tell you the necessary info invariably gets garbled when you need it most. I have arrested people who have broken firearms laws countless times, but somehow, I have never encountered a CCW permit holder engaging in breaking the law. I am inclined to think this is because permit holders believe in following the rules of civilized society, which is why they bother to get a permit in the first place. If you do not feel qualified to have a CCW permit, then by all means rely on the police and spare us your incompetence. Just kindly refrain from denying women/handicapped people/law abiding citizens the right to defend themselves.

EPIC FAIL

1. If you don't value your life the way I value those of my wife and children than you should keep it to yourself.

2. Research is not done through NBC, CBS, ABC, or numerous other touchy feely lets try not to hurt anyones feelings television programs, unless.....
they are independant, and able to think for themselves.

3. Remain a sheep if you will, if your idea of shooting and the best story to show how much you enjoy it consists of shooting a couple of boxes of shells at junk along the road and then killing trees with whatever you had left than you would probably only be a danger in society and a liability to those of us who actually "practice" against real threats instead of out of control appliances.


Good luck in the future in finding what you want to be when you grow up!

You cannot un-invent the wheel and you cannot strip criminals of pistols. If they can't find them in the states they will be smuggled from Mexico along with drug shipments. Dog's can't smell guns and China sells them by the boatload for cheap.

The only result in banning guns is less law abiding citizens (the ones who only shoot in self defense) have them. You are correct in stating that more handguns equals more odds of you getting shot. Problem is the odds of getting shot only go up for would be criminals. Odds of getting shot for law abiding citizens actually go down in areas where more people are carrying a firearm.

I'm not going to do your research for you. You should have done that before you wrote this. You can start by looking at statistics in cities that have less laws restricting handguns vs those like chicago that have banned them.

As you go down the list you will find one thing in all your comparisons. When more people are carrying hand guns criminals are less likely to use one to commit a crime. You will also find in every city that has placed restrictions on LAW ABIDING citizen gun ownership the level of gun crime has skyrocketed from normal averages soon after. Also every city that has loosened it's gun laws has seen a reduction in gun crime.

Another thing you may want to consider is that families that own firearms and teach their children how to use them and proper safety account for less than one percent of all gun crimes and accidents in this country.

I could go on for days about real statistics rather than the emotional fear of guns that you have chosen to base your false OPINION piece on but I doubt you will listen.

Another fun fact. More kids drown in a tub every year than get killed by guns. Ponder where the problem lies with people getting killed otherwise we should ban all water containers that have an opening big enough for a childs head.

"I try to stay squarely in the center, giving both sides of every debate a fair shake, with analysis based on exhaustive research and contemplation."

Exhaustive research and contemplation my democrat mascot. This is pure emo-leftist garbage, shabbily dressed in "hey I'm from Arkansas and shot a gun once" camo.

This is the prattle of a child, someone who has never faced REAL threats, never felt REAL fear. How far have we fallen as a society that this kind of mindless drivel can be presented as "exhaustive research".

Wow, after reading that, I want my time back. Talk about a steaming pile of pointless anti-gun rhetoric, dished out fresh and hot. Hitler, Stalin, and Chairman Mao approve of your "Article". Hope and Change baby, Hope and Change. It's coming.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murders_of_Channon_Christian_and_Christopher_Newsom
Glad you feel safe enough without a handgun. May this type of crime never happen to you or you loved ones.

Is this what our educational institutions are producing these days?

What a waste of money.

The most cursory research will show that states with the most relaxed gun laws have the lowest crime rates.

I'll make it easy for you.

Go to the Brady Campaign website and investigate the states that they grade the lowest. Those states are the safest.

When I attended college many years ago, I started as a freshman at 20 years of age. I had graduated high school at 17. The 3 year gap was time spent in the 101st Airborne Division of the United States Army where I was deemed competent and mature enough to have access to all sorts of weaponry and even explosives! With the increased number of war veterans attending college today, who have voluntarily placed themselves in harm's way on your behalf, I believe you do them a disservice when you imply that they are not to be trusted with weaponry on your campus. If you don't trust yourself, you are not required to carry. Don't presume to make that decision for other adults.

A college student wrote all this? Nah, couldn't be!

The author of this article is a moron. Mind your own legal business, avoid carjacking others, stay away from home burglaries as either a hobby or a profession, decide to stay out of the drug distribution business and you won't get shot.

You sir, are a friggin idiot!! Look up the facts before writing another piece of left-wing, progressive dribble. Its a known fact that crime goes down dramatically in the states that allow gun ownership and concealed weapon carry. Jeez, I cannot wait until we can vote out more progressive douche bags in November of '10 and '12!!

So, because you feel that you aren't mature enough to trust yourself with a gun, you feel that the rest of the country is the same way? I fail to see how your immaturity has anything to do with God given natural rights, that are protected by The Constitution.

Wow. Talk about one misinformed leftist liberal.... more so than most.

First off... for being such a tree hugger why all the tree hate? Why are you just out shooting trees? You do know that it's against the law to shot a live tree? Then you shot up a appliance (I'm guessing behind your cousins trailer home) and just leave it there.

See... I'm a gun owner, I have a CCW, I'm a NRA instructor and an target shooter, but at least I always pick up after myself and others.

You.... you are just a moron. Legal and law abiding gun owners are not the big problem here. Its those who should not own guns. Felons, metal patients and yourself are those we need to restrict firearms from. And those laws are on the books, they just need to be enforced.

I read the first paragraph and threw up. Then I saw that republicans want to kill people, then I went to the ER. Really JD, find a different hobby.

FYI: Guns don't kill people, the people that hold them do! A gun can't get up and walk into a room a kill someone. Liberals will never understand that. Its called the 2nd Amendment.

J.D., you are such a joke

Interesting combination of inane and insulting diversion ("I shot up roadside garbage once just like you hicks with guns do!"), mindless and groundless liberal ideology, angry and self loathing mental problems, and life experience that consists of video games ("first person shooter style"), liberal infotainment and hollywood fantasy.

http://www.jpfo.org/filegen-n-z/ragingagainstselfdefense.htm

Get some help for your issues. It is not noble to be a defenseless victim despite what the media leftists (of which you are now one) have been conditioning you to think. Nor is is just to direct your anger and ridicule at people who don't share your "noble victim" ideology. In short, man up and grow up. In the meantime leave grown up things like weapons to adults.

I'm a liberal, and even I find this article disturbing. You are the reason why my party is losing popularity Mr. Garrettson.

You sir are not humble with anything you write. You speak your mind with no remorse and are full of liberal ideas with no insight to the republican belief. This article is a waste of time and why dont you spend more time on that radio station where you were able to weasel your way up the rank and remove a respected advisor and dare i say because of his political beliefs.

The biggest problem with this country is this mentality of liberal vs conservative.

Instead of the middle class vs the rich

I would count the poor, but obviously nobody cares about them.

Mr Garretson: I don't know where your information came from or the state of your consciousness whilst doing this "article" for your soul's love but you are wrong on so many counts. First of all you get information from the Brady bunch like you do from CNN and the NY times if you want skewed views, they are not in any way balanced or able to offer any objective views. They are less factual than the Pres talking about healthcare being what all America wants and he has a cheap and effective way of running it with no real outlay of money. By the way Mr Obama I do have some Ocean front property in Bolivia, just within a few steps from the beach...
Guns have no real input in society it is the owners who do. As was said in a previous post there are no guns that have been known to walk into a crowded retaurant and opened fire on innocent eaters. For that matter schools. We reserve that fantasy for you Left wingers to indulge in. Being that the Healthcare problem can be solved by some carefree politicians in the eastern seaboard with health and goodwill for all, why we believe that utopia is just around our communist corner... I just can't wait. I'm so excited I feel the need to urinate...
It's funny that in the "Old West" the jails were less full and crime per capita was less than in our bleeding heart ACLU, left leaning philosophy days. The only time you have to fear my CCW is when you break into my house, mess with my wife or steal my belongings, which I value over your life. Yes you are right guns are more apt to kill you especially if you are a crook!

wow jd. just stop embarassing yourself. please!!!!
try writting something non-political.

Wow, you are a freaking idiot. I would debate you on this, but something tells me you aren't sane enough to comprehend common sense.

Guns don't kill people. People kill people. Although people who kill people sure like guns a lot.

It's amazing how angry scared white people get over guns when the odds of dying in such an attack are so astronomically small. But that's what gets the TV time. It's amazing that people think sleeping is more dangerous than driving. Sociopaths should turn to Wall street instead. That's where all the cool stealing is going on now.