I just hope this article doesn't encourage people to buy more guns, just what Florida needs. Ugly? I'll say, given the number of domestic shootings and murders increasing nationwide, especially here in Florida. Ugly? You bet, especially when it is not just "2 offenders" but also "responsible" gun owners who continue to make it so easy for people to get hold of guns, walking them into schools, using them to blow away Aunt Lucy, and aiming into cars who cut them off.

It has become a sad fact that it is very hard to distinguish a gun owner from a criminal, both are equally irresponsible. Florida has turned into a gun toting state under the last governor, will only get worse with Crist, the poster child for the NRA.

Any state that lets people have guns will get bad marks. Any state that makes it legal to shoot a criminal will get bad marks.
Bad marks from the gun control nuts means that you in fact have a safer state.

The brady lobby is in fact the lobby for the criminals.

Also it has always been a crime to create a database of guns. The Clintons and the BATF were in violation of federal law by creating a database that’s why it was stopped.

No one has ever shown that tracking does anything but cause trouble. they end up blaming dealers that did nothing wrong.

Besides the constitution does not allow the feds to regulate gun stores it only allows them to regulate interstate commerce. Regulation of gun stores and gun shows is a state matter not a federal one. No where in the constitution does it allow them to require dealers to even have a license or keep records on gun sales if the dealer is not involved in interstate commerce.

If youre thinking the police can protect you, you are wrong. We must protect ourselves, the police give good "report" not much else! I carry a gun and I believe, "its better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it. Gun control is being able to hit what you aim at. Next time youre being mugged ask the mugger to call the police for you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have you noticed that it's always the guy WITHOUT the gun that gets shot? What do you make of that?

To bad the facts don't fit the extremist rhetoric of this post. The ATF "traced" a number of firearms to "1% of dealers". Now if you actually read the report, those numbers can't be used for general statistics as they do not represent a representative sampling of firearms. The data is also still being used by the agency as nothing about that has changed. The only difference is that the public and cities can't troll through it looking to sue dealers in civil court anymore.

But of course the facts don't matter, do they?

If guns are so fucking dangerous and gun restriction laws so fucking smart, why is it that there's not a single scientifically valid and reliable study that proves even a medium correlation, not even link just correlation, between increased gun restriction laws and lower crime rates. Why is it that every such study to date show either a null relationship, or a correlation between relaxed gun control laws and lower violence? Answer me fucking that if you would.

"I like my guns too, people. But I don’t want them purchased at gun shows by crazy people and criminals."

Dealers at gun shows are FFL's and have to run the background check no matter where the sale takes place. So the "criminals and crazies" cannot get guns at a gun show. And criminals themselves say that they get their guns on the street.

You, sir, are not a normal moron. You're a fucking moron. Congratulations, you win!

It's been a centuries-long argument. Does the king and his men have a right to arms, but not the peasants? or do the actual peasants, as human beings themselves, have the right to defend their lives, families and property.

Thanks for letting everyone know which side you are on, but as for me: Power to the People.

Which is probably making a lot of you out there really happy because you fucking hate them and would like nothing more than to unload all of your various weapons into the belly of the already-paralyzed Jim Brady.

You might want to look up the psychological term "Projection".

If you really think like that, then you probably should not ever own firearms.

Do not assume that the rest of us entertain fantasies about murdering the handicapped.

Nothing like a bit of rational thinking and reasoned discourse on a Monday. The writer probably just excluded himself from being able to own a firearm with that rant.

Remember. When seconds count, the police are only minutes away!

"It has become a sad fact that it is very hard to distinguish a gun owner from a criminal, both are equally irresponsible"

Thank you MichelleH, for showing us that you know nothing about us gun owners. Not to mention how bigoted you are. The average gun owner, and contrary to what VPC would have you believe there's a LOT of us, are a lot more responsible people than the avaerage anti-second ammendment lib is.

Do people like you take responsiblity for your own protection? Can you, and many if not most people like you, pass a severe background check? No on the 1st and not likely on the second.

If anyone's more like the criminals it's people like you, who want to give them a infinate range of helpless victims to prey on. YOU and others like you are the criminal's friends which is ironic since people like you are the ones most likely to become criminal's victims.

In the same "report card" statistics, Brady et al completely neglected to score Washington DC: it has by far the strictest and most extensive prohibitions, yet has the highest violent crime rate. Funny, they didn't tell you that.

Funny, they also don't tell you that Florida's violent crime rates are significantly lower than DC's, and have been steadily and significantly dropping since such laws have been relaxed/repealed.

Calvin Godfrey, exactly how many crazy people and criminals purchased their guns at a gun show in 2007, the year that Florida earned an 8 on the Brady scale?

The ATF can pull the exact data they could in previous years. Maybe you can't, but the ATF still can.

How can Miami be getting poorer and more heavily armed? You would think that if someone has less money they won't be able to afford guns. Unless the people are coming by them by illegal activities, something that even getting a 100 on the Brady scale cannot stop.

Sir, you're just another mouth-breathing, bed-wetting, panty-wearing Liberal.

HOORAY for Florida...a state where individual rights haven't been destroyed by Bush Inc. yet!

Don't worry, those Pesky rights will be taken care of by Clinton Inc. soon enough.

Why is it the same people who go into hysterics when the federal government does things they disagree with and claim a criminal is in the white house are the same ones who want ordinary citizens to suffer at the hands of a bunch of different criminals?

"Under the Clinton (sorry to use the C-word) administration the ATF was able to pull records and track the sale of most crime guns to just 1% of gun dealers.

...

But those records are now top secret."

You are a liar. Absolutely NOTHING has changed about the BATFE's ability to trace firearms. They do it every day. Any law enforcement agency in the country can and does request trace information for any weapon relating to a criminal investigation or prosecution.

Liar.

In the first place, the psycho who commiitted the heinous murders at VTech did ot buy his guns at a gun show. So, by saying so (or even inferring such), you are a liar.

Just who gets to define what passes for "dangerously mental"? I heard where a man made an off-the-cuff remark to his friend that he had enough guns to start another VTech. An anti-gun D.A. overheard him, and had him involuntarily committed, just because he could. Poof! 2A rights all gone! How fair or just is that? 'Course, I'm sure you applaud that.

If you aren't afraid of the "black helicopters", Cal, you should be! Brady's gun-ban utopia, the People's Demokratik Republik of Kalifornia, made gun owners register their "assault weapons" on the promise that they would not confiscate them. A year later, it was "Black Helicopter" time. The PDRK said "Turn 'em in, or face police action!"

To top it off, you are just about the most insulting cretin I have seen yet on the gun-grabbers' side! To say we want to unload our weapons into James Brady is truly foul! You are nothing short of evil!

If someone shoots at me or mine like at vtech or any where..I have a very nasty habit....I shoot back! more people should be able to make that choice, it makes for a safer society...one that can protect itself until the police arrive to either settle the dispute or claim the body.

Living in an "8 Point" state?
Better than "9".
Not quite as good as "7".

CCW4ME2

Until and unless the Supreme Court begins upholding the 2nd Amendment to overturn laws that infringe the right to keep and bear arms, the government cannot be trusted with knowing who owns what guns.

An untrustworthy government is a bigger danger than a few psychos. From psychos at least we can protect ourselves by getting concealed carry permits.

Try passing laws that prevent the mentally ill from scoring heroin, cocaine and marijuana on the street. Until you've figured out how to do that, don't pretend that any laws that don't keep such people locked up will keep them from getting guns.

It always amazes me that the people who do not want the Government listening in on their phone calls to Osama Bin Laden are the same ones who want ALL guns banned.
I, for one would only want Government to do it's job. That job is to SECURE our Borders and Protect this Country from attack. That job is NOT to restrict the Rights of it's own citizens.
Without the ability to own a gun, ANY gun, you are classified as either a serf or a slave, NOT a citizen any more.

BTW, a bazooka is not a gun, neither is a nuclear weapon or other explosives.

Guns are not dangerous in themselves. But it just takes a few minutes of reading the posts from some of the too very angry and abusive sounding gun owners above to make us wonder about the mindset of people holding the guns. Some gun owners sound responsible, but some do not even have the self control to not use obscenities in writing a simple response, much less be in possession of a weapon.

Background screenings would not be a bad idea at all. We do them on teachers, on law enforcement, firemen, on nurses/hospital workers...we do drug screenings on new hires to make sure people are ok simply to work at a job at Walmart (may not be the best example...)But we are not doing this on people who have guns.

It's long overdue.

This is just another example of the kind tolerance of the loony left. As far as shooting Jim Brady,did you notice it was a lefty,not a gun owner that came up with that little bit of sick violence?Notice too that any vestige of individual freedom makes your state the 'bottom of the barrel'?And of course,if the facts don't fit the fantasy,ignore the facts (law enforcement can get any legal record they always could during the BATF-baby-killing Clinton years).Too many video games,not enough brains make Calvin a very dull boy.

"If someone has a gun and is trying to kill you, it would be reasonable to shoot back with your own gun." — The Dalai Lama, (May 15, 2001, The Seattle Times) speaking at the "Educating Heart Summit" in Portland, Oregon, when asked by a girl how to react when a shooter takes aim at a classmate

I wonder what the FBI would think of your lunatic rantings about killing the handicapped? I guess we'll soon find out, won't we?

You, sir, are completely irrational and should NOT BE ALLOWED to own firearms. You sound very unstable and a bit dangerous.

Fucking idiot.

quote:It has become a sad fact that it is very hard to distinguish a gun owner from a criminal, both are equally irresponsible. Florida has turned into a gun toting state under the last governor,

What a sick person you are! Replace "gun" with "vote" and see how well the argument works. You are a bigoted anti civil rights hoplophobe.

With 80 million gun owners in the US it there were any correlation at all we would all be dead.

The VPC rating is inversely correlated to how well your state protects the basic rights and freedoms. Fl still has 8 points? Keep working get it down to zero.

by the way Cal,
The ATF data still is and always has been available to law enforcement. Furthermore, not all gun traces are crime gun traces. The data would also include lost, stolen, destroyed guns as well.

The author of this tripe is a moron and knows nothing about the issue at hand. He proved himself a cretin with the reprehensible statement that gun owners want to kill a handicapped person. Michelle is in the same boat, why she feels she can comment on a subject she clearly knows nothing about is beyond me.

But my favorite fool is Jim Tantos. He rants about the "abusive" sounding gun owners, but I guess he feels it is just fine and dandy for the author to claim we want to "fucking empty our guns into the handicapped Jim Brady. Jim also proves that he knows nothing about the subject at hand as gun owners ARE subject to background checks you incredibly stupid idiot.

"Some gun owners sound responsible, but some do not even have the self control to not use obscenities in writing a simple response, much less be in possession of a weapon."
-- quoted from Juim "Miss Manners" Tanos

Gee, JimTanos, you didn't seem to mind the language of the original poster. Act the hypocrite much?

Jim Brady was shot with a contraband handgun in a city that completely banned handguns. He was surrounded by the best secret service agents America can offer.

How will more gun control help? Make the handgun triply quadruply banned? How much faster can law enforcement response times be than 1.3seconds?

If the author if this garbage likes gun control so much he should move to North Korea and shove a state secret police agent up his arse. That's the only way he will get more gun control and police presence than Jim Brady had.

As a Jewess in the US, I want to remind all that America wasn't won with a registered gun! And criminals are stopped by FIREARMS, not by talk. That is why all REAL Americans put our 2nd Amendment FIRST!!

You Floridians are going to have to work harder. Here in ol' Kaintuck we got a '2.' Of course we're shooting for a zero, or preferably negative integers.

When you dance with the devil, you don't change him, he changes you. Don't dance with the "Liberal" freaks and authoritarians. Get in their faces and tell them "No!" and have the force to back it up.

There's nothing 'lawful' about the 2nd Amendment. The Founders wrote it for the day when we would be told to 'turn them in' or 'register' them. That's when you pick up your weapon, go down the street to the local "Liberal" freak, politician, newswhore, and send it to hell.

willowtowndotcom

According to the Brady wingnuts:

"Two-thirds of all states score less than 20 points out of 100. Almost half of all states score 10 points or less out of 100. "

So, according to their system of violating the civil rights of Americans, the vast majority of states disagree with Brady's infringement of civil rights. Well, that seems all right and good to me. In the end, Brady and the author of this article are clearly the extremist violators of civil rights. Two thirds of the states are on the side of right and good.

Jim Tanos: Background screenings would not be a bad idea at all.

And who decides what background items to check for? Can we exclude Democrats? Hippies?

What about the First amendment? Mr. Godfrey likes advocating violence, and talks about shooting Jim Brady. Should his First Amendment license be revoked? No access to printing presses or TV or Internet unless he gets a letter from a Psychiatrist saying he is over his violence advocacy habit?

Jim Tanos: Background screenings would not be a bad idea at all.

And who decides what background items to check for? Can we exclude Democrats? Hippies?

What about the First amendment? Mr. Godfrey likes advocating violence, and talks about shooting Jim Brady. Should his First Amendment license be revoked? No access to printing presses or TV or Internet unless he gets a letter from a Psychiatrist saying he is over his violence advocacy habit?

Well darn it. We've got six more to knock off here in Arizona - we know all about how the west was won out here. I love to carry open where all the libbies stare at me aghast.

In the end, I know I have a fighting chance should the big nasty go down.

MichelleH:

"I'll say, given the number of domestic shootings and murders increasing nationwide, especially here in Florida."

Proof? Surely you have actual numbers to back up this statement?

Try this on for size: ever since Florida instituted Concealed Weapons Licenses in '86, crime in Florida has =decreased.= That may not =prove= that "right to carry" laws decrease crime, but it sure isn't evidence =against= the assertion.

JimTanos:

"But it just takes a few minutes of reading the posts from some of the too very angry and abusive sounding gun owners above to make us wonder about the mindset of people holding the guns."

Um, you'll notice none of the pro-Second Amendment people have suggested murdering anyone; unlike the anti-Second Amendment author of the article. Do people get passionate about this topic? Yes. Many Americans consider misinterpreting and ignoring the Constitution of the United States to be tantamount to treason. So yes, they feel very passionate about the issue....

"we do drug screenings on new hires"

There is no Constitutionally-protected right to work at Wal-mart. There =is= a Constitutionally-protected right to keep and bear arms.

"But we are not doing this on people who have guns."

Nonsense. A National Instant Background Check is required before you can purchase a firearm from a licensed dealer in this country. An even deeper background check is conducted before you can get a Concealed Weapon Permit.

---

I have become increasingly convinced that the people who want to ban guns have chosen this path because they are afraid of what they themselves would do if they owned guns. They want to be protected from themselves. Fortunately for them, thinking about committing crimes is not a punishable offense or many of them would be in jail....

Neither reason nor research demonstrate that taking weapons away from citizens makes them, or society, any safer. Research =has= demonstrated that allowing citizens the option of arming themselves =does= correlate with decreased crime. Aren't facts terrible things?

Calvin,
Based on your fantasies of killing handicapped individuals...I am very afraid of the fact that you actually have guns. I would really like to see an investigation into your background and mental state.

My, my, guns are indeed powerful. They transform your average potbellied loudmouth into a badass motherfucker Dirty Harry, ready to take on both criminals and the stormtroopers with deadly aim and hot lead. Even if most of their shooting is done at 7 yards in indoor gun ranges.

Nothing like a call for gun registration to bring out the loony brigade. I didn't know so many of them read this communist rag (Or did the local NRA sent out an email?). The unhinged responses here make me feel very secure about the mental state of gun owners.

Makes you wish for the black helicopters to finally come and wipe some of these weekend commandos off. Maybe then we could have a reasonable debate about gun ownership.

Among all the unhinged, let's look at a few nuggets:

"Besides the constitution does not allow the feds to regulate gun stores it only allows them to regulate interstate commerce. Regulation of gun stores and gun shows is a state matter not a federal one. No where in the constitution does it allow them to require dealers to even have a license or keep records on gun sales if the dealer is not involved in interstate commerce."

Wow, how is this legal scholar not on the Supreme Court already? He can spew mumbo jumbo with the best of them.

"Gun control is being able to hit what you aim at. Next time youre being mugged ask the mugger to call the police for you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

You gotta love people who speak in bumper stickerese.

"Now if you actually read the report, those numbers can't be used for general statistics as they do not represent a representative sampling of firearms."

I'm not sure what "general" statistics are. But a dozen eggs are going for 10 yuen in China. I'm sure there's a "correlation" in there somehow.

"Thanks for letting everyone know which side you are on, but as for me: Power to the People."

Watch out, that's a hippie slogan that will get you shot in this company.

"GrumpyUnk says:"

"Grubby Hubby says:"

Why do I feel these two are related? And why do I feel sad for their kids, nephews and nieces?

"You might want to look up the psychological term "Projection"."

Yeah, and you may want to look up the rethorical device "analogy".

"Sir, you're just another mouth-breathing, bed-wetting, panty-wearing Liberal."

Here's somebody who was actually making a coherent argument, only to shit all over it in the end.

"I wonder what the FBI would think of your lunatic rantings about killing the handicapped? I guess we'll soon find out, won't we?"

Uuuuh, Calvin, somebody wants to narc you to the jackbooted stormtroopers

"He proved himself a cretin with the reprehensible statement that gun owners want to kill a handicapped person."

And you proved yourself a bigger one when you took his analogy literally.

"As a Jewess in the US, I want to remind all that America wasn't won with a registered gun!"

This one had me laughing out loud. A jewess imbued with pioneer spirit. Hats off to you.

"That's when you pick up your weapon, go down the street to the local "Liberal" freak, politician, newswhore, and send it to hell."

Gun owners don't fantasize about killing people. We all know liberals aren't people.

"In the end, I know I have a fighting chance should the big nasty go down."

This guy has "First Blood" and "Red Dawn" posters hanging in his bedroom. Maybe even framed.

"Um, you'll notice none of the pro-Second Amendment people have suggested murdering anyone"

Wrong. See above about killing liberal freaks and newswhores.

"Many Americans consider misinterpreting and ignoring the Constitution of the United States to be tantamount to treason."

Those Americans are morons who do not understand what treason means. (Feel free to include yourself in this group).

Well, that was fun.

The word "analogy" does not mean what you think it means. I think you might mean "hyperbole" ... but since I can only go by what comes off of your keyboard, I'll reserve judgment on your intent.

Even if you want to try to pass off the original post as hyperbole ... it still is indicative of the underlying mental state of the poster.

So far most of the violence comments are by you , Jim Tanos, and Mr. Godfrey ... and all of this violence is either your projections on gun owners or your wishes that the government, acting as your agent, round us up and shoot us all.

And you call us violent?

This article is so filled with inaccuracies and tripe it's hard to know where to start. I love how Calvin starts by conveying how he too is a gun owner and attempts to mirror his thoughts to those who defend the 2nd amendment. Translation: "See guys! I'm like you! I believe in the right to bear arms!" That argument falls apart within the second paragraph.

For the posts that site the use of poorly chosen and offensive words, please reread the masterpiece Calvin wrote… it didn’t take long for him to use expletives and site how he fantasizes killing someone who opposes his point of view. I don’t know one gun owner who would share his apparent dream so please Calvin, don’t lump all of us in your sick perversions.

Others have pointed out the inaccuracies so I just wish to add to the mounting amount of points not mentioned (since there are so many). The assault weapon ban was met with opposition not because of “a ban on a certain combination of accessories and features”. I don’t even know what that means. As everything in a leftist leaning government, the ban was written so broad, anything could be considered an assault weapon. Of course after time, the lawyers would incrementally extend it to include everything but muskets.

I am attempting to break this down to elementary common sense for our friend Calvin the leftist …. Um, the reason they are called criminals is because they break the law. All the laws prohibiting gun ownership only affect law abiding citizens. An armed society is a polite society, criminals know police have firearms but do not know if someone they are going to target does. Well unless you live in a liberal utopia like DC, NY, LA, etc… there they have good reason to believe you are defenseless.

So Calvin, the police are running to you to get this important Brady rating out to the public? Sounds like it, apparently they are conveying how scared out of there minds they are about it. Oh, maybe they aren’t since in the same sentence you state if not, they should be (scared). Did you even go and talk to the police force? Did you talk to anyone besides your self absorbed colleges about this ground shaking information? I guess you are like Madam Cleo and you just know they are terrified … what laziness.

Your concern of the welfare of those enforcing the law is touching. Can’t help to wonder how quickly you would write an article if one of the despondent criminals you care so much about was injured or killed by the police. Would it be filled with the same glee you have over Mr. Brady “getting his”? Doubt it.

Another observation about the criticism about our friends from the left. I believe the passion gun rights contributors are showing is due to the years of failed policies and laws designed with good intentions but failures nonetheless. The thought of just eliminating guns themselves and crime will go away sounds lofty and noble. It has been tried over the years in pockets of the US and in fact is going on now in the U.K., Australia, and Canada. Simply put, it doesn’t work, data enforces this fact.

Instead of those who oppose the second amendment utilizing facts to the support their view, they usually resort to name calling and character assassination. So if you believe in the second amendment, be prepared to endure an onslaught of name calling like, red-neck, wacko, gun nut, etc from the same folks that tell others to be compassionate and open-minded.

So keep telling those who believe in our constitution they don’t know what they are talking about liberals (unless it is your version). Knowing Hillary and Obama are gun control nuts, this shows people what they could lose in the coming election. Thank you, thank you liberals… you are fun!

it is really very simple,people.
it is illegal to possess cocaine.so,as a law abiding citizen,i do not.but criminals WILL.the demand is too great.
therefore,if it is illegal to possess a firearm,or a particular type of firearm,
i will not.but criminals WILL.

the question is,are you going to exercise your right to defend yourself with adequate
force,or exercise your right not to.

you wonder why gun owners are "crazy"and "looney"?
you are trying to leave us vulnerable.

imagine if there were no guns,and we used swords and such.then one day we say ok,any sword over 2 feet is illegal for the common man.this in itself puts me at a disadvantage.
not only is my sword shorter,but if im like many,many lucky americans,i have never had to kill someone.this will cause me to hesitate.this is also a disadvantage.

what if "gang members" started running people down in their cars?lets ban motorized vehicles!!

what if "gang members" prefer to strangle people?will we cut off peoples hands?even at that,who would cut off the last mans hands?he now holds an advantage.in his quite literal hands.

do you really want to stop violent crime?
MURDER=DEATH

All you idiots that can't comprehend the second admendent need to move to Europe or Canada. Guns are for protecting the people from the government. Look up the word "arms" in a dictionary from the time when the Bill of Rights was written. You should be able to own a tank if you have the money. I'm going to take my $600.00 from the government and get a new AK and as much ammo as I can get. One of three gun grabbers will be are next president since are corporate controlled media did such a great job ignoring and distorting Dr.Paul.

All you idiots that can't comprehend the second admendent need to move to Europe or Canada. Guns are for protecting the people from the government. Look up the word "arms" in a dictionary from the time when the Bill of Rights was written. You should be able to own a tank if you have the money. I'm going to take my $600.00 from the government and get a new AK and as much ammo as I can get. One of three gun grabbers will be are next president since are corporate controlled media did such a great job ignoring and distorting Dr.Paul.

All you idiots that can't comprehend the second admendent need to move to Europe or Canada. Guns are for protecting the people from the government. Look up the word "arms" in a dictionary from the time when the Bill of Rights was written. You should be able to own a tank if you have the money. I'm going to take my $600.00 from the government and get a new AK and as much ammo as I can get. One of three gun grabbers will be are next president since are corporate controlled media did such a great job ignoring and distorting Dr.Paul.