Those who say that you can solve this problem with gun control are engaging in a fantasy. Um, can you prevent some cases of this by locking up all the guns? Sure. Is that politically possible in the near-term in the United States? No. Uh, my problem with the gun control argument is that it so grossly simplifies what’s going on here, that this is, you know, we had tons and tons and tons of guns in this country and no school shootings for a long time. So, school shootings are not a necessary or inevitable consequence of having lots of guns.

Malcolm Gladwell
March 16, 2016
Malcolm Gladwell: Gun Control Won’t Stop School Shootings But We Should Still Ban Guns
[I’ve read a number of Gladwell’s books. Including Outliers: The Story of Success, The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, and Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking. He’s a smart guy. But I think he failed to study this particular issue with the usual thoroughness he has devoted to other subjects.

After getting the essence of the school shooting correct he goes on to say:

This is a, gun control can solve the much bigger problem of the kind of unpremeditated shootings done in the heat of passion or drunkenness or drug use that claim the lives of tens of thousands of Americans every year. That’s the reason to ban guns.

This is complete B.S. without support of any data beyond his speculation. There are less than 10K illegal homicides in the U.S. each year. Hence there cannot be “tens of thousands” of “unpremeditated shootings” each year that result in loss of life.

Don’t ever let anyone get away with telling you that no one wants to take your guns.—Joe]

It seems increasingly obvious that the real infant with a gun here is America itself. Watch it stumbling around like a giant toddler, wreaking untold havoc and then screaming its head off if someone dares to confiscate its beloved toy.

It’s about time someone took the toys away for good.

John Niven
March 14, 2016
John Niven: American gun laws are just crazy, it’s time we took the firearms away from them
[H/T to Say Uncle.

Don’t ever let anyone get away with telling you that no one wants to take your guns.—Joe]

We’re not taking anything away. We’re strengthening the rights of Lexingtonians to be secure in their private houses and less fearful of people spraying bullets at them.

Robert Rotberg
Founding director of Harvard Kennedy School’s Program on Intrastate Conflict and Town Meeting member
March 8, 2016
Lexington debates proposal to ban semi-automatic weapons
[What this guy wants:

the proposal seeks to ban any semi-automatic rifle or handgun that has a removable magazine capable of holding 10 or more rounds. It also seeks to ban any magazine that holds 10 or more rounds.

And he claims, “We’re not taking anything away. We’re strengthening the rights of Lexingtonians…”?

Gun banners lie because it’s the only way they can win.

And don’t ever let anyone get away with telling you that no one wants to take your guns.—Joe]

We need to remove all guns from our society other than those used by police and other authorized government agents.

The time for the wild wild west has long ago left us.  We need to allow our Constitution to be adapted to prohibit gun ownership by all private citizens.  Only then will our streets again be safe for our children.

MNsoda55401
March 1, 2016
Comment to Gun safety groups plan caucus push to promote background checks
[At least they recognize the Second Amendment is blocking their goal and they need to change it before proceeding.

Just don’t ever let anyone get away with telling you that no one wants to take your guns.—Joe]

No one needs to own a semi-automatic rifle for hunting or self-defense. No one. I have never heard a convincing argument why a civilian needs a semi-auto rifle. In nearly every mass shooting there is a common weapon: a semi-auto rifle. They should be banned.

Citizen1787
February 26, 2016
Comment to Kansas gunman served with restraining order just before shooting spree, police say
[Don’t ever let anyone get away with telling you that no one wants to take your guns.—Joe]

I think the notion of any private citizen owning guns is absurd.

Kim LaPointe‏1 @kimoui
Tweeted on February 17, 2016
[Don’t ever let anyone get away with telling you that no one wants to take your guns.

After having it pointed out that the right to keep and bear arms is a basic human right she followed up with, “can’t take ignorance GO shoot yourself”.

I found this last contribution particularly interesting. She was the one exhibiting the ignorance but insists the person trying to inform her is ignorant and demands the more informed party cause themselves harm. These people have mental problems.—Joe]

We could use a President who was, like, “OK. Everybody turn in all your guns tomorrow by 5 p.m. After that, if I catch you with a gun then I’m sending SEAL Team Six to your house with a recent Facebook picture of you and those tanks that shoot fire that we haven’t used since Waco — Ummm — I mean since World War II.”

…

And let me be clear about something else, gun owners. I want President Obama to want to take your guns away. I don’t trust you with your guns. I don’t trust you to fire them safely. I don’t trust you to store them safely. I don’t trust your kids not to find them. I don’t trust you not to get them stolen.

W. Kamau Bell
January 12, 2016
I want Obama to take away your guns
[H/T to The Writer in Black.

Don’t ever let anyone get away with telling you that no one wants to take your guns.—Joe]

As citizens, we must all take a stand. March, protest, Facebook, Tweet, write your congressman, senators and legislators urging them to ban guns.

Rana Florida
December 15, 2012
Shame on Us, America: Take a Stand and #BanGuns Now
[Don’t ever let anyone get away with telling you that no one wants to take your guns.—Joe]

The mass shootings that plague us, and the daily individual acts of gun violence and death should, however, lead us to make access to guns more difficult. We should, that is, seek to “control” access to them and their use. But even that’s not going far enough. We should get rid of them, that is, ban them. Guns create too many problems, promote too much fear, and lead to too many deaths to not consider banning them. Perhaps they were necessary at some point in our history, but let’s declare that that time has run its course.

Hollis Phelps
December 4, 2015
The Second Amendment must go: We ban lawn darts. It’s time to ban guns
[Don’t ever let anyone get away with telling you no one wants to take your guns.—Joe]

I am officially beyond a place of wanting to find a compromise with those who want to argue for the right, or the need, of citizens to arm themselves with guns. Focusing on assault weapons only is just giving in to the gun lobby out of a fear that we can’t beat them if we don’t give them something. The time has come for our society to say enough is enough and that we must completely outlaw private citizens from owning guns. There is just no good logic to it and the number of senseless deaths attributed to people wielding all too easily acquired guns has reached a point where we have to say this has to stop.

…

Let’s not go halfway on this. Let’s not be afraid of the fight ahead in working to remove all guns from private ownership.

Earnest Harris
January 16, 2013
Assault Weapons Ban Is Not Enough
[Harris said this three years ago today. How’s that removal effort working out for him? Not so well? Maybe because he hasn’t take point on the implementation.

Don’t ever let anyone get away with telling you that no one wants to take your guns.—Joe]

What are conservatives going to do when we succeed in taking their guns away? #guncontrol

Domenico P. Nanni @dominicnanni
Tweeted on January 7, 2016
[Don’t ever let someone get away with telling you that no one wants to take your guns.—Joe]

There are just too many guns on the streets and I think our national government needs to do something about that.

Jim Kenney
Mayor of Philadelphia
January 8, 2016
Man ambushes, tries to “execute” cop in Philadelphia
[Don’t ever let anyone get away with telling you that no one wants to take your guns.—Joe]

In the wake of the Newtown shooting, the mention of which caused Obama to tear up today, he demanded a renewal of the so-called “assault weapons” ban, provoking a furious reaction before retreating to a background-check proposal instead. The well had already been poisoned, however, and the effort failed. He’s made repeated references (Dan McLaughlin counts four times) to confiscatory policies elsewhere as a model for modern nations, and then expresses surprise and indignation when people dare to assume he means it.

If you like your Glock, you can … eh, you get the point.

Ed Morrissey
January 5, 2016
Obama: Hey, forget what I said about Australia (twice) — no one’s looking to take away your guns!
[Don’t ever let anyone get away with telling you that no one wants to take your guns.—Joe]

My complete answer, off the record, is we should ban guns altogether, period.

Thiruvendran Vignarajah
Maryland Deputy Attorney General
2015

[Via Glenn Reynolds and David Hardy.

Don’t ever let anyone get away with telling you that no one wants to take your guns.—Joe]

Yes, restrict gun ownership.  Eliminate concealed carry.  Ban semi-automatic weapons.  Ban handguns.  Make it damned hard to buy a gun. Make a gun purchase take years.  Investigate the shit out of whomever wants a gun.  Then post the names of the gun owners all over the Internet and list them in the newspapers… right next to the obituaries.

donna in evanston
December 14, 2012
Yes, Mr. President, Take Their Guns Away
[Don’t ever let anyone get away with telling you that no one wants to take your guns.—Joe]