The LA Times called...

[Rocky Raab]

A few days ago, the Los Angeles Times ran an editorial propounding their usual line of anti-gun silliness. This diatribe (which is too long to post again here) can be found at: http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-op-sugarman29-2008jun29,0,1307373.story


I wrote a letter in reply. Well, they just called to say my letter would be printed in their Sunday edition. For those two or three of you who don't subscribe (snicker, snort, chortle) to the thing, here's a preview of what I wrote:

subject: Performance-Based gun design

comment: Regarding Jeffery Fagan's column June 29 proposing
"performance-based" initiatives by gun companies. Fagan suggested better gun locks and other physical design changes as examples.

What a wonderful idea. Let's try it.

Let's have a gun company make up some handguns that weigh 25 pounds, are too big to conceal, fire only one shot and have a trigger guard with a 30-minute unlock delay. Then let's make it the only gun authorized for carry by LA cops, all California politicians and their bodyguards. We'll give it a ten-year trial.

Surely, if such things are good enough for the public to defend
themselves, they ought to be good enough for public servants. Right?

;)

[fabsroman]

Great reply Rocky.

"Put simply, gun makers -- whose products kill even when used as directed -- would have to take responsibility for curbing the consequent public health toll."

The guns do not kill when used as directed. If they were never aimed at anybody, they wouldn't kill anybody, and I don't think aiming them at people is part of the "use as directed" part of it. How about vehicles. They kill like crazy when used as directed.

"Under our plan, Congress might require gun makers in the aggregate to reduce gun homicides from 12,000 to, say, 7,000 in 10 years, with appropriate interim targets along the way. Individual firms would each have their own targets to meet, based on the extent their guns are currently used in homicides. Or Congress might simply leave it to neutral experts to determine just how much of a numerical reduction should be required -- and how quickly. Either way, the required decline would be substantial."

How are they going to track how many homicides are committed with a specific brand of gun if they cannot catch all the perpetrators?

As far as I am concerned, that article is pretty stupid, but what do you expect.

If they actually came out with some type of finger/thumb print reader on the gun, I would probably be interested in it, but only if it was extremely reliable. I'm thinking about getting a little bed side safe that uses a thumb print to unlock it, so it is kind of along the same lines.

[Ol` Joe]

Rocky do you really think any of the politicians or paper writers your sarcasm is aimed at have enough smarts to see it for what it is??
I`ll bet it whistles right on through :D

BTW, I do like it. I just don`t think the people that need to read and understand it will.

[rattus58]

Of course, lets have a firearm that only its registered owner can shoot... that is like saying that everyone in your family needs their own car, but no one could borrow it... or use it in self defense.

Anti gun advocates have severe identity problems and trust only someone else to care for them... an impossible task in a free country... but that's the point isn't it... they want us like everyone else... but then that might eliminate the immigration issues we suffer wouldn't it... :grin:

Aloha... :cool:

[Bret Andrysiak]

I think you may give Rosie Odonnell a brain hemorage if she reads the paper......................HMMMMMMMMMMMM keep up the good work.

[jon lynn]

Although it has nothing to do with what you wrote, it reminded me of some news I saw last week. I saw a pro-gun rally in the news (yes PRO!), some sharp witted soul had a banner that read:

"If guns kill people, do pens misspell words?"

I'm going to see if I can find the TIMES online and find your piece.

[Rocky Raab]

My own favorite has for decades been:

Guns Cause Crime Like
Flies Cause Garbage

[BILLY D.]

Originally posted by Bret Andrysiak
I think you may give Rosie Odonnell a brain hemorage if she reads the paper......................HMMMMMMMMMMMM keep up the good work.


She can read.......I am amazed!

Best wishes, Bill

[Dom]

I must say pretty witty Rocky, I got a chuckle out of it but many anti's will just call you a smartaxx ;) Waidmannsheil, Dom.

[Bret Andrysiak]

Bill you are most likely right Rosie being able to read is a stretch.........Everytime I see her I think of Lou Costello in drag..............Hey abbooooooooooooooooooot

[Rocky Raab]

Mine was not the only voice crying out in the wilderness...

LINK (http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/letters/la-le-sunday6-2008jul06,0,6262950.story)

[jon lynn]

Everytime I see her I think of Lou Costello in drag


Well thanks a bunch, I'll never enjoy "Who's on first" quite the same now:mad:

[Tall Shadow]

Originally posted by fabsroman
If they actually came out with some type of finger/thumb print reader on the gun, I would probably be interested in it, but only if it was extremely reliable. I'm thinking about getting a little bed side safe that uses a thumb print to unlock it, so it is kind of along the same lines.

Hey Fabs!
You had best make sure that the Safe has a backup device (IE:Key) because knowing how Mr. Murphy like to show up at the worst possible time....I'd want to make sure that I had all aspects covered.......

Or learn to bash the intruder >With< the safe! ;)

Tall Shadow

[Tall Shadow]

Originally posted by Rocky Raab
My own favorite has for decades been:

Guns Cause Crime Like
Flies Cause Garbage

Or we could combine the two parts of this thread.....

Guns Cause Crime Like
Spoons Made Rosie Fat & Ugly!

:D

Tall Shadow

[fabsroman]

Tall Shadow,

You mean to tell me you have never had a tumbler in a lock go bad or had a key get stuck in the lock and not turn. Trust me, Murphy's law can strike at any time. Best bet would be to have two safes with thumb print locks. Chances of them both going bad at the same time is pretty slim.

The last thing I want to do in the dark is look for a key to the night table safe. Worse yet, I wouldn't want to have that key sitting anywhere that my kids could get it. Imagine putting the key on my key chain so that it will always be with me, and then forgetting the keys downstairs when Mr. Burglar comes knocking.

Honestly, thanks for making me think about it. Now, I'll probably buy two thumb print safes. One for my night table and the other for my walk in closet. Better yet, maybe I'll just get a small full size safe for the walk in closet so I can keep a shotgun and AR in there too. Of course, that would have the thumb print lock too.

[DON WALKUP]

rosie odonnel makes me want to wretch...

the only way to get to california legislators is to push for boycotting of their LE agencies from dealers and manfacturers nationwide. if the LE agencies are denied the "tools" they require, i'm sure someone will raise eyebrows. ron barrett did it.