“The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits…* Anti-gunners display this truth. READ MORE
*Albert Einstein
SOURCE: NRA-ILA
On March 2, gun control über matron Shannon Watts issued a tweet taking the online retailer Sportsman’s Warehouse to task for making a certain firearm available to adults as young as 18. No doubt Watts hoped to shock her Twitter followers with the gun’s supposedly menacing appearance.
The rifle she depicted, however, was a Ruger bolt action .22 rimfire, a platform that has safely introduced untold numbers of preteens to the fundamentals of marksmanship and firearm safety, including through programs at summer camps, scouting organizations, and even some public schools. It is a platform so common and uncontroversial, in fact, that it would remain untouched by even the most far-reaching “assault weapon” ban introduced in any American jurisdiction to date. The large knob protruding from its action must be manually operated between shots, and the ammunition it uses is among the mildest of the commercially available rifle cartridges, illegal for taking game bigger than a squirrel or rabbit in most places.
Needless to say, this was all lost on Watts, who was manifestly reacting to features of the particular model in question that have absolutely nothing to do with any lethal potential it might possess. These include its dark color; its polymer furniture; the adjustability of the stock’s comb and length of pull; its vented, free-float handguard; and its accessory rails. Leave it to Watts — who recently lectured a crime victim on her supposed “privilege” — to be triggered by mere appearances.
Of course, it’s also possible that Watts knew exactly what sort of gun she was tweeting a picture of and was simply making the point that there’s no firearm too benign for her regulatory ambitions.
Either way, Shannon Watts once again made herself look ridiculous to anybody with a basic understanding of firearm technology, if not basic common sense.
That might be forgivable for the average suburban adult with no prior firearm experience who knows no more about guns than their dubious depictions in mass media and entertainment. But it’s a pretty sorry showing for someone whose only claim to fame is imperiously hectoring the rest of the country on the evils of guns and gun owners and pushing prohibitory firearm policies and laws.
Indeed, of all the manifestations of childish entitlement that characterize the gun control lobby, perhaps none is so pronounced as the inverse relationship between their ignorance and their outrage. It’s of course easy to fear something you don’t understand. But gun control advocates take it a step further, resisting attempts by gun owners to set them straight on the facts as a form of “bullying” or mocking efforts at education on firearms as “gunsplaning.” Then they go further still by insisting that not only should their obliviousness inform their own choices about firearm ownership and use but yours as well.
And while their ineptitude might be a source of amusement to gun owners to the degree it’s confined to social media rants, there’s nothing funny about its very real potential to infect public policy as well.
Firearm technology can no doubt seem bewildering and intimidating to the uninitiated. And gun owners should have patience and sensitivity to those who are trying in good faith to come up to speed.
Watts and her likeminded Twitter followers, however, aren’t just uninformed. They are deliberately indifferent, if not actively hostile, to any fact that gets in the way of their agenda.
So don’t expect embarrassment or apologies from Shannon Watts. She doesn’t actually have to know what sort of gun she’s talking about to “demand action” to keep you from having it.
Why, it’s one of those scary black rifle thingees with a barrel shroud!!! (sarcasm off) This is why the anti-gunners need to seriously learn the nomenclature of weapons if they want to ban the things, seriously. It gets old ‘gunsplaining’ to these ignorant folks…
I agree! For instance the DIFFERENCE between an AUTOMATIC – ASSAULT weapon and a Modern Sporting Rifle that Citizens and FREE LEGAL LAW ABIDING American CITIZENS can own – – IF we want to.
For now anyways 🙁
It does Charlie. Example, Colt began manufacturing CAR-15 back in 1963, calling them Colt Automatic Rifle. If these were or are so evil, why didn’t they kill people back in the 60’s-2000’s? If “guns kill people”, not “people kill people”, there should have been more of this in the lime light. Something happened or changed with people, not the guns. But of course, lib-tards can’t see that. I believe , in my opinion, it should start at home, but we know that isn’t or won’t happen. I don’t think this is fixable anymore. Sad isn’t it? So let’s ban guns, all guns. Staple guns, chalking guns, hair dryer blow dry guns. Anything that says “guns”. So if they are banned, then we won’t need police because all guns will be turned in. right? While we are at it, next time there is alcohol related death, ban Budweiser. Same with Marlboro, fast cars etc…Hey, if it’s good for one thing, make it everything….
Hypocritical shills that espouse, “We want to make the world safer. Give us your guns”.
Look around HYPOCRITES, Who is it that is killing people? Those LEGAL LAW ABIDING American CITIZENS, OR , those who want to FORCE their beliefs upon others who CHOOSE to live by a different standard!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Fix the family fix the problem ,over half the children in this country are born to unwed mothers with no fathers in the home. Growing up in poverty in a atmosphere of entitlement blaming the rich the wealthy ,the list is endless and a political environment more than eager to exploit them Gun violence is a symptom of the problem not the cause. Guns in and of themselves are harmless they are tools,the problem is the person using the tool. There will always be a list of professional dogooders lined up to take advantage of people who act on their feelings not on their brains and logic. Fixing the hard problem of the broken homes the immorality the poverty is too difficult not glamorous to be attempted. Until this is done America will spiral down into a police state where government violence will be the only thing that will keep a broken society in check.
But, but, it just looks so “mean”!
I like this Ruger .22 rimfire. Make it in .223 like the bolt-action Robar SR-21 AR-15 bolt-action hybrid. Rifles like this and the AR-15 straight-pull rifles are legal in every state and even in the UK. They have not been used in any mass shootings. The Federal Government should make all semi-auto AR-15 and AK-47 type owners an offer to replace their semi-autos with these rifles for free, and, as an additional incentive, provide a hefty tax credit for so doing. They can also offer to pay for kits that could convert their semi-auto to straight-pull. I wonder if there would be many takers to such an offer, which might remove thousands of rifles that are the choice of a mass shooter from our society. I see people at ranges I go to having a great time shooting straight-pull AR-15s, not caring that they are not semi-auto. This could be a compromise between the pro and anti-gun groups and legislators. What do you think?
(*bleep*) your “compromise” Stuart….I’m not compromising anything regarding my second amendment rights….perhaps you should think about all the inanimate objects that terrorist use to kill …oh like trucks, long shiny pieces of sharp steel, timers, electrical wire, etc, etc…..if you and your lame a*s friends want to go to the gun range with single shot rifles and have “fun” go right ahead, just don’t try to punish me for the illegal actions of someone else.
What do I think?
I think it sounds like you’re suggesting removing freedom of choice.
I think it sounds like you believe an AR-15 is just about ‘looks’.
I think it opens the door to other things being taken away.
I think this is the kind of idea we don’t need more of.
I think it sounds like you play for the Anti-gun team.
Just my opinion, but you asked.
No way. I like my modern sporting rifles just the way they are. But, please, you go ahead and do that to yours. Oh, you don’t own any guns do you ?
This is called erosion. Every time we give-up a little they want to take more. Gun control should be limited. There should be no compromise. Just look at Russia, China, and Germany. They had “gun control” took all guns away from people and killed anyone that did not agree with the government, they had no way to protect themselves.
Surely you jest. First, it would be a complete waste of tax payer’s money to subsidize such an offer, especially since killings with ALL rifles combined are less than 350 pr year, as shown on the the latest FBI’s crime statistics web site. Second, everyone has the freedom of personal choice, so I see no reason to change that. I even think any lawful person should be able to own full automatic machine guns if they can afford them, as they are already legal in about 35-40 states with about 200,000-300,000 owned now without any being used in crimes. Third, the gun control groups aren’t really concerned about anyone owning what we might call less lethal kinds of guns or they wouldn’t be concerned about the 22 bolt action depicted in this article, now would they? Their ultimate goal is to eventually ban ALL guns from society.
It’s human nature to take more. Example, say your goal is to make a million dollars. You make that million, and human nature kicks in. Now you want two million, then three, etc. Does not matter what it is, Human Nature wants more and more and more, We are Never Satisfied. We are humans, that’s what we do. Look at history, go back to the beginning. Most people won’t research thousands of years of History it proves most people wrong on the way they think. Especially Democrats, they hate history.
I think this is an aweful idea that would be akin to agreeing that there is something wrong with semi-auto firearms. No reason to appease the gun grabbers because it will only embolden them to demand more.
I would never trade my AR for a “bolt action”. I’m sure anyone involved in 3-gun would say the manually operated system is not as fun as their conventional setup. This demonizing of the AR platform is disturbing. How about we change the subject of “evil” to drunk driving? On average 28 people are killed a day(CDC stats) in alcohol related vehicle incidents. That eclipses mass shootings by a very large margin. I am definitely more afraid of driving down the road than knowing my neighbors have…an…AR-15 devil gun. I feel safer knowing they have one. Ignorance, pure and simple.
I think it’s a bad idea to compromise anything anymore. Compromise seems to be what the NRA likes to do. NO MORE COMPROMISES!
As long as these weapons possess those “EVIL” features, (EX. pistol grips and barrel shrouds ) the anti’s will just continue with their BS. Most do NOT even know which end of the gun the bullets exits, they only know what their DEMOCOMMUNIST “handlers” tell them to say. All one had to do is listen (briefly) to the “interviews” of some of the “children protestors” MOST had NO idea what they were “protesting” about, only that they were TOLD to show up, “provided ” with DEMOCOMMUNIST “talking points” and “scripted speeches” and and paid well to do so, by left wing “groups” and “actors” (that were surrounded by their own personal ARMED “security details”) Hypocrites!!!
Are you serious?
All this uprising is BS. We who own firearms should be out there demonstrating as to why we have a second amendment and why we need to protect ourselves against the useless idiots who wish to do the will of the Global superior few who want to govern our lives. Weapons are not for just hunting or target shooting they are for protection which you will not get from authorities. They arrive long after you need them. I am still at a loss as to why the organizations who constantly hound us for contributions are not organizing pro-2nd amendment rallys.
“We Who Own Firearms” Fortunately, there are 101 firearms for every 100 persons in America today. Problem being, those “firearms owners” are letting 5-15 million “carry their water!” They are NOT members of a gun rights organization, such as the NRA, NGRO, or others. They sit on their hands letting Georgy “The Boy” Soros, and others, use his billions to manipulate our children’s minds full of mush with their Nirvana poppycock! Git off your wallets, and that area where it resides, and get engaged, SUPPORT the Constitution by SUPPORTING those defending the 2nd Amendment! NOTIFY your worthless reps to PASS CCW Reciprocity and the SHUSH Acts, before the Nancy Pelosi regime regains control!!!
There is nothing wrong with making an offer as the author has suggested. The key is choice. If it were a mandatory offer that completely circumvents the concept of freedom.
EVERYONE seems to forget that the government was denied, in it’s founding documents, the power to regulate, legislate, control in any way, the ownership and possession of weapons of war by the People.
People can have their opinions about whatever, but there is NO LAWFUL GUN LAW in existence in the US. The government was denied that power. DO YOU UNDERSTAND YET?
All I can say is , OUT OF MY COLD DEAD HANDS!!!!
I sure miss Charlton Heston , rip!