JoeWeber

Well, you've come to the right place for advice. The truth is that it is never too soon to start doubting and second guessing ones skydiving instructors.

We have a right handy way to justify it: somebody has to be willing to pay the full price and a quick check of the Democracies of the World organizational chart reveals that we only got one somebody.

Yes, and the payers are Americans. We could drop down to USD $22.8 Billion as some western democracies do, but then we all might need to start working on our Mandarin.

We don't just suck we're also annoying. Maybe, just maybe if we weren't now condescendingly called foolish, too, it wouldn't seem so much like Ken's talking to someone too dumb to quit smoking.

Us, foolish? Don't presume. Even if we don't at the Federal level we have our Red State Governors.

I don't agree. I think the circumstances and timing merit praise. She is a Valedictorian in Texas. She slipped in nothing. Rather she gave a full throated rebuke of the antiquated thinking of her state, the Governor of Texas, her neighbors and, for all we know, her family, too. She spoke truth to power knowing there might be consequences. The sad reality in America is that a Valedictorian going off script to be god positive or LGBTQ negative is unlikely to cost you an extra cookie much less bad press. I think she'a a hero.

Ken, I think Scalia pretzel twisted the phrase into an individual right as I've previously posted. No matter, my fight isn't with you or skydekker. In truth, there s much we agree on. My fight is with Americans who believe as you guy's do. I need them to understand this goes nowhere with a burn it down and build new strategy.

You read what I post, right?

It's almost as if the point is being willfully missed. No one sane thinks mass shootings are ever a win. The point is that firearms ownership in America will never be eliminated. Consequently, pointing out each and every gun travesty as evidence they must be banned is a pointless exercise. You need to accept that Americans are ten times as many as Canadians and our histories are far from identical. Simply put, it's different here. I personally think the second amendment was never intended to be interpreted as it has been by our courts. In fact, I place responsibility for most of these senseless deaths on our courthouse steps. But that doesn't matter. We have what we have and the best we can hope for, at this point, is incremental change.

Ken, you take it too far. Guns are used in war but so are knives and sticks and stones. Who knows what firearm was used in the assault? It could have been a pistol like cops use for all we know at this point. When I worked in Canada I once gifted someone a nice rifle I bought at the Winnipeg Cabela's. He's a First Nations guy who loves to hunt. Are you in favor of disarming the First Nations people of their tools of war?

I'm an ardent sizzle hoper, for sure. I'm speaking to the head in sanders who think that just because he's wounded he'll shortly die. Maybe he'll bleed out but it's still way too early to take a trophy picture, seems to me. In my religion it ain't meat until it's in the pan.

Obviously they had it coming. Good thing someone brought their guns.

My favorite are Chimera's. No one has yet to explain where the extra soul goes.

One shot is fine for gophers and woodpeckers but not desirable when you kick two roosters out of a fence row. On that basis alone I'd say it's a non starter. The thing is, if we are going to get anywhere under the current legal interpretations we need to ask for a helluva lot less than a complete ban, which I oppose, on anything. I don't know if I agree 100% with Keith, for example I'd be for regulating ammo in a serious way, but I totally agree with the idea of increasing the amount of paperwork and expenses for certain firearms. I also completely agree with the idea of limiting expectations.

The solution isn't definitional. The solution is political and politically this country, will for the foreseeable future, have a right to keep and bear arms not limited to a single shot. The reality is that even a general agreement amongst the majority of Americans on reasonable restrictions and regulations would be an uphill fight. The only path forward that has a hope in hell of working is trying for something like Keith proposes. If that happens then we let time do it's job.