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Gun Rush

July 26, 2009 4:50 PM

Americans are snapping up guns and ammo at an increasingly higher rate despite the economic downturn. But the recession, as well as the election of Barack Obama, may be the reason for the run on guns.

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by drive2cu November 12, 2009 5:20 AM EST
As Samuel Adams said in 1788 " The Constitution Shall Never Be Construed To Prevent The People Of The United States From Kepping Their Own Arms!!!
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by Danyboi787 September 8, 2009 5:29 AM EDT
Twenty years ago, I know that I would have been terribly saddened to hear this news about the horrendous flood of guns in America. However, twenty years later, with most of the U.S. manufacturing jobs exported to China, with the huge ascendancy of China as a world power, and with China holding most of the U.S. debt, there is a perverse comfort within me knowing that if China ever decided to invade the U.S. with its far superior number of ground troops, they would be up against this tidal wave of guns that have just thoroughly soaked American culture to such an outrageously ridiculous extent. They would probably decide not to invade.
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by Rabino13 August 9, 2009 3:39 AM EDT
It is a scary that the NRA has the guts to defend the terror that guns create. Yes terror, because truly there no other way to define the result of what that organization so shamelessly defends. They want us to know that their only concern is the right of citizens to bear arms, but it is clear that what they don?t really care about is the loss of life as they manipulate society and lawmakers with lies and intimidation into passing laws favorable to their agenda. Somebody will die because of the use of a gun, or at best remain crippled for the rest of his/her life. Guns kill people, and there is nothing else that can be said about them, so the moronic argument about the Second Amendment holds no water. The real culprits of one of the highest murder rates in the whole world are guns and the NRA. Whatever else those vampires may want us to believe is pure BS. And shame on those members of Congress who have sold their souls to those bullies.
Thanks CBS/60 Minutes for your honest reporting.
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by saneObserver August 4, 2009 10:46 AM EDT
The second ammendment & the NRA support the right to give away assault rifles on play grounds and for extremists to make dirty bombs.
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by averageguy54 August 2, 2009 7:47 PM EDT
Here are a few quotes you need to have a look at. The attitude by the reporter on the subject needs to changed.

"It is not the critic who counts. Not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat." - Teddy Roosevelt
But fortunately we have the nanny-state politicians who can step in to protect us poor stupid consumers, most of whom would not know a JVM from a frozen chicken. Bruce Pierson
If you've ever watched 6-year-olds playing soccer, that's what the mainstream media is like. -- Jon Stewart
"He who joyfully marches to music in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him, the spinal cord would fully suffice. This disgrace to civilization should be done away with at once. Heroism at command, senseless brutality, deplorable love-of-country stance, how violently I hate all this, how despicable an ignoble war is; I would rather be torn to shreds than be a part of so base an action! It is my conviction that killing under the cloak of war is nothing but an act of murder." - Albert Einstein
"The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive veterans of early wars were treated and appreciated by our nation." -- George Washington ?United we Stand-Divided we Fall.?
" The most foolish mistake we could possibly make would be to let the subjected people carry arms." Adolph Hitler, Mar. 18, 1938
?When the people fear their government, there is tyranny. When the government fears the people, there is liberty.? ? Thomas Jefferson

FIREARMS REFRESHER COURSE
1. An armed man is a citizen. An unarmed man is a subject.
2. A gun in the hand is better than a cop on the phone.
3. Gun control is not about guns; it's about control.
4. If guns are outlawed, can we use swords?
5. If guns cause crime, then pencils cause misspelled words.
6. Free men do not ask permission to bear arms.
7. If you don't know your rights, you don't have any.
8. Those who trade liberty for security have neither.
9. The United States Constitution (c) 1791. All Rights Reserved.
10. What part of "shall not be infringed" do you not understand?
11. The Second Amendment is in place in case the politicians ignore the others.
12. 64,999,987 firearms owners killed no one yesterday.
13. Guns only have two enemies; rust and politicians.
14. Know guns, know peace, know safety. No guns, no peace, no safety.
15. You don't shoot to kill; you shoot to stay alive.
16. 911: Government sponsored Dial-a-Prayer.
17. Assault is a behavior, not a device.
18. Criminals love gun control; it makes their jobs safer.
19. If guns cause crime, then matches cause arson.
20. Only a government that is afraid of its citizens tries to control them.
21. You have only the rights you are willing to fight for.
22. Enforce the gun control laws we ALREADY have; don't make more.
23. When you remove the people's right to bear arms, you create slaves.
24. The American Revolution would never have happened with gun control.
"Calling an illegal alien an "undocumented immigrant" is like calling a drug dealer an "unlicensed pharmacist."
The 2 most common elements in the universe are hydrogen and stupidity.
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by 11-Bravo July 31, 2009 11:05 PM EDT
I came here from Ukraine 3 years ago. In Ukraine people do not have right to carry weapons. And it?s very sad. Because innocent people getting shot and robbed every day. Criminals do have a guns because they don?t give a **** about Laws. Police don?t help because they come to the scene when the crime already committed. That?s means victim already exist. Guess who is victims???? People like me. That me who getting shot, robbed, attacked, ets. Me and my family. Corrupted politicians in Ukraine don?t want us to have guns for protection, and in the same time they driving around in uparmored cars and with armed bodyguards. If I not mistaken, senators in US is under protection of armed Secret Service. It?s easy to vote against guns if you have personal bodyguards.
Anyway, I moved to US joined US Army, I got my Citizenship and concealed carry permit and I?m very happy about that. Because I have a right to protect myself and my family. Try to brake in my house now.
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by 11-Bravo July 31, 2009 11:02 PM EDT
I came here from Ukraine 3 years ago. In Ukraine people do not have right to carry weapons. And it?s very sad. Because innocent people getting shot and robbed every day. Criminals do have a guns because they don?t give a **** about Laws. Police don?t help because they come to the scene when the crime already committed. That?s means victim already exist. Guess who is victims???? People like me. That me who getting shot, robbed, attacked, ets. Me and my family. Corrupted politicians in Ukraine don?t want us to have guns for protection, and in the same time they driving around in uparmored cars and with armed bodyguards. If I not mistaken, senators in US is under protection of armed Secret Service. It?s easy to vote against guns if you have personal bodyguards.
Anyway, I moved to US joined US Army, I got my Citizenship and concealed carry permit and I?m very happy about that. Because I have a right to protect myself and my family. Try to brake in my house now.
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by gunownerdan July 30, 2009 12:23 PM EDT
A common falsehood is that AK-47's and other so-called "assault rifles" were not available during the 1994 "assault weapon ban".
That's not true at all!
I got my brand new AK-47 legally in 2003 during the useless ban and the only thing that was different about it is it didn't come with a bayonet lug, and folding stock, or a high capacity magazine.
You could also buy AR-15's during that stupid ban minus cartain cosmetic features.
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by gunownerdan July 30, 2009 12:16 PM EDT
"Laws that forbid the carrying of arms . . . disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes . . . Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than to prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man."
-- Thomas Jefferson, quoting criminologist Cesare Beccaria
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by robert1400 July 29, 2009 12:06 PM EDT
Your news report on Sunday concerned me, because not all the statements that you made in the segemnt were true and accurrate. You stated that at gun shows you sale fire arms without background checks. That is not true, California requires private and retails sales to be recorded and background checks conducted. Most states require private sales and retail sales to be recorded. Get your facts right. People should be able to carry a firearm to protect themselves. It is very appearant that your organization does not support the 2nd Admendment and you cannot give a fair and balanced report. Look at the statstics and the areas with the most gun control have the highest rate of crime. The states where gun control is less stringent have lesser crime rates. Why? Because the crimals know they are more likely to be shoot.
I will not allow my rights to personal protection to be eliminated, nor will other gun owners. We will continue to fight for them.
Many times the news media gives wrong information and it is not accurrate, because your organizations sensationalize the real story as you tried to do in your news report. The right to have firearms pre-dates the US Constitution. Washington needs to clenup there act, the Supreme Court neds to uphold the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
Liberty, Justice, and Freedom are what this country is about.
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by joewger July 29, 2009 5:35 AM EDT
If 60minutes thinks they are not anti-gun or biased then I will give them the benefit of the doubt if they do a show on inner city crime and criminals. In this segment I want then to show who commited the majority of crimes with illegal guns and how many times these criminals were put back onto the streets. I also want them to show how big the Rap sheets are on these career criminals. Well 60 minutes, I think we'll be waitning a long time!
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by joewger July 29, 2009 5:19 AM EDT
I want to say that the former Bill Clinton gun ban was a cosmetic bill and did nothing to assault weapons and crime. After the ban was lifted, crime actually decreased. Guns and Ammunition are the only American Industry we have left that employs Americans and pays Federal Excise taxes. All other Industrial production was sent to China. If you want to see the economy worsen, then watch what happens if Obama and Fienstein get their wish and kill the gun industry. Criminals will still get any type of gun they want and Americans will be out of a job and no gun sales will mean no boost to the economy.
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by csh102 July 29, 2009 3:16 AM EDT
Why I Carry a Gun;

I don't carry a gun to kill people. Personally, I carry a gun because I believe that I'm too young to die, and too old to take an beating from a street punk. I carry a gun to keep from being killed. I don't carry a gun to scare people. I carry a gun because sometimes this world can be a scary place. I don't carry a gun because I'm paranoid. I carry a gun because there are real threats in the world.

I don't carry a gun because I'm evil. I carry a gun because I have lived long enough to see the evil in the world. I don't carry a gun because I hate the government. I carry a gun because I understand the limitations of government. I don't carry a gun because I'm angry. I carry a gun so that I don't have to spend the rest of my life hating myself for failing to be prepared. I don't carry a gun because I want to shoot someone. I carry a gun because I want to die at a ripe old age in my bed, and not on a sidewalk somewhere tomorrow afternoon.

I don't carry a gun to make me feel like a man. I carry a gun because I know how to take care of myself and the ones I love. I don't carry a gun because I feel inadequate. I carry a gun because when I am unarmed and facing three armed thugs, I am inadequate. I don't carry a gun because I love it. I carry a gun because I love life and the people who make it meaningful to me.

FREE CITIZENS must protect themselves. This sentiment was expressed best, perhaps, by one of Virginia?s favorite sons. In 1788, Patrick Henry wrote, ?Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect every one who approaches this jewel. Unfortunately, nothing will preserve it but downright force. Whenever you give up that force, you are ruined.?

Our explicit rights, that is, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are contingent wholly upon our implicit right: the right of the people to keep and bear arms. The intent of the Second Amendment is to preserve and guarantee, not grant, a pre-existing right; again, the right of the people to keep and bear arms.

A rightful person who is legally armed is considered a citizen, an unarmed person is considered a subject, but a disarmed subject is a truly a prisoner. Police Protection is an oxymoron, but the M.S.M. and the liberal press will not rest until they have us all believing this is the end all cure all. Police can not always protect you from a crime occurring; they investigate the crime after it happens and then call someone to clean up the mess. This is precisely why Hollywood types and high level political officials have their own armed body guards. How ironic.
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by MortgagedAndArmedcom July 28, 2009 11:41 PM EDT
Leslie - please do a story on expatriation. Americans have been leaving since 9/11, and more are planning to do so as a result of fears of financial collapse.
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by MortgagedAndArmedcom July 28, 2009 11:36 PM EDT
I don't own a gun nor care to. But, I understand the Second Amendment very well, and understand that the Founding Fathers wanted the people of the United States the right to be armed. This is quite clear. The NRA, even when it engages in offensive campaigns at the worst time, is protecting the Second Amendment.
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by treehouse1 July 28, 2009 6:11 AM EDT
Also, what's with this obsession with thinking of any and all gun owners as "crazies in the US", "crazed gun nuts", etc.? Do you somehow assume that any human being, but the virtue of touching a gun, becomes crazed and can't control himself and just has to go on a shooting spree (have I missed 80-90 million shooting sprees lately?) Or do people coming up with those assumptions have that kind of state of mind, and assume everyone else must possess it? I'm really curious where those ideas come from. Could it be propaganda pieces similar to (or worse) than the one we're commenting on? You know, the "make your enemy appear ridiculous and barely human, so you won't have to think of him as a human being" sort of things?
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by against_insanity July 28, 2009 5:53 AM EDT
Yes, our Soldiers carry weapons, but they are not out of control like the crazies in the US. Unless you've been there, you wouldn't know that Soldiers are not allowed to carry loaded weapons on the FOB. Their weapons are checked upon entry into populated areas such as the DFAC. They only use their weapons on the job.

For all you crazed gun nuts, do you really want us to end up like Mexico? Don't be fooled. These folks are profiteering from your fear. Suck it up and have a little courage. Our Soldiers do.
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by davidperi July 28, 2009 1:36 AM EDT
Canīt believe how sick this is just because it is based on FEAR! Like the car salesman who is giving away a AK48 for every new car the company sales.
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by gscott101 July 28, 2009 1:28 AM EDT
You are on the wrong side of history if you think we are going to give up when we are two election cycles away from completing a long and difficult journey. The NRA with members like myself have worked as a team to fight the backwards philosophy that seems to imply that because I enjoy target shooting and carry a pistol to defend my life and the lives of others I'm the problem. Ma'am I'm not the problem; I'm only one integral part of the solution - a last resort. Police officers work very hard to detect, arrest, and present for prosecution alleged criminals; they are the faced with a broken judicial system that releases felons on to the streets after serving 25 to 50% of their sentence. It costs approx. 75.00 per day per inmate; just do the math, the politicians in liberal states like NY and CA are playing russian roulette with your family to protect their budgets. Unless we get stone serious about putting people who rape and/or murder to death we are never going to reduce violent crime in the long run. Why should Charles Manson and Sam Berkowitz still breath? These animals aren't alone, there are tens of thousands of them; millions upon millions of dollars wasted to feed, house and care for them. How much care did they show their victims before they pulled the trigger, raped them, or slit the throats of their victims. None. Ms. Stahl I'm ready to defend my life and those around me if I'm legally allowed to do it, I practice as often as I'm able to, and I know full well that often the best strategy is to exercise my right to run if possible - I'm no hero - but I'll be damned if the last thing I'll see in this life is watching you or someone I love hurt.

We can not change the past - but we are committing a deep sin of ignorance by not focusing our efforts and dollars at the core of our problems, economic growth, incarcerating or putting the worst of the worst to death, and push honest law-abiding people to get trained and carry a pistol. Obama likes chaos because it provides the soil to plant his liberal philosophy whether it is gun control, health care etc. if things were humming along his ideas wouldn't be a threat to anyone - after 6 months, he only wants chaos, he has not learned how to calm the Country, Reagan knew, FDR knew . . . I think Obama had better start reshuffling his deck; times running out.
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by csh102 July 27, 2009 10:01 PM EDT
The most recent craze is the move to ban ammunition sales , . . . but the congress would need to tie it to another credit card bill to make it pass Sorry, but that's the way it works up on the hill.

Representative Bobby Rush (D-IL) filed a comprehensive anti-gun wish-list bill (HR 45) in the 111th Congress on its first day in session. No sooner were the new members of Congress sworn in than Mr. Rush, a former Black Panther leader, filed the bill. It has no cosponsors yet and was automatically referred to the House Judiciary Committee.

Anti-gunners? current focus on ammunition is unmistakable, but going after guns by going after ammunition is not a new idea. As far back as the 1930s, during the debate over national gun owner licensing and handgun registration, it was proposed to implant a small tape bearing a serial number in every bullet, and require people to register ammunition purchases with their names and fingerprints.

They (DEMS) know this idea is a certain death-nell for their political future, and lets face it, it is no longer about public safety anymore - it is all about being re-elected these days. Rest assured that this idea will again resurface, but only after the 2010 elections. The public blunder was Attorney General Holder's saying the "assault weapons ban" needed to be reinstated. Quickly, House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi - no friend of gun owners - went on record as opposing Holder's suggestion. She went as far as to parrot the words of pro-gun groups, saying the government should enforce the laws on the books today, rather than introducing new laws. Democrats from rural or conservative districts are among those cringing. Pelosi, with one eye on the need to keep a Democratic majority in the 2010 elections, was likely protecting those Blue Dog Democrats.

Just like in NAZI Germany, Russia, China and other countries that imposed gun registration then subsequent confiscation by the Government, do you think that the criminals are going to turn their weapons in ? Look at Great Britan and Australia for the disastrous examples of the new gun registration agenda - and how the criminals overwhelmingly won that match.

Live free, or die a slave to this New Democratic Socialist Government that you voted in.Whether any proposed new firearms / ammo bans can become law will depend on how many CITIZENS (and yes we are still considered that for now) and other gun owners turn out to vote. I?ll be in the voting booth for as long as I continue to draw a breath, and I hope you will be, too. Our freedom, liberty, ammo, and our guns depend on it.
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