is winning the debate. Most Americans are probably still completely unaware that the presence of a firearm in their residence exponentially increases the odds that they will fall victim to gun violence of one sort or another. The actuarial tables DO NOT lie.

I do think 'shame' may be winning the debate, as well it should. And I look forward to the day in the not-so-distant future when 'reason' will have a decent chance against the demagogues and charlatans.

....Obama's 2008 campaign comment about middle-America "hiding behind their guns and their religion". The post only said that the gutless guns-rights senators were hiding behind their guns, my comment hinted that they don't have any religion to hide behind - these guns-rights wackos are God-less.

And this is your usual unnecessary "poor put upon religionists" accusation.

Always stirring the pot... keeping a keen eye out for any excuse to show how superior and "fair" you most "humbly" are.

religious affiliation with those shootings, they would definitely be out of line. If you have a problem with that, I don't really care. Your anti-religious rhetoric is well known.

You mean my anti-"religion gets a special pass on criticism" rhetoric. Get it straight!

Quotation marks generally go with direct quotations - get it straight. And I make no apology for such a statement.

.....MY statement which started this brouhaha, was NOT" an unnecessarily bigoted statement"!

you're right. And I wonder how many are professed right wing christians?

Who knows, he might be an atheist like Gabby Gifford's attacker. But what that has to do with gun control I have no idea.

rabid right wingers are christians and gun obsessed and gun control might shut some of them down?

......the 31 pro-gun Senators who were too gutless to show their faces on national television this morning.

If you want to delve into the religion of the shooter, START YOUR OWN FUCKING THREAD!!!

I was polite in my first response to you, but my patience with you is growing very thin.

......................

...meant to respond to Stumblebum.

blowhards are also cowards.It seems to go with the territory.

show up to slag off on Pres. Obama but can't handle the results of their vile panderings.

when something like this happens. Next weekend they will be ready. IF we are still talking about this they will be out there.

shrivels yet again. They know they can't defend the indefensible!

and trebuchets.

These men and women are the true cowards. I believe they are of two types. They are ones that really don't believe what they say but see the love of the gun as a path to certain conservative voters. Or they are ones that place the love of the gun above their love of money (maybe), love of God, love of life.

They are oh so tough with their guns but hide out when America wants answers!

they haven't gotten their NRA talking points yet...

The NRA, Frank Luntz and a few others are still in the process of focus-group testing the right talking points.

Murdoch's statement--how much weight does it carry?

Right, honing the talking points this week.

that seems awfully low, since we know Democrats like Tester & Baucus are pro-gun.

I would think there would be twice that many.

The NRA is keeping quiet also.

by sundown tomorrow they'll have their story straight and it will be safe to appear in public again. All of the Limbeciles, including all Repuke legislators at all levels, will be reciting the same bullshit.

no doubt home cringing in their bunkers

I want the President to lead in this.
He needs to call both houses and all governors together.

The President said he needs to start a dialog , that's the way to do it

Every single one of them is a cowardly little pussy.

All school staff must take gun courses and carry guns to school.

Didn't a few on here even suggest that? I hear it all the time about the little town where all adults are required to own guns.

As I said my husband, that gun can sit and rust in a safe too.

was also invited and refused to send a spokesperson. Cowards.

They need more time for the media to write the narrative that will help them distance themselves from the issue.

Right now it looks as though the narrative is going to be about how the guilty, victim, mom was a "nutty" survivalist whom the shooter son hated for not showing him enough love as she spent more time with those children than him and it can all be explained away as just another poor, unloved son who "snapped" and reacted the way his "nutty" survivalist mom "made" him.

See? It's not about guns at all.

At least, that's how it looks from reading DU. I may have missed some other points in the messed up "reporting" going on.

bet that is exactly how they spin it. Cowards!

to find cowardice going on in the pro-gun lobby.

What if one of their kids had been there?

and 20 babies still died.


These cowards wouldn't do what those women did; they can't even show their faces.

Cowardly SCUM - all of them.

That fat ass will show up for your kid's marshmallow roast

I belonged to the NRA until they became NARA (National Assault Rifle Ass) and switched from being about hunting, recreational shooting and gun safety to being a strident branch of the the John Birch Society.

I still enjoy shooting - though not hunting - and have over half-a-dozen firearms.

However there is absolutely no reason for anyone, other than the military and perhaps the police (though the distinction between the two - as in any Police State - is blurring with the increasing militarization of the police) to have assault weapons.

Yes, doubtless some gun-obsessed 'expert' will quickly pop-up from under a rock to insist that "assault weapon" is a meaningless term - but anyone with common sense can understand the difference between a firearm designed for hunting from that designed to kill, as quickly as possible, large numbers of people.

However, as usual, nothing will change - for, as the president's PR flack said (as he said after Aurora) "There will be a day for discussion of the usual Washington policy debates, but I do not think today is that day."

That day will never come.

Frankly, given the number assault weapons and other firearms already out there I fear it is is too late.

the many responsible gun owners. I would just like to point out however that you have illustrated that the problem may not be as complicated as many believe: you own several guns, and so do most other gun owners.

That 300 million guns in America are estimated to owned by around 80 million Americans, so it's not like every American has a gun. Every automobile in the USA is registered, so why would it be a problem to make the registration of every firearm in the USA mandatory? That would at least be a start, and we would then have a database to work from for comparisons against other key information (restraining orders, arrests, transfers, sales, etc.).

The 2nd Amendment does not prohibit regulation and tracking of firearms, and does not give anyone absolute immunity from meeting legislated standards for ownership and use. The NRA, through politics and misinformation, has attempted to turn the 2nd Amendment into something it was never intended to be: an absolute right.

the talking points which will come out when ALEC, NRA, Koch Brothers, etc. let them to talk all in chord-rest, but I can image this:
1. Obama want to take your guns away; 2. Its Obama fault; 3. Obama orchestrated this so he can take your guns away; 4. GOP's GAWD want every classroom, , and all public and homes to have multiple guns, assault weapons, brenades, bomb making materials, armored anything because the government want to take your guns away and stomp on your 2nd Amendment rights; 5. their GAWD said armed yourselves because Obama is coming for your right to own guns; 6. their GAWD told them that since prayer was taking out of the schools innocent children MUST die, it his will; 7. Americans must be fully armed to kill off Muslims and any other non-Christian believers, et al.,

are too scared to go on the teevee?

eom

you should be willing to defend your position.

This is going to be a hard fight but lives stolen by useless violence has to stop. The value of life is very low.

If the school killings was because Prayer has been removed from school has prayer also been removed from churches and the dr was killed.

I wonder why? jerks, cowards aholes without courage to stand up for their conviction. No wonder our country is so f'd up!

I'm having trouble finding a list.

As much as I like mine, I'm afraid she may be on "the list."

The new congress has 45 (?) republicans. How can only 31 senators be "pro gun"?

Or at least it seems that way at times.

loaded for bear.

I guess maybe they are not so proud of their toys after all.

So the news will either revert to the budget hostage situation or everyone being out of town. Mid-next month they'll come out of the woodwork like termites in a tree.

n/t

why will they not take the opportunity to defend their ideals if they are so superior?

And prey tell, how many of the Senators belong to the Republican Party ? My gun loving NRA
Uncle voted straight republican ticket. Hewas a school teacher too. Forced to retire due to heart problems and high blood pressure. This man got into teaching not for the love of kids but for he decent pay and time off. His attitude was that he should of had a 2 by4 in order to get the students attention. It is said that one catches more flys with honey rather than vinegar. He might of had greater success if he had taken that attitude. His whole attitude towards students reflects why immature people should not be given free access to guns.

If less than 1/3 are pro-gun, why has it been so tough to enact tougher gun laws? I can't imagine the percentage in the House would be that different, and Democrats had a majority from 2006-2010.

I know...I know, I'm insulting chickens.
Actually my chickens are much braver than any NRA member or gun proponent.

They trade gun lobby $$$ for the lives of children!

The NRA, Gun Owner's of America, etc are the terrorist arm of the teabag republican party!

Lets see that pig Ted Nugent get up on his hind legs on Meet the Press and explain why its more important that all insane whack jobs must have the right to military weapons of mass destruction no matter how many little children have to DIE for it!

n/t