Jeff Thomas
New member
Hmmm - psychosis - per the WWWebster Dictionary ( www.m-w.com/dictionary.htm ) "fundamental mental derangement (as schizophrenia) characterized by defective or lost contact with reality."
Now, when I debate self-defense and firearms with some people, I am honestly ... don't laugh ... beginning to think Americans are becoming literally psychotic about the issue.
The massacre in CO is a case in point. 60% of Americans apparently believe that 'easy access to guns' is the cause. Excuse me? Guns were available in most of our homes when we were kids, and I definitely don't mean just for RKBA-types. I mean the vast majority of this country. I'm trying to determine per capita firearms' ownership statistics, but it's tough. I strongly tend to believe that per capita firearms' ownership is down. I see no logic behind the thought that somehow guns are easier to get today - many more laws, and they were just not that hard to get 20 or 30 years ago.
Or, the 'no one needs a firearm to defend themselves' argument. Excuse me? How many incidents of self-defense do they care to read? (Answer, none) Check out 'The Best Defense : True Stories of Intended Victims Who Defended Themselves With a Firearm' by Robert A. Waters http://www.amazon.com - a new TFL member, and an excellent writer. LEO's tell me very openly, as you all know, that they can obviously not be there immediately if you are under attack.
Or, one of my all-time favorites, 'you can stop a violent attack with pepper spray, stun guns or even talking the person out of it'. Excuse me? I refer back to the discussion above, and ... whoa Nellie ... common sense. Which clearly ain't so common anymore, Toto. Yeah, I really want to get close to a homicidal maniac when he attacks me or someone else. Maybe I can talk him out of it if I'm just brave enough to whisper in his ear.
I'll close my plea to the choir by telling you about the latest attempt in Phoenix, Arizona to push the 'ignorance envelope'. You're really gonna love this - especially our LEO members. We have a local chapter of Big Brothers / Big Sisters here - guys and gals helping fatherless / motherless kids. Great program. The illustrious Board of Directors of this outfit decided that a police officer could NOT become a Big Brother. Why not? Well, he was responsible, had a good record, was a supervisor, was stable, was ... everything they could possibly want. However, he was one thing they didn't want ... armed, off-duty. Yea, that's right. They told him he could be a Big Brother if he no longer carried a firearm while off-duty, with his 'little brother'. He refused. I sent a letter today to the Board of Big Bros to let them know that I noticed they are idiots. Of course, in the article, the Executive Director was quoted as saying something like 'we have to think of the children first'. All I can say is that I'm glad she wasn't looking after me when I was a kid. With their big brother being an armed, off-duty peace officer, I'm not sure it could get much safer for most kids.
I rest my case. Apparently somewhere around 60% of Americans should be committed ... for extreme psychosis, and a disconnect with reality. Oh boy.
[This message has been edited by Jeff Thomas (edited April 28, 1999).]
Now, when I debate self-defense and firearms with some people, I am honestly ... don't laugh ... beginning to think Americans are becoming literally psychotic about the issue.
The massacre in CO is a case in point. 60% of Americans apparently believe that 'easy access to guns' is the cause. Excuse me? Guns were available in most of our homes when we were kids, and I definitely don't mean just for RKBA-types. I mean the vast majority of this country. I'm trying to determine per capita firearms' ownership statistics, but it's tough. I strongly tend to believe that per capita firearms' ownership is down. I see no logic behind the thought that somehow guns are easier to get today - many more laws, and they were just not that hard to get 20 or 30 years ago.
Or, the 'no one needs a firearm to defend themselves' argument. Excuse me? How many incidents of self-defense do they care to read? (Answer, none) Check out 'The Best Defense : True Stories of Intended Victims Who Defended Themselves With a Firearm' by Robert A. Waters http://www.amazon.com - a new TFL member, and an excellent writer. LEO's tell me very openly, as you all know, that they can obviously not be there immediately if you are under attack.
Or, one of my all-time favorites, 'you can stop a violent attack with pepper spray, stun guns or even talking the person out of it'. Excuse me? I refer back to the discussion above, and ... whoa Nellie ... common sense. Which clearly ain't so common anymore, Toto. Yeah, I really want to get close to a homicidal maniac when he attacks me or someone else. Maybe I can talk him out of it if I'm just brave enough to whisper in his ear.
I'll close my plea to the choir by telling you about the latest attempt in Phoenix, Arizona to push the 'ignorance envelope'. You're really gonna love this - especially our LEO members. We have a local chapter of Big Brothers / Big Sisters here - guys and gals helping fatherless / motherless kids. Great program. The illustrious Board of Directors of this outfit decided that a police officer could NOT become a Big Brother. Why not? Well, he was responsible, had a good record, was a supervisor, was stable, was ... everything they could possibly want. However, he was one thing they didn't want ... armed, off-duty. Yea, that's right. They told him he could be a Big Brother if he no longer carried a firearm while off-duty, with his 'little brother'. He refused. I sent a letter today to the Board of Big Bros to let them know that I noticed they are idiots. Of course, in the article, the Executive Director was quoted as saying something like 'we have to think of the children first'. All I can say is that I'm glad she wasn't looking after me when I was a kid. With their big brother being an armed, off-duty peace officer, I'm not sure it could get much safer for most kids.
I rest my case. Apparently somewhere around 60% of Americans should be committed ... for extreme psychosis, and a disconnect with reality. Oh boy.
[This message has been edited by Jeff Thomas (edited April 28, 1999).]