Thursday, August 11, 2011

dog days

garlic from the garden
It's been a quiet week.  The heat and humidity have gone away.  The nights are getting cooler, the sun lower.

Gita and I took a walk last night.  The air was cool- almost cool enough for a jacket.  The katydids and crickets sang for us.  I could smell the scent of flowers- maybe datura, maybe mockorange, maybe the last of the oriental lilies- I wasn't sure.  I could smell them, but not see the source.



It's the time of year I wait for most in Minnesota.  Time to harvest what's been growing all summer.  Time for the mosquitoes (and this year- japanese beetles) to die off and leave us alone.  Time for the ground to get a bit dry.  Time to think about what day I'll go to the State Fair. Time to notice the first leaf or two start to show a little yellow or red.

I love late summer and early fall.  A friend once told me that he doesn't like early fall, because he knows what's coming next.  True maybe- but I'd rather not think about it.

Maybe we'll have another winter like 1999-2000 where it was warm enough on New Years' Eve to be outside without a jacket.  La Nina is done with us for right now.  It could happen.  I could harvest tomatoes in November.  maybe.

The garlic at top was just harvested today.  I ran a bit of an experiment to see if cutting off the scapes really makes the bulbs grow larger.  Judge for yourself.  The bunch of garlic on the left had the scapes cut off, on the right, the scapes remained (and produced a nice little crop of seed garlic).

As far as I could tell, cutting off the scapes made no difference.  In fact, I think the largest bulb I harvested was one of the two that kept its scape.  That one was buried deeper too- maybe 8-10 inches- so that may have affected it as well.  But overall I didn't see a big difference.  I may let all the scapes stay on next year.



kale, with tomatoes and zucchini mixed in
 The rest of our garden is doing pretty well too.  The kale, as always, is shooting up.  Broccoli is as well.  Gita planted the tomatoes and zucchini in the middle of broccoli and kale, so everything is growing on top of the other, while the patch where we grew radishes and greens and beans is sitting bare.

and a bare patch for replanting

the ligularia is always a watering indicator for the rest of the garden




Had we planned better, the tomatoes and zucchini would have been in the middle of the spring veggies, and beginning to sprawl all over the empty real estate.

That said- there wasn't much planning this spring.  A little here, a little there.  More so than usual.  Next year we'll be organized.  maybe.







The ligularia are now just beginning to flop over and look tired.  It's been at least a week since we've had rain.  It's been such a lush summer, the ligularia have been unusually happy and tall until now.  They're letting me know now that I may have to water the whole garden if it doesn't rain in the next few days.





Sometimes, this time of year it's hard to know what to do with all the fresh produce.  Tonight I made a quinoa pilaf with fresh kale and some salmon with dill.  Except for the quinoa, (ok- and the salmon too) everything came from our garden.  Tomatoes (Opalka and Garden Peach), chives, garlic and broccoli for the pilaf, kale and garlic for the stir-fried kale, and dill for the salmon.  It took about 45 minutes and was delicious.  If I do say so myself.


mmmm- kale

Of course, the kids wouldn't eat the salmon. (Yuk, daddy!)  So they had fish sticks, the semi-natural kind.  But- check this out- they also had a generous helping of kale!  They ate it all on their own as well.  They enjoy picking it in the garden, and when they know that that's what is on their plate, they eat it with gusto.  It amazes me- but it's true.






Stuff from the news:

Earlier this week I read this article from the Minneapolis Star Tribune which announced that the city of Minneapolis has made it legal to have a front yard garden.  Or at least a native prairie plant garden.  No mention of vegetable gardens. 

It's a good step.  The regulations are catching up with the reality.  Minneapolis has had a growing number of gorgeous, wild front yard and back yard gardens for years now.  It's been almost a decade since I lived on that side of the river, but the growth of urban gardening was already well on its way over there in the Seward and Longfellow neighborhoods, in Uptown and Northeast.   Hopefully the city will no longer be the proxy for the neighborhood neatniks hoping to harass their neighbors

This one area where St. Paul has been out in front of Minneapolis.  St. Paul has been a bit more lenient about boulevard plantings and front yard gardens for a while.  Our block has a number of them, and many admiring passersby.  One neighbor a block away has a boulevard rain garden 40 feet long, with new england aster and cup plant nearing 8 feet tall!  Technically it's supposed to be no taller than 3 feet, but so long as nobody complains and it doesn't block the view of cars at the stop sign, it's seemingly OK.  Better than OK- it's gorgeous.

Maybe it's just the more laid-back attitude of St. Paul, the same lack of hurry to impose order that kept the historic buildings of downtown and Crocus Hill standing, while those of downtown Minneapolis ended up as rubble during the 'urban renewal' of the 50's and 60's.

what the --- Fleet Farm?

In other non-news, I was perusing the Fleet Farm flyer that came in the mail this week.  I don't get out to Fleet Farm often.  It's a big box and they're all out in the far suburbs, but they sometime have nifty farm and garden stuff that's hard to find in other places.  I found the maple syruping spile that I used and wrote about this spring at Fleet Farm.  So when the flyer comes I like to take a look and see what they're stocking.

So I was really surprised to see they're now selling parts for automatic assault rifles (see above)  WTF?  and that's not the World Trade Federation.

Really- why?  This isn't a hunting rifle.   I took a look at the website referred to in the ad, and the barrel can be used in a semi-automatic or fully automatic M-16 type weapon.  You can't legally hunt with a fully automatic weapon.  The only use for such a thing is for mass slaughter-- of people.

I grew up in a hunting family, so I am familiar and even comfortable with guns.  I took the 'hunter's safety' class in Wisconsin when I was 12.  I never was too thrilled with killing animals, but grew to enjoy being in the woods and the waiting and stalking and watching.

So it's not that I dislike guns altogether.  What I dislike is seeing a mainstream retailer in a suburban area selling a weapon designed for mass murder.   I don't think it's even legal to sell the gun as a unit, so apparently they've gotten around that by selling it as a part to be attached to an otherwise legal weapon.

There's a lot of anxiety in the country right now- that I understand.  Political impotence, markets crashing, the growing awareness of peak oil and peak almost everything else.  I hear of people hoarding gold.  Maybe this is another symptom of that anxiety.  More worrying is the possibility that the right-wingers who are so fond of their firearms are stocking up and hoping to give Armageddon a helping hand. 

That's not a survival tactic.  Growing a garden is a survival tactic.  Having one of these seems more geared for future thieves and wannabe warlords hoping to take advantage of chaos and disorder.  It doesn't bode well for the future of my country.

24 comments:

  1. Chad Z from WisconsinAugust 14, 2011 at 11:23 AM

    Thats not an automatic assault rifle. It is an upper receiver for an AR-15 rifle. It is semi-automatic, not a machine gun.

    The reason they sell the upper separate is so you only need one lower reciever and switch the uppers by removing two pins. You an have a 16 inch barrel shorty rifle for home defense/plinking or a 24 inch varmint barrel for target shooting/sniping. 2 pins to swtich the tops out. Not to get around the laws regulating machinge guns.

    It is a gun, not a "weapon designed for mass murder" Any gun can be used to kill people. It is a military design, but that means it is designed to be maintained easily. Most AR-15 owners in my part of Wisconsin are avid coyote hunters.

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  2. Hi Chad,

    Thanks for the comment. It's not always that discourse on something like this is civil, so I appreciate what you say and the way you say it.

    At the same time, I have to disagree with you. The AR-15 is pretty much identical to the M-16, without the capacity to be fully automatic. That is, unless you order a couple of extra parts, or know which ones to file down, in which case it is.

    I realize any gun can be used for killing, but making so easy and so efficient makes massacres like the one that just took place in Norway a few weeks ago possible. The fact that the 'piston system helps you shoot cooler for longer' means your spree can go on for hours, not just a few minutes.

    In my mind that crosses over from the world of recreational hunting or keeping varmints away from your livestock or even self-defense and into the realm of something darker. I don't think something like this should be available over the counter at at a store that sells shoes and discount candy.

    I talked about this with one of my co-workers yesterday. She's pretty conservative and lives in a rural area of Wisconsin. Even she said that she thinks some people have pushed the second amendment too far. That when it was written, the most dangerous weapon available was a muzzle-loader which took 5 minutes to get ready. Neither one of us thought the founding fathers would have been too excited about turning the whole country loose with weapons like these.

    You can shoot coyotes just as well with a bolt-action .22. What's wrong with that?

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  3. So because you are uncomfortable with a style of gun.. therfore no one should be able to own one.. thats the logic behind people who want all citizens to be unarmed.

    Just because you can use a .22 for coyotes doesnt make it humane. What if I want to use a different gun for shooting coyotes...? What is wrong with that?

    FF sells guns, if you don't like the kind of guns they sell, there are plenty of other stores around. If I dislike something a store sells.. I don't buy it. But it isn't my place to tell others they don't need it or want it. I tend to be more freedom orientated and less controlling over people.

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  4. Chad,

    I've never said that all citizens should be unarmed, nor have I said that all guns are bad. I've hunted, shot deer, and experienced the thrill of shooting powerful guns. I'm not against them.

    That said, with guns, as with all things, there is a limit to be drawn. Really, it would be even more humane for me to hunt coyotes with VX nerve gas, or with a tactical nuclear weapon, and really, since they are arms, and I have the right to bear arms, shouldn't someone sell them over the counter to me?

    If you want to say yes to that- then I guess there's no point in having a conversation. There are good reasons that nukes and nerve gas aren't for retail sale. In my mind, military-spec weapons that were designed to kill people quickly and efficiently also fall in that category. The AR-15 is such a weapon, and the upper just makes it more efficient and long-lasting. How many massacres in post offices or fast-food restaurants or schools need to happen before we say 'enough'?

    You can blame it on the shooter, say that it's the fault of a random crazy person- but those people keep popping up here and there, and we're aiding and abetting them by making it easy for them to carry out the killing sprees.

    You can claim that freedom should trump all other values. I may have agreed with you at one time. Now I have two young children and that has changed the way I look at the world. The thought of a Littleton or Rocori or Virginia Tech or Norway shooting happening at my kids' school puts things in a whole new light. I can't afford to be so glib.

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  5. So you would forbid/ban the rifles owned by a few hundred thousand law abiding citizens because of your fear of a few criminals...

    Statistically your child is more likely to drown in a 5 gallon bucket of water than be killed by a so-called assault rifle.

    But if we are going to set a precedent by banning products because of what may happen.. why not start by banning products that do kill people? Cars, alcohol, tobacco, swimming pools, knives... Any one of those kills hundreds more people that assault rifles...

    With hundreds of thousands (perhaps millions) of military style rifles in citizen hands... where are these shooting rampages you are so fearful about?

    It must be quite an fearful thing for you, if you want to to take away millions of military style rifles your fellow law-abiding citizens to prevent the criminal use of those guns by less than a dozen scumbags... Who in all likelihood would buy them illegally anyway.

    Remeber the LA Shoot-out back in the 90s? The police were outgunned so they went to a sporting goods store to get "military style rifles" to stop the criminals. If the situation was the way you seem to want it.. there wouldnt have been those guns being sold, so the cops would have been out of luck...

    Try being fearful about something that may actually happen, not something that happens so rarely...

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  6. Anonymous said..
    you seem a extreme gun lover. If gun keeps safe why don't we have all these police department. If your right becomes death of my family how to balance right of people.
    It is not about death; we all dye one day. It is about balancing the use of gun and who can buy what kind of gun and for what use.

    As a mother of two young children i do worry about their safety and that's what all mother do. I don't want all the crazy and fundamentalist nuts to have gun in their hands.

    Sorry for you that you love gun so much; gun doesn't give power to anyone and it shouldn't have been a right to own gun by everyone.

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  7. If banning guns makes people safe.. why do New York City and Washington DC have high crime rates, while cities in gun friendly states have lower crime rates?

    Guns were taken away from the citizens in Australia beacuse of the behavior of ONE crazy individual. As a result guns were taken away from hundreds of thousands of law-abiding citizens. And the result... The crime rate went up because the criminals knew that the citizens were unarmed.

    You don't have the right to enslave me by contolling how I can defend my family. Your fear is your issue not mine. If you are afraid of guns, don't buy one. Just remember that criminals love unarmed vicitms. And since you don't want me to have guns... If you are ever attacked by criminals I will repsect your rights and NOT use my evil guns to defend you.

    I am not an extreme gun lover. They are tools to be used properly as needed.

    My guns have never hurt anyone, so why do you wish to enslave me by disarming me? Where do you get that right? Leave me and my property alone, WE ARE NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!

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  8. When people have addiction it is hard for them to understand the right way. I really wish you don't have that. I am not here to take anybody's right but i can say what feels right to me without harming others.

    you can't compare lemon to apple; we can't compare crime statistics of one tiny rural area with tons of gun and few people with New york or LA.
    If there is a good gun control law there will be few guns on the street that means few death. one 3 yrs old can understand it.

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  9. Owning tools = addiction.. nice comparision.

    "it is hard for them to understand the right way" = Your way is the right way and anyone who disagrees wtih you is wrong.

    "one 3 years old can understand it" = calling someone childish.

    By wanting certain guns off the streets you are showing a desire to take away the rights of those who want to own them.

    Washington DC and NYC have plenty of gun laws. Yet they aren't safe. Look at the evidence.

    Criminals do not respect gun control laws, only the law abiding do. Completely ban guns... and the world will not be safer. It will be much more dangerous as it will simply be a world of unarmed victims, safe for criminals to feed on.

    How would completely banning guns make anyone safe? Tell me how. Convince me with statistics and logic.

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  10. Anonymous said..

    you think it is human right own a gun or guns.-no regulations.
    Banker thinks they have right to make money so no regulations.

    Prostitutes feel it is their fundamental right to use their body and make a living so it is all open every where; no regulations.

    Drug dealers think it is their right to make a living with drug selling; no regulations.

    All everybody happen to be in your block, u r raising your children in that neighborhood,how that sounds to you?

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  11. Chad and anonymous (anonymous- please choose a handle of some sort so I can respond to you)

    Anonymous- no name calling please- keep this a civil forum. There are plenty of other places for that sort of thing.

    Chad- You asked for statistics. I have posted several links relating to gun violence and the correlation between states with high gun ownership and frequency of gun deaths. I tried to post the entire table here, but the character limit on the comment form would'nt allow me to.

    To sum up, the states that make it easiest to buy guns have high gun death rates. Louisiana has the highest rate of gun deaths. Lowest gun death rate is in Massachusetts. How's that figure, eh?

    As I've said before, I am not against gun ownership. I'm not even advocating taking other people's guns away. I've merely questioned the selling of high-powered military spec weapons at a mass-market retailer. It would be more difficult for me to buy cough syrup at Fleet Farm than to buy an assault weapon at a gun show, and that doesn't seem right to me.

    Don't paint me with the "you want to take all the guns away" brush. It's not what I've said and I don't like having words put in my mouth.

    You say that I'm living in fear. It seems like you're the fearful one. Your guns should make you feel secure, but that's not what I'm hearing from you. How many guns do you need to feel safe?

    You ask- where are these gun rampages I talk about? Well there was one in Ohio in August- 7 killed, one in Michigan in July- 8 killed. Don't forget the one in Arizona in January where the guy shot the congresswoman and a bunch of other innocent people.

    And about 11,000 other gun homicides. No other country that isn't in the middle of war has anything close.

    Gun rights groups have advocated for looser gun laws, fewer restrictions on purchase, gun show loopholes that require no background checks whatsoever and so on. Many of the guns used in rampages and homicides are purchase perfectly legally. And the non-legal ones wouldn't be such a problem if they were required to be stored in a safe so that thieves wouldn't have such an easy time getting them.

    You are concerned about your freedom. I'm not planning to take your guns away, but I do have freedom of speech. That is the first amendment. The right to bear arms is second.


    http://www.lcav.org/statistics-polling/gun_violence_statistics.asp

    http://washingtonceasefire.org/resource-center/national-firearm-injury-and-death-statistics

    Gun Deaths:

    More than 30,000 people are killed by firearms each year in this country

    More than 30 people are shot and murdered each day

    1/2 of them are between the ages of 18 and 35

    1/3 of them are under the age of 20

    Homicide is the second leading cause of death among 15-24 year-olds

    And the primary cause of death among African Americans of that age group

    Gun Homicides (average annually):

    Less than 50: Japan

    Less than 150: Germany, Italy, France, etc.

    Less than 200: Canada

    More than 10,000: USA

    Source: IANSA (International Action Network on Small Arms of the United Nations)

    Injuries and Deaths from Guns

    Everytime a gun injures or kills in self-defense, one is used:

    11 times for a completed or attempted suicide
    7 times in a criminal assault or homicide
    4 times in an unintentional shooting death or injury


    how about this link for an international perspective?

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/gun-crime+usa

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  12. Jeff, i love your article and posting; I think you are a real man, father and smart man.
    People with good heart and manner don't need to have guns to keep them safe. People who are insecure and fearful inside need guns.

    No war in the world has won by gun; therefore, gun has a purpose in human life but it is not a something one must have.

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  13. How many times is a gun used as a deterent without injuring or killing a criminal?

    According to what I was taught in my police science classes in college... For everytime a gun is fired in defense, there are dozens of cases where the mere presence of a firearm stops the criminal.

    As for the statistic regarding guns and suicide.. why don't you show the other methods used to commit suicde and compare those as well. Removing guns will not affect the suicide rate.

    As for the more than 30 people per day shot or murdered... Does that include criminal on criminal activity? Scumbags killing scumbags, will happen even without guns.

    To buy a militarty style gun at Fleet Farm, you have to pass a background check. So you are incorrect that is easier to buy cough syrup than a gun at a gun show. All the shows I have been to the dealers had to do the same background check that a gun store (even Fleet Farm) have to do.

    My owning military style guns has nothing to do with fear. I have said before I like the ability to change parts around without needing to send it to a gunsmith who will charge me $60 an hour. And military style guns are built to be dependable with regards to dirt. After all lives depend on the military rifles.

    BTW The arizona shooting wasn't with a military style rifle. It was with a handgun. And if you want to make the claim against high-capacity magazines that the CRIMINAL used... please remeber that if it wasnt for the long magazine the guy would not have been able to grab it from the CRIMINAL.

    Millions of military style rifle in citizen hands.. and you find 2 instances. Statistically that makes it rare.

    Having studied in the law enforcement and security fields for roughly 16 years... I know all about crime rates.

    If you want statistics about shootings... Military style guns arent used by the vast majority of criminals. Criminals mostly use easily concealed handguns.

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  14. Chad,

    I gave three instances. Three mass killings in eight months. There may be others that haven't been reported on extensively in the mainstream media. The Ohio one went mostly unnoticed, mostly I think because these are beginning to be commonplace enough for most people not to notice or care.

    Jared Loughner purchased his Glock legally from a Sportsman's Warehouse, then the ammo at Walmart, then was stopped by a police officer for a minor traffic infraction, and let go, despite the fact he had a loaded handgun and was on the way to shoot a bunch of people.

    Below are excerpts from the Wikipedia article on Jared Loughner.

    Loughner allegedly purchased the 9mm Glock pistol used in the shooting from a Sportsman's Warehouse in Tucson on November 30, 2010.[12]

    At 7:04 am MST (UTC-7), Loughner went to a Walmart store in the Foothills Mall to purchase ammunition but left the store and completed his purchase at a Walmart on North Cortaro Road at 7:28 am.[31][42] He was stopped by an Arizona Game and Fish Department officer at 7:34 am MST (UTC-7) for running a red light, but once the officer determined there were no outstanding warrants for Loughner, he was allowed to proceed to his destination with a warning to drive carefully.[10][31] He then took a taxi to a Safeway supermarket location in Casas Adobes, where Giffords was holding a constituents meeting.[31][43] The shooting occurred on January 8, 2011, at 10:10 am MST (UTC-7).[44][45] Loughner allegedly opened fire on Giffords as well as numerous bystanders,[44][45][46] killing six people. Thirteen other people were injured by gunfire, and one person was injured while fleeing the scene of the shooting.[47]

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  15. "then was stopped by a police officer for a minor traffic infraction, and let go, despite the fact he had a loaded handgun and was on the way to shoot a bunch of people."

    Hundreds of thousands of people travel with loaded guns on them. Concealed carry permits and open carry states. That isn't a crime. How was the officer to know he was on his way to shoot a bunch of people?

    Would you ban the carrying of guns because of what a few criminals MIGHT do? Make hundreds of thousands of people unarmed potential victims because of what a few criminals MIGHT do. Have a little more respect for the law abiding.

    Pass all the laws about guns you want. They only affect/restrict the law-abiding people. Criminals do not care about laws and ignore them. So how do more laws and restricting guns affect criminals more than the law abiding?

    Would you feel comfortable telling 5 million law abiding gun owners that you want their rights to be restricted because you are concerned about 3 mass shooting in 8 months?

    As the founding fathers put the right to keep and bear arms in the constitution they considered it important that the peopel be armed. Their writings showed that an armed people is what kept the peopel free from tyranny.

    I respect the rights of others. If I didnt belive in owning certian types of guns... I wouldnt buy one. But it isnt my place to tell others what they can and cannot have. By clamoring to ban certain types of guns because they MIGHT be used in a crime... why not ban other products that harm far more people? Medical errors regarding prescription drugs kills over 300,000 people a year. How many people does alcohol kill? Tobacco? If it was truly about saving lives, start with the big ones.

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  16. 11,000 gun murders a year isn't the action of a few criminals. And the founding fathers had muzzle-loading black powder muskets.

    I respect the rights of others as well. The right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Being shot certainly affects ones' life, ones liberty and I suppose pursuit of happiness.

    Here's the problem with the argument "If you don't like guns, don't buy one" as well as with the "we are none of your business" argument. The country has 270,000,000 guns. Almost as many guns as people. The widespread nature of guns means that criminals and crazy people are of course going to have easier access to them. Especially when gun shows are allowed to get around the background checks.

    Even without the gun show loophole, the number of firearms available means that when an unarmed criminal breaks into a house, they are often likely to find a gun of some sort, and become an armed criminal.

    I agree with you that we should regulate dangerous products. Prescription drugs, alcohol, tobacco and cars are more heavily regulated than assault weapons in this country. You have to be 21 to have beer in your possession, 18 to have cigarettes, 16 to drive a car. In Wisconsin, 12-year olds, and I believe it now has been dropped to 10-year olds can legally have a gun.

    I'm sure that there are kids under 10 who have potent prescription drugs, but that says more about the over-medication of this country than anything else.

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  17. "Prescription drugs, alcohol, tobacco and cars are more heavily regulated than assault weapons in this country. You have to be 21 to have beer in your possession, 18 to have cigarettes, 16 to drive a car. In Wisconsin, 12-year olds, and I believe it now has been dropped to 10-year olds can legally have a gun."

    The 12 year old and 10 year old isnt for owning guns. That is for hunting and hunter's safety certificates, they are allowed to use a gun with adult supervision. YOu have to be 18 to buy rifle ammo and 21 to buy pistol ammo. You have to show ID to purchase. And felons are forbidden to purchase it.

    Do you have to get a background check to buy a car, alcohol or prescription drugs? NOPE. You do have to do a background check to buy military style rifles. So that makes guns more regulated than those items.

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  18. A guy with no criminal history shot up an IHOP today with an AK-47, killing at least 4. So there's another.

    You need much more than a background check to get a license to drive the car, need to be 21 to buy the alcohol (but only 18 for the ammo) and need a doctor to prescribe the drugs, ostensibly after a medical examination.

    I have to show ID and have my license information checked to buy Sudafed. That puts bullets on about the same security level as a decongestant, and easier to access than alcohol and prescription drugs.

    And I don't care how many courses they take, I don't think its a good idea to give guns to 10-year-olds.

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  19. And today 80 millions gun owners did not use their 270 million guns to commit crimes.

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  20. This Gun discussion has been ridiculous. I guess people have freedom to chose what makes them happy. I feel safer to have progressive neighborhood than bunch of gun owner regardless of their background.

    My heart goes to all the victims who had to give their precious lives from the guns which were collected by bunch of peoples as their 2nd amendment right.

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  21. Blaming inanimate objects for the deaths of people is ridiculous. Blame the criminals who prey on the weak and unarmed.

    How many Jews died because of Hilter's gun control policies?

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  22. "A guy with no criminal history shot up an IHOP today with an AK-47, killing at least 4."

    It was a fully automatic AK-47. That is something you cannot buy at a gun shop or at a gun show.

    All that proves is that if criminals can sneek across the border (illegal immigrants) and drug smugglers can bring in tons of drugs, that there is nothing stoppign them from bringing in illegal weapons.

    Gun Control laws only affect the law-abiding.

    How do you make a country stronger by disarming people?

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  23. The guy was a US citizen. And the cross-border gun trade goes the other way. The USA's loose gun laws are creating problems for Mexico. They are complaining about all the assault weapons that are being smuggled INTO Mexico.

    Many of the drug gang slayings are happening with US-made guns brought over from here.

    I can buy a semi-automatic AK-47 with a Rambo-style ammo clip legally here and get a conversion kit from the back of a magazine or off the internet.

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  24. Do a little research into the gun running from the US into Mexico. ATF was allowing it. The attorney general knew about the operation. The main gun shop involved called the ATF about suspicious transactions (young hispanic males buying large numbers of guns) ATF approved the sales. Operation Gun Walker I think was its name. Big scandal over the US governments actions. It seems that the ATF WANTED gusn to flow across into Mexico so they could go after American gun stores. The only problem was some of the guns the ATF allowed across were used to kill a border patrol agent. That got many federal agents pissed at the ATF. Because they had access to alot of inside info... The scandal surfaced.

    If Mexico doesnt want American guns over there... then maybe they should build a big tall fence so people don't bring them over... But that would also mean their people couldnt sneak in.

    I have been in shooting hobby for almost 20 years. I have yet to see a "conversion kit" for an AK rifle. If there were such a thing, even possession it (along with an unconverted rifle) would be intent to manufacture a machine gun adn would get a person 5 years in prison.

    "Rambo style ammo clip" LOL The 30 round banana shaped magazine is the standard magazine for that type of rifle. They abound because they are mostly surplus and thus cheap. Cost is why many people choose military style rifles and military surplus parts.

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