"A prescription for mayhem"

[M. Sage]

Why is his response not so lucid? He assumes too much. He assumes we do absolutely nothing about this crap. Grrrr....

[oaklander]

Yes, the real issue is a culture of violence that pervades inner cities. You and I should not be penalized for this.

[Josh3239]

I wrote out a long response to his article and half way through I just thought screw it. These people will never understand and we can beat as much facts into them as possible but they are just to stupid. In the end I just got myself worked up and angry over some "expert" who believes we all own assault weapons and that these assault weapons are responsible for the majority of crime.

[M. Sage]

In the end I just got myself worked up and angry over some "expert" who believes we all own assault weapons and that these assault weapons are responsible for the majority of crime.

Well, do we all own "assault weapons?" I had to ask him. I have no freaking idea if we do or not. There's no set definition on what is or isn't an "assault weapon."

Assault is an act, not an accessory. (Yes, I'm paraphrasing/stealing that from someone on here.)

[Dont Tread on Me]

There is a simple answer to his point. Many countries have banned guns and guns are still "falling" into the hands of criminals. Is he suggesting the the US is feeding the world's criminals!

[M. Sage]

Yes, he is. We're evil, remember?

[Grouch]

assclown never replied to mine.

[gazzavc]

Sending wonderfully writen letters as have been published on here by my colleagues is a wonderful thing, however here comes the cruncher.......

Discussing gun issues with people like Byron Williams is like trying to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and annoys the pig.

[M. Sage]

assclown never replied to mine.

He probably got upset when he didn't get what he was trolling for: a bunch of quasi-literate rednecks spouting racist BS.

[AJAX22]

Sending wonderfully writen letters as have been published on here by my colleagues is a wonderful thing, however here comes the cruncher.......

Discussing gun issues with people like Byron Williams is like trying to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and annoys the pig.

Quite true, but you never know when someone may read your response and develop a taste for bacon

[8200rpm]

I can't give up without an attempt. Here's my letter...

Dear Pastor Williams,

I am writing in response to your article "U.S. gun culture a prescription for mayhem".

http://www.insidebayarea.com/search/ci_6786113?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com

I own what you may consider an "assault weapon". It is a .223 caliber AR-15 rifle that I purchased in 1997. Following the letter of the law (CA SB23) which went into effect in 2000, I legally registered this rifle with the state of California as an "assault weapon". Despite the legislative stereotype, neither my rifle nor I have ever "assaulted" anyone. I have no criminal record. I am college educated, happily married, and a father of a child soon to be born. I am not a sportsman, i.e., I do not hunt animals for sport or sustenance. And, I would like to explain why I own such a rifle.

Just three weeks ago, a terrible crime was committed in the city of Thousand Oaks, California. A 6-year old boy, Sev'n Molina, was murdered with a meat cleaver while neighbors watched in horror. Courageous bystanders were eventually able to subdue the attacker, but not before irreversible damage was done. The boy was hacked to death as onlookers watched. And the child's mother and grandmother were severely injured and hospitalized.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/ventura/la-me-attack14aug14,1,2052559.story

The world seems to be a violent place. It has always been, and it may always be. We can open any history book covering any period in time, and read about the atrocities man has committed against their fellow men. Before the advent of firearms, humanity has hacked each others with swords, spears, axes, and other implements imaginable. And even back then, I am certain that there were peace-loving men such as yourself who believed that humanity could rise above the "mayhem". But, the reality is that we haven't, and I truly fear that we may never during my lifetime.

As a responsible adult, a loving husband and father, I feel that it is my God-given right to protect myself, family, and my fellow man from harm. I have a fire extinguisher in the home. Yet, I do not wish for a fire to burn down my home. I wear my seat belt and I will use a carseat for my child. Yet, I do not wish to be in an automobile accident. And similarly, I own firearms. Yet, I do not wish for war or mayhem.

However, if I was Sev'n's neighbor, I'm sure you can guess which implement I would have chosen to protect another human being's life. If you were Sev'n neighbor, which implement would you have chosen to protect his life? The reality is that gun owners do not "prescribe" mayhem. Mayhem befalls us from the evils of other men who wish to do us harm. And, guns permit peace-loving men such as you and I (especially those of us who are not 300+ pound NFL defensive tackles) a chance to defeat evil and live out our lives in peace.

I encourage you to keep an intellectually open mind and review some studies from this list which use proper research methodologies. You may realize that guns do in fact save lives.

http://www.gunowners.org/sk0802.htm

In addition, I realize that you have a concern for guns that fall into the wrong hands. Accordingly, let's honestly ask ourselves what we can do about cameras that fall into the hands of child pornographers. Should we require a background check, special licenses for purchase and possession, mandatory registration for concealable and automatic point-and-shoot cameras, electronic stamping of all photos taken, limitations on high capacity memory cards, waiting periods, restrictions on high zoom lenses, special requirements to purchase film or digital storage media? Would these photograph control measures effectively thwart child pornography? Ironically, cameras are not protected by our Constitution whereas other products such as newspapers and firearms are.

I do know for certain that the day will come when I will no longer need my AR15. Only our Creator knows this time, because it will be the time when I meet Him. Thank you very much for your time.

Respectfully,

X X

[markymark]

8200 I liked your reply, esp the part with the child that was murdered. Despite your reasoning, I really don't think someone like him would understand.

[Spaceghost]

Hmmmm, maybe I should of taken a different approach when I replied then...

He probably got upset when he didn't get what he was trolling for: a bunch of quasi-literate rednecks spouting racist BS.

[gazzavc]

Good show chaps !!

Excellent letters.

G

[ibanezfoo]

I find the idea that one must explain why they "need" anything to be highly offensive. Nobody "needs" anything other than food, water, and sleep. This is supposed to be a free society. Whether I "need" something or not is completely irrelevant and I certainly don't have to explain myself to some turd who writes a website column, let alone anyone else. Where did this mentality of people having to explain themselves and their "needs" to others come from? And what places these people above the rest of us that we have to explain our "needs" to them? Ugh.

-Bryan