222 Comments
Jan 22, 2022·edited Jan 22, 2022

I'm pretty conservative and a gun owner, but I have no use for this demonstration on MLK day, of all days, and I really have no use for parading my guns around in public (unless concealed of course). I am glad there is now a republican governor, as I should be a resident of the state in a few years.

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This is what's so annoying about the right. I'm a completely disaffected traditional liberal who absolutely cannot stand the left anymore -- but this complete unwillingness to have ANY regulation in regards to gun laws is exactly like the left. I live in Nashville (TN where there basically are no gun laws) --- we had over 1,000 guns stolen out of cars last year (hundreds of thousands of cars broken into to find them), that's 1,000 irresponsible people who own guns and I expect my life to be safe???? We were also just named one of the most dangerous capital cities in the US. The FIRST amendment ISN'T absolute so why do they expect the second amendment to be? I don't want to outlaw guns but this unwillingness to be reasonable is not going to get me on their side.

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First point... there is no correlation with legal gun ownership and gun crime.

Second point... there is a solution to the problem. Use a gun in the commission of a crime and get 3x the sentence/penalty than otherwise. For First Degree murder, mandatory life in prison without parole.

The number of people using guns to commit crimes will go WAY down.

Until Soros funded corrupt DAs get in power and let the gun killers get away with murder.

Then there is the primary risk of death from gun... suicide. That is not any justification for gun bans as we are not effective at banning illegal opioids and they are causing far more suicides (either intentional or not) than are guns. The solution for suicide is to fix the broken economy that leaves so many despondent and hopeless, build more asylums and change the laws to allow doctors to force admission, and build more drug treatment facilities... again where doctors have the call to force admission.

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Who knows what the Supremes will allow? Do those w/o a gun fetish have any rights? What's the point of having an self-appointed, armed militia invade our state capitols if it's not to intimidate? Surely it isn't just some sad people wanting to show off. Are we no longer able to have public discourse w/o the presence of armed factions? So, the 2nd Amendment allows each and everyone of us to become warlords? Welcome to the new, improved America. One bright spot, I suppose we can shove concerns about micro-aggressions down on our lists of concerns. Turns out that bullets actually do more harm than words.

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The headline suggests that the way to decrease the number of pesky, annoying and scary gun rights activists is to just pass more gun control laws that make it harder for them to conduct their rallies. I follow gun issues fairly closely and I haven't seen that assertion before, so maybe Ford Fischer should be congratulated for coming up with a new angle on the topic.

On the other hand, I didn't hear anyone talk about how the continuing pandemic and omicron spike has made it more difficult for the activists to organize. Or how the election of a Republican governor took away their energy.

I agree with other commenters whose main impression from this video is that the demonstrators are enjoying a day of LARPing. But looking deeper, I'm thinking that this points to the decline of gun control as a top political issue. We have so many big problems right now and there is only so much outrage that people can muster. Americans are worn out and demoralized.

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**It looks like until gun activists can reverse Northam’s laws, “We Will Not Comply” has become, for now, “We Will Not Bother.”**

Or, as my father taught me, discretion is the better part of valor.

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Not sure if dwindling protests a result of stronger gun control, or election of Republican administration in VA reassuring to pro 2A crowd & causing more would-be protesters to stay in their armchairs at home.

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Matt, one important thing that cut down on the number of citizens lobbying (it's not just gun rights people, MLK Day has been Lobby Day for all manner of things for *years* because, as noted above, it's a Fed holiday)was the snowstorm that hit VA the day before. Granted, Richmond didn't get much, but Western and Central VA got hammered. The weather, more than anything, I think is what cut attendance.

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Jan 22, 2022·edited Jan 22, 2022

These Ford Fischer pieces get better and better. They illustrate the complexity of many issues in today's political climate, without heavy-handed editorializing. Compare that to legacy media, which tries to present every issue in sternly simplistic, black & white terms, with the spin presented before the story.

(Also a fan of the Orfalea pieces, which are often more funny, but cutting.)

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founding

There's lots of things you have every right to do that you shouldn't.

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Here's one of my favorite non-Matt tweets from his twitter stream:

Umar

@ScorpionJungle

· Jan 22

Replying to @mtaibbi and @ZaidJilani

We're in a war. You joined the Right. Others joined the Left. Don't ask others to abide by principles when you abandoned yours. We're all enemies now. At least be honest about it.

Hmmm...so it's a war, eh? This is not an uncommon sentiment coming from the pseudo-left these days. I do wonder if these people are high. Do they think an actual war can be won with pithy tweets and hysterical outrage? Maybe someone should remind them which side has the armaments.

Then again watching folk like this:

https://twitter.com/VishBurra/status/1485292670939500546

running face first into cold hard reality will be awfully amusing.

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/\ the lunatic above is a degenerate maniac in the clutches of an ether binge. I myself am currently wired with a combination of benzadrine and mescaline, and I am here today to share the good news. FRIENDS: There is truly a light at the end of this chaotic lower intestine we sometimes call a political system. I call it that myself, on the toilet, with one of those magazines that folds out in the middle my God Nancy- you truly have the breast intentions of any- as I was saying- FRIENDS: Every year you are lied to by some idiot wearing a suit about this country- why not be lied to by some idiot wearing a boot? VERMIN SUPREME FOR PRESIDENT! ladies and gentlemen-otherkin and alternatively binaried individualities- alien visitors and predatory algorithms- after all, there's a Democrat in office, so all of you can probably fuking vote, after all- VERMIN SUPREME has promised a PONY, yes, thats right a PONY, to ride, stable, or consume, for every Man, Woman and Child, in the United States of America. My fellow Americans, let me ask you this today.... you've doubtlessly wasted your votes in every election prior to this one. Why not waste it one More time?

VS 2024

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Minor note: Ralph Northam was not ousted. He didn't run for re-election because the Constitution of Virginia doesn't permit governors to run for consecutive terms.

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Doh. Repub Gov, Republican Lt Gov, Republican AG. No likelihood of fascist Dems restricting gun rights. Cities with bad laws? Why bother protesting. It won’t matter.

Dontcha get it, Taibbi?

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Very granular and did not feature just the easily discounted wack jobs. Advocates always define any issue by the worst reps of any take they oppose. I admired Taibbi’s real journalism re the VA governor race and how the educational issues in the burbs defined it. His story was a 180 from the MSM Lib media racial takes and showed how Fox also missed the boat. Maybe It is not that hard to look for real answers and find the real deal if you start without a preconceived opinion. He has some I am sure but not on thus topic.

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founding

Most Gun owners do not know it but if you use marijuana in a state where it is legal for recreational use or medical use, you are committing a Federal crime.

I don't know if authorities can say you are a marijuana user with a urine test and take your fire arms. THE ATF COULD HAVE A FIELD DAY, If they wanted to get rid of White Extremists they could use this tactic, as long as marijuana is illegal to use federally.

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