Have gun owners ruined it for other gun owners?

You should stick to something you actually know about.

This topic doesn't seem to be it.

1. I have never seen anyone have a misfire on the range. This point really isn't much of a point. Trigger Locks? For some people it's great. Others want fast access to their weapon. I myself keep all my guns locked up in a locker away from home. I do that by choice, not because of a law. So why must I pay for a new trigger lock with every gun I purchase?

2. I don't really see a whole lot of gun owners who "freak out" about background check laws. Usually it's the other things that get us like waiting periods, permits, licenses to own a gun, bans on certain models of guns, etc.

3. The ammo shortage and price spike was caused not so much but a fear of Obama himself, but the fact that the Democrats now have a big majority in Congress, and that the Liberals of the party occupy the leadership positions. Obama isn't out there crusading for gun control, but there's no doubt in my mind he'd sign any gun control bills sent his way by the liberal congress.

4. Yes, we are intolerant of additional laws. THEY ARE ALWAYS FOR SAFETY. At least that's the claim. We have enough laws on the books already. The bulk of these laws do nothing to lower crime or add to safety. Their only point is to put additional obstacles in front of us law abiding responsible gun owners so we'll just give up.

Maybe you are too young to know it, but long before the NRA and gun owners became so organized, many anti-gun politicians wanted to ban guns. This was back in the 70s. It was due to the work of the NRA and others over the decades that now the idea of banning guns is a non-starter. Yet the anti-gunners still want to ban them, so they do so by continuing to add new obstacles, one after another until it's practically like a ban.

So let me see, you throw this hissy fit and then want to basically quit being a gun owner, and you call us immature?

Like any activity, there are going to be extremists on both sides. To address your issues....

1. Correct - although there are relatively few incidents of this type, better education and training (and a better mindset) would help those who were not brought up with firearms. Those of us who were raised with them from an early age learned to respect them - but that was decades ago. The mindset of too many people these days is to do what they want to do NOW.... "I don't need training, I read the instruction manual" or learning it from TV shows. I don't know that you can correct new gun owners' mentality if common sense doesn't exist in the firwst place.

2. Background checks - this is an ongoing issue, especially considering the political climates in the various states (Illinois, California, Vermont, Nevada, etc...). Basic background checks are probably OK - verifying that you are not a felon. Like it or not, the concern is whether these records will lead over time to eventual confiscation. Whether you buy into it or not (claiming it's a conspiracy from the tinfoil hat brigade), the state and federal governments do not have a history of downsizing - especially these days. The expansion of government into our everyday lives - including health care and appeasement of foreign powers - seems to indicate future outright banning of firearms.

3. While Obama hasn't "passed" one gun law, many states have passed more restrictive laws over the past few years in an incremental attempt to ban firearms. As an example, California recently passed AB 962(?) which will require that any purchaser of handgun ammunition provide a thumbprint and photo ID. California and other states also recently passed microstamping laws that would presumably allow police to identify the firearm from which the round was fired - this is similar to the "ballistic fingerprinting" fiascos whcih have yet to produce any result. Additionally, Congress is heavily weighted towards the Democrats - traditionally anti-gun, believe it or not..... and most of the states represented by the Democrats have more restrictive gun laws - take Illinois as an exmaple, where a FOID card is required before even purchasing a firearm. I take exception to blaming gun owners for the issues - I blame them for not refuting the hysteria that the aniti-gun crowds have foisted on the public.... that and the liberal-controlled media.

With respect to the media - remember that they live on selling bad news. When was the last time you heard about "nothing happened today" in the papers? Bad news sells, dude. That's why emotionalism and not fact has resulted in most of the 20,000+ gun laws in this country. I've talked/written to my legislators about many of these firearms/ammunition bills on the state and federal level. They are NOT interested in the facts, only about passing laws that "feel good" - yet do NOT even address the root cause of the problem. that's a problem with the public in general, because they keep electing these morons.

4. I disagree with you on your statement "NRA members and such won't tolerate any new gun laws even if it has nothing to do which effects ownership, but more just for safety." Part of this issue is --- what defines safety? Does locking up your firearms in a bank vault constitute a reasonable level of safety? Or storing the gun and ammo separately? Or having to have a psychological evaluation performed for every gun purchased? Where does it stop?

While there are some in the gun-owning community that may be "immature and selfish", I find that MANY more are of the self-proclaimed experts on various issues. It's easy to blame gun owners as a single cause of everything wrong - but remember that correlation does not equal causation.

Whether you believe me or not is immaterial. I've been working in law enforcement for 20 years and have seen what works and what doesn't work. I'm not a "gun nut" - I see firearms as valuable tools to carry out my job - and to defend this country against all enemies, foreign and domestic..... an oath which I took many years ago.

Take my thoughts above into account.

CA Deputy

Lack of training.