The Worst Kept Secret in the World: Why Pro-Gun Activists REALLY Want Assault Weapons

Among the most laughable campaigns in gun lobby history is their recent attempt to re-brand assault rifles as "Modern Sporting Rifles." The gun industry commonly described semiautomatic versions of military-style firearms as "assault weapons" prior to the late 1980s/early 1990s, when a series of gruesome mass shootings with these rifles gave that term a decidedly negative connotation.

Since then, the gun industry's rebranding campaign has been hounded by two persistent problems. Number one is their own inability to complete relinquish use of the term "assault rifle" for marketing purposes. Second, and far more damaging, is the total inability of pro-gun activists to go along with the charade that "Modern Sporting Rifles" are for target shooting and varmint hunting. They simply take too much pleasure in telling us what they really want to do with their assault rifles. For example, consider the following comments that pro-gun activists recently left at the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence Facebook page.

Pro-gun activist Kevin Lomason of Atlanta, Georgia was more than happy to tell us what assault weapons are for:

Our founding fathers wrote the second amendment so that we could arm ourselves and take control of the government if the government gets out of oppressie. Some say that was before assault rifles were invented and the general public should not have assault weapons. If the government has assault weapons and we have muskets, how would we ever protect ourselves against an oppressive government?

As was pro-gunner Jeff Thomas, who had his eye on a machine gun that is typically mounted on helicopters and light aircraft:

The founding fathers meant that we needed enough guns to fight against a oppresive govt. If the govt can buy 30 cal mini guns, we should be able to as well, it's the only way to keep them honest. Look at the gap in weaponry available to them compared to us, look at how corrupt govt. is. Is that a coincidence? As far as the technology of 200 years ago muskets were all the armies of the world had as well, naturally as technology progressed we should have had it available to us as well.

Pro-gun activist Rich Salter agreed with Thomas, and wanted to make it clear that his planned war on our government meant he had a right to any gun he could conceive of:

The 2nd Amendment is referring to all guns. It does not mean just guns for hunting and sports shooting. It is mainly talking about guns that can be used to keep tyrannical governments in check. Our right to keep and bear arms was established so that our government never has complete power over us like the government (Britain) of our founding fathers. Ask the Libyans, the Syrians, the Iraquis, and numerous African countries how it felt for them when the only ones allowed to own guns were their governments? Do you really think our government is so pure and will always look out for our best interests to the point where they would never try to make us do something we did not want to do?

So if "tyranny" is what assault weapons are for, how exactly do pro-gun activists define that term?

We have the 2nd amendment to stop tyrannical government. IE: Obama.

Well, guess Jermey Mecham of Provo, Utah made that patently clear. And if he didn't, pro-gunner Chad Hudson sure did...

theres nothing intelligent about the government people expect the same useless ass bastards that have been destroying this so called equal country for years to fix a obviously heated situation people will raally around anything useless as gun control its like war on drugs thats a failure and so is gun control seriously they do nothing but send jobs over seas and tell you whats right and wrong in their eyes in my oppinion someone should storm dc and kill off government start new and make this place about people instead of the dollar

And Al Winter...

lock n load stand ready for the time is soon

And Christopher Edwards Penta and Matthew Groom of Cocoa, Florida...

"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is it's natural manure." They didn't talk out of their asses. They just got through slaughtering representatives of the Crown over taxdollars and legislative representation. They would have been shooting YEARS ago.

And David Albert Desrosiers of Phoenix, Arizona...

You'll never get our ARs EVER. We will fight to the last patriot to stop it. I hope you're ready to kill a few million people because that's what you will have to do. Molon Labe ... Are you a statist? Then you have no grasp of the Second Amendment at all. You think it was to protect duck hunting? Target shooting? If calling me an insurrectionist makes your ivory tower feel all nice and shiny, go right ahead. I'll see you in November when this nonsense is dealt with as it should be.

And Steve from Twitter...

it doesn't matter what SCOTUS says there are more black guns in the hands of civs 2day than ever and any attempt to change this = CWar

And pro-gun activistJeff Pennington...

to all of you ignorant gun ban pussies. you don't like the second amendment? you don't like people being able to defend themselves? shut your shit stinking mouths or go find another country to live in. Great Brittan is a pussy country with no guns, so is Australia, among others, pick your place to be vulnerable to crime and go there and die. goodbye and good riddance. "we the people" will never allow our 2nd amendment right to be taken, not ever, even if it means civil war, and it will be the low life liberals like all of you that we will be after. you can count on that. We are taking our country back. this is not your country. oh by the way take your atheist's and homo freaks with you.

And this anonymous commenter at our blog...

the government is orchestrating these shootings to create a state of panic in the nation to justify banning guns thus starting a cival war, the likes of which has never been seen before, anyone that doesnt serve the constitution will be exterminated from this country!

One thing is certain about these folks. They have a profound lack of faith in the system of government established by our Founders. And that includes that voting thing, as pro-gunner Robert Wykes made clear:

Unless you can disarm all the governments, crooks and thieves, how would this make anything better? Especially when they are synonymous! If voting made a difference, they wouldn't let us do it. Wake up, we have a fascist government wanting to disarm you from protecting yourself....from them!

Because, after all, the Constitution...it's just a useless "piece of paper," right?

There is no such thing as a civil, safe or secure society without guns. The weak and defenseless become easy prey. Those who are hated by their gov't for whatever reason are made victims of genocide and every imaginable cruelty (eg the Jews in Hitler's time and Protestants during the reign of Catholicism in the dark ages). History and current events scream of the dangers of having no legitimate power of defense against common criminals and mos importantly gov'ts. A piece of paper is not legitimate (try using that on an attacker). Many countries have wonderful constitutions--in vain. Having guns doesn't mean violence it prevents it more than anything else. Common sense would dictate that if criminals knew you were armed they'd be less likely to threaten you, fearing for their own safety. This creates peace. If we were as armed as police and military they would fear to harm us if given the orders to do so. This creates even greater and more valuable peace and security. Why has America been one f the greatest havens in the world and enjoyed considerable absense of gov't threats to its citizens for so many years? Why did refugees flock here to escape their own countries? If every poor and oppressed person in 3rd world countries could bear sufficient arms able to defend themselves against their oppressors they too could enjoy the benefits we have in our civilized world. But, instead, they are brutalized, abused, kept in poverty and ignorance, and suffer oppression we don't even know of. And in the end, in spite of all this, and reason and common sense, many people with to see the only worthwhile place left on earth to live in full of defenseless, once-free people at the mercy and disposal of criminals who obey no laws and gov'ts [historically and currently known for mass murder ( not to mention the most gruesome and horribly unimaginable cruelties every devised)] guilty of the blood of unnumbered hundreds of millions of innocent civilians.

At least that's what pro-gunner Robin Fox tells us.

So much for keeping a secret, huh? These insurrectionists might as well be beating their chests and screaming, "LOOK AT ME!"

Well, OK, we see you, and read you loud and clear. And it makes us more determined than ever to renew the Assault Weapons Ban.

Parenting, Pro-Gun Style

The United States is a country in which more than 3,000 children and teens die each year from gunfire. An additional 17,000+ are injured by gunfire every year. Put simply, it's a level of pain and suffering unequaled anywhere else among industrialized democracies. And it's caused by by the weakest gun laws in the civilized world.

Few things are sacred among pro-gun activists, however, and even this subject is a source of levity and entertainment for them. Furthermore, they will always be the first to tell you that kids and guns are a great mix, despite abundant evidence to the contrary. This blog focuses on four recent stories that provide a disturbing look at American gun culture and how it affects the young.

First, we recently received some new YouTube comments from gun violence prevention activist Abby Spangler. Many of you will remember Abby as the Virginia mom who has received a litany of misogynist, threatening comments from pro-gun activists. Turns out that Abby has a new fan on YouTube who is very proud of his gun collection.

That individual is a 14-year-old who goes by the screen name of "Shedneom," and here is what he had to say to Abby:

Im 14 and have a full automatic m16 and ak47, a tank, a semi a rocket launcher, a silencer for all of the above, a .50 caliber assualt sniper rifle thats anti tank, 10,000 explosive burning deadly rounds.three .50 caliber pistols, a fully automatic 12 guage shotgun. and all my guns use highcapacity magazines that hold up to 500 rounds and there always loaded in the house.

But the young man wasn't done just yet. He giddily sent Abby this follow-up comment:

And I forgot to mention that i play violent video games daily, lol.

Perhaps we should be kind and give Shedenom's parents the benefit of the doubt, assuming they're not even present in the home. They're certainly making no positive difference in this young man's life even if they are.

The next comment we discovered featured a novel solution to problem of parenting kids around guns. Posting on a thread about "Guns and Kids" at PoliticalForum.com, pro-gun activist "Black Monarch" offered the following thought about what one should do with children who are too "stupid" to avoid shooting themselves with the guns you leave laying around:

Note: stupid kids may get ahold of guns and shoot each other or themselves. If your kids are stupid, give them up for adoption to protect your guns.

Everybody has their priorities, right?

Sometimes nothing helps with parenting like a loaded gun, however. That's what North Carolina dad Tommy Jordan showed the world when he posted the following video on Facebook to "discipline" his teenage daughter:



Oh, how to analyze this fabulous example of parenting? Allow us to quote a pastoral counselor who frequently posts at the CSGV Facebook page:

A "parent" who sees no problem with possession and use of a weapon is bad enough. A "parent" who sees use of his weapon as a "parenting tool" is a significant cause for concern. ANYONE who thinks that violence is a solution to ANY situation, is dangerous. Add to that, a child who's now been humiliated publicly for her behavior and has been taught by example by said parent, and who has access to WMD, and this points to a very dangerous mix. It may be too late for "intervention" for that family and closer to time for yet another family dissolution.

Despite the fact that the video earned him a visit from Child Protective Services, Jordan brags on his Facebook page, "If I had it to do again... let's see...I'd do it almost the same." What would he change? Well, he wishes he hadn't smoked a cigarette in the video, regrets using the word "ass" in reference to his daughter, and "maybe [I'd have] used the .22 instead of the .45," Jordan tells us. Talk about missing the target...

Finally, we present an even more inspiring example of pro-gun parenting. On February 9, The Today Show launched a new investigative series. Their first target was private firearm sales, so they ventured out into shopping mall parking lots in Phoenix, Arizona, to buy military-style assault rifles from individuals who are not legally obligated to either conduct background checks or keep any records of sale.

One of the private firearms sellers in The Today Show segment brought his 7-year-old son with him to sell an undercover investigator a tactical shotgun and an assault rifle straight out of the trunk of his car, no questions asked. "I probably couldn't pass [a background check]," the investigator told the man (meaning he could have been a felon, a wife beater, a sex offender, or mentally ill—just to name a few categories of prohibited purchasers). The man sold him the guns anyway and passed the cash directly to his son, adding, "I hate, I hate the government." He then ran away liked a coward when reporters attempted to question him on camera.

Perhaps it's now time to end this blog, because we simply no longer have the words...

Threat of Arizona Pro-Gun Activist: "The dragon is too large to quell with the ballot."

For years, the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence (CSGV) has closely monitored insurrectionist activity across the country, in part by publishing an "Insurrectionism Timeline" that logs threats and actual acts of violence against the U.S. government by gun rights activists who believe the Second Amendment gives them an individual right to respond to what they perceive as "tyranny" with force of arms.

Occasionally, we will receive correspondence from pro-gun extremists who make it clear—in no uncertain terms—that a war with our government is what they want. On July 11, 2011 we received exactly such an email from Steve Grant of the "Republic of Arizona." A Google search indicates that the group is incorporated in Benson, Arizona. On its homepage, the Republic of Arizona shares missives like "We stand with all Arizonians that oppose illegal aliens in this country" and "We will not serve with queers nor will we defend a nation that embraces this abomnation in the sight of both God and man."

The text of the email we received from Grant—which conveys a direct threat of violence against our government—is as follows:

Lets see if you can answer the following:

Do you believe that there is at least 30% of American gun owners that will take the same path as the Founding Fathers did to throw off tyranny?

Do you believe that this path will be an actual house to house blood fight?

If you answered no to either, you better guess again.

The British called it insurrection as well.

The very foundation, the thread of this nation was built on God, guns and blood to throw off tyranny.

You may not think that we live in a nation of growing government tyranny, but you are not the last word nor are you the majority.

The regime in power and the socialist sludge that supports it do not want guns outlawed to make it safe for citizens from gun crime, they want the guns to give the people that same power the people in Darfur and Syria have ..... none.

Go back to the two questions. Reread them ad get a clue.

May God steady our aim and deliver our enemies, both abroad and especially at home, into our hands.

To arms! ye soldiers, The trumpet call obey! Arise from dreary slumbers. To watch, and fight, and pray.

The dragon is too large to quell with the ballot.

We await the coming storm.

Steve Grant
Republic of Arizona

When tyranny becomes law, rebellion becomes duty.

Gun owner till death do us part.

We support the Arizona Immigration Law

In nomine Dei et sanguinem belli

Pro-Gun Activists Fantasize About Brutally Killing Young Black Men

It’s no secret that pro-gun activists like to fantasize about using their guns to take down “bad guys.” As author and concealed handgun permit holder Dan Baum wrote in an August 2010 article for Harper’s magazine, “Anyone who tells you he has no fantasy life constructed around his gun either has been packing it for as long as he’s been watching television or is flat-out lying.” Speaking from experience, Baum says that firearm training classes in modern America are “less about self-defense than about recruiting us into a culture animated by fear of violent crime.”

For decades, the primary target of these fantasies has been young black men. Recall longtime NRA Board Member Jeff Cooper, who voiced the feelings of white gun-toting males throughout the pro-gun movement when he (in)famously wrote in 1991, "Our men in the Los Angeles area tell us that the radical rise in the murder rate in the L.A. basin should be viewed with due reference to the Good Riddance factor ... A certain amount of subjective guesswork is involved, of course, but the consensus is that no more than five to ten people in a hundred who die by gunfire in Los Angeles are any loss to society. These people fight small wars amongst themselves. It would seem a valid social service to keep them well-supplied with ammunition."

While the current-day crop of pro-gunners might not be as brash and candid as Cooper, the violence-fueled, racially-tinged day-dreaming remains the same. Consider the July 1, 2011 edition of the "VCDL Update," the e-newsletter of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, a radical pro-gun group that seeks to eradicate all existing gun laws (including background checks on gun purchasers).

In the newsletter, VCDL President Philip Van Cleave points members to a June 26, 2011 article by Gabe Suarez, who fancies himself a "Professional Personal Combat Consultant" in "Arizona Territory." The article, entitled, "The Flash Mob Attack—How to Defend?” promotes a bizarre conspiracy theory about "flash mob events" in which hordes of "urban thugs" converge on innocent whites to beat and rob them while yelling things like "Kill Whitey!" Suarez describes four such "events," but fails to provide any links to the original source material to confirm that they actually happened.

That doesn't stop him, however, from telling readers—in graphically violent terms—how to kill black teenagers. "If you cannot avoid," he instructs, "attack...brutally and viciously." And there's more:

Stab the first man deep and hard in his face and move to the next guy and repeat the exercise. Do the same to anyone within reach. When their buddies reel back, screaming in horror and pain, holding their bloodied faces with eyeballs hanging out, it will create hesitation. Use that time to disengage. If you have a pistol, please make sure it is a modern high capacity weapon with a couple of spare magazines in your belt. The Suarez International company gun, a Glock 17 with three magazines, yields a sum total of 52 rounds. Figure three rounds per man, and you can reduce an angry mob of panga swinging killers into a fleeing group of bloodied bad guys. Draw it and yell, "Get The F*** Back!" If they do, run away. If they do not, shoot the first man in the face. The rest will take care of itself.

A panga, for those who are not familiar, is an African weapon similar to a machete.

During the same week that Van Cleave and the VCDL were sharing this reading material with their friends, the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence received the following short email from pro-gun activist "John Jackson":

I want guns in all houses because you wacko people don't want to have the death penalty and you let all these thugs run loose. So if another drug dealer gang Banger gets killed its less money from our taxes."

Jeff Cooper, who passed away in 2006, would have been proud...