TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A Republican candidate for Congress in Florida has launched a contest on his Facebook campaign page to give away a semi-automatic rifle on Independence Day.
Greg Evers announced the giveaway barely a week after a shooting at a gay nightclub killed 49 people in Orlando, which is about five hours drive from the Florida Panhandle congressional district Evers seeks to represent.
"With terrorism incidents on the rise, both at home and abroad, protecting our constitutional rights has never been more important," Evers said. "With all that's happening in the world today, I've never felt stronger about the importance of the second amendment in protecting our homeland than I do now."
Evers has served in the Florida Legislature since 2001, including the Senate the past six years. The National Rifle Association has given him an A-plus grade for the past 15 years.
... what?At the end of the day, it's a tricky balancing issue. More assault rifles means more people die in high profile incidents like the Orlando tragedy. But more assault rifles also make for a much safer country because it keeps he criminals in check.
At the end of the day, it's a tricky balancing issue. More assault rifles means more people die in high profile incidents like the Orlando tragedy. But more assault rifles also make for a much safer country because it keeps he criminals in check.
Hardly any Americans owned assault rifles during World War II and over 400,000 of them ended up dying because of the actions of Germany, Japan and Italy.
Now? None of those countries can do shit to us.
Americans were in World War II for about four years, so that's 100,000 lives lost per year, meaning that assault rifles are saving that many lives a year now. Wow!
Politicians - take a look. This is your child, your children, your grandchildren, your great grand children and future generations to come. They will live their lives and grow up in this world based on your decisions. They are barely 3 and they will hide in bathroom stalls standing on top of toilet seats. I do not know what will be harder for them? Trying to remain quiet for an extended amount of time or trying to keep their balance without letting a foot slip below the stall door?
No one thinks gun control will be 100% crime control. But maybe, just maybe, it helps 1% or 2% or 50%? Who knows unless we try? Why on earth are there not universal background checks? Where is a universal registration database? Why are high capacity magazines ever permitted to be sold to anyone other than direct to the military? Is that really necessary to protect yourself or hunt for that matter? What about smart guns, where are they? C’mon techies! The 2nd Amendment is a beast to battle and wiping out the right to bear arms is not on the table. Does anyone really think that will be accomplished? Because it won’t. Amended to some extent? Maybe. But how many decades will that take? Where’s the evolution of our so called “living document” for this subject matter? A document that originally allowed slavery and prevented women from voting? NRA, are you even trying? Let’s talk mental health. Where is the $500 million that the Obama administration put into the budget for approval…did it go through? Is it being implemented or just sitting there? Where is the access to care for those struggling with mental illness? Politicians, I ask you...how can I help?
If your only defense of maintaining the status quo is "Why can't the left be more diplomatic and polite after these shootings?" then I have no issue pointing out that the blood is on your hands.If the Left spent a little less time virtue signaling, we'd all be better off. "Do you want children to die?!?!"-type arguments make me, and I imagine others, not want to make common cause.
If the Left spent a little less time virtue signaling, we'd all be better off. "Do you want children to die?!?!"-type arguments make me, and I imagine others, not want to make common cause.
If your only defense of maintaining the status quo is "Why can't the left be more diplomatic and polite after these shootings?" then I have no issue pointing out that the blood is on your hands.
The right does the same thing with the "children" argument all the time. That's long been one of their many arguments against same-sex marriage, for example, or children being raised by same-sex couples-the supposed "negative effects/influence" of such a union on children.
And then of course there's the abortion issue, with the more extreme pro-lifers shoving photos of fetuses in people's faces, and going on and on about the lives those aborted babies could've had, and so on and so forth. Or how about conservatives who get all bent out of shape about rap music's influence on children, or Janet Jackson showing her nipple at the Super Bowl (kids might've been watching!!!!), or other things of that sort.
So I think the left has every right to pull that same card, especially considering how many children and teenagers have died in school shootings over the years. All the GOP lawmakers who claim to be so pro-life, all the people who wring their hands and go, "But what about the children?!?!" whenever any other politically charged issue that impacts kids comes up, they should've jumped at the chance to do something to stop this sort of tragedy after Sandy Hook, or Columbine, or Jonesboro, to name but a few of the many, many, MANY examples.
But for whatever reason, when it comes to the issue of guns, apparently even kids being killed isn't enough to get some people to budge from their "Second Amendment rights!" mantra, and I just cannot for the life of me understand why that's the case.
If the Left spent a little less time virtue signaling, we'd all be better off. "Do you want children to die?!?!"-type arguments make me, and I imagine others, not want to make common cause.
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You realize how silly this is right? What about the "armed teachers will save your children", the "this gun is just aesthetically menacing" memes, or the "I'll be prepared when Obama declares martial law so Trump won't be president" arguments?
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And we've collectively mocked the Right each time. And they've lost. Each time. I'm not really playing team sports, here.
And they've lost? How do you figure?
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"I'll be prepared when Obama declares martial law so Trump won't be president"
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You realize that this is a non sequitur.
Here, let me give you an example of why this doesn't make sense.
If I were to say, "Fuck Michael Jackson for having child porn," saying, "Hey now! Jared from subway had it too!" is not a good rebuttal.
The Right's has historically done their fair share of virtue signaling. That's why they saw a mass exodus of younger voters. But by all means, follow suit in the name of fairness.
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