Scrappycrow sent me this link of a letters to the editor at the Boston Globe.
The recent shooting in Virginia Beach, Va., shows that the most severe gun-related problem facing our society is the proliferation of guns containing a semiautomatic mechanism. The gun used in this incident was a .45-caliber handgun, not an “assault rifle.” The connection between the handgun used and an assault rifle is the incorporation of a semiautomatic mechanism in both. This mechanism automatically ejects spent cartridges and loads new ones. Both styles of weapons accept high-capacity magazines and can handle large-caliber ammunition. While we focus on AR-15 style weapons, literally tens of millions of semiautomatic handguns are sold to the general public. These are the weapons that function exactly the same as the Virginia Beach gun.
The Virginia Beach handgun shares a deadly feature with assault rifles.
My guess is that Mr. Richard Duby, President of the Falmouth Gun Safety Coalition (your guess is as good as mine) heard about the Virginia Beach shooting and had this long press release ready hitting the usual point about NRA White Supremacists with Assault Weapons and high capacity magazines mass killing poor innocent people. So it hd to be a cussin’ disappointment when the shooter turned out to be a Muslim African American using pistols.
I guess Duby racked his brain trying to come up with a righteous outrage to write about and the Triple A Maglite incandescent light bulb went on: “Semi automatic pistol? Semi automatic rifle? ZOMG! How come nobody has spoken about this! It is a conspiracy that I will denounce and be famous! Yes!” So Duby went to write about mechanical principle in firearms that became available in 1885 or 58 years before the first assault long gun, the Sturmgewehr 44. Good for him because that was a secret kept for 76 till he unearthed it and no we all be saved from violence.
He closes his letter even more stupid:
These are weapons that were designed for military and law enforcement purposes only and not for the general public. Revolvers, lever-action, pump-action, and bolt-action guns cover the full spectrum of civilian needs, whether they are hunting, personal protection, or home protection. The semiautomatic mechanism for guns has no place in civilian hands.
Beside the obvious part that revolvers, lever-action, pump-action, and bolt-action guns have been used as and some even started as for military and law enforcement, what should scare you about the idiocy of this published letter is that somebody in the Boston Globe found worthy of publication.
That is sad.
PS: Am I the only one that keeps reading Scrapycrow and Scrapy Cow”? 🙂
Never mind the fact that most revolvers (any DA model) are “semi automatic” also. Apart from the irrelevant attribute of “ejects spend rounds”, of course.
His comments are even more classic. Cherry pics ‘damning’ statements from gun people. Said no one would ‘come for your guns’ but openly states if you get caught w/ it you will be convicted of a felony.
But he claims he’s used all sorts of guns so he knows.
Miguel, no, you are not the only one who sees “cow” when it’s “crow.” I’ve had a number of people say “I emailed you at ‘scrappycow@blahblah.net’ and didn’t hear from you.” Me: “It’s ‘crow,’ not ‘cow.'” 😉
Im so glad you cleared that up-it aint just me and my old guy eyes heh heh
I am better now feeling I am in good company
Of course you are in good company – WE are here after all ‘-)
PS ya still got ‘scrappy’ worng!
I’m so glad he’ll let me keep my damn Yankee rifle that I can load on Sunday and shoot the rest of the week.
I do like how he unraveled his own argument. You start with a subset of the guns AR15 a small number get used in a mass shooting. That comes out to a damn small percentage. Now he wants to throw all semiautomatic in there. That percentage used in mass shooting is even lower. Most Fudds even have a old 1911 laying around.
When springs are outlawed only outlaws will have springs!!!
ScrappyCROW? Holy stool, have *I* been getting that wrong! I was musing about BSE and bovines…..
Yes, crow! My handle is a combination of my USAF call sign (“Scrappy”) and the nickname for my specialty of an Electronic Warfare Officer (“Crow”).
What’s disturbing to me, reading the comments on the editorial, is that more than the usual number of them (ex the author’s own replies, of which there are many) seem to favor the proposed bans.
That may well be the venue, but it’s not nice to see.
The author clearly has never been in a defensive situation, not has ever tried to use (or reload) a revolver with an injured hand. And that’s just the start of the problems with his thoughts as presented.
I’d assume the venue is a big part. Not just that it’s the People’s Republic of Massachusetts, but that we’re dealing with readers of the the Boston Glob.