Should America grow up and seriously restrict gun use/ownership?

[Screwdriver]

It beggars belief that so many people still believe that this geriatric buffoon is the most popular president in the history of America. Cracking a joke saying "I'm only here for the ice cream" when he's addressing a crowd after the latest mass shooting FFS. He should definitely stick to saying only what he's being told to say.

There's no denying he got more votes than Trump (who would have been the most popular otherwise) the only contention being who's votes he got, how he got them and who counted them. But that ship has sailed...

So you're stuck with an ancient hollow man being carted around by whoever it is that's really in charge. Most likely a cabal formed by Obama, Clinton and their corporate chums. Obama once said in an ideal situation, he'd be sitting behind a dummy president so he could get on with the job of running the country (into the ground).

It is often said whoever is writing his cue cards is the real president. They should stick this dummy on wheels or do what they normally do with puppets and keep him on a string. At least then he wouldn't keep falling over.

[Hoonercat]

Some chap (Matt Taibbi) is being grilled by congress over the Twitter files. The Dems are annoyed that all of their "secret" backroom manipulations are being revealed to the world. Like the embedded FBI agents effectively running Twitter as a propaganda machine for the left or the "Russia collusion" story invented by Hilary Clinton et. al.

On the day he was due to testify, the IRS inexplicably TURNED UP AT HIS HOUSE for no good reason. Clearly someone thought it was a good idea to remind this journalist who he is fucking with.

All it has done is shown more partisan behaviour where the mechanisms of public office are being weaponised by the left.

Got to be the worst attempt at intimidation ever, turning up when he's out and leaving a note which he read after testifying. I wouldn't call identity theft 'no good reason'.

The taxman left a note instructing Mr. Taibbi to call the IRS four days later. Mr. Taibbi was told in a call with the agent that both his 2018 and 2021 tax returns had been rejected owing to concerns over identity theft.

Yes I saw that claim which was made after the fact. Given that you appear to accept that IRS agents did in fact turn up at this reporters address, how often do they make such house calls? Is it relatively common or as has been suggested, vanishingly rare? Don't you think they'd write first to express their concerns?

Is it then just a "coincidence" that at or around the time of this journalists testimony somebody decided now was a good time for the IRS to pay him a visit? Just a coincidence right? Really? You believe that?

The concern was identify theft. Have a good, hard think about why they might have wanted to have seen him in person...
and then explain why they chose to 'intimidate' him after he'd given evidence

[Mr. Dazzle]

Given that you appear to accept that IRS agents did in fact turn up at this reporters address, how often do they make such house calls? Is it relatively common or as has been suggested, vanishingly rare? Don't you think they'd write first to express their concerns?

Common enough they talk about it on their own website.

How do you know they didn't write first? They're hardly gonna give chapter and verse on the details of an ongoing case are they.

You could just as easily cherry pick the facts to say this guy (never heard of em until just now BTW) is a dodgy fucker who steals identity and who's evidence cannot be trusted. Not saying he is, but that's a conclusion I can draw from the evidence too.

https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/understand ... g%20return.

https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/how-to-kno ... -your-door

[Screwdriver]

The concern was identify theft. Have a good, hard think about why they might have wanted to have seen him in person...
and then explain why they chose to 'intimidate' him after he'd given evidence

As I said previously, it is easy to come up with a reasonable sounding excuse after the fact but they can’t change the timing of the visit.

https://judiciary.house.gov/media/press ... t-american

Neither can you.

Now that the Democratic Party no longer have complete control of the house and senate, they can’t get away with these sorts of antics, the truth will emerge eventually.

The truth is as elusive as ever but it will emerge eventually. I merely express an opinion but the timing looks suspiciously like a warning. I don’t buy the “identity theft” story, nor do I believe the IRS conduct that sort of investigation in that manner anyway.

[Ant]

........I merely express an opinion.....

Careful, they might try to cancel you.

[Potter]

This is interesting, chatting to a bloke yesterday and he said a British fella had been arrested in Afghanistan for possession of an illegal gun.
The Taliban are not keen on private citizens owning firearms and some people will be pleased to hear that they're quite strict on it.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-65118681

He's there as a paramedic, so why does he need a gun? In fact, according to some people on here, why does anyone need a gun?

Five years in the UK for possession of an illegal gun, perhaps the Taliban will do the same and lock him up for five years.
I assume it's a comfort for some on here to know that guns are not acceptable in a civilised society.

[Cousin Jack]

Dictators never like guns in the hands of Joe Public. One of Hitler's first actions was to require all guns to be registered, after that they were restricted to his own supporters, Nazi Party members.

[wheelnut]

Dictators never like guns in the hands of Joe Public. One of Hitler's first actions was to require all guns to be registered, after that they were restricted to his own supporters, Nazi Party members.

So are we saying that the uk gov are dictators, or is it a not mutually exclusive thing?

[Cousin Jack]

Dictators never like guns in the hands of Joe Public. One of Hitler's first actions was to require all guns to be registered, after that they were restricted to his own supporters, Nazi Party members.

So are we saying that the uk gov are dictators, or is it a not mutually exclusive thing?

No, I don't think that the UK governments have all been dictators, however I do see why an American citizen might quite like to keep his 2nd Amendment rights to own a gun. If I were a US citizen living in the USA I would have a gun, and would fight (politically) to keep it. I would accept reasonable safeguards, like training, safe keeping, etc, but not a ban.

As an aside, most of the anti-gun people on here probably do not realize that government panic after the Russian rebellion of 1918 was the reason we have draconian gun laws in the UK, and present day law can be traced directly back to the 1920 Firearms Act. The (documented but not publicly stated) objective at that time was to restrict pistols (seen as an assassins weapon) and to register everything else so that, if a UK rebellion occurred, the 'right' people could have guns but the bad ones would have them confiscated.

[wheelnut]

, if a UK rebellion occurred, the 'right' people could have guns but the bad ones would have them confiscated.

That’s one way of looking at it.

A more pragmatic reason would be the prevalence of handguns coming back from WW1 at a time of a fair amount of civil unrest in the UK. The Russian revolution may have been one factor in the government’s thinking but I don’t believe it was the main reason. Maybe they were unusually prescient and have managed to avoid the situation the US finds themselves in today?

There were attempts to introduce more restrictive gun laws before the war due to a fair few high profile murders using, what were at the time, freely available handguns.

[Cousin Jack]

, if a UK rebellion occurred, the 'right' people could have guns but the bad ones would have them confiscated.

That’s one way of looking at it.

A more pragmatic reason would be the prevalence of handguns coming back from WW1 at a time of a fair amount of civil unrest in the UK. The Russian revolution may have been one factor in the government’s thinking but I don’t believe it was the main reason. Maybe they were unusually prescient and have managed to avoid the situation the US finds themselves in today?

There were attempts to introduce more restrictive gun laws before the war due to a fair few high profile murders using, what were at the time, freely available handguns.

The war souvenirs were certainly a factor, as were the high profile murders, but as I understand it, from an acquaintance who researched the history of UK firearms law, is that Home Office papers released under the old 50 year rule, suggested that the Russian revolution was the driving factor. I haven't seen the papers myself, but have no reason to doubt his word. I believe he got a PhD for it.

Undoubtedly this was a major factor in avoiding the UK going down the US wormhole. Banning guns in the US is virtually impossible, too many unregistered ones in circulation, and a high proportion of citizens not inclined to obey any law requiring them to be registered. They have a problem, but banning stuff won't fix it. You only have to look at the UK handgun ban and today's crime statistics to realize that, whilst it took large numbers of guns out of circulation, it took them from the law abiding citizens. Criminals take no notice of laws, and the argument that legal guns feed into the illegal pool is pure tosh, the figure just don't support it.

[Ant]

That reminds me of that 'SAS Hero' who was banged up for being in possession of a prohibited firearm, which was a 'war souvenir'. There was uproar from some people who suggested that he should be able to keep hold of a firearm under his bed which no one can get a licence for.

[Bigjawa]

The war souvenirs were certainly a factor, as were the high profile murders, but as I understand it, from an acquaintance who researched the history of UK firearms law, is that Home Office papers released under the old 50 year rule, suggested that the Russian revolution was the driving factor. I haven't seen the papers myself, but have no reason to doubt his word. I believe he got a PhD for it.

Undoubtedly this was a major factor in avoiding the UK going down the US wormhole. Banning guns in the US is virtually impossible, too many unregistered ones in circulation, and a high proportion of citizens not inclined to obey any law requiring them to be registered. They have a problem, but banning stuff won't fix it. You only have to look at the UK handgun ban and today's crime statistics to realize that, whilst it took large numbers of guns out of circulation, it took them from the law abiding citizens. Criminals take no notice of laws, and the argument that legal guns feed into the illegal pool is pure tosh, the figure just don't support it.

I read somewhere that the gun violence in the Irish republic was mostly guns from the former Eastern Bloc, they seem to be able to get unlimited supplies of the bloody things, from pistols right up to DShK's, all ex military and for reasonable money. It's only amateurs that steal guns. The really bad guys just buy them in with less hassle.

[Screwdriver]

Dictators never like guns in the hands of Joe Public. One of Hitler's first actions was to require all guns to be registered, after that they were restricted to his own supporters, Nazi Party members.

Interestingly, after declaring war on terrorists/homophobes/transphobes <basically how they refer to Republicans/Trump supporters> Biden decided to hire 100,000 more IRS agents to "go after" the enemy. Interesting because he has also decided to arm them. Will also be interesting to see who they go after first - after they've finished with Matt Taibbi.

Surprised they didn't go "all in" and arm their Antifa/BLM allies (the paramilitary wing of the Biden admin a.k.a. Brownshirts) instead of merely refusing to arrest them - for anything!

[Mr. Dazzle]

Biden decided to hire 100,000 more IRS agents to "go after" the enemy.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cnbc.c ... ening.html

[Horse]

Surprised they didn't go "all in" and arm their Antifa/BLM allies (the paramilitary wing of the Biden admin a.k.a. Brownshirts)

Wow.

https://www.oxfordreference.com/display ... 0in%201921.

Member of an early Nazi paramilitary organization, the Sturmabteilung or SA (‘assault division’). The Brownshirts, recruited from various rough elements of society, were founded by Adolf Hitler in Munich in 1921. Fitted out in brown uniforms

[Cousin Jack]

Biden decided to hire 100,000 more IRS agents to "go after" the enemy.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cnbc.c ... ening.html

Don't go bringing facts to a conspiracy party.

[DefTrap]

Interestingly, after declaring war on terrorists/homophobes/transphobes <basically how they refer to Republicans/Trump supporters> Biden decided to hire 100,000 more IRS agents to "go after" the enemy. Interesting because he has also decided to arm them. Will also be interesting to see who they go after first - after they've finished with Matt Taibbi.

Surprised they didn't go "all in" and arm their Antifa/BLM allies (the paramilitary wing of the Biden admin a.k.a. Brownshirts) instead of merely refusing to arrest them - for anything!

You've started early.

Drifting from fact to opinion to slander.

[Mr. Dazzle]

If you wanna do slander you could point out IRS audit rates dropped significantly during Trump's presidency. Nothing to do with Trumps hmm...complicated...financial affairs and business contacts I'm sure. Probably because he's such a financial criminal he wanted to defang the institution which would come after him when he left.

See how easy it is to make shit up based on some esoteric facts?

[Cousin Jack]

You've started early.

Drifting from fact to opinion to slander.

Drifting? That implies a slightly slower progress. This is a full throttle charge.