In making an impassioned case for gun control, Rachel Maddow

[Volaris]

just ripped the heart out of the argument that Government can't do anything useful. It's OUR government, dammit, we can solve any problem we damn-well please. Its the way we DESIGNED the system to work. I guess arguments like this are why they say that both sides do it, having someone as SMART as her tear my position to shreds would probably feel like getting hit with a bag of bricks, no wonder they complain about the 'hatred' from the left, it HURTS to get owned that badly in public discourse lol.
Rock on, Rachel=)

[BrklynLiberal]

1. she is in a class all by herself.

[derby378]

2. Having no access to a TV at this moment, I'll wait for the video replay...

...but I can tell you that buried somewhere in the Amendment II Democrats archives on Facebook is a link to an interview Rachel gave to (I think) Conan O'Brien in which she related her own experience with an AR-15 in her hand when she visited her SO's family.

Rachel, as far as I'm aware, does not approve of keeping guns in private homes - I think she favors a civilian armory if private ownership is set in stone. And I gather she is no fan of magazines holding 10+ rounds unless they're in the hands of law enforcement or the military.

[valerief]

3. Corey Booker's on now! So glad she's focused on gun control. nt

[name not needed]

4. Agreed.

I've never been a big fan of the Assault Weapons Ban that expired a few years back, but something needs to be done about the huge disparity in gun laws from state to state.

[SteveM]

26. Disparity: have states recognize each other's CCW laws...

this would protect the public from unjust prosecution when someone is traveling from one state to another. This could be accomplished by pacts using "model legislation" (preferable), or federal legislation (less preferable).

What is your "something?"

[The Straight Story]

5. I will still go with the numbers here

How many in the US own guns vs How many use them in a criminal matter?

Tag bullets, track licenses, etc? That works well with people who obey the law - but the people who will shoot others won't obey or care about those laws anyway.

We need to spend more time and resources look at the why and how to prevent.

[name not needed]

7. Close the gun show loophole.

Booker pointed out that is a rarity that a legally purchased, registered gun is used in a crime. The problem is, someone can drive down to Virginia, load up on guns, and then sell them on the street in Newark and Irvington.

[slackmaster]

9. What you just described would be illegal under federal law

People who are not licensed gun dealers cannot engage in interstate transfers of firearms.

[dsc]

10. it is exceptionally easy to get a federal gun dealer's licence

it costs like 35 dollars. There are more licensed dealers than there are gas stations.

[slackmaster]

11. A gun dealer can't buy a gun in one state and transfer it directly to a non-licensee in another

The firearm has to be transferred first to a licensee in the state where the ultimate buyer lives.

[The Straight Story]

12. And yet, the ratio of gun owners to gun crimes is amazingly low

Maybe because most of us in the US, you, me, our families, friends, etc -are not the enemies some make us out to be.

We are not a nation of crazy people - but some want us to believe that for some reason. Kind of like saying because X amount of muslims are 'bad' then they all are, the numbers just don't fit.

I won't live in fear because someone else wants me to.

[27nitro]

14. For a 03 FFL only

That is for curio and relic only. Generally > 50 years old or older.

[X_Digger]

16. That's a C&R FFL license.. not a Type 01 FFL.

You can buy all the Mosin Nagants, or Springfield 03's you want on it.

You also can be searched by the BATFE with little notice, and you can't just randomly sell off your guns. Keep that bound book up to date!

[TheWraith]

17. No, it costs thousands of dollars.

And if you have that license, then you are legally required to do a background check on every single person you sell a gun to, track all your inventory, and file inventory reports with the ATF.

You CAN get a Curios and Relics license for $30, which allows you to buy antique guns (50 years or older) directly. It does not permit you to engage in interstate commerce, buy new guns, or sell guns for a profit.

[Straw Man]

18. That's a collector's license.

A dealer's license costs $200. As of October 2010, there were 61,822 FFL dealers in the US. I'll let you figure out how many gas stations there are.

Here's how to get one, if you're interested:

http://www.atf.gov/firearms/how-to/become-an-ffl.html

[PavePusher]

19. Your ignorance seems to be 'open carry'. n/t

[rl6214]

24. Not true

In order to get a Federal Firearms Lic you must open a store with actual working hours. You can no longer sell out of your home like you used to be able to. I don't remember what the cost is but it does require quite a bit of police/fbi background work.

[X_Digger]

13. Only a few states register guns..

So that statement is mendacious on it's face.

[beevul]

20. Why is it...

Why is it that whenever some assclown passes an nics check buying a gun at retail, and shoots a bunch of people up, focus shifts to private gun sales?

[SteveM]

27. HA! It's like banning handguns when someone is shot with a rifle. nt

[northoftheborder]

6. I have always admired Cory Booker.

Booker for President, maybe, someday?

[Pancho Sanza]

8. I like Rachel...quite a lot but this is one issue she is 100% wrong on.

I didn't see tonight's prog but I've heard her say some things in the past that I find awfully frightening. What makes it particularly irksome to me is that being gay (like Rachel), I wouldn't be here if it were not for my gun when 5 guys were fixing to beat my head in one night many years ago. I didn't shoot any of them but I damn sure would have if they hadn't been scared off seeing I was armed. This was just a few weeks after a gay kid was beaten to death not far from there (in a not so great part of town where I was working)

[lawodevolution]

15. No, ok.

[krispos42]

21. No, we can't solve any problem we damn well please.

We can make the problems better, maybe, if we don't fight human nature too hard, or co-opt human nature into solving the problem.

But government has continually failed to solve things like the drug problem, or the perpetual problems we have with racism, sexism, poverty, fair representation in government, terrorism, etc.

However, we generally know the answers to the problems that will reduce the problems. Legalize some drugs, make others readily available to addicts. Remove sexist laws from the books and sexist practices from the workplace. Progressive taxation, protective tariffs, unions, and trust-busting fight poverty. Outlawing literacy tests and voter intimidation, passing instant-runoff voting. Get off of oil, stop supporting foreign dictators and propping up dictators.

If we want less gun violence, then our best results would be to implement policies that reduce all forms of violence: legalize drugs, better mental health care, better and more education, and reverse the flow of wealth to the top 1%.

[RamboLiberal]

22. No she didn't tonight

She trotted out a bunch of crap tonight. Sorry, but her & her staff tonight had a massive fail on facts.

[appal_jack]

23. Rachel was wrong so many times last night

I watched Keith, Rachel, and then Lawrence straight through. Practically all three of their shows were one long, uninterrupted screed for (anything but) 'sensible' gun control. Plastic guns? Bullet microstamping? Magazine bans? Give me a break!

Given the homogeneity and rife errors through the three shows, I'd say that there is some powerful group think going on at MSNBC.

My sadness at this tragedy in Arizona will not shake my belief that we citizens will progress best when heeding and protecting our fundamental Constitutional liberties.

This sad time is a unique opportunity for Democrats and progressives to move forward on better mental health services. We can also shift the tone of the political debate in this country away from thinly-veiled threats of violence, and toward a more rational discourse of ideas. I hope that all this energy and opportunity is not squandered in another pointless fight for unconstitutional gun legislation.

-app

[SteveM]

28. God! I hope she isn't going to hang a "liberal revival" on gun-control. nt

[SteveM]

25. Maddow's (or the OP's) problem:

"It's OUR government, dammit, we can solve any problem we damn-well please."

Even though it is our government, and we can try to solve any problem we damn-well please, but those actions have to be constitutional: 'It's the way we DESIGNED the system to work.'

Maddow is badly informed on gun-control, bag of bricks not withstanding. Her's is just another well-spoken verse in the song of prohibition.