It Was Done on Tobacco. It Can Be Done on Guns.

[M14 Shooter]

Hardcore NRA wingnuts need to be thinking about two words: "Compromise" and "Consensus"...

Given that the anti-gun loons have no desire to compromise, there's no need.

 

[M14 Shooter]

NRA extremist loons are the greatest threat to our future guns rights. Their bully days are coming to an end.

We're lucky to be allowed private gun ownership - because the 2nd Amendment is obsolete.

Your bigoted, partisan opinion is noted and properly discarded.

 

[Spoonman]

By Dennis A. Henigan

The American people can overcome the gun lobby, but only if we confront, and expose, three myths that have long dominated the gun debate and given the politicians a ready excuse for inaction.

First, we must not let the opponents of reform get away with the empty bromide that "guns don't kill people, people kill people." Does any rational person really believe that the Sandy Hook killer could have murdered twenty-seven people in minutes with a knife or a baseball bat? Guns enable people to kill, more effectively and efficiently than any other widely available weapon.

Second, we must challenge the idea that no law can prevent violent people from getting guns. This canard is refuted by the experience of every other western industrialized nation. Their violent crime rates are comparable to ours. But their homicide rates are exponentially lower because their strong gun laws make it harder for violent individuals to get guns.

Third, we must not accept the notion that our Constitution condemns us to the continued slaughter of our children. It is true that the Supreme Court has expanded gun rights in recent years; it is equally true that the Court has insisted that the right allows for reasonable restrictions. In his opinion in the Heller Second Amendment case, Justice Scalia listed restrictions on "dangerous and unusual weapons" among the kinds of gun laws that are still "presumptively lawful." Assault weapons that fire scores of rounds without reloading surely are "dangerous and unusual."

The tobacco control movement overcame some equally powerful mythology to fundamentally alter American attitudes toward tobacco products. The tobacco industry's effort to sow confusion and uncertainty about the link between smoking and disease eventually was exposed as a fraud. The entrenched view that smoking was simply a bad habit that individuals can choose to break was destroyed by evidence that the tobacco companies knew that nicotine was powerfully addictive and engineered their cigarettes to ensure that people got hooked and stayed hooked. The assumption that smoking harms only the smoker was contradicted by the overwhelming evidence of the danger of second-hand smoke.

Once these myths were exposed, attitudes changed, policies changed and we started saving countless lives. Since youth smoking peaked in the mid-1990s, smoking rates have fallen by about three-fourths among 8th graders, two-thirds among 10th graders and half among 12th graders. A sea change has occurred on the tobacco issue.

Similarly fundamental change can come to the gun issue as well. The myths about gun control, however, still have a hold on too many of our political leaders and their constituents. We will hear them repeated again and again in the coming weeks of intense debate. Every time we hear them, we must respond and we must persuade.

There is too much at stake to be silent.

More: Dennis A. Henigan: It Was Done on Tobacco. It Can Be Done on Guns

a few key differences:

smoking is not a right, owning a gun is

Tobacco use was supported by about 15 percent of the population and declining. gun ownership is supported by a growing majority. More importantly, protection of our rights is supported by even more.

Last I looked, tobacco is still legal.

Last I looked, tobacco has still not lost a suit they have not oveturned on appeal.

Last I looked, tobacco profits are up. Banning them from spending money on advertising, sponsorship, give aways and rewards programs has not hurt them from reaching their consumers. It has saved them a ton of money while in the process put thousands in the support and advertising business out of jobs, closed companies and negatively impacted the economy

last i looked, the government put themselves in bed with tobacco companies. they now make more on a pack of smokes then the tobacco companies do. government can not affort to let tobacco companies fail. which is why they also banned class action suits against tobacco companies. with government partneship, tobacco is here to stay

 

[M14 Shooter]

By Dennis A. Henigan

The American people can overcome the gun lobby, but only if we confront, and expose, three myths that have long dominated the gun debate and given the politicians a ready excuse for inaction.

First, we must not let the opponents of reform get away with the empty bromide that "guns don't kill people, people kill people." Does any rational person really believe that the Sandy Hook killer could have murdered twenty-seven people in minutes with a knife or a baseball bat? Guns enable people to kill, more effectively and efficiently than any other widely available weapon.

Second, we must challenge the idea that no law can prevent violent people from getting guns. This canard is refuted by the experience of every other western industrialized nation. Their violent crime rates are comparable to ours. But their homicide rates are exponentially lower because their strong gun laws make it harder for violent individuals to get guns.

Third, we must not accept the notion that our Constitution condemns us to the continued slaughter of our children. It is true that the Supreme Court has expanded gun rights in recent years; it is equally true that the Court has insisted that the right allows for reasonable restrictions. In his opinion in the Heller Second Amendment case, Justice Scalia listed restrictions on "dangerous and unusual weapons" among the kinds of gun laws that are still "presumptively lawful." Assault weapons that fire scores of rounds without reloading surely are "dangerous and unusual."

The tobacco control movement overcame some equally powerful mythology to fundamentally alter American attitudes toward tobacco products. The tobacco industry's effort to sow confusion and uncertainty about the link between smoking and disease eventually was exposed as a fraud. The entrenched view that smoking was simply a bad habit that individuals can choose to break was destroyed by evidence that the tobacco companies knew that nicotine was powerfully addictive and engineered their cigarettes to ensure that people got hooked and stayed hooked. The assumption that smoking harms only the smoker was contradicted by the overwhelming evidence of the danger of second-hand smoke.

Once these myths were exposed, attitudes changed, policies changed and we started saving countless lives. Since youth smoking peaked in the mid-1990s, smoking rates have fallen by about three-fourths among 8th graders, two-thirds among 10th graders and half among 12th graders. A sea change has occurred on the tobacco issue.

Similarly fundamental change can come to the gun issue as well. The myths about gun control, however, still have a hold on too many of our political leaders and their constituents. We will hear them repeated again and again in the coming weeks of intense debate. Every time we hear them, we must respond and we must persuade.

There is too much at stake to be silent.

More: Dennis A. Henigan: It Was Done on Tobacco. It Can Be Done on Guns

a few key differences:

smoking is not a right, owning a gun is

Tobacco use was supported by about 15 percent of the population and declining. gun ownership is supported by a growing majority. More importantly, protection of our rights is supported by even more.

Last I looked, tobacco is still legal.

Last I looked, tobacco has still not lost a suit they have not oveturned on appeal.

Last I looked, tobacco profits are up. Banning them from spending money on advertising, sponsorship, give aways and rewards programs has not hurt them from reaching their consumers. It has saved them a ton of money while in the process put thousands in the support and advertising business out of jobs, closed companies and negatively impacted the economy

last i looked, the government put themselves in bed with tobacco companies. they now make more on a pack of smokes then the tobacco companies do. government can not affort to let tobacco companies fail. which is why they also banned class action suits against tobacco companies. with government partneship, tobacco is here to stay

You're trying to talk sense to a partisan bigot.
How silly is that?

 

[Soggy in NOLA]

Hardcore NRA wingnuts need to be thinking about two words: "Compromise" and "Consensus"...

Fuck that.

 

[Soggy in NOLA]

NRA extremist loons are the greatest threat to our future guns rights. Their bully days are coming to an end.

We're lucky to be allowed private gun ownership - because the 2nd Amendment is obsolete.

Your bigoted, partisan opinion is noted and properly discarded.

Says who? Chief Shitting Bull?

 

[Spoonman]

More: Dennis A. Henigan: It Was Done on Tobacco. It Can Be Done on Guns

a few key differences:

smoking is not a right, owning a gun is

Tobacco use was supported by about 15 percent of the population and declining. gun ownership is supported by a growing majority. More importantly, protection of our rights is supported by even more.

Last I looked, tobacco is still legal.

Last I looked, tobacco has still not lost a suit they have not oveturned on appeal.

Last I looked, tobacco profits are up. Banning them from spending money on advertising, sponsorship, give aways and rewards programs has not hurt them from reaching their consumers. It has saved them a ton of money while in the process put thousands in the support and advertising business out of jobs, closed companies and negatively impacted the economy

last i looked, the government put themselves in bed with tobacco companies. they now make more on a pack of smokes then the tobacco companies do. government can not affort to let tobacco companies fail. which is why they also banned class action suits against tobacco companies. with government partneship, tobacco is here to stay

You're trying to talk sense to a partisan bigot.
How silly is that?

i'm just working on my post count

 

[Staidhup]

By Dennis A. Henigan

The American people can overcome the gun lobby, but only if we confront, and expose, three myths that have long dominated the gun debate and given the politicians a ready excuse for inaction.

First, we must not let the opponents of reform get away with the empty bromide that "guns don't kill people, people kill people." Does any rational person really believe that the Sandy Hook killer could have murdered twenty-seven people in minutes with a knife or a baseball bat? Guns enable people to kill, more effectively and efficiently than any other widely available weapon.

Second, we must challenge the idea that no law can prevent violent people from getting guns. This canard is refuted by the experience of every other western industrialized nation. Their violent crime rates are comparable to ours. But their homicide rates are exponentially lower because their strong gun laws make it harder for violent individuals to get guns.

Third, we must not accept the notion that our Constitution condemns us to the continued slaughter of our children. It is true that the Supreme Court has expanded gun rights in recent years; it is equally true that the Court has insisted that the right allows for reasonable restrictions. In his opinion in the Heller Second Amendment case, Justice Scalia listed restrictions on "dangerous and unusual weapons" among the kinds of gun laws that are still "presumptively lawful." Assault weapons that fire scores of rounds without reloading surely are "dangerous and unusual."

The tobacco control movement overcame some equally powerful mythology to fundamentally alter American attitudes toward tobacco products. The tobacco industry's effort to sow confusion and uncertainty about the link between smoking and disease eventually was exposed as a fraud. The entrenched view that smoking was simply a bad habit that individuals can choose to break was destroyed by evidence that the tobacco companies knew that nicotine was powerfully addictive and engineered their cigarettes to ensure that people got hooked and stayed hooked. The assumption that smoking harms only the smoker was contradicted by the overwhelming evidence of the danger of second-hand smoke.

Once these myths were exposed, attitudes changed, policies changed and we started saving countless lives. Since youth smoking peaked in the mid-1990s, smoking rates have fallen by about three-fourths among 8th graders, two-thirds among 10th graders and half among 12th graders. A sea change has occurred on the tobacco issue.

Similarly fundamental change can come to the gun issue as well. The myths about gun control, however, still have a hold on too many of our political leaders and their constituents. We will hear them repeated again and again in the coming weeks of intense debate. Every time we hear them, we must respond and we must persuade.

There is too much at stake to be silent.

More: Dennis A. Henigan: It Was Done on Tobacco. It Can Be Done on Guns

Hey there lakhota, never knew a native American that stands against gun ownership, so why do you pretend to be of the Lakota Sioux tribe, or is it your atypical liberal fraud wannabe, at least spell it right, your spelling indicates you are associated with the Lakhota foundation, are you really? One fact remains, not one gun jumped up and shot a person, not one gun was addicted to drugs or alcohol. What is interesting is that frauds such as yourself have fried their brains to the point that reality is nothing more then a bad sober day.

 

[LeftofLeft]

Hardcore NRA wingnuts need to be thinking about two words: "Compromise" and "Consensus"...

Compromising to Liberals is a slippery slope. Liberals know this to be true because Liberals have never compromised to Conservatives.

 

[OKTexas]

Hardcore NRA wingnuts need to be thinking about two words: "Compromise" and "Consensus"...

Right, the same shit that brought the Nazis to power. There is no compromise with you commies. You have proven once you get a little bit all you ever want is more, my answer is go to hell.

 

[g5000]

By Dennis A. Henigan

Second, we must challenge the idea that no law can prevent violent people from getting guns. This canard is refuted by the experience of every other western industrialized nation. Their violent crime rates are comparable to ours. But their homicide rates are exponentially lower because their strong gun laws make it harder for violent individuals to get guns.

Third, we must not accept the notion that our Constitution condemns us to the continued slaughter of our children. It is true that the Supreme Court has expanded gun rights in recent years; it is equally true that the Court has insisted that the right allows for reasonable restrictions. In his opinion in the Heller Second Amendment case, Justice Scalia listed restrictions on "dangerous and unusual weapons" among the kinds of gun laws that are still "presumptively lawful." Assault weapons that fire scores of rounds without reloading surely are "dangerous and unusual."

More: Dennis A. Henigan: It Was Done on Tobacco. It Can Be Done on Guns

I see what he did there.

First he says gun control is vindicated by the lower homicide rates of countries that banned guns. Then he points out the Court has stated it is Constitutional to ban assault weapons.

Henigan is trying to link "assault rifles" with all the homicides in America. And yet you would find it impossible to show that linkage is real. Assault rifles are accountable for a tiny, tiny fraction of homicides. In fact, more people are strangled to death with bare hands than are killed by assault rifles.

So what we are seeing here behind this bait-and-switch con is the true agenda: To ban ALL private gun ownership, not just assault weapons, which is prima facie unconstitutional.

You want to try to convince Americans it is uncool to own a gun? Go for it. But don't be treading on the Constitution.

 

[Crackerjaxon]

Let's start by disarming all police and government employees.

 

[RoadVirus]

Hardcore NRA wingnuts need to be thinking about two words: "Compromise" and "Consensus"...

A Liberal's definition of "compromise": It's either my way or nothing!

 

[Spoonman]

By Dennis A. Henigan

Second, we must challenge the idea that no law can prevent violent people from getting guns. This canard is refuted by the experience of every other western industrialized nation. Their violent crime rates are comparable to ours. But their homicide rates are exponentially lower because their strong gun laws make it harder for violent individuals to get guns.

Third, we must not accept the notion that our Constitution condemns us to the continued slaughter of our children. It is true that the Supreme Court has expanded gun rights in recent years; it is equally true that the Court has insisted that the right allows for reasonable restrictions. In his opinion in the Heller Second Amendment case, Justice Scalia listed restrictions on "dangerous and unusual weapons" among the kinds of gun laws that are still "presumptively lawful." Assault weapons that fire scores of rounds without reloading surely are "dangerous and unusual."

but that's what the left does. spin, bait and switch, falsify facts and data. they can't be truthful and justify their agenda. facts are, countries who have enacted tough gun laws have not seen any greater reductions in gun deaths then the USA has over the same period. assault rifles, actually all rifles, account for about only 350 deaths. less in fact then hammers.

More: Dennis A. Henigan: It Was Done on Tobacco. It Can Be Done on Guns

I see what he did there.

First he says gun control is vindicated by the lower homicide rates of countries that banned guns. Then he points out the Court has stated it is Constitutional to ban assault weapons.

Henigan is trying to link "assault rifles" with all the homicides in America. And yet you would find it impossible to show that linkage is real. Assault rifles are accountable for a tiny, tiny fraction of homicides. In fact, more people are strangled to death with bare hands than are killed by assault rifles.

So what we are seeing here behind this bait-and-switch con is the true agenda: To ban ALL private gun ownership, not just assault weapons, which is prima facie unconstitutional.

You want to try to convince Americans it is uncool to own a gun? Go for it. But don't be treading on the Constitution.

but that's what the left does. spin, bait and switch, falsify facts and data. they can't be truthful and justify their agenda. facts are, countries who have enacted tough gun laws have not seen any greater reductions in gun deaths then the USA has over the same period. assault rifles, actually all rifles, account for about only 350 deaths. less in fact then hammers.

 

[Lakhota]

Too many kids being needlessly killed with guns.

 

[M14 Shooter]

Too many kids being needlessly killed with guns.

Obvious troll remians obvious.

 

[blackhawk]

There are two words hardcore far left anti gun wing nuts need to think about fuck and off.

 

[LeftofLeft]

By Dennis A. Henigan

The American people can overcome the gun lobby, but only if we confront, and expose, three myths that have long dominated the gun debate and given the politicians a ready excuse for inaction.

First, we must not let the opponents of reform get away with the empty bromide that "guns don't kill people, people kill people." Does any rational person really believe that the Sandy Hook killer could have murdered twenty-seven people in minutes with a knife or a baseball bat? Guns enable people to kill, more effectively and efficiently than any other widely available weapon.

Second, we must challenge the idea that no law can prevent violent people from getting guns. This canard is refuted by the experience of every other western industrialized nation. Their violent crime rates are comparable to ours. But their homicide rates are exponentially lower because their strong gun laws make it harder for violent individuals to get guns.

Third, we must not accept the notion that our Constitution condemns us to the continued slaughter of our children. It is true that the Supreme Court has expanded gun rights in recent years; it is equally true that the Court has insisted that the right allows for reasonable restrictions. In his opinion in the Heller Second Amendment case, Justice Scalia listed restrictions on "dangerous and unusual weapons" among the kinds of gun laws that are still "presumptively lawful." Assault weapons that fire scores of rounds without reloading surely are "dangerous and unusual."

The tobacco control movement overcame some equally powerful mythology to fundamentally alter American attitudes toward tobacco products. The tobacco industry's effort to sow confusion and uncertainty about the link between smoking and disease eventually was exposed as a fraud. The entrenched view that smoking was simply a bad habit that individuals can choose to break was destroyed by evidence that the tobacco companies knew that nicotine was powerfully addictive and engineered their cigarettes to ensure that people got hooked and stayed hooked. The assumption that smoking harms only the smoker was contradicted by the overwhelming evidence of the danger of second-hand smoke.

Once these myths were exposed, attitudes changed, policies changed and we started saving countless lives. Since youth smoking peaked in the mid-1990s, smoking rates have fallen by about three-fourths among 8th graders, two-thirds among 10th graders and half among 12th graders. A sea change has occurred on the tobacco issue.

Similarly fundamental change can come to the gun issue as well. The myths about gun control, however, still have a hold on too many of our political leaders and their constituents. We will hear them repeated again and again in the coming weeks of intense debate. Every time we hear them, we must respond and we must persuade.

There is too much at stake to be silent.

More: Dennis A. Henigan: It Was Done on Tobacco. It Can Be Done on Guns

"You don't bring a knife to a gun fight".....President Obama. Guns are near outlawed in Illinois and free and open in Texas. Which state has more people killed by gun violence?

 

[Tresha91203]

America has a strong (socialist) standing army. There is no longer need for "militia" as stated in the Second Amendment.

You've obviously never been through a Katrina or other natural disaster. There is no army then, no cops, no national guard.

 

[Stephanie]

libs are for freedoms until it's something they don't like

lets ban abortions, bring back prohibition and slavery while we're at it