I try to listen to both sides, I really do. But on some issues, like guns, it is almost impossible to hear both sides.
When trying to read Jesse Jackson’s Griffin Daily News July 14 Editorial “Assault weapons are weapons of war” I had to stop in the second paragraph. When he wrote “They are useless for hunting” I knew I was wasting my time.
That proved to me he was clueless about his topic and was just pushing an agenda. Nothing that came after such an inaccurate statement could be relevant. When I read something patently untrue, I cannot keep reading.
First, the 2nd Amendment has nothing to do with hunting.
Second, “Assault weapons” are a fake term given to what sportsman call “Modern Sporting Rifles.” One of the most common designs is the ArmaLite Rifle Model 15, usually shortened to AR 15. It is a type gun that comes chambered in more than 60 different calibers. The vary from rimfire calibers like the .22 long rifle, bullets usually used for squirrel hunting, to .30 Remington, specifically designed for deer hunting to even larger calibers.
The .223 caliber is one of the most common in the AR platform and it has been legal for deer hunting in Georgia for years. That cartridge is a relatively small caliber and does not have a lot of powder, so it has much less kick than rifles like by old Marlin 30-30, but it is legal and efficient for killing a deer.
It is a good choice for young hunters and those that don’t want a gun that kicks hard. I am using mine for deer hunting rather than my 7 mm Mag since I have a port in my right shoulder and am afraid to expose it to too much recoil.
It scares me that, in a recent PEW poll of “journalists,” 55 percent say every side of an issue DOES NOT deserve equal treatment. The same poll found that 76 percent of all Americans say both sides SHOULD get equal coverage.
Maybe that is why a recent Gallup poll shows only 11 percent of Americans trust television news and only 16 percent trust newspapers.
Almost as bad is a PEW poll showing 64 percent of US adults approve the recent gun control laws passed by congress, but 78 percent say the law will do little or nothing to affect crime. But 63 percent say they want more useless laws like the one passed that they know will do little to no good.
Maybe the reason they support useless laws is they hear only one side. Most mall shootings are hyped 24/7 for days, but the recent shooting in Indiana got little coverage. Was it because a good guy with a legal gun killed the shooter before he could kill many people?
As long as only one side is pushed by the media, I will adamantly oppose any gun control legislation, not matter how often those pushing the agenda call it “sensible” or “reasonable.”
Their call for compromise always means “do it my way” even if you know it is useless.
A current political ad says the recent “Constitutional Carry” law in Georgia makes it easier for criminals to carry loaded guns in Georgia. I question any law enforcement officer that claims criminals would not carry guns if it was just against the law.
A good example of the mindset of the gun banners is New York Governor Hochul. When the Supreme Court overturned a state law that made it almost impossible to get gun or carry it in her state, she got laws passed to make it a felony to carry guns in almost every building in the state.
Her reason? In response to a reporter’s question if she had any data to prove her claim that citizens carrying guns would endanger millions of New York residents, she said “I don’t need to have numbers. I don’t need to have a data point to say this.”
I will fight “feelings” from gun banners like her with facts and truth, if I can be heard.