I’ve been blogging for more than a decade. I know a troll when I am one. I mean, read one. And as much as I view the boys in blue through a red mist, I’ve never encountered a cop that’s as much of a jerk as this one at ksl.com. “Officers have to go through a stringent hiring process that includes a psychological examination. The same is true for federal agents. After these tests along with backgrounds and numerous other hiring steps, we are trained how to use a firearm and when to use it appropriately.” That’s the wind-up (in the British sense of the term). Here’s the [bean ball] pitch . . .
In this state [Utah], however, you too can carry a gun in an open carry setup just like law enforcement as long as you have the lofty qualifications of being of age and not convicted of domestic violence or a felony. This is where the gun advocates stomp and shout that I would like to take away guns and have the government control your lives. … I’ll wait for the stomping of shoes and gnashing of teeth.
Now that the yelling and writing of letters to the editor are done, I’ll continue. I’m merely suggesting an additional step to the firearm purchasing process. Now it may not be a quick step, but why are you in a hurry to buy a gun? Last-second Christmas gift? Forgot an anniversary and the wife really needs that pink Walther P22?
I suggested this idea in one of my lively gun debates, and the person I was arguing with stated that would just be another way “they” could control who purchased guns and who couldn’t. They continued with “they” making it more difficult to overthrow said government. I was fairly certain this person wouldn’t pass a psychological.
I do hear the “overthrow government” argument more than I think I should. I imagine this person saw “Red Dawn” one too many times and thinks his AR-15 and Desert Eagle are going to stand up against a tank or a drone firing Hellfire missiles. Wolverines!
Those, dear readers, are not the words of a cop. That’s the syntax, style and trolling of a professional writer. A journalist trying to whip-up pro-gun Bee Hive Staters into a frenzy. IMHO. And how.
Since I’ve already got people in a lather, why don’t we have a database that shows guns owned by what person? People always argue that cars are much more dangerous than guns, yet we have to register our cars. It would be good to know if a person just got out of court and immediately attempted to purchase a gun. Registering guns would also hold owners responsible who sold their guns to criminals in the black market.
The common argument is that the criminals don’t have to follow the laws, they get guns through other means. Well, if every gun is registered, we will know where they got it. I have been looking back through a few of the recent shootings, and most of the suspects appeared to have obtained and possessed the guns lawfully.
In Utah, we have had many individuals walking around with open carry weapons around malls and theaters. Should I still feel safe and hope you are a sane person? If you are that person, should you really be offended if police approach you with guns drawn? . . .
I would like to see who can offer me the best explanation on why we shouldn’t require a psychological and registering your gun purchase.
See that? A request for both sides of these issues. I call bullshit. Mind you, I’ve got nothing against anonymous postings on the web. But I do have a problem with a major news org perpetrating this kind of obvious trolling.
Actually, strike that. I don’t. That could be seen as a wee bit hypocritical. And there’s value in “rallying the base” as they say. But really. Why fake this as a cop?