A German immigrant, now a US citizen, noted a few choice Teutonic-sounding gems sprinkled into TTAG’s content. There’s not much difference between Yiddish and German, so it’s easy to see how he thought TTAG might have a Deutschlander or German-speaking scribe on staff. Be that as it may, he relates his experiences in both the fatherland and the land of the free:
Just wanted to see if there were some fellow pro-2A German Americans on your writing staff. In my experience with my parents that migrated to the US along with myself 20 years ago, my pro 2A opinions, more often than not, clash with theirs. While I grew up in Germany until I was 17, in my heart I am an American now. I was never proud of Germany or being German. I didn’t know how to be. I didn’t learn patriotism until I came to the States. It was a totally foreign concept to me, something you read in school books but didn’t quite understand . . .
Despite that, moving to the US was the best thing that happened to me financially, career and success wise. The fact that I am actually capable of being proud of my country — proud to be an American — is something that no job, house or bank account can even come close to.
Having grown up in a more socialist, more controlled, less free and sheepish society, it provides me with a unique perspective at times. I have personally seen and experienced the results of some of the policies that have been proposed here recently, both the good and the bad.
When it comes to firearms and freedoms, one thing always stands out to me: I no longer have run away from some wannabe neo-nazi gangs looking for a victim for their means of entertainment. Too many friends got to “eat curb” or were shaved bald by force.
I was never hurt myself. I guess I was lucky that I was able to run fast enough, but the anguish, the terror, the sensation of tyranny is so vivid in my mind that I consider myself privileged to now experience the right to defend my life and freedom. I know I’m not telling you anything new, but never ever consider giving an inch to anyone wanting to step on your rights or freedoms. You do not want your children and grandchildren growing up with the normalcy of running away from tyrants.
I appreciate your efforts to keep us informed and entertained via this great website.
Thanks
Torben
Best “I Am A Gun Owner” yet. Thank-you.
Enlightenment is good at any age, especially when you get to make the choice, welcome my fellow American!
http://www.youtube.com/user/Arcrinato
This guy has a few videos of the 2nd Amendment supporter speaking to these people. They’re all well worth the watch.
Don’t know bout other cities besides Miami and Houston, but in LA I see blackhawks & apaches or cobras landing & taking off some city facilities all the time, flying low & circling but i believe that is sop before landing. They’re obviously practicing urban maneuvers. I’m sure it’ll be effective no matter where they end up flying, internationally or domestic. Just saying.
It comes down to the idea that most people can be trusted to make the immediate decisions for themselves; when all thse drugs are illegal, pot, cocaine, heroin and crack; the most commonly used illegal drug is pot, thirty to forty percent of people have used pot; where as cocaine, heroin and crack is used by the general population in the single digits, why? Because the vast majority of people know how dangerous these drugs are.
Do you really think these percentages would change much if these drugs were decriminalized?
This is ridonculous! The US Governmental needs to pass laws that supersede all the state laws and make everything uniform. Then I would be able to use my CCW permit from my home state anywhere I travel. California and New York are sinking in to an abyss.
” it’s easier today to buy bullets than to buy alcohol, cigarettes or some cold medicines.”
Because a bullet is a hunk of lead and copper. Cartridges on the other hand…
I was born and raised in California, what a hell hole it’s become.
I live in New Mexico now, I can OC with out a license, CC an unloaded weapon with a mag on my belt without a license or CC a loaded weapon WITH a license.
I can buy a Personal Defense Weapon with standard capacity mags without a license or registration and I can buy a weapon from another citizen without a back ground check,; (we dodged a bullet from guess who?, a demoncrat, trying to make a background check for everyone mandatory this last monday).
For now, NM is the land of the almost free and home of the brave; unless the parasites in congress pass some more government rape of our G-d given rights.
According to the University Board, express spending on higher education dropped by
9 % in The year 2008 toploansforbadcreditdiamond.com A flag Officers are situated in possession of ‘SMOKING GUN’ data that establishes that supposed President Barack Obama was developed in the unusual nation regarding Kenya and accordingly Definitely not ELIGIBLE to support the office of U
Torben – well said. We have a lot in common, it seems. I also migrated from Germany to the U.S. 20 years ago, became a citizen, and now call this place home. Despite of the many issues this country has, I feel I belong here, this country has given me many opportunities and allowed me to make something of myself that would have never been possible in Germany.
I also strongly believe in the principles this country was founded on, that the government should serve the people and not the other way around, and that we need to fight hard against politicians trampling all over our rights. I have spent more than a few hours recently making phone calls, sending email, and writing letters to help defend the bill of rights.
Nice to know there is another like-minded German American out there. If you ever want to chat, drop me a note at abyron (at) gmail.
Can you say black market? Bullets are untraceable items and Mexico is cloose at hand.
There are still people who consider California part of the US?
Unconstitutional. You can not tax a right.
Someone needs to propose some counter legislation. No taxes on anything firearm related: guns, ammo, stocks, etc. Repeal every gun control law ever created and citizens can carry guns anywhere they please. As a matter of fact, why don’t we also fund the shooting sports esp. those that assist military training, just like Switzerland does? If someone wants to be crazy they’ll probably have to move to another country.
Mark my words; this is going to fly through most other states – and the Fed. I have feared all along they would eventually “wise up” and hit us in the ammo rather than the arms…
Your headline asks the question: “Are Background Checks A Waste of Time?”
Personally, I feel that the answer is a definitive YES.
Today, my brother and I visited a local police supply store where he purchased a few firearms. He filled out the requisite forms, and the clerk proceeded to call PICS for an “instant” background check. 30 minutes later, he finally got an operator who promptly regurgitated an approval number.
My brother and I have each made at least a dozen such purchases in the last two years or so, and a trend has emerged: The automated system almost immediately spits out an approval number for me where it transfers him to an operator who then spits out an approval number. Normally it wouldn’t be that big of a deal, but given the volume of background checks being processed, it often means that he has to wait on the order of half an hour (sometimes more) to pass an “instant” background check.
A right delayed is a right denied.
tell that to my 86 pound wife the only 2 weapons i own that she likes to shoot is my 10/22 and my ar15/.223
Huge fan of the daily digest posts. Award a medal to whoever came up with the idea.
These officials dont enderstand that while many civilians may desire military arms (but dont have them), they demand the same firearms as the police (a SEMIAUTO AR, a regular capacity Glock) for self defense.
A couple of the things that constantly strikes me when I’m talking to people:
1. How intelligent and well read our professional military is. I don’t mean “just the officer corps,” I mean the senior NCO’s as well. The SF community appears (to me) to be occupied by guys who are very smart indeed.
2. How utterly ignorant and indoctrinated the people coming out of ‘elite’ universities are about American history and government. Oh, they get the plum jobs in government and corporate management, but it isn’t by virtue of their intellect. It’s usually a result of who their mother slept with.
3. How the people in group 2 think they’re going to tell the people in group 1 to do “X,” and have them just act like a bunch of robots. I don’t think the people in group 2 have thought this through all the way…
but you can bet your life that the people in group 1 already have.
Unless there’s a change in fundamental logic in our society, then we’re just engaging in a controlled retreat. Our country is run by representatives that need (roughly) 50% of the vote. To get that, they will vote for what’s in the best interest of the largest group of people.
Right now, the American people feel that there’s a reason for everything. There is no personal accountability. If someone has gone into a school and murdered a bunch of children, it’s because they were a disturbed person, and it’s our fault that they had access to weapons and not enough help. We drove that poor soul to what happened. He/she was born a pristine snowflake, but through some complex biological and social program, hey ran down a matrix that resulted in “Mass Murderer”. The fault was ours, not theirs.
So right now, the intention is to try to codify, in law, all the ways in which a person could possibly happen to run down that matrix, and if they make a wrong turn, then pounce on them and rob them of everything they have (Liberty/Property). Unfortunately, to keep this process going, we also need to rob the rest of the people of property and liberty, else you don’t have the resources to keep such a dragnet going.
It’s Homeland Security. It’s Obamacare. It’s Medical Malpractice.
Arming yourself puts you distinctly in another camp. Like many people have said “Live by the Sword, Die by the Sword.” Most of the people view that as a negative. In fact, it’s more an altruism you could just extend to anything. “Live by X, Die by X” just says that aligning your life with some paradigm sets yourself up to define your life. Arming yourself says to the world, “I am my own master, I will do what is necessary to define my life. Conversely, I also accept there are other armed people out there, and they may use that power for good or evil, and I will accept the consequences of this.”
Someone is always in power. There is no world in which humanity is going to exist where someone isn’t calling the shots. It just wouldn’t work. The question is will it be you, or will it be your master.
I would say 49-51% of the people currently do not think this. They would prefer to live as surfs who constantly “hope” for a better king to rule them, and who eagerly turn over their goods to the knights and tax collectors under the fervent hope that those knights will protect them when they need it. Of course, the ones who find out the truth, usually end up losing that bet.
As a foundation for this statement, I propose you look at the 2008 presidential campaign. One of the candidates primary message was “Hope” for “Change”. Hope is an emotional state/response a person has when they have no physical or rational expectation on a return. They voted someone into office who said “I may do some stuff for you. But if I don’t.. well I tried. Let’s hope i do better next time!” Who would sell their house or car this way? Who would trade something they have, for nothing but a wish? Yet, we traded our country and rights a way for a wish.
So, yes. There will be more shootings. People have been killing people for as long as there’s been people. Killing kids is pretty easy. We round up our all our kids and put them in a confined space for basically 1/3-1/2 of their childhood. It’s safe money to assume someone’s going to take that opportunity to cause damage.
Until the Majority decides that people are accountable for their own actions (both theirs, and the people around them), anything that empowers a person is on the chopping block. Firearms being one of the greatest ways to empower yourself, is one of the first things to go. Instead we will all be left with Hope.
difi..
FOAD!