As I understand the Second Amendment (and I don't claim to be The Ultimate Expert, either), there's this part about a "well regulated militia." That at least suggests that the originators believed in private gun ownership that was well regulated and overseen so it would be responsible.

What do I have wrong about that? It just seems so self-evident - that such a right (described as well-regulated) shall not be abridged. I don't have a problem with well-regulated gun-ownership. I prefer it.

BTW - phone activists from the NRA have been trying to call our house and talk to my husband for a couple of weeks now. I've answered the phone every time. Finally, one of them decided to stay on the line and talk to me. She asked if I would listen to a message from Wayne LaPierre. I did - I wanted to hear the message.

AMAZING!!!!! What was played for me was about two minutes of the most ridiculous, paranoid, unhinged, shrill, shrieking hysteria I think I've ever heard outside the ramblings of michele bachmann. UNBELIEVABLE! Basically it boiled down to two breathless, screeching minutes of "The UN!!!!! is CONSPIRING!!!!! with HILLARY CLINTON!!!!! to TAYKE AHR GUHNNNNNZZZZ!!!!"

Oh for the love of GOD!!!! I was absolutely gobsmacked! What. The. Fuck!?!?!?!?!??!? What The Fucking Damn Hellzapoppin' Fuck???

A different voice came back on the line after the message - that had left me gazing wild-eyed and mouth agape at my phone in utter disbelief at what I'd just heard. They asked if I'd listened to the message. I said yes. They asked what I thought. And I began to say that I thought it was absolutely ridiculous and that I believe in the U.N. and I have GREAT faith in and admiration for Hillary Clinton and ...

And they hung up on me.

Help me understand the mentality here. Because I DO see an awful lot of "Deliverance" every time some gun advocate pipes up. ESPECIALLY after this rather astounding and troublesome encounter.

Because what I was about to say before they hung up on me was - "what bothers me most is the thought that someone who sounds this deranged should be allowed to own ANY kind of firearm at all." It shook me up so much that, by now, my attitude is changing to - "I hope TO GOD somebody DOES take away YER GUHNNNNZZZZ!!!! Whether it's the UN or Hillary Clinton or Captain Kangaroo!!! For the sake of the safety and sanity of all the rest of us!"

So as I just said - please help me understand this better. You've gotta know that there's a huge element of people purportedly on your side of this argument who do NOT represent it, or you, well at all.