Ok folks, I have been doing a lot of readying into the culture... and there are several things that began to strike me, as a pattern.

Gun control has been hijacked... no, not by the liberals, the NRA... wait for it... 99% of gun owners will agree to the kind of controls most people who are reasonable about this want. Things like ... if you served time in jail, aka a felon, or you have mental issues, you don't get to own a gun.

That said the NRA has run a very successful campaign to scare gun owners that them liberals are coming to take their guns away.

And partly the fears may not be unfounded... since gun control has also been hijacked by some politicos who use fear as well.

Here is the truth... many gun laws are about the other and keeping them from those we fear. For some city dwellers, who have never used a gun in their lives... well the other are them country hicks... or for the most part blacks and other minorities. Yes, you read right, the current spate goes back to the riots. Never mind there were mostly no guns used at the time, and the high profile murders of the 1960s... which led to gun laws, not rifles laws... funny thing.

There is more, the reality is that you cannot ban guns in a country where we have over 260 million guns, last time anybody tried to run a check. That is more than two guns per person in the country.

Now some folks have bought this idea that they are coming to take their guns away since this is is an idea also rooted in the other...

SO if we are going to have a conversation about this... forget the second amendment... and let's get back to basics, and see what we can all agree with. (And I expect plenty of second amendment, and rights and all that... which was NOT part of the conversation at one time, it was more like... ok we can all agree that felons should not have them, that's a bad idea, or the mentally insane)

And the truth is some people should not be able to LEGALLY obtain a gun... we, at least the reasonable ones, will realize yes it is the same folks... felons, mentally sick... I also realize that those well motivated to get a gun will get a Saturday Night Special... not delusional about this.

Now I would like to see certain guns not in the hands of civilians, realize those would be long arms designed to kill people, but that ain't gonna happen...

It is also a reality that a small group of gun owners are concerned quite a bit with the mechanics of ballistics and all of that. For the record, my interest in ballistics came from seeing what the rounds from certain weapons can do to the human body, for real... and of course for silly shit like what is good cover when those bullets are traveling out of the muzzle... yes they have right of way.

Now there is more... one of the great misunderstandings is as to who has guns in this country. Yep, some are country hicks, with few formal education... but that is SOME... most folks who own guns are well educated... and even have college degrees, and are responsible owners. Oh and them country hicks have the best gun safety training ever, and their guns in some cases go back to the Civil War and they still use them for hunting... ah to use a Martini Henry ... now that would be fun.

So lets get down to basics... ok...

Oh and gun control has been part of US history... it is not new, but the term has been hijacked. It truly is about certain groups being able to buy a gun or not, and certain places we all agree you should not be able to carry a gun... like the court house. or the US House.

Oh and those thinking we will get rid of guns in our culture... no way in hell. What I'd like to get rid off is the violent culture where guns are but one of many symptoms... now that is a project I can get behind.

Oh and for you hunters, good luck, make sure you eat what you kill.

Oh and stay safe, you know the drill.