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Post by Epi on Dec 17, 2012 18:32:46 GMT 9.5
Posted on December 15, 2012 at 4:54 PM Updated Saturday, Dec 15 at 8:15 PM PORTLAND -- The rush at Portland area gun stores started after the shooting at Clackamas Town Center, but erupted hours after the massacre in Connecticut. "We had the busiest day we've ever had in over 20 years the day of the shooting, and it looks like Saturday will be even bigger," said Karl Durkheimer who owns Northwest Armory in Milwaukie. Local gun stores are so busy, state background checks that usually take 15 minutes, now have customers waiting four hours. Even so, gun buyers like Brett Eyman are more than willing to wait. He's buying a semi-automatic rifle because he believes his right to buy one may soon be going away. "I believe its coming to an end in the next year," said Eyman. "The guns in our community have nothing to do with hunting and they have to do with killing people and we have to get real about that," said State Senator Ginny Burdick. Burdick is a long-time gun control advocate and believes more needs to be done to keep guns out of the hands of children and criminals. She's also introduced a bill limiting gun magazines to ten bullets. "If you limit the size of magazines, you limit the number of shots someone can get off rapidly before changing clips," said Burdick. President Clinton passed a similar federal law limiting bullets in 1994, but it expired 10 years later. The shootings in Clackamas and Connecticut have people on both sides of the gun control debate fired up. "Obviously this rush has to do with what happened in the mall and the school. People have fear that the weapons they want will soon be more difficult to acquire," said gun owner Ray Hettwer. "I think you're going to see people, including gun owners, get engaged to end this madness," said Sen. Burdick. In the meantime, it appears guns and ammo of all kinds will be flying off the shelves.
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Post by sharon on Dec 17, 2012 19:37:32 GMT 9.5
Shaking my head in disbelief!!!
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Post by robspace on Dec 18, 2012 12:56:42 GMT 9.5
Hey Sharon, I live 10 miles from Portland. It's always been a very left wing, hippy city, that has little violence for it's size. So, you can imagine if the pro gun people here are getting nervous about losing the right to pack these killing machines, you can only imagine what the rush on guns is back East, and in all the major cities like Detroit and Chicago, where people die everyday on the streets and it's just another day. Sure, we need more of these things right? Man, if I didn't have my family members living here and in close contact with me, I'd be packing it in and move to Panama, Belize, Costa Rica, or one of the other South America countries. Maybe even Spain or US Virgin Islands. Social Security will mail my check to me anywhere in the world. I'm happy my side won the election, but this sensless killing may take years to stop. Until we take the money that's spent on wars and building more prisons, and go back to funding mental health facilities, this won't end. The ban on certain weapons and ammo clips is a major part, but it needs to be combined with the root problem. Unstable people getting their hands on weapons. A person with anger problems or bi-polar, should never be able to get a gun, knife or have access to anything dangerous to others. They should not be allowed to buy things like chain saws or hunting gear of any kind. It's really not that much to ask of a society when their losing their young, beautiful children to these sick dogs.
If it was up to me, there would be no guns of any kind in any home. None. And if a person wants to hunt, they need to go to some State Gun Store, like a gun library, and check their gun out from some guy behind the counter who takes down name, time, gun type, car license etc. In other words, let people go hunting, but the guns stay with a gun monitor. This way a clerk can make sure the person wanting the rifle or pistol, is neither drunk, angry or wanting to do anything but hunt 4 legged animals. Sure, criminals will get guns still, but when they get stopped and guns are found, we lock them up for 3 or 4 years and destroy the guns. After people go to prison and ruin their lives, they won't be getting many guns anymore. Sure, they can still stab or strangle their wives, but, it takes much longer and it takes some planning. Guns are fast. Any drunk can lose it, grab the thing and fire. Way too easy.
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Post by thelion on Dec 19, 2012 22:30:28 GMT 9.5
Lets see 1.8 seconds to change a magazine, that is what I was timed many years ago between the last shot fired in one magazine, drop and change to the first shot in the new magazine. I was on line teaching several police advanced shooting on a Darwin Pistol range.
Now I know people that are faster than me. so 10 shot magazines so what, I was using a 7 shot, semi auto, as for revolvers two and a half seconds with a speed loader, with training is not unheard of! Sustained shooting with a 12 gauge side by side shotgun can be faster than a Pump action or Auto if one takes in reloading over say 20 shots.
First we need to see a constitutional change remove the right to bear arms, make it a privelidge! I enjoy shooting but commonsense says that what is happening in the US is unsustainable and evil!
Another problem is that with so many million guns in the US unaccounted for makes it a serious problem.
For those that argue that they had guns in the west, Wyatt Earp had "no carry" ordinances in towns that he was Marshall in. This is NOT a new problem. If Alcohol can be banned then firearms can be as well! Change the second amendment!
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Post by robspace on Dec 20, 2012 7:24:33 GMT 9.5
If not an all out ban, then make it so hard to get any gun that only the most deidated hunters will own one. We could allow a single homeowner to own one handgun for protection, but only after many hours of training and a yearly phsical and mental health checkup. The guy that did this killing got the guns from his mother, then killed her with them. So, how much good did they do her and she had the AR 15 and others. And yet, some idiots are wanting the teachers armed to defend the kids. Their answer is MORE guns. Such fools!
I have always felt that many people that own guns do so out of fear. They live in fear and worry about the government coming for them.
Real hunters don't fall into this group, but many people that own these killing machine type guns do, and they live life in fear. This is the David Koresh type that digs in and waits for The End. Nice way to live. I think once they buy these things, they then buy into all the rest of the NRA conspiracy theory about the Feds coming for their guns. Well, maybe it's time we did. At least get the ones that are doing all the evil slaughtering all over the country.
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Post by parkerdivine on Dec 21, 2012 23:01:52 GMT 9.5
While the media is sensationalizing the sales, they aren't showing the protests and the calls for gun regulations. Even the NRA is scared of THIS backlash.
Build the federal mental health facilities Reagan tore down, and keep a constant monitoring of hate groups that raise fearful children who are mentally deranged, and STOP the sale of assault weapons, semi-automatic and automatic.
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