Tone Deaf Pro-Gun Rally Coming to Columbus Just in Time for MLK Day!

More death throws of the white chauvinist male, and increasingly defunct, demographic. And It’s another opportunity for repulicans to say and do stupid things. Can’t wait.

You meant throes. I know reasonable men and woman who carry weapons. That fact invalidates your position.

I had no idea Jon could speak for MLK, but I’m sure Martin would argue that the movement he fought for was bigger than just him. The value that gun owners should not be vilified for our position in sweeping statements is one position I think he would support — but I cannot speak for the man.

I’m open to other opinions on guns. If you read Plunderbund for any amount of time you will realize we are a mix of gun owners and non gun owners.

I support a right to have guns, but realize there are limits to those rights. Carrying an AR-15 around while shopping or assembling to exercise your freedom of speech are cases where I think it not particularly helpful.

I’m fully aware there are reasonable, likable people on the other side of the political spectrum. I just wish they’d keep the lunatics in check more often.

I do think you seriously misconstrue what MLK stood for and how he did it.

I am responding to your article which is sans reasonable tone. I found your article because I searched for news regarding the event. You were hoping for a reaction with this content, and you received a reasonable one (much to your chagrin it appears). Backtracking or undercutting the content of your article in comments does not a reasonable article and full position make. If you have a position beyond this article, perhaps modifications should be made. Please explain how I misconstrue MLK’s positions? Putting words into a statement is not an argument.

I’m not sure how you come to this conclusion. Your reasonable tone is appreciated and has been as far as I can tell returned. I write to inform, not provoke. Reaction is fine and I do like a lively comment section.

I’ve not backtracked a bit. I think it’s politically tone deaf, self-defeating ultimately, to have a gun rally on the weekend that is dedicated to celebrating a man who not only preached non-violence but practiced it.

I don’t need to remind you that he was shot and killed with a rifle, right?

You misconstrue King’s positions by inferring that his struggle was about proving that a “minority of lunatics does not an entire group make”. It was nothing of the sort.

Thus far your position that this is the perfect time to march down to the statehouse with semi-automatic assault weapons is not at all convincing.

Obviously the organizers of this event are concerned about perception as they are asking people NOT to wear camo, etc.

My position was, and remains that the timing of this event is both ironic and a sad juxtaposition against the backdrop of a celebration for an American Icon who used non-violence for social change. Your comments have done nothing to assert otherwise.

It’s all there, black and white, clear as crystal. Good day, sir!

So many problems here. 1. Would you say that a New Black Panther Party poll watcher with a machine gun is a peaceful act so long as no shots were fired? I’d argue it’s militant and I wouldn’t support it. It’s disingenuous to argue it’s peaceful when the underlying tone is to flaunt an ability to carry around devices that were designed to kill people.

2. Yes and no. There was a time when many in the civil rights movement did have weapons for self protection. The King home was famously guarded after it was bombed. Some called it an arsenal. Later, he gave this up, knowing that no amount of weaponry could keep him safe. See my earlier references to this change of heart in my other comment. I’d love to see some kind of citation for your claim that MLK supported the NRA in order to arm blacks.

Last problem with your statement is the over-simplistic claim that the KKK was a “left-wing group started by the democrat party”. Firstly, it ignores any historical context that the democrats who started the KKK were conservatives. Yesterday’s Ds and Rs are a far cry from today’s. Not your father’s [party], as it were. The Klan were against Republicans at the time, who were in fact quite liberal. So one could say the modern day Republican Party (very conservative) are descendants of the old Southern Democrat Party.

Thank you, I will be there without my AR per this discussion. I want you to know this argument had an effect, I was previously planning on carrying it…so thanks!

So funny you would say that. I was just coming back here to let you know that you were right. I was being overly dismissive of a point of view – which happened to be yours. Political rhetoric has that effect on us I think. I also took a lot away from this discussion. Thanks for that.

A true win in this debate is understanding one another, not “winning”. As always the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

Again, thanks for engaging – especially in the way you did. It had an effect on me.

I wonder what would happen if members of the Black Panther Party were to show up with weapons, like they often did in the 1960s.

http://depts.washington.edu/labpics/repository/v/BPP/wsa/black_20panthers_1969.jpg.html

brnhut, you are certainly correct that not all gun-owners are second-class citizens and so forth, but it is not a stereotype to say that you and your co-protestors are taking the mantle of victim because the President and his crew want to restrict access to such things as high capacity magazines and assault style weapons. Yes, yes, I know that many guns are of the semi-automatic type and that banning such weapons as the AR-15 is just a ridiculous gesture. I also know there are reasonable and likable people on either side of this position, but the obvious claim that gun control laws make victims of gun owners, which is the unstated point of this event, makes your claims absurd. Do you want to appear as a victim? If not, stay home.

Your a moron. A) No one is bringing their assualt rifles to the state capitals because you are not allowed (in most states) to open carry such weapons and concealing it would be harder. B) How come when pro 2nd amendment citizens rally, we are tone deaf but you make no mention of the anti constitution rallies scheduled on Monday… Martin Luther King DAY. People have the right to assemble which is also in the constitution (which you most likely never read) and if we sit back quiet, more of our rights will be stripped. I thank you for the 90 seconds it took you to write this terrible article; thankfully we now have the internet because otherwise, I would have never been able to read your 5th grade level writing abilities.

Tone deaf? Didn’t realize they had to have majority support. Guess what Rosa Parks was gone deaf as well, but she was right.

So you disagree with the right to self defense.

“Because nothing says peaceful demonstration like walking around downtown Columbus with an assault weapon strapped to your back.”

Yes, because peacefully walking around while carrying an inanimate object is SUCH a threat. This site is a joke. If you’ve never noticed in your life, the majority of Ohioans are very much in favor of the Constitution and especially the Second Amendment. If that offends your delicate sensibilities, then perhaps you should consider moving to a less Constitution friendly state such as New York? I hear they just instated yet more punishments for law abiding gun owners while still doing nothing about criminals – it sounds exactly like the type of place that you’d enjoy.

“I support a right to have guns, but realize there are limits to those rights. ”

You mean the part of the Second Amendment where it says “the right of the people, to keep and bear arms, shall be subject to whatever restrictions people who are against guns deem to be reasonable”? Oh wait, that’s not in there…it says “the right of the people, to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed”. Huh.

“I just wish they’d keep the lunatics in check more often.”

Those “lunatics” you are referring to are 100% law abiding people. Just because you don’t like their opinion doesn’t make them a lunatic, it just makes you a jerk for calling them lunatics because you don’t like their personal opinions.

1. No one is trying to take your guns, dude. Relax.

2. The second amendment also says “well regulated”.

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From my perspective that would be a terrific idea.

For the record, there is no U.S. Constitutional “right” to vote. Voting rights and procedures are largely a matter of state laws and rules. Since you don’t know what you are blabbering about perhaps your right to vote should be suspended. Maybe you can get a grade-school teacher to read the U.S. Constitution to you. There are some big words in it you might not understand.

Anyway, I never suggested what you brought up and only pointed out what phonies the gun-fops with their “camo” and big bad faux army guns are, for the most part, weak-minded fellas with huge inferiority complexes who try to compensate for their inefficiencies by buying and brandishing a big gun to compensate for what Mother Nature did not give them.

Yes, you are trying to take my guns by wanting to ban things purely because you find their cosmetic appearance to be “scary”. You have no grounds for banning them because they are “dangerous” since rifles of ANY sort are the LEAST used weapon when committing a murder. Per the FBI, only 2.75% of murders were committed using ANY type of rifle (scary looking or otherwise), yet almost 6% of murders were committed just by punching / kicking someone to death.

If you bothered to do a bit of research, you’d know that in the 18th century the word “regulated” had nothing to do with government control – it meant “functioning”. Ergo, a well functioning militia (meaning the people of the US), being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED.

“You” personally might not, but some of your friends (like the author of this post) are as well as many Democrats. When we’ve had multiple Democrat controlled state governments openly talk about confiscating guns, how can you seriously try to claim that no one wants to confiscate guns?

Also, why are people so scared of open carrying? I don’t get the gun owners who are afraid of seeing another person carrying a gun.

When did I mention Ohio? I said “multiple Democrat controlled state governments”. I know for certain that Connecticut and New York have both mentioned confiscations. I believe Maryland has mentioned something about it as well

Kasich may have voted for a ban previously, but as Governor he’s been very pro-gun. After the incident in Newtown many liberals urged him to not sign HB 495 into law and he responded by telling them that he wouldn’t delay it and signed it the next day.

I’m still not sure why you’re mentioning Ohio though when I was explicitly referring to state governments with a Democrat governor and Democrat majority in both houses, such as NY.

LOL thats my motto. “you first”. They spend fortunes militarizing the police. Homeland security has an enormous budget. Telling us we are under imminent threat from an ominous hidden enemy. Oh by the way what do you need those guns for? lol a tightrope walk. be scared but not enough to defend yourself

I mention Ohio because we are an Ohio-focused political blog and this story was about an Ohio event.

Also worth mentioning: Ohio is not New York.

But even in NY State, the loudest voice for gun control is NYC Mayor Bloomberg, who was elected as a Republican. And any laws that will get passed must get passed the Republican-controlled State Senate.

I’d be interested to see any actual evidence you have of someone in Ohio or any state calling for confiscating guns.

Even the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban didn’t confiscate weapons or even BAN them. It just affected weapons manufactured for the ten year period defined in the bill.

The most likely thing we’ll see coming out of the recent round of calls for more gun regulation will be additional background checks, not bans on guns.

And I’m all for that.

The author of this post is also not trying to take your guns.

First, there were events relative to MLK all weekend.

Second, I would indeed know the difference and I said assault rifle, not gun. I’ve fired them as well as various other weapons up to and including an M1A1.

Third, I mention Hitler signs because organizers of the event (not me) mentioned them in telling participants not to bring any.