Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

If marriage is the equivalent of selling yourself into slavery, women with self respect should reject the offer.

It’s pointless to bring up problems that can only be solved with a time machine.

Do not shrug your shoulders and accept the normalization of untruths.

Relentless negativity is not a sign that you are more realistic.

Republicans: slavery is when you own me. freedom is when I own you.

I conferred with the team and they all agree – still not tired of winning!

Nikki Haley, who can’t acknowledge ‘slavery’, is a pathetic shill.

“The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.”

Never entrust democracy to any process that requires Republicans to act in good faith.

My years-long effort to drive family and friends away has really paid off this year.

A snarling mass of vitriolic jackals

Chutkan laughs. Lauro sits back down.

If senate republicans had any shame, they’d die of it.

Nothing says ‘pro-life’ like letting children go hungry.

Balloon Juice has never been a refuge for the linguistically delicate.

“Cheese and Kraken paired together for the appetizer trial.”

Oh FFS you might as well trust a 6-year-old with a flamethrower.

Optimism opens the door to great things.

They traffic in fear. it is their only currency. if we are fearful, they are winning.

The arc of history bends toward the same old fuckery.

Nothing worth doing is easy.

The willow is too close to the house.

Republicans want to make it harder to vote and easier for them to cheat.

Battle won, war still ongoing.

You are here: Home / Gun Issues / Open Thread: Biden Live on Gun Violence

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44Comments

  1. 1.

    cain

    CRY HARDER – GUN NUTS!!

    ETA – honestly what does one have to do out here, to get #2 ?

  2. 2.

    New Deal democrat

    I just want to point out that the Second Amendment nowhere mentions nor provides any rights to “keep or bear” *ammunition* as opposed to “arms.”

    Ammunition had its own well-understood meaning in 1789, and the writers of the Bill of Rights could have included ammunition had they chosen.

    Thus, under any definition of “originalism,” there is no impediment whatsoever to the federal government or the state’s regulating or even banning the manufacture or sale of types or amounts of ammunition. Presumably ammunition wasn’t included in 1789 because at that time you made your own by melting lead. But under the doctrine of originalism, interpreting the Constitution literally, that is no excuse.

  5. 5.

    Immanentize

    The Heller case (2nd amendment SCOTUS) held only that a government cannot BAN the possession of a gun, including a hand gun, kept at home, that is immediately accessable for personal safety.

    Licensing? Regulation?  Registration? Banning certain weapons? Requiring insurance?  All and each OK.

  7. 7.

    Leto

    @Immanentize:  Put Joe Manchin on it. He has a sterling record on getting this type of legislation passed, in a bi-partisan manner. Just the man for the moment.

  9. 9.

    SiubhanDuinne

    Different topic: I’ve had the Chauvin murder trial on in the background (except for the Rose Garden event) and the medical expert the prosecution has had on is plain flat-out the best witness I’ve ever seen. He’s an incredibly well-credentialed and experienced pulmonologist who *literally* wrote the book on breathing. He’s an Irishman with a charming brogue, and his statements and explanations are so clear that a second-grader could readily understand them. He’s just wonderful.

    The judge just called for lunch break a few minutes ago; they’re due back in court at 2:30 EDT. Cannot wait to see what Dr. Tobin does to the defence in cross examination later today.

  10. 10.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @New Deal democrat: Ive been using Originalism to troll gun humpers;
    “Where is the bump stock and magazine for that AR-15 like the Founding Fathers had in mind when they wrote the Second Amendment in the 1780s”

    “As it says in the Federalist Papers “The only thing that can stop a bad man with a gun is an even crazier man with even more guns”, go look it up”

    “The Founding Fathers had to deal with Indians, British Invasions and Andrew Jackson, they knew people needed to defend themselves.”

    And seriously, why the fuck is gun control even an issue that needs to be debated now?  There is no excuse for all these assault rifles beyond guys who brains melted from too much Call of Duty.

  11. 11.

    germy

    JUST IN: via @PaulaReidCNN in the courtroom in Orlando. Joel Greenberg- an associate of Rep. Matt Gaetz is likely to take a plea in his case.

    A deal would put pressure Gaetz, as Greenberg would have to share what he knows about his friend and associate

    — Ryan Nobles (@ryanobles) April 8, 2021

  17. 17.

    Ken

    @Amir Khalid: I forget the author — it might have been Dave Barry in one of his “Year in Review” recaps — who described the defense in the Rodney King case as a (successful) attempt to convince the jury that the film of King being beaten by police was, in fact, a series of tableaux, none of which showed any actual blows being struck.

  18. 18.

    Martin

    @New Deal democrat: ‘Originalism’ is a complete bullshit legal theory. All it means is ‘the founders has a cool system of white supremacy so we’ll vote in whatever way we want to preserve that’.

    Witness Thomas arguing the originalist viewpoint that Twitter should be considered a common carrier as Madison intended. The founders had no concept of a common carrier, let alone social media.

  19. 19.

    Martin

    @germy: Interesting. Now that Greenberg is out of power, they will deal on the scale of his crimes to take down likely lesser offenders that are still in power and have greater capacity to do harm.

  20. 20.

    japa21

    @SiubhanDuinne: ​
      Mrs. Japa has been watching and is in awe. As far as she is concerned this not only nails Chauvin but also the officer that was next to him in restraining Floyd. Of course, it only takes one juror, but that juror would have a hard time justifying his or her vote for acquittal.
    The prosecution has done a remarkable job in this case.

  21. 21.

    Delk

    Eric M Lipman another republican pedo arrested. General counsel for the Florida elections commission.

  22. 22.

    Roger Moore

    @Enhanced Voting Techniques: ​
     

    And seriously, why the fuck is gun control even an issue that needs to be debated now?

    Because there are a lot of racist white people doomsday preppers who are terrified of demographic change the zombie apocalypse and think having the weapons to kill as many minorities zombies as possible will make them feel safer.

  23. 23.

    mrmoshpotato

    @cain:

    ETA – honestly what does one have to do out here, to get #2 ? 

    A joint resolution passed by 2/3 of the House and Senate and ratified by 38 state legislatures.

    That’s how you get Capone the 2nd amendment.

  24. 24.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @japa21:

    The prosecution has done a remarkable job in this case.

    They have It has indeed.

    (Edited for grammatical agreement.)

  25. 25.

    mrmoshpotato

    @germy:

    A deal would put me n pressure Gaetz, as Greenberg would have to share what he knows about his friend and associate, Rethuglican, alleged kiddie fucker, Matt Gaetz.

    Edited for completeness.

  26. 26.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Delk:

    [Lipman] also served as an officer with the Capital Soccer Association, a nonprofit soccer league for boys and girls ages 4 to 17, according to Florida corporate filings.

    Jesus.

  28. 28.

    sdhays

    From TPM – Investigators Just Obtained Boxes Of Evidence On Weisselbergs And Trump Org In Criminal Probe:

    Investigators from the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office obtained financial records on Thursday from Jennifer Weisselberg, the former daughter-in-law of the Trump Organization’s chief financial officer.

    …

    Investigators have examined whether Allen Weisselberg or his son received untaxed benefits from their work with the Trump Organization. Jennifer Weisselberg has previously said that she and her ex-husband were permitted to live rent-free in a luxury Manhattan apartment provided by the Trump Organization.

    She told the New Yorker in a report last month that when when employed for the Trump Organization, “only a small part of your salary is reported.”

  31. 31.

    J R in WV

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    [Lipman] also served as an officer with the Capital Soccer Association, a nonprofit soccer league for boys and girls ages 4 to 17, according to Florida corporate filings.

    Jesus.

    Before he began work for the Election Commision… “he worked as a senior attorney with the Florida Department of Children and Families in Leon, Wakulla and Franklin counties.” according to the story about his arrest.

    Imagine the opportunities that came his way in THAT job!!!

    ETA:

    Exactly what proportion of the GQP org are pedophiles now? Seems competitive with Boy Scouts  and church youth ministers by now! Both of which groups appear to have bypassed the Catholic priest group.

  32. 32.

    Another Scott

    @New Deal democrat:

    Yup.

    There’s also bits of history like the Colonial Williamsburg VA Magazine:

    […]

    Built by Governor Spotswood to protect colony’s arms and munitions

    In 1714, the General Assembly had asked Governor Alexander Spotswood to build “a good substantial house of brick” precisely to protect the colony’s arms and munitions. The occasion was the shipment of powder and muskets from Queen Anne’s government in England. The city’s 17th-century magazine, if it still stood, seems to have been inadequate. Spotswood was authorized to spend £200 from taxes collected on the import of liquor and slaves.

    In 1715, he had erected a tall octagonal tower admired by a visitor, Sir William Keith, as “an elegant safe Magazine, in the Centre of Williamsburgh.” Spotswood also designed Bruton Parish Church and landscaped the Governor’s Palace.

    Spotswood’s Magazine safeguarded shot, powder, flints, tents, tools, swords, pikes, canteens, cooking utensils, and as many as 3,000 Brown Bess flintlocks – equipment needed for defense against Indians, slave revolts, local riots, and pirate raids. Its first keeper was John Brush, builder of the Brush-Everard House.

    So many munitions arrived from 1754 to 1763 in the course of the French and Indian War that the additions of a high perimeter wall and Guardhouse were necessary. But with the departure of the government for Richmond during the Revolution, the Magazine saw less service as a powder horn, as it was sometimes called.

    […]

    The idea that the history of arms in America and that the Second Amendment has always been uniformly understood and perfectly clear and unchanging and obviously applying to individuals is nonsense. If the Founders locked up their guns and ammunition in a central armory/magazine and not in their homes, then maybe the Second Amendment doesn’t apply to individuals. Maybe it applies to a “well-regulated militia” as it actually says in the text…

    (sigh)

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  33. 33.

    Kayla Rudbek

    And off topic: I just got an email that one of my good friends from college died last month of an aortic aneurysm.  Zoom funeral service this weekend due to COVID-19.

  35. 35.

    Another Scott

    @mrmoshpotato: Or, you make it irrelevant.  (When have people invoked the 3rd Amendment??)

    Joint resolution to reform the courts, add circuits, and expand the SCOTUS in proportion to give 15 Justices.  Biden and then Harris appoint justices to give the court a sensible tilt to revisit Heller v DC and make it clear that the 2nd Amendment applies to militias (meaning the National Guard under control of the Governors), not individuals.

    And it only takes a handful of votes to make that happen.  We need to fight for every seat that votes on legislation like this.  There should be no “safe” Teabagger seats.  Make them fight to stay in office, and do everything possible to make them lose.

    tl;dr – It doesn’t take removing the 2nd Amendment, it takes correct interpretation of the 2nd Amendment.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  36. 36.

    trollhattan

    @Delk:

    It’s pretty clear by now that all the Florida wimminfolk either need to leave, stat, or get themselves a personal protection gator.

  38. 38.

    Ruckus

    @New Deal democrat:

    Remember that when the 2nd was written no one actually bought ammunition as we know it. One loaded powder, a wad and a musket ball, one shot at a time. 99.9% of guns and ammo like today didn’t exist as anything more than a dream at best/worst.

  39. 39.

    Ruckus

    @Another Scott:

    Laws mean what the written word says?
    That’s blasphemy!

    They mean whatever the person breaking them wants them to mean, that’s just common sense, I mean what else could it possibly mean?

  40. 40.

    Rommie

    @Another Scott: That’s why they have all the guns – to put down any attempt to do such a thing in rivers of blood.  They aren’t going to stand idly by and let Socialist Traitors lock them out of Federal Power for decades.

    Sadly, that’s only about 2/3 snark.

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