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I want to apologize in public to Jim Longley for my last rant. I let the issue get personal and I went too far in my response to his posts. When I call for cool heads and then lose mine I guess that makes me a hypocrite. I plead guilty and it won't happen again. Sorry Jim.

Sorry for the rant, Longtooth. I was accused of something and I was just defending myself. But your point is well taken - we all need to remember- me included - to keep it civil and on topic. Frankly, I'm a little tired of the subject and probably won't have anything more to say about it anyway.

Jim Longley wrote: Awareness is preparedness.

Oh, please Jim, don't whim out on me like that. You got my attention, dude - I thought you had some novel approach to the issues I wasn't aware of. "Awareness is preparedness"?? Is that all you got? I'm disappointed. I guess I'm "prepared" then. I'm aware of the issues or I wouldn't even be posting on this forum. I'm aware of the issues or I wouldn't own four handguns or have applied for a CHL. I'm a retired police officer, I worked on the Houston waterfront at night. That's not exactly a "head in the sand" kind of job you know. I've repeatably advocated vigilance, being alert, keeping up with the issues, and still you accuse me of being "complacent"! According to your definition, I'm just as "prepared" as you are. "Awareness is preparedness"? Sounds good in a post signature, but I'm beginning to think it's just bull.

I was starting to think that I had ridden this horse long enough and I was just going to drop it and move on. But with all the pot shots you guys are taking at each other I have to admit this is getting interesting and amusing. It's always been good advice not to talk about religion and politics in bars; maybe that should be the policy at shooting ranges too. LOL

Jim Longley wrote: I see a lot of reason to be prepared for some kind of sneak attack.

How are you preparing for the sneak attack? What are you doing? Just curious.

Jim Longley wrote: And a couple of years ago the economy showed an upward trend, are you saying that trends don't change?
Well, duh, of course trends change -they have and they do. When they change I'll deal with them in whatever manner is appropriate at the time. If the government ever seriously tried to prevent gun ownership in this country I'll be there with all the rest of you protesting. But until them I'm not going to work myself up into a lather worrying about something that will probably never happen. That is really all I was trying to say in my original post. Obama can't eliminate gun rights on his own, it would take an act of Congress to even try to do that. Then there is the Supreme Court to deal with and I don't believe this conservative court would ever approve a violation of the 2nd amendment like that - unless Congress is willing to re-write the Constitution - and I don't see any interest in doing that at all. Vigilance is fine, staying alert is fine, but hysteria is irrational and impractical. Keeping a cool head, not listening to hearsay and rumor and slanted propaganda makes more sense to me. I'm a very pro-gun guy, but I'm also a very level headed and methodical kind of guy. That is all I was ever trying to say when I started this thread. If some people got the wrong impression, well, sorry bout that.

Here's a link to a Christian Science Monitor article dated yesterday that should calm some folks down. The article makes the point that the trend in America today is toward more gun rights and freedom, not less. It's an interesting article..

http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0413/p02s01-ussc.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
(this may not post as a link so you might have to copy and paste it into your browser to open the article)

I'm not naive or complacent. What does MSM mean and where is this anti-gun blitz? I want to learn more about it. I'm not hard headed either. If evidence warrants it I can change my mind. Educate me.

Nitrogen said: While I agree (and I actually like that Obama guy a bit more than is healthy [abbreviated profanity deleted] me to admit here) I also agree with folks that we have to keep our guard up.

While I strongly support the 2nd amendment, I also strongly support the 1st amendment. If it ever gets to the point that it is not "healthy" to hold an opinion that may not agree with the majority, then this is not the forum for me. I will always offer my opinion on any given subject after I've given it some thought - the popularity of that opinion is of secondary importance.

This is just my opinion, but I don't think we have as much to fear from the Obama administration regarding a weapons ban as some people would like us to believe. I hear a lot of talk about Obama wanting to take away our guns. I just don't buy it. Here's a quote from a recent Newsweek article regarding the much feared weapons ban:
White House strategists have decided they can't afford to tangle with the National Rifle Association at a time when they're pushing other priorities, like economic renewal and health-care reform, say congressional officials who have raised the matter. (According to his office, Emanuel couldn't be reached for comment because he was observing the Passover holiday.) A White House official, who asked not to be identified discussing internal strategy, says, "There isn't support in Congress for such a ban at this time." Ben LaBolt, a White House spokesman, says, "The president supports the Second Amendment, respects the tradition of gun ownership in this country, and he believes we can take common-sense steps to keep our streets safe," pointing to $2 billion in new funding for state and local law enforcement in the stimulus package.

I'll take him at his word for now.