LIFE'S BETTER IN THE MOUNTAINS

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Sorry, I Can't Make It



I have missed a lot of opportunities offered by the Asheville Tea Party PAC.  I missed the September 29 "Machine Gun Social."  This fund raiser offered the opportunity for interested people to pay for the privilege of shooting assault weapons here in Transylvania County.  For a contribution of only $25 dollars, participants could shoot a 30-round clip from an UZI.  If you ponied up $35, you could shoot a 30-round clip with an AK47.  A contribution of $50 put you behind the stock of an M16 loaded with a 30-round clip.







On December 20 (the week following the Sandy Hook school shootings), the Asheville Tea Party PAC held a gun raffle for an assault weapon similar to the one used in the school attack.  It included a carrying case and two 30-round ammunition clips.

Saturday, January 19, 2013 has been declared "Gun Appreciation Day" and all citizens are encouraged to patronize local gun shops and gun shows and buy a gun and ammunition.  The Asheville PAC will again hold a gun raffle and is celebrating the day at a shooting range here in Brevard.  It is of note that apparently an American flag will send a message to Congress.  An American flag?  That is a symbol of support for ownership of assault rifles with 30-round magazines?  Really?




Once again the social will include a raffle, this time for two weapons with 30-round magazines.  The Asheville Tea Party makes no apology for providing these weapons so soon after the Newtown massacre.  Chairwoman Jane Bilello says that gun-free zones and gun control "don't work."  She further added that "One reason we are doing this is those kids were sitting ducks.  No one was there to meet him with deadly force and he shot his way in the school."

Once again, Tea Party I must decline your invitation to the gun social.  Yes, I do indeed support the Constitution.  And that definitely includes the Second Amendment.  But I do not believe there is any reason for anyone to be able to own a weapon that will shoot thirty rounds of ammunition in fewer than 30 seconds.  And I don't want our teachers packing heat either.

[NOTE:  I did not label this post as "politics."  I do not understand how this issue became "political."  Well, unless you look at the tremendous contributions the National Rifle Association and weapons manufacturers gave to one political party and their PACs.]


15 comments:

Wayfarin' Stranger said...

This is really sad. How did these minds become so twisted? No amount of adrenaline released through firing a high-capacity clip in the shortest possible time can justify the death of just one child. While I do not fault sport hunters, even that pastime doesn't justify the death of a child. Come on folks, let's get our priorities straight!

Carolina Linthead said...

Thank you, dear friend, for abstaining, courteously! Wayfarin', if I may, they became so twisted because a small, vocal minority of rabid pro-gun lobbyists and their billionaire backers have thus far been successful into scaring them into this position. I have seen this happen in my lifetime. Look, when criminals were shooting up cops with Tommy guns, the federal government stepped in, in a very clever way. They put a stamp tax on Tommy guns, and then refused to print stamps, therefore there was no civilian market for Tommy guns. No, that didn't stop people from robbing National Guard armories, etc., but it did slow the flow of high-cap weapons to criminals! So there is precedence, both in that case and in the case of the more recent ban on high-cap magazines, etc. Honestly, it seems these days that a significant percentage of Americans think they are characters in some blockbuster movie and need high-cap weapons for the inevitable invasion of...whatever. It blows my mind at the sheer callousness of the mouthpieces of this "movement," and that is not easy. Ugh...sorry, NC...this has been weighing heavily on my mind of late, as my latest post reveals.

troutbirder said...

It's sad. And there sick. That's all.

Rudee said...

Oy. It's such a sad commentary on what we have become. When did the right to bear arms supersede the right to live? We had nearly 400 murders in the city of Detroit last year. It's despicable that it's so easy to get weapons of these sorts. These people have no compassion for the 20 young lives lost whose small bodies were RIDDLED with bullets.

Frankly, it makes me want to puke. Time to go give the Brady campaign more of my money. I wish I could send it for something else, but in my mind, no need is more pressing than to change our gun laws.

KB said...

I didn't know that it was possible - but you seem to live in a more gun crazed area than I do. The Tea Party is absolutely unbelievable. Raffles for semi-automatic assault weapons? I don't understand why anyone could legitimately need such a weapon.

My husband wondered aloud if NRA members pack heat to their meetings. Then he said that, if someone were to start shooting, everyone would pull out their guns, and no one would know who the good guys and who the bad guys were.

Good point, I thought. It especially applies to the argument that allowing concealed weapons everywhere will somehow reduce gun violence. Did you know that everyone, even students, are now allowed to carry concealed weapons to Colorado universities? Crazy.

wildcatwoods said...

Boy this was enlightening - I did no know so many had desires for semi-automatic assault weapons!

Carolina Mts

Anonymous said...

I read a very interesting article the other day that helped me understand the history of the 2nd amendment. Here's a link. It's very illuminating and helps contextualize the issue in its history.
http://truth-out.org/news/item/13890-the-second-amendment-was-ratified-to-preserve-slavery

Dawn Fine said...

I agree with you! Lunacy it is!

Janet, The Queen of Seaford said...

Guess it was hard to stay away. I am really at a loss as to what the need to have multiple round semi or fully automatic guns might be. And the fear mongering that the country is being taken over by a dictator... augghhh.
think you should label this post under 'business' or 'lobbying'

Vicki Lane said...

Truly tasteless folks. No, the issue shouldn't be political -- neither should religious issues like prayer and marriage.

Good post.

Folkways Note Book said...

Your post shows the hypocrisy of the far right (ah ah) gun slingers. This is all about profit by non-compassionate people or should I say again -- gun slingers. -- barbara

NCmountainwoman said...

Thanks for your comments, everyone. I must admit that I look more carefully at everyone on the trails in the National Forests. It is now legal to carry firearms there.

Jayne said...

You speak for many of us my friend. It simply boggles my mind how talking about keeping military weapons off our streets somehow translates to people's handguns being stripped from them.

Joy said...
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Colleen said...

I happened onto this blog and am pleased to find that like-minded sane people live here! I'm so disturbed by the pro-gun rhetoric and NRA fear mongering in this country. The Tea Party folks act like rabid dogs. And the NRA has it's followers living in fear of some imaginary rogue government action and believing that they need assault weapons with high capacity magazines to protect themselves. People living in fear are highly susceptible to suggestion. If it weren't so very sick, and dangerous, it would be just sad.

Reading these comments is at least a small reassurance that there are still people who can think rationally and respect their fellow human beings. Thank you.