So we quarantine free speech but not guns?

Last time I shot off my mouth, no one died….

free speech is apparently less important than letting people running around with assault rifles

I definitely think gun ownership should be regulated much more tightly than it is now.

A mentally unstable woman in Florida recently shot her adult son to death when he took her to the shooting range. Why could she go to a shooting range? Why did she have a gun? His death does have a bit of Darwin Awards aspect to it, but still proper regulation should have prevented this.

Why was the Virginia Tech shooter able to get a gun?

The man that killed the women in the Health Club could not have killed so many before being stopped if he only had a knife.

Stricter regulation is not violating responsible people’s ability to own guns.

@Marina, my point is that protesters armed with bad hair and body odor were detained for expressing their 1st amendment rights, while protesters armed with guns were not. During and after the 2008 DNC, Obama did not comment on the hippies or decry their treatment but now he is making a statement in support of 2nd amendment rights and gun advocates.

Why do you suppose this is the case?

The gun lobby is much more powerful than a bunch of hippy peaceniks.

@kevbo, I wish I knew. Despite my tongue in cheek comment, I am not anti-guns – I am anti idiots with guns. I do know very responsible people who hunt on weekends or collect vintage guns like someone would collect vintage cars. I do think we need to have a tighter grip on who gets a gun – but where to draw the line and who decides who is capable of owning a gun?

But, on to the subject – I dislike when peaceful protesters get hurt. I would like to think we Arizonian’s are just better people and that we would have afforded those peaceful protesters the same protection we afforded the gun activists had they been here instead. But I honestly think that it was an issue with personal safety than anything. If an officer had the urge to make an example of someone (whether said officer was right or wrong in doing so), who do you think he would go after? The one who isn’t holding what could be that officers’ one way ticket off this planet. Was it right? Nope, but that is life. I sincerely hope that those officers involved in such a sad act, get legal action – they are a disgrace to those officers who have compassion for the people they serve.

What amazes me is that people are allowed to attend Obama appearances while openly displaying firearms.

Free speech? Fine.
Right to bear arms? Not in front of the President.

“Right to bear arms? Not in front of the President.”

Right to bear arms is right to bear arms.

@ChazMaz There’s places where guns are inappropriate. You can’t take weapons into a courthouse for example.

@kevbo I don’t know what to say. I agree it’s unreasonable.

Where to take a gun into, can be determined by the owner. His/her right also.
But outside, another story.

I can’t bring a gun to a concert, but I can to an event featuring the president? Lame.

@tinyfaery: No, actually. You can’t bring a gun to an event featuring the president. I think it’s covered in the Post article that kevbo linked; wherever the president is is considered federal land and guns are not allowed. Across the street or wherever the protesters are allowed is subject to whatver state’s laws apply.

@kevbo: I think openly carrying a firearm near one of these town hall meetings is both a first amendment and second amendment statement, even if that free speech is hate speech. Because let’s face it; it’s racism. It’s a thinly veiled way of threatening. These protesters, these rabble-rousers, these beck-ians and Limbaugh-ites have no productive contribution to make to the health care issue. They aren’t trying to help solve any problems. They feel pushed into a corner because their world is changing and they don’t like it one bit.

Why do we allow them to openly carry a firearm? Because it’s the law. I don’t like it. I don’t agree with it, but to disallow it would open a whole other can of worms.
Frankly, I like the nutjobs out in the open where I can see them.

Some more scary reading from the Southern Poverty Law Center…

that fellow was carrying the rifle at that particular gathering to make a point knowing ahead of time it was legal. Hard for me to believe he goes everywhere with it. I forget what town it was as I have not been looking at the news very regular, A city mayor got beat to within an inch of his life by a disturbed person outside with a length of pipe. Maybe that person was prohibited from having guns but he sure did a number on the mayor. Or maybe they were in a gun free zone…ouch.