samedi 7 avril 2018

Went to a Town Hall Meeting on Gun Control.

I went to a March for our Lives Town Hall Meeting on gun control in Tacoma WA today.
http://calendar.thenewstribune.com/v...erf_id=2496706
https://www.facebook.com/marchforourlivestacoma/

It started out fine, even though it appeared to be an event put on by teenagers so that anti-gun politicians could get on their soap box and preach. Good to see that teenagers are taking an interest in politics before they can vote. Hopefully they learn enough to have an informed opinion later on.

There were about 70-80 people present, a dozen or so who were vocally not anti-gun. Two female students ran the event with Representatives Jinkins and Fey and Congressman Kilmer as their guests. The public was invited. Unlike other events I've seen advertised, they had the good sense to schedule it when ordinary working class people could attend without missing work.

It started out with the two students in front asking various questions of the legislators what they felt about universal bkgd checks, improving ATF/NICS, CDC research into gun violence and a magazine/AWB. The three guests were all in favor of these.

Kilmer went on to talk about how inappropriate military style weapons (whatever they are, he didn't say) were for the public. I don't think he was referring to pump action trench guns, bolt action sniper rifles and machine guns. He also gave his thoughts on how he felt those people on the no-fly list and terror watch lists should not be allowed to own a gun. He declined to answer questions relating to due process for putting names on the list or how a person like me would get their name removed if I was unlucky enough to find myself on it.

Representative Jinkins admitted that the WA bump stock ban was merely symbolic. Had I the chance to talk about it I would have said it was stupid to waste time on it. She also mentioned the AWB that the WA Senate tried to pass three times in eight years. It seems she forgot that one co-sponsor (Kohl-Welles) didn't read the bill, another (Murray) admitted the searches of gun owner homes might be illegal and the prime sponsor (Kline) kept the illegal search in the bill after he claimed to have removed it.

The smart gun tech was also brought up. But no one mentioned the mess New Jersey made of their law by allowing the police to be exempt and requiring that all handguns be equipped with the “smart tech” after a certain date determined by their AG; something that virtually ensured smart guns would not be adopted there.

The low point of the meeting was when people were allowed to ask questions. A little girl went around with a microphone to those who stood up. Instead of asking questions, three people got on their soapbox and preached for several minutes despite requests to simply ask a question. I was embarrassed to hear their rants. They should have asked their question and sat down instead. I was able to ask my question, but it went unanswered as some others did.

Later on when the questions were being answered in turned, two of the pro-gun people again stood up and lectured the group. When they were told their time was up, they left, not quietly. If there was anything else they could have done better to convince the public that gun owners are jerks, I don't know what it could have been. If a person is going to make an ass of themselves, they need to stick around so they can defend themselves later.

After the event ended I was able to get a minute to talk to the two girls that ran the meeting. I recommended that they learn more about guns and gun culture. That way when a person tries to tell them that certain guns are banned in WA or the USA (they're not), that a ten round mag is high capacity (it's rather low) or that “military weapons, whatever they are” are not suitable for sporting use, they will know if they're being snowed or not.


via International Skeptics Forum https://ift.tt/2JrZzdN

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