Ronald Reagan & Gun Control

[WillBrink]

Reagan also signed the Mulford Act in California in 1967, saying that there was "no reason why on the street today a citizen should be carrying loaded weapons"

I get the lesser of two evils argument, but I still fail to see why he is placed on such a pedestal.

While he was the lesser of two evils, I consider him a wildly overrated POTUS.

[The_War_Wagon]

I'm watching Bush 41's funeral now - another globalist, but a WWII combat veteran, and a man who made his way in life APART from his family's wealth (UNLIKE the Kennedy clan...) - yet still signed the '89 weapons import ban. Yeah, the primaries generally leave us the lesser of 2 evils; Lord KNOWS Dukakis woulda been worse ("Punish a man for raping & killing my wife?! Geez... uhhh... uhmmm... [flips a coin]..."), but we get what we get in a Republic.

We got REALLY blessed right outta the gate... but then, Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Madison, Monroe, Franklin, et.al. didn't grow up reading "Tommy has TWO Mommies," and so forth. Letting unejumakayted masses - many of whom are voting themselves a RAISE via welfare - many more of whom aren't even legal citizens - dictate our nation's future, is something we can ONLY blame on ourselves, for allowing to happen. The Founding Fathers didn't set it up that way...

[Doc Safari]

Never trust a politician. EVER.

[sundance435]

It's hard for anyone to see Reagan without blinders, myself included. Supply-side economics (Reaganomics) has never been shown to work in the longer term, with the only long-term effect being huge deficits. However, could you imagine Walter Mondale facing down the Russkies? I wasn't even born yet, buy my historical understanding is that the USSR was a very real threat in the early 80's, probably more so than at any time other than the Missile Crisis. It was a combination of Gorbachev AND Reagan that led to the wall coming down, due in no small part to Reagan's own personality. Hard to say if the Cold War would've ended in '89 if someone else was in there. That, in conjunction with what he did to bring the military back from the brink of irrelevance (they're inextricably linked) can't be overlooked. The dude does get a pass on a lot of stuff, though, especially the explosion in deficits and the growth of the federal bureaucracy.

Let's face it, no politician has ever lost real points by being anti-machinegun. It's only within our small bubble where there's any condemnation. To the person that said a "30-30 is good enough for most", I would add the people that have a handgun in a closet after going to the range once, and together you're got at least 50% of the gun-owning public. I hate the NRA's constant fear mongering, because I think it's made them chicken little and has turned more serious gun owners apathetic and unable to see the real threats.

[lowprone]

And I’d also like to take a minute or discuss the left’s strategy, it’s basically ask for the moon but settle for a cloud. In this instance and in many others the left uses the “door in the face technique” to move their political opponents position (the spineless Republicans), so that they are always gaining ground and we are always losing ground, which ultimately shifts the so called Overton window (range of ideas which are acceptable to the public). This is why it’s so important to go on the offensive, but Paul Ryan really screwed us over the past 2 years. Playing defense will only lead to further shifts away from RKBA. Democrats understand this (perhaps instinctively) but elected Republicans seem to be clueless (or complicit)*****************************************************************

We are forever 1 step forward and 2 steps back, : com.pro.mise \ 'kam-pra-,miz\ n: a settlement of differences reached by mutual concessions, 2 : to settle by
compromise

My explanation: to lose everything one step a a time to avoid losing everything all at once ! You still lose everything !

[SteyrAUG]

Reagan also signed the Mulford Act in California in 1967, saying that there was "no reason why on the street today a citizen should be carrying loaded weapons"

I get the lesser of two evils argument, but I still fail to see why he is placed on such a pedestal.

Not to justify it, but you know the problem was armed Black Panthers walking the streets intimidating people right? Now the solution SHOULD have been for the LAPD and the SFPD to arrest all of them but nobody was going to do that. So rather than address the ACTUAL problem of a armed racist group intimidating the populace, they decided to restrict a tool.

Also name a more "pro gun" President in the last 50 years.

[jsbhike]

WWII era folks who advanced to leadership got to see quite well what modern technology and a defenseless populace could do for their chosen lifestyle.

[jsbhike]

And I’d also like to take a minute or discuss the left’s strategy, it’s basically ask for the moon but settle for a cloud. In this instance and in many others the left uses the “door in the face technique” to move their political opponents position (the spineless Republicans), so that they are always gaining ground and we are always losing ground, which ultimately shifts the so called Overton window (range of ideas which are acceptable to the public). This is why it’s so important to go on the offensive, but Paul Ryan really screwed us over the past 2 years. Playing defense will only lead to further shifts away from RKBA. Democrats understand this (perhaps instinctively) but elected Republicans seem to be clueless (or complicit)*****************************************************************

We are forever 1 step forward and 2 steps back, : com.pro.mise \ 'kam-pra-,miz\ n: a settlement of differences reached by mutual concessions, 2 : to settle by
compromise

My explanation: to lose everything one step a a time to avoid losing everything all at once ! You still lose everything !

transitive verb

1a : to reveal or expose to an unauthorized person and especially to an enemy
Confidential information was compromised.
b : to cause the impairment of
a compromised immune system
a seriously compromised patient
c : to expose to suspicion, discredit, or mischief
His reputation has been compromised.

[jsbhike]

I'm watching Bush 41's funeral now - another globalist, but a WWII combat veteran, and a man who made his way in life APART from his family's wealth (UNLIKE the Kennedy clan...) - yet still signed the '89 weapons import ban. Yeah, the primaries generally leave us the lesser of 2 evils; Lord KNOWS Dukakis woulda been worse ("Punish a man for raping & killing my wife?! Geez... uhhh... uhmmm... [flips a coin]..."), but we get what we get in a Republic.

We got REALLY blessed right outta the gate... but then, Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Madison, Monroe, Franklin, et.al. didn't grow up reading "Tommy has TWO Mommies," and so forth. Letting unejumakayted masses - many of whom are voting themselves a RAISE via welfare - many more of whom aren't even legal citizens - dictate our nation's future, is something we can ONLY blame on ourselves, for allowing to happen. The Founding Fathers didn't set it up that way...

Not sure how blessed we were considering the Sedition Act (intended to keep Adams and other Federalists in office) ever came to pass. Jefferson didn't go far enough when he only released their victims.

[MountainRaven]

Not to justify it, but you know the problem was armed Black Panthers walking the streets intimidating people right? Now the solution SHOULD have been for the LAPD and the SFPD to arrest all of them but nobody was going to do that. So rather than address the ACTUAL problem of a armed racist group intimidating the populace, they decided to restrict a tool.

Also name a more "pro gun" President in the last 50 years.

The Black Panthers were walking around their neighborhoods, following the police and keeping an eye on them. They carried cameras to record what the police officers did (especially when they harassed blacks in their neighborhoods) and guns to defend themselves against the police.

This was about the same time as the Watts riots (which white law enforcement officials in California compared to fighting the Vietcong and "guerrillas fighting with gangsters") and Prop 14 (a proposed Constitutional amendment to the California Constitution that would have legalized discrimination in housing on the basis of race).

While I'm certain the LAPD claimed that the Black Panthers were intimidating bystanders with their firearms, I'm not finding anything from anyone actually saying anything of the sort ever occurred - either as claimed by the LAPD or as having actually occurred.

And I like that you chose 50 years, because that keeps us from using John F. Kennedy, who might have been the most pro-gun president since TR:

"By calling attention to 'a well regulated militia,' the 'security' of the nation, and the right of each citizen 'to keep and bear arms,' our founding fathers recognized the essentially civilian nature of our economy. Although it is extremely unlikely that the fears of governmental tyranny which gave rise to the Second Amendment will ever be a major danger to our nation, the Amendment still remains an important declaration of our basic civilian-military relationships, in which every citizen must be ready to participate in the defense of his country. For that reason I believe the Second Amendment will always be important."
-(Then-)Sen. John F. Kennedy (D-MA), April 1960