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Frank wrote:<br>
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<div dir="auto">I got my first .22 when I was eight.</div>
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A .22 varmit-gun/plinker was pretty standard issue to pre-teens in
my time too, though my more "progressive" parents started me with a
classic Daisy spring-BB followed by a .22 caliber air rifle. Either
could blind someone and the latter might (at a long stretch) open a
surface vein but not penetrate deep enough to interfere with most
bodily functions, or generate the kind of hydrostatic
shock/cavitation attributed to ballistic ammunition designed to have
"high stopping power" against aggressive animals (e.g. bears) or
more aptly aggressive humans (read about the motivation for the
development of the classic model 1911 .45 automatic handgun).<br>
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<div dir="auto"> My nine year-old grandson is too impulsive and
hyperactive to even take out for target practice. When I tell
him "don't do that" he often doesn't listen. I was much more
inhibited. As I mentioned recently at a vFriam meeting, he
constantly plays first-person shooter games in which he
slaughters lots of people. I don't think he would confuse
reality with gameland but he's too frenetic. <br>
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I haven't met a contemporary (even from my 40 year old children's
generation) preteen I'd trust with anything more than a spring-bb
gun, and being a vegetarian pacifist, I have no strong reason to
want to encourage children to grow up to kill animals or people. I
think "first person shooters" are a lot more risky than the lame
"cowboys & indians" or "WWI/WWII" re-enactments some of my
friends enjoyed ("bang bang, Kew Kew!, yer dead! Am not! Are so!")
growing up. Paintball seems a lot better "practice" for thoughtful
skill building and self-control than first-person shooters where the
consequences are highly virtual and the victims/enemies can be
highly abstracted. I find it all questionable in our
culture/day-n-age... but others don't. Clearly... and I call many
of them "friend", but I still find it disturbing and
contra-indicated for a healthy society. <br>
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<div dir="auto">People who justify AR-15 ownership by invoking
home defense are incorrect, I think. A better choice is a
short semi-automatic 12 gauge shotgun . It poses a much
smaller threat to your neighbors and you don't have to aim
accurately. You will likely kill the home-invader, however.<br>
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<p>In my day that was what a "salt load" was for... a fraction of
the delivered kinetic energy... usually used at a distance to
"leave a mark" but not risk (much) killing anyone. Remember the
black swan event of dick cheney's friend who suffered a heart
attack from a (single?) lead shot lodged near the heart muscle
after he got caught in the peripheral blast of Cheney's
?accidental discharge? Rock salt might be dangerous in that mode
too, but would assimilate much more quickly than Pb)... <br>
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<p>I find the lack of will/focus to renew the 1994 AWB a significant
contributor to the severe problem we have today with the
proliferation of such weapons and ammunition. I don't expect
that to change anytime soon, but it would be great if we could
slow down the creep that has occurred over the decades such as the
weapon used in Boulder: <br>
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<p>I couldn't find a single source for the Ruger AR-556 pistol that
*didn't* have a rifle-barrel, 30 round mag, and stock, effectively
making it an "assault rifle", thus skirting any "Assault Rifle"
ban. Scope and bipod are usually add-on items.<br>
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<p><img
src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSR_-eBqxF3lp_j4QojM1oERpmkwfP-6tPT4Q&usqp=CAU"
alt="TOP 8 } Best Scope for Ruger AR 556 – 2021 Review"></p>
<p>you can see the "pistol" hiding down in there somewhere... <br>
</p>
<p> I'm not sure that Australia's society suffered from their
significantly more restrictive than ours, yet far from
"confiscating all weapons" that the NRA/GOP claims is in the
offing.
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Firearms_Agreement">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Firearms_Agreement</a>.</p>
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<p>oh well, they are 2nd Amendment/NRA-promoted/GOP-endorsed
"tools" so what kind of pinko commie f@ghat am I to question
such a thing? cold dead hands, all that...<br>
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<p>Grumble,</p>
<p> - Steve</p>
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