Tag Archives: poll

gun control, Poll, Terrorism

Poll: Attack Aftermath

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attackThis weekend wasn’t a good one for the home team. Three separate violent attacks that left roughly 40 people injured in three different locations have people rightfully on edge. There are more questions than answers, and concerns are on the rise about lone wolf, unsophisticated attacks that are easier to perpetrate, and yet still leave bloodshed in their wake.

Police said a man dressed as a security guard injured nine people in knife attacks late Saturday at a shopping mall in St. Cloud, Minn. He was shot and killed by an off-duty police officer.

Authorities said they were investigating it as a possible terrorist incident.

[…]

In New York, authorities were searching for a bomb maker who set off a blast near a large trash container on a Manhattan street Saturday evening that left 29 people injured from flying debris, including shrapnel.

Police subsequently found an unexploded bomb four blocks away. Authorities said they had identified a “person of interest” in the bombing they would like to speak to.

And in New Jersey, officials said they didn’t yet know whether a pipe bomb that went off before a charity run at a seashore resort Saturday morning was linked to any terror group. Officials were also trying to determine if the Manhattan bombs and the New Jersey device were made by the same individual or group.

No injuries were reported from the blast at Seaside Park as thousands of runners were set to participate in the benefit for Marines and sailors.

In the aftermath of such attacks, we always see calls for those in power to “do something.” What, is unclear, but even incidents that do not involve guns generally need to calls for more gun control.

Will it happen again? What will be the reactions in the aftermath of this weekend’s attacks? Will there be calls for more gun restrictions, despite the fact that not a single gun was used in these acts of terror? Will there be calls for knife control? Increased surveillance?

Let us know what you think below.

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Poll

Poll: How did the 9-11 attacks affect you?

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main_1200I remember precisely where I was the day those planes hit the World Trade Center. It had been three years since I left active duty Army, and I was part of an Army Reserve unit here in Virginia. I did my reserve duty at the Public Affairs office of the Chief of the Army Reserve once per week for several hours. The office was located in Crystal City, and we did a lot of work at the Pentagon.

It was my son’s fourth birthday, and we were looking forward to a birthday dinner for the munchkin, who demanded we go to a Chinese buffet place in town, because it had pizza. (No one said four year old boys had to make sense, right?) I was at the office, working my civilian job and chatting with a friend via instant messenger.

And then all hell broke loose.

We stopped work. We gathered in our conference room. We turned the TV on and watched in horror as the news replayed the scene over and over again.

I tried my military supervisor at Crystal City, but all cell service was down.

I tried my husband. Nothing.

I couldn’t take it after a while, so I left my office and went to pick up my son, whose kindergarten only lasted half the day.

It was hard to explain to that little boy what happened. He knew bad people had attacked us and flew planes into buildings. He knew a lot of people died. He knew his daddy was a federal police officer and was called away. He knew we would not be having a family birthday dinner at the Chinese buffet place.

For years after that birthday, he became hypervigilant. He would demand I help him “clear” his room of monsters. I’d have my gun, and he’d have his little toy guns, and together we would clear his room before bed.

I started training more, and I think I became hypervigilant myself. I was terrified something would happen to my kids. I started writing more about civil rights and joined several gun rights organizations.

So now, on the 15th anniversary of that horrible day, think back. How were you affected by the attacks? Were you affected at all?

You can choose as many answers as appropriate, or add one of your own.

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Poll

Poll: Superpowers

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Oliver Queen as Arrow
Oliver Queen as Arrow

For this week’s poll, I figure we could have some fun. We’re always so serious, given the constant attacks on our rights. But maybe it’s time to chill and put reality aside.

As many of you know, I’m a nerd. I will watch any superhero show or movie anytime. I prefer Marvel to DC, although I’m a huge fan of the Arrow, and I think the new Wonder Woman movie with Israeli superstar Gal Gadot is going to be fantastic!

We’ve explored the many reasons why our members and readers carry firearms. Self defense seems to be an overwhelmingly popular reason to carry – whether concealed or openly. We understand that police cannot be there to protect us all the time. They merely come out after a crime happens to clean up the mess.

Most of the time, it’s up to us.

A few days ago, I finally saw Suicide Squad. Predictably, I loved it, and I found myself wishing I had the skill to hit my target every time like Deadshot. The movie was followed by several days of binge watching Arrow and being jealous of just how accurate his archery skills were. So I got to thinking…

What kind of superpower or skill would you want to have most, given how important defense of ourselves and our families is to most of us? Replies below. You can always explain your choice in the comments.

Have fun!

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gun control, Poll

Poll: The Next 2A Supreme Court Case

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AK-74There have been several Supreme Court events pertaining to the Second Amendment during the past year.

In June, the Supreme Court ruled in a 6-2 vote that domestic abusers convicted of misdemeanors can be barred from owning firearms.

The Court also refused to hear a challenge to the Connecticut “assault” weapons ban that outlaws many popular semi-automatic rifles, in effect allowing the ban to stand.

This year the Court also overturned a Massachusetts decision that determined that stun guns were not covered by the Second Amendment, siding instead with a woman who said she carried one as protection against an abusive former boyfriend.

In recent years, we’ve also seen Supreme Court victories such as Heller and MacDonald, so the Court’s Second Amendment record has been somewhat mixed.

Given what we know, which Second Amendment case would you like to see the Supreme Court take on next? Do you trust it to impartially rule on any gun-related issue?

 

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Poll

Poll: Buying New Guns?

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gunsA recent Rasmussen poll reported that Americans are buying guns at a record pace.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that nearly one-out-of-four Americans (23%) say they or someone in their immediate family has bought a gun in the past year. Seventy percent (70%) have not, but six percent (6%) aren’t sure.

The majority of the respondents claim their purchases are for self defense. What about you guys? Are you purchasing more guns? Why?

Let us know below.

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Poll

Poll: Other Self-Defense Means

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Those who work in areas where carrying a firearm for self defense is not prohibited, or who are self-employed, are lucky. There are times many of us must go to work, or travel, or simply must live in an area where carrying our firearms is either not practical, or outright prohibited.

So what do we do?

What type of self defense tool do we carry?

Practical and commemorative. Because no one should be left defenseless!
Practical and commemorative. Because no one should be left defenseless!

There are options that should be considered. We here at the Zelman Partisans certainly are considering them. We continue to expand the products we offer to include those that might be useful, not just commemorative.

The knife above is certainly cool, but what else would you carry in lieu of a gun? What’s practical and concealable? What kind of self-defense tool do you carry if you can’t carry a firearm?

Let us know below.

 

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Politics, Poll

Poll: Will you vote for Donald Trump this year?

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Donald_Trump_GunIt certainly appears that my last post generated a lot of controversy.

A number of commenters think I was mistaken, and that Trump will do a lot less damage to our Second Amendment rights than Hillary. Several pointed out that we are allowing the perfect to be the enemy of the good.

I have explained my rationale behind my opposition to Trump previously.  Aside from his historic anti-RKBA views, which he has now conveniently changed now that he’s pretending to be a Republican, he’s an authoritarian weasel, who has no respect for basic human rights.

So I’m wondering what our members and readers really think about Trump.

Will you vote for him now that he’s the presumptive GOP nominee? Will you enthusiastically support him? Will you vote for Hillary Clinton, or the Libertarian nominee instead of Trump? Will you stay home on Election Day?

Let us know! Poll below.

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Poll

Are they really that stupid?

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Over the years, we’ve heard a lot of ridiculousness coming from gun grabbers. Anything from calling regular ole black rifles “assault” weapons to screeching about hip-fired weapons that can “spray” bullets to cause death and mayhem.

A couple of years ago, the husband and I went to see the last GI Joe movie (don’t judge!). It was as awful and badly written and acted as one would expect. At one point a female Soldier referred to a “Kalishnikov,” which caused me to jump up in the middle of the crowded theater and yell, “It’s KALASHNIKOV, you dumb b@!ch!” No, I didn’t get tossed out of the theater, but I did get a few amused (and bemused) looks.

To this day, if my employees want to make my head explode, they simply refer to the rifle as a “Kalishnikov” and watch my eyes pop out of my head.

DERP!
DERP!

Remember the now-infamous Everytown graphic depicting an entire cartridge flying out of the muzzle of a gun?

Remember how any number of firearms or boxes of ammo found in the home of a criminal is automatically referred to as an “arsenal,” by the compliant press corps?

Yes, I’ve actually had a retired  ATF agent at a “Gun Violence Forum” in Arlington refer to a magazine as a “clip,” and when I called him on it on the sidelines, he waved me off and said, “you know what I mean.”

So using last week’s poll as a jumping point, I started to wonder what is the best/worst/most egregious gun flub you’ve heard over the years?

Tell us in comments if your choice isn’t included.

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Poll

poll: best training?

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trainingThe first time I’d ever shot any type of firearm was in Army basic training. I knew enough about firearms to know which way to point one. My dad had always kept a gun in the house, but I knew not to play with it, and when I did pick it up a few times, I instinctively kept my finger off the trigger.

In basic, the first thing we did was familiarize ourselves with our M16A2 rifle. They had us take those things apart and put them together so many times, I could have done it in my sleep! It was useful knowledge. By the time we got to the range for the first time, I was so comfortable with that rifle, I could have slept with it.

But we still didn’t fire the thing. We dry fired. A lot. The drill instructors had us put a penny on the front sight, and we practiced pulling the trigger in the prone position so smoothly, that the penny would not fall off. We had to pull that trigger 10 times in a row without the penny falling off the sight. If it fell, we had to start over.

We spent a lot of time in the dirt in the prone position.

The drills worked. I qualified Expert – 39/40 – at the pop-up range at Fort Jackson thanks to the training we received.

So what about you? What training do you find most useful when it comes to firearms?

The choices below are in no particular order, and I’m sure there are scores of others you can name. Choose one, or let us know in the comments what firearms training you find the most useful.

 

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