What Happens When You Write About Gun Control in America.

[Cattledog]

Gun-rights activists threaten to shoot you (among other reactions).

Gun people will skip the “reading” part and go directly to the “reacting.”

You cannot trust everyone to read past a punchy headline. That’s why plenty of people—plenty—ran right to their keyboards to say: “You’re taking my guns? You’ll get them bullets first.” I would also accept—and did, oh my God, so many times:

“Go ahead and try, the streets will be awash in blood.”
“Good luck confiscating all those guns yourself, really hope you don't get murdered by law abiding citizens lol.”
“Molon Labe.” (I’d never heard this one before, and it appears to be the gun lobby’s version of “Bazinga.”)
Lots of memed-up screenshots from Tombstone and Deadwood, which, if you’re trying to convince me that 2018 America is not the Wild West, are less than encouraging.
This is not a problem that’s endemic to one side of one issue, by the way. Plenty of people of all political persuasions will get worked up over a headline and develop an opinion instead of reading the piece. But in my experience, only gun-rights activists will do this and then add that they’re going to shoot you.

https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a20767417/writing-about-gun-control-in-america/?src=socialflowFBESQ

[Soxfan58]

1. America today is not the old west!

I dont believe they shot children in the school house.

[TimeSnowDemos]

2. Here's one reason why

“Tombstone had much more restrictive laws on carrying guns in public in the 1880s than it has today,” says Adam Winkler, a professor and specialist in American constitutional law at UCLA School of Law. “Today, you’re allowed to carry a gun without a license or permit on Tombstone streets. Back in the 1880s, you weren’t.” Same goes for most of the New West, to varying degrees, in the once-rowdy frontier towns of Nevada, Kansas, Montana, and South Dakota.

Dodge City, Kansas, formed a municipal government in 1878. According to Stephen Aron, a professor of history at UCLA, the first law passed was one prohibiting the carry of guns in town, likely by civic leaders and influential merchants who wanted people to move there, invest their time and resources, and bring their families. Cultivating a reputation of peace and stability was necessary, even in boisterous towns, if it were to become anything more transient than a one-industry boom town.

Laws regulating ownership and carry of firearms, apart from the U.S. Constitution’s Second Amendment, were passed at a local level rather than by Congress. “Gun control laws were adopted pretty quickly in these places,” says Winkler. “Most were adopted by municipal governments exercising self-control and self-determination.” Carrying any kind of weapon, guns or knives, was not allowed other than outside town borders and inside the home. When visitors left their weapons with a law officer upon entering town, they’d receive a token, like a coat check, which they’d exchange for their guns when leaving town.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/gun-control-old-west-180968013/

[Soxfan58]

3. Thats interesting

Hollywood has betrayed a gun crazy west. But I hope that they just thought kids were off limits.

[jimmy the one]

5. state constitutions with proscribed concealed carry

TimeSnow: “Today, you’re allowed to carry a gun without a license or permit on Tombstone streets. Back in the 1880s, you weren’t.”
Laws regulating ownership and carry of firearms were passed at a local level rather than by Congress.

I think 13 states had earlier state constitutions granting their legislatures ability to enact laws proscribing or preventing carrying concealed firearms. And most did.

(Lousiana) 1879: "A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be abridged. This shall not prevent the passage of laws to punish those who carry weapons concealed."
Louisiana (as late as 1974): The right of each citizen... , but this provision shall not prevent the passage of laws to prohibit the carrying of weapons concealed on the person. (1974).

1891: Kentucky: The right to bear arms in defense of themselves and of the State, subject to the power of the General Assembly to enact laws to prevent persons from carrying concealed weapons.

Mississippi: The right .. shall not be called in question, but the legislature may regulate or forbid carrying concealed weapons

Missouri: 1875: "That the right .. but nothing herein contained is intended to justify the practice of wearing concealed weapons

Montana: The right .. but nothing herein contained shall be held to permit the carrying of concealed weapons. (1889).

New Mex: 1912: "The people have the right to bear arms for their security and defense, but nothing herein shall be held to permit the carrying of concealed weapons."

NCarolina: 1868: "A well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed; and, as...
1875: Same as 1868, but added "Nothing herein contained shall justify the practice of carrying concealed weapons, or prevent the Legislature from enacting penal statutes against said practice."

Oklahoma: The right .. but nothing herein contained shall prevent the Legislature from regulating the carrying of weapons. 1907

Texas: .. the Legislature shall have power, by law, to regulate the wearing of arms, with a view to prevent crime.

Utah: 1896: .. the legislature may regulate the exercise of this right by law."

Florida, 1885: "The right.. shall not be infringed, but Legislature may prescribe the manner in which they may be borne."

Georgia: 1868: "A well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free people, the right of the people .. ; but the general assembly shall have power to prescribe by law the manner in which arms may be borne."

Idaho 1889: "..people have the right to bear arms for their security and defense; but the Legislature shall regulate the exercise of this right by law."
http://www2.law.ucla.edu/volokh/beararms/statecon.htm

Massachusetts, 1780: The people have a right to keep and to bear arms for the common defence.

Tennessee 1796 5 yrs after 2ndA written: "That the freemen of this State have a right to keep and to bear arms for their common defence."
1834: "..free white men of this State have a right to keep and to bear arms for their common defence."
That the citizens of this State have a right to keep and to bear arms for their common defense; but the Legislature shall have power, by law, to regulate the wearing of arms with a view to prevent crime 1870.

Florida: 1838: "That the free white men of this State shall have a right to keep and to bear arms for their common defence."

Back then, 1800's, the situation was kinda reversed. CCW was the main concern then, while open carry the main concern today.
Today carrying concealed is 'out of sight out of mind', whereas open carry could give most anyone seeing it the jitters today.
But when revolvers were the predominant handgun in the 1800's & early 1900's, open carry wasn't that scary cause people could see the gun & be aware and only a couple 'slow' shots could be fired before others could react. The concealed revolver was the greater fear then since it could be quickly pulled out & fired before others could be aware of an armed person about.
There weren't many prohibitions against against open carry, since no semi auto pistols, no sophisticated hermetically sealed bullets as today.
You generally couldn't 'bear arms' tho, carrying the pistol out or with an unshouldered rifle or with bayonet attached.

[TimeSnowDemos]

6. It should be noted

The US has always had a lot of guns, and a lot of gun violence.

While the rest of the world copped on and solved their gun violence problems the US has double, tripled and quadrupled down on stupid, making it the only place in the developed world with endless gun massacres.

Guns = gun death

[Hoyt]

4. So true. Re: "Molon Labe." I used that term replying to one of our gungeoneers, had my post hidden.

There are some armed sick folks out there --