The left is getting armed

[southernhybrid]

I have sometimes half jokingly said that liberals need to be armed since so many conservatives are armed. While I have been taught to use a gun, I will never use a gun, but my leftie husband has owned guns for as long as I've known him. He used to have a carry permit and for a few years, conceal carried all the time. I thought that was nuts, but since I live in an area where we just naturally assume that most people are armed, I never worried about it. I see people that open carry all the time. Last year, he let his carry permit expire, so now, he never carries but since guns are very difficult to sell these days, we still have a small arsenal of guns locked up in our home.

But, today, Michelle Goldberg had an interesting, if not a little scary editorial about the left becoming more armed. This is a reaction to the far right.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/02/opinion/socialist-left-guns-nra-trump.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage

ATLANTA — When I met Oso, a trash collector from rural Georgia in his late 30s, he was wearing dark shades and a black T-shirt with a silhouette of an assault rifle and the words “Piece Now.” A tall and burly white man, he had a sleeve of tattoos on one arm, stubble on his shaved head, and a bushy gray beard. He looked, at first glance, like the sort of intimidating figure who’d fit in at a far-right rally.
In fact, you might see him at such a rally — among the counterprotesters. “There shouldn’t be any question in anybody’s mind in this country that fascism is here,” he said. “It’s alive and well and marching us all towards somewhere that we don’t want to be.” That’s part of the reason, he said, that he’s into guns: “I wear a pistol every day because I’m a Jewish person in the South.”
It was the Sunday after the terror-filled week that culminated in the massacre at the Tree of Life synagogue. Oso was sitting with a handful of other members of the North Georgia branch of the Socialist Rifle Association, a new, swiftly growing left-wing gun group, in the backyard of an Italian restaurant in a gentrifying Atlanta neighborhood. (None of them wanted their last names used; Oso, Spanish for “bear,” is a nickname.)

While I can certainly understand the sentiments, I hope this won't lead us into something even crazier than what we are currently facing in the US. One thing that Goldberg mentioned is that when the left and minorities become armed, this sometimes leads to bipartisan efforts to legislate some gun control. Interesting, no?


Please read the entire editorial and then give us your thoughts.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

Well, just so long as it's only Americans killing Americans, I suppose it doesn't matter too much and both sides should arm up.

All sides should try and make a point of keeping the firefights away from tourist areas, though, so that foreigners don't get caught up in your dumbfuckery.

 

[Derec]

So are we entering a new era of left wing political violence like we had in 60s and 70s?

 

[southernhybrid]

So are we entering a new era of left wing political violence like we had in 60s and 70s?

Nope. It's about self defense, protection from the crazies on the right!

 

[skepticalbip]

It looks like Michelle Goldberg has completely accepted divisive stereotyping so popular in our country today. I have a friend that is about as far left as anyone I have ever met. About twenty years ago, he had an arsonal that attracted the attention of the FBI because he was looking into trying to buy a fully automatic rifle to add to his arsonal. One of my cousins has always been a gun nut (he even reloaded his own ammo) and he had so involved in both Bill Clinton's campaigns that he and his wife were invited to the inauguration parties in D.C.

Interest in and ownership of guns is not dependent on or indicative of political leanings.

 

[Derec]

So are we entering a new era of left wing political violence like we had in 60s and 70s?

Nope. It's about self defense, protection from the crazies on the right!

That's what Black Panthers claimed too, even put it in their official long-winded name. Did not stop them from engaging in violence, including political violence.
And then there were white groups like Weathermen, whose weapon of choice were bombs.

 

[WAB]

So are we entering a new era of left wing political violence like we had in 60s and 70s?

Nope. It's about self defense, protection from the crazies on the right!

It's always about self-defense*. The rednecks on the right use that rationale also.

Me personally, though I support the 2nd in principle, I don't own a gun and never will. But then I've never lived in a high-crime area, and have never been the victim of a violent crime.

**Oh, and hunting.

 

[Cheerful Charlie]

Liberals have long been arming themselves. There have been lots of violence in America between labor and business owners, and in some parts of this nation, it had degenerated in the past to almost open warfare between labour and corporation goons and owners.
A personal story. My Grandfather moved as a young man from Tennessee to Lake Charles Louisiana and got work as a brick mason in the refineries there. At the heighth of the depression, many of the oil companies decided they no longer had to treat there workers well. There were strikes and demonstrations. During one of these strikes, a pack of company goons started shooting into the crowd of strickers. My grandfather was hit in the neck and was out of work for 6 months.

During WW2, a lot of young American men spent their youthful years killing Japanese soldiers, Fascists and Nazis. When they came back home, none of them were in the mood to be abused by psychopathic anti-labor goon squads in pay of some corporation. Jobs were available and guns were cheap. And that pretty much put the end to that. And a lot of people have tales of great grand fathers, and grand fathers having faced that sort of violent abuse in their families of that sort.

Progressives and liberals and union members have always had people among them who appreciated the advantages of being armed.

 

[SimpleDon]

So are we entering a new era of left wing political violence like we had in 60s and 70s?

Nope. It's about self defense, protection from the crazies on the right!

That's what Black Panthers claimed too, even put it in their official long-winded name. Did not stop them from engaging in violence, including political violence.
And then there were white groups like Weathermen, whose weapon of choice were bombs.

It was because of the threat from the Black Panthers that the leading light of the deranged right, Ronald Reagan, signed the restrictive gun control laws in California that are still largely in effect. Ironic.

 

[Cheerful Charlie]

So are we entering a new era of left wing political violence like we had in 60s and 70s?

Nope. It's about self defense, protection from the crazies on the right!

That's what Black Panthers claimed too, even put it in their official long-winded name. Did not stop them from engaging in violence, including political violence.
And then there were white groups like Weathermen, whose weapon of choice were bombs.

The Black Panthers decided they would no longer take racist abuse from racist cops. And armed themselves. Ronald Reagan lead the charge to end open carry in California and initiate California's strong gun laws. Pea brained conservatives moan and groan about People's Republic of California gun laws and blame that on the liberals, forgetting who it was who started California's crack down on guns.

And when the issue of banning assault rifles came up in Congress, it was Ronald Reagan who spent weeks calling reluctant GOP congressmen to vote for that. Telling the US, one could be a good Republican and vote for a ban on assault rifles.

Precisely because Bush, Reagan and the GOP supported the successful ban, before it came into effect, I actually went out to a gun show and bought a MAK-90, a semi-auto AK-47. I still own it. Many years ago, I was a late night DJ at KPFT, Houston's Pacifica radio station. The only radio station in the US to be bombed off the air by the KKK. Twice. Not by the Black Panthers. Enough said.

 

[laughing dog]

So are we entering a new era of left wing political violence like we had in 60s and 70s?

Nope. It's about self defense, protection from the crazies on the right!

That's what Black Panthers claimed too, even put it in their official long-winded name. Did not stop them from engaging in violence, including political violence.
And then there were white groups like Weathermen, whose weapon of choice were bombs.

Don't forget those radical leftists the KKK and neo-Nazis!!!!

 

[bilby]

It looks like Michelle Goldberg has completely accepted divisive stereotyping so popular in our country today. I have a friend that is about as far left as anyone I have ever met. About twenty years ago, he had an arsonal that attracted the attention of the FBI because he was looking into trying to buy a fully automatic rifle to add to his arsonal. One of my cousins has always been a gun nut (he even reloaded his own ammo) and he had so involved in both Bill Clinton's campaigns that he and his wife were invited to the inauguration parties in D.C.

Interest in and ownership of guns is not dependent on or indicative of political leanings.

*Arsenal.

Remember - an arsenal always starts with an arse.

 

[Trausti]

It looks like Michelle Goldberg has completely accepted divisive stereotyping so popular in our country today. I have a friend that is about as far left as anyone I have ever met. About twenty years ago, he had an arsonal that attracted the attention of the FBI because he was looking into trying to buy a fully automatic rifle to add to his arsonal. One of my cousins has always been a gun nut (he even reloaded his own ammo) and he had so involved in both Bill Clinton's campaigns that he and his wife were invited to the inauguration parties in D.C.

Interest in and ownership of guns is not dependent on or indicative of political leanings.

It really shouldn't be. It's the Second Amendment. It's a natural right. It's like the First Amendment; I may not agree with your point of view but you're free to have it. When did liberty become partisan?

 

[Jarhyn]

It looks like Michelle Goldberg has completely accepted divisive stereotyping so popular in our country today. I have a friend that is about as far left as anyone I have ever met. About twenty years ago, he had an arsonal that attracted the attention of the FBI because he was looking into trying to buy a fully automatic rifle to add to his arsonal. One of my cousins has always been a gun nut (he even reloaded his own ammo) and he had so involved in both Bill Clinton's campaigns that he and his wife were invited to the inauguration parties in D.C.

Interest in and ownership of guns is not dependent on or indicative of political leanings.

It really shouldn't be. It's the Second Amendment. It's a natural right. It's like the First Amendment; I may not agree with your point of view but you're free to have it. When did liberty become partisan?

Whether it is a "natural right" is the whole question. You are begging the question.

 

[Cheerful Charlie]

"Well regulated militia". Why is a well regulated militia so abhorrent to the far right?

 

[skepticalbip]

"Well regulated militia". Why is a well regulated militia so abhorrent to the far right?

It isn't. You are thinking "well regulated militia" as many think of the term today. Those who support gun rights are thinking of the term "well regulated militia" (militia defined as the male population between given ages) as it applied when the Constitution was written. The private militia was intended to be a check on the government's standing army so as to prevent a military coup or as a remedy in case the government became oppressive. The militia is the private citizens as opposed to the Army which is the government military personnel.


ETA:
I googled for a citation and found a legal site that explains:

https://www.upcounsel.com/lectl-the-second-amendment-the-framers-intentions

 

[RavenSky]

That's what Black Panthers claimed too, even put it in their official long-winded name. Did not stop them from engaging in violence, including political violence.
And then there were white groups like Weathermen, whose weapon of choice were bombs.

It was because of the threat from the Black Panthers that the leading light of the deranged right, Ronald Reagan, signed the restrictive gun control laws in California that are still largely in effect. Ironic.

And I still think this would be the quickest way to massive gun control... let it be known that "liberals" are arming ourselves... especially minorities.

 

[skepticalbip]

That's what Black Panthers claimed too, even put it in their official long-winded name. Did not stop them from engaging in violence, including political violence.
And then there were white groups like Weathermen, whose weapon of choice were bombs.

It was because of the threat from the Black Panthers that the leading light of the deranged right, Ronald Reagan, signed the restrictive gun control laws in California that are still largely in effect. Ironic.

And I still think this would be the quickest way to massive gun control... let it be known that "liberals" are arming ourselves... especially minorities.

Anyone who doesn't already know that is definitely our of touch with reality. But it isn't "arming" because they are already armed, likely in similar percentages of left, middle, and right.

 

[Max Rockatansky]

....While I can certainly understand the sentiments, I hope this won't lead us into something even crazier than what we are currently facing in the US. One thing that Goldberg mentioned is that when the left and minorities become armed, this sometimes leads to bipartisan efforts to legislate some gun control. Interesting, no?


Please read the entire editorial and then give us your thoughts.

Doubtful. The more guns the better. Maybe the Left will realize the stupidity of "gun free zones".

 

[Max Rockatansky]

"Well regulated militia". Why is a well regulated militia so abhorrent to the far right?

Sorry, but that's a misperception. I haven't heard of anyone but LWers arguing against a militia. Any resentment from the right is based on the LW idea that only a well regulated militia is allowed to be armed.

The irony is that the Left wants only the military and police to have guns...but constantly bitch about the military and police.

- - - Updated - - -

So are we entering a new era of left wing political violence like we had in 60s and 70s?

Nope. It's about self defense, protection from the crazies on the right!

There's nothing wrong with self-defense regardless of whom one thinks they need to be defending against.