State Rep. Brian BeGole, a former Shiawassee County sheriff, said in a statement issued Tuesday that thousands of people in Michigan own an AR-15.

Some days, those who would command govern represent us just make it too easy for, among other things, finding “post fodder.”

In the shadow of Michael William Nash’s demonstration of his 2nd Amendment rights on Saturday, according to The News…

Twelve Michigan House Republicans have sponsored a bill this month to the name the AR-15 “the official rifle of this state,” drawing criticism from opponents who labeled the proposal unserious and inappropriate.

For those who don’t know, the AR-15 is a semi-automatic rifle. Bear that in mind when reading the following.

State Rep. Brian BeGole, R-Antrim Township, a former Shiawassee County sheriff, was the primary backer of the AR-15 measure and said in a statement issued Tuesday that thousands of people in Michigan own an AR-15. […] “This distinction recognizes these law-abiding gun owners who are often vilified just for having a firearm as a hobbyist or to keep their homes and families safe," BeGole said.

That’s some hobby. Keep their homes and families safe. Safe from the government BeGole has represented most of his life, according to the oft-debated 2nd Amendment.

However, Ryan Bates, director of End Gun Violence Michigan, said BeGole’s bill was about “worshiping the rifle that is the preferred weapon of mass shooters.” […] Bates noted that on Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a federal ban on bump stocks, a rapid-fire gun accessory that was used in a mass shooting at a music festival Las Vegas in 2017.

“That shooter used 23 AR-style rifles modified with bump stocks to kill 58 people and injure nearly 500 in mere minutes,” Bates said. “We now live in a world where any deranged person can turn an AR-style rifle into a machine gun capable of firing 400-800 rounds per minute, a level of firepower that quite simply overwhelms law enforcement.”

We all know that rabbit and pheasant can get pretty mean. And who doesn’t like their venison pre-ground? To quote my favorite philosopher and thinker, myself…

It’s forever High Noon in this nation of cowboys.

Ah, almost forgot! Use it everyday!

Alt link for your convenience via archive.is

If you can’t see the crazy person on the bus, it’s you.
!detroit@midwest.social ☆ !michigan@midwest.social ☆ !music@midwest.social

  • southsamurai@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    48·
    5 months ago

    See, that’s the kind of idiot that makes gun ownership look bad.

    They’re tools, not a fetish item. You start being an idiot and trying to make a “state rifle” at all, and you undermine every attempt to actually maintain the right to defense via firearms.

    • raoulraoulOPEnglish
      1032·
      5 months ago

      I see. You’d prefer a different kind of idiot, an idiot that would make gun ownership look good.

      you undermine every attempt to actually maintain the right to defense via firearms.

      From the linked article…

      a machine gun capable of firing 400-800 rounds per minute, a level of firepower that quite simply overwhelms law enforcement.

      …just in case your family is being attacked by, say, King Edward I of England or the FBI. We are talking about an assault weapon, not a Winchester 1897, perfectly adequate for your maintaining the right to defense via firearms. That is, if you must.

      See, I know guns aren’t fetish items. You know they’re not a fetish item. Everybody knows guns aren’t fetish items. Every gun owner claims that they know…while slowly and methodically polishing up and down that long, metal barrel with mineral oil, lost in private thought…proudly displayed in oak credenzas or hung along the wall like so many stuffed bass or marlins. Maybe even modestly stored in a softcase just under the bed. I’d bet Anthony McRae knew, too.

      And this charming fellow in Indiana just yesterday knew that guns aren’t fetish items.

      Also just yesterday in Arkansas, this gun enthusiast and his “right to defense” knew that guns aren’t fetish items.

      And this firearms advocate celebrating Juneteenth over in Round Rock, Texas. They knew.

      And this rifle aficionado in Cincinnati, Ohio.

      And this most certainly responsible firearm owner in Lathrup Village, MI, just hours after Michael William Nash’s demonstration of his 2nd Amendment rights in Rochester Hills.

      This is no longer a question of the right to defend, or own firearms, or a “well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State”. Rationalize and polemicize all you want. This is a sickness. Recognizing and admitting the problem is always the first step in resolving.

      We are in agreement on one thing: instead of actively trying to resolve this tragic problem, Rep. Brian BeGole et al are merely clowns.

      r2 FunFact™: know how many total shootings in 2023 (and 2022) there were just across the Detroit River over in Windsor, Ontario? 11, with zero fatalities in 2023.

      • FanBlade@lemmynsfw.comEnglish
        164·
        5 months ago

        Acts obtuse about what the person above you said and then goes on a rant about it. This makes it seem more like you’re worried about opportunities to say what you want versus actually listening to others.

        • raoulraoulOPEnglish
          224·
          5 months ago

          🧘

          Those who are free of resentful thoughts surely find peace

          ~Gautama Buddha

      • Another Catgirl@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
        1·
        5 months ago

        yeah, mass shootings where no one dies are an unexpected statistic. I guess mass shooting statistics is trying to measure the number of deranged people with access to guns?

      • enbyecho@lemmy.worldEnglish
        24·
        5 months ago

        “Oh come on now! How else am I supposed to play provider and protector while I assuage my feelings of inadequacy and quell my FEAR?”

        /s