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Mike K's avatar

Responding to the assassination attempt by pivoting to why a military grade assault rifle is in the hands of a 20 yo kid, is a smart way for Dems to go.

I've said this in a previous comment that the old saw stood up by some 2nd Amendment ideologues is "If a 18 yo can serve in the military, then they should have unregulated access to owning firearms" is not just irresponsible but illogical.

Young people in the military undergo rigorous firearms training, they are closely supervised and access to all weapons is restricted to only certain training exercises (unless they are in a war zone). As a former Marine, I can tell you that safe handling of a rifle or automatic pistol becomes ingrained, muscle memory firmly embedded for a lifetime.

So, the Dems should be encouraged like Tim says to go on the offensive in the gun safety issue -- it alone will not win the election, but it would provide a bit of help that Dems desperately need.

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LeftCoastReader's avatar

What always "amuses" me is that the qualifications for owing a weapon are far lower than the qualifications for driving a car, or getting a cosmetology license...

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Christopher Wood's avatar

The reality is that "...military grade assault rifle is in the hands of a 20 yo kid..." is as American as Cherry pie.

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Rita's avatar

It is so disheartening that the majority of Americans are hostage to the abuse of the second amendment. Our Europeans allies and friends cannot understand how we have made the bargain that guns are more important than the safety of our children and citizens

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