re: #152 Uncle Obdicut

The gun culture in California shows itself pretty clearly. Gun ownership rates, number of gun ranges, ammunition and reloading sales etc. Hunting licenses. Look at those things and you will see our gun culture in scope and size.

My opinion on regulation is that it’s stupid to deny that regulations work. That a very general statement, so I’ll add that I assume the usual caveats apply. The regs have to be well crafted and well enforced.

Strict of course is a relative term, my intent was as you note meant on a national American scale, and with a nod to their effectiveness.

One undercurrent I think is out there in this discussion is the conflation of vigilantism and self defense. These are very different things. It’s not vigilantism to own a gun for self defense or even carry one via CCW permit.

It’s vigilantism if you go out there like Zimmerman did. Surely so. But he is not a typical of CCW permittee.

it is a matter of law that counties issue state wide permits for CCW. That lets local Sheriffs do the screening. CCW city by city is just a way to trip up law abiding permit holders. Or a very effective “poison pill” to the CCW process and use.

What makes this harder to discuss is the extreme rhetoric we do see from some in the gun community. “we don’t call 911” Ugh! But IMO they don’t really own the argument, the law does. I’m pretty sure the law demands a call to authorities in any shooting. Even the most clear cut and necessary self defense shooting that ever happened, still requires legal review.

Of course one can recognize it serves the gun ownership critics very well to seize the most extreme and foolish statements like that one above, and play it as if they do own the issue. Well the screaming fringe is not in charge of the worthwhile discussion or California law. Neither the pro gun fringe or the ban the guns fringe.