Americans buy record numbers of guns for Christmas

Patrick Thomas Donofrio, 57, of 209 Southwest Scotland Lane, Union Township, was charged with providing firearms to a minor, endangering the welfare of children and reckless endangerment.


State police said Donofrio allowed his then-17-year-old son to take two handguns to a hunting cabin along Spring Valley Lane in Hickory Township, when Russell Callen of New Castle, 14, was shot in the head.


According to documents filed with District Judge David Rishel, testing by the state police crime lab indicated that the boy was shot with a .32-caliber pistol.


Police said the bullet entered his forehead and exited through the base of his head.



http://www.ellwoodcityledger.com/ne...cle_db9718e2-f706-51d7-baca-88c29d3c3fbc.html
 
leaningright said:
LOL...I bought my boy (8 years old) a gun for Christmas this year. Makes 2 years in a row. As to the why for the spike in gun sales, I think that the bolded portion above is more logical. In case I did it wrong, the part that says that some are worried about more stringent gun laws in the future. I do know people who think if Obama gets a second term he will legislate more from the left in every venue, including firearms laws. Some may be scared of that, I really don't know.
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I put this right up there around 398th in my list of political priorities. I know when I was active in Republican politics gun control and crime were one of the issues we used to yammer about in our attempts to manipulate uneducated red-necks. "Vote Republican cause Libuhrals are gonna take yourin guns away!" LOL

Here we were not only exploiting their ignorance and using fear as a political tool, per Machiavelli, but we were also exploiting their disconnect with urban problems of gun violence. It's pretty hard for some clodhopper from Boondock, Texas to relate the problems and issues or urban life. It was a brilliant realization by Republican operatives back in the 70's and early 80's to exploit the disconnect of rural Americans with Urban Americans. There really is not liberal/conservative divide in our nation. It's really a urban/rural divide.
 
Mott the Hoople said:
I put this right up there around 398th in my list of political priorities. I know when I was active in Republican politics gun control and crime were one of the issues we used to yammer about in our attempts to manipulate uneducated red-necks. "Vote Republican cause Libuhrals are gonna take yourin guns away!" LOL

Here we were not only exploiting their ignorance and using fear as a political tool, per Machiavelli, but we were also exploiting their disconnect with urban problems of gun violence. It's pretty hard for some clodhopper from Boondock, Texas to relate the problems and issues or urban life. It was a brilliant realization by Republican operatives back in the 70's and early 80's to exploit the disconnect of rural Americans with Urban Americans. There really is not liberal/conservative divide in our nation. It's really a urban/rural divide.
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you are so full of shit. and fuck you.
 
Mott the Hoople said:
I put this right up there around 398th in my list of political priorities. I know when I was active in Republican politics gun control and crime were one of the issues we used to yammer about in our attempts to manipulate uneducated red-necks. "Vote Republican cause Libuhrals are gonna take yourin guns away!" LOL

Here we were not only exploiting their ignorance and using fear as a political tool, per Machiavelli, but we were also exploiting their disconnect with urban problems of gun violence. It's pretty hard for some clodhopper from Boondock, Texas to relate the problems and issues or urban life. It was a brilliant realization by Republican operatives back in the 70's and early 80's to exploit the disconnect of rural Americans with Urban Americans. There really is not liberal/conservative divide in our nation. It's really a urban/rural divide.
Click to expand...

I usually take what you say pretty seriously as I can usually count on you to voice a rationally formed opinion. While your opinion in the above may be rationally formed, your characterization [of southern folks] is very inciteful...hence STY's response. While I think that your characterization is true for some southern folks (I have met many such) it certainly isn't true for all of them....and not for most of them who vote, at least among those I have met. So something like "...uneducated red-necks. "Vote Republican cause Libuhrals are gonna take yourin guns away!" LOL" isn't an accurate representation of the voting South and will turn most folks off to what you have to say further.

Now, I will agree that there is a huge "urban/rural divide" in our country. I do think it further boils down to liberal/conservative thinking though. A democrat from my part of the world (ie. Dan Boren) is likely more conservative in a lot of areas than a republican from the northeast. In fact, a very good friend of mine who used to fill in and preach for me when I had to be out of town is running on the democratic ticket for Dan Boren's seat. My point is that he must be a conservative democrat to have a chance to win in this part of the world....rural SE OK.

As to the gun issue specifically, I think many of us "coldhoppers" know that there are problems with gun violence in the cities. I don't think that many of us live such isolated lives that we don't realize some of the bad things that go on. I think the difference is in how we would address the problem. One side says, "Make guns [nearly] impossible to get." (a little exaggerated but look at Europe and listen to Topper) and the other side says, "Criminals will be the only ones with guns if you do that...make sentencing for gun crimes harsher." I know these are generalizations but pretty much that's the two sides.

What it boils down to for many of us is heritage. We have a heritage of hunting, shooting, etc. in our country, epspecially the south and west. Many fathers and grandfathers have taught their children these skills. We don't want to see it die out (again, look at Europe...especially Germany and such places) so we will always look at a candidate's position of "gun control" at least as one of the things to determine whether they deserve our support. It may have been an elaborate plan on the part of the republicans as you state, but it has and will continue to work with the majority in certain areas of the country. Smart democrats will figure that out.
 
Mott the Hoople said:
What's the matter. Does the cynical reality of politics bother you?
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no, you bother me. it's hard to take what you say seriously when you sound like a democrat talking point operative with your bullshit scenario of how you were a covert republican activist with orders to manipulate the 'uneducated'. it's doubly difficult to take you serious when you're arguing and advocating for groups that are maligned by generalizations because it's a democrat issue, yet do the same damn thing against other groups because it's a liberal issue. I'd rather you just sat your ass on your thumbs and whistled dixie. it would be more entertaining and informative.
 
leaningright said:
I usually take what you say pretty seriously as I can usually count on you to voice a rationally formed opinion. While your opinion in the above may be rationally formed, your characterization [of southern folks] is very inciteful...hence STY's response. While I think that your characterization is true for some southern folks (I have met many such) it certainly isn't true for all of them....and not for most of them who vote, at least among those I have met. So something like "...uneducated red-necks. "Vote Republican cause Libuhrals are gonna take yourin guns away!" LOL" isn't an accurate representation of the voting South and will turn most folks off to what you have to say further.

Now, I will agree that there is a huge "urban/rural divide" in our country. I do think it further boils down to liberal/conservative thinking though. A democrat from my part of the world (ie. Dan Boren) is likely more conservative in a lot of areas than a republican from the northeast. In fact, a very good friend of mine who used to fill in and preach for me when I had to be out of town is running on the democratic ticket for Dan Boren's seat. My point is that he must be a conservative democrat to have a chance to win in this part of the world....rural SE OK.

As to the gun issue specifically, I think many of us "coldhoppers" know that there are problems with gun violence in the cities. I don't think that many of us live such isolated lives that we don't realize some of the bad things that go on. I think the difference is in how we would address the problem. One side says, "Make guns [nearly] impossible to get." (a little exaggerated but look at Europe and listen to Topper) and the other side says, "Criminals will be the only ones with guns if you do that...make sentencing for gun crimes harsher." I know these are generalizations but pretty much that's the two sides.

What it boils down to for many of us is heritage. We have a heritage of hunting, shooting, etc. in our country, epspecially the south and west. Many fathers and grandfathers have taught their children these skills. We don't want to see it die out (again, look at Europe...especially Germany and such places) so we will always look at a candidate's position of "gun control" at least as one of the things to determine whether they deserve our support. It may have been an elaborate plan on the part of the republicans as you state, but it has and will continue to work with the majority in certain areas of the country. Smart democrats will figure that out.
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Well you do have a point there. I'm not really characterizing negatively southern or rural folk ( I was raised and lived about half my adult life in rural areas) so much as I am explaining the cynical exploitation of less sophisticated people on certain keystone issues. The specific issue (guns in this case) is not the point but rather the manipulation being used to achieve a political aim or goal. A big part of that manipulation is to use fear that someones "way of living" is being threatened. These manipulations of the right (what I refer to as Gays, guns and abortion) wedge issues to gain support. What was cynical about these manipulations of these issues was that many of the leaders in the Republican party don't give two hoots and a holler about these issues other then that they appeal to specific constituencies.

Let me put it to you like this, if rural white Americans were culturaly anti-gun, pro-abortion, pro-gay marriage, pro-immigration I can assure you that the Republican party leaders would sincerely advocate those issues too if by way of compromise these same constituents would agree with them on their economic/business agenda. To use another example. If the Republican party was painted into a corner and were given an option of making the Bush tax cuts permanent but only if they accepted stringent gun control laws, they would do so and do it in a heart beat and have no compunction of consciencessness about betraying that constituency.

Is that kind of cynical manipulation in our politics ugly? Hell yes. Do both major parties do it? All the time. Am I making any friends by pointing out that reality? Assuradely not.
 
Mott the Hoople said:
Well you do have a point there. I'm not really characterizing negatively southern or rural folk ( I was raised and lived about half my adult life in rural areas) so much as I am explaining the cynical exploitation of less sophisticated people on certain keystone issues. The specific issue (guns in this case) is not the point but rather the manipulation being used to achieve a political aim or goal. A big part of that manipulation is to use fear that someones "way of living" is being threatened. These manipulations of the right (what I refer to as Gays, guns and abortion) wedge issues to gain support. What was cynical about these manipulations of these issues was that many of the leaders in the Republican party don't give two hoots and a holler about these issues other then that they appeal to specific constituencies.

Let me put it to you like this, if rural white Americans were culturaly anti-gun, pro-abortion, pro-gay marriage, pro-immigration I can assure you that the Republican party leaders would sincerely advocate those issues too if by way of compromise these same constituents would agree with them on their economic/business agenda. To use another example. If the Republican party was painted into a corner and were given an option of making the Bush tax cuts permanent but only if they accepted stringent gun control laws, they would do so and do it in a heart beat and have no compunction of consciencessness about betraying that constituency.

Is that kind of cynical manipulation in our politics ugly? Hell yes. Do both major parties do it? All the time. Am I making any friends by pointing out that reality? Assuradely not.
Click to expand...

And IF you crap in one hand and wish in the other, tell us what you've got.
 
SmarterThanYou said:
no, you bother me. it's hard to take what you say seriously when you sound like a democrat talking point operative with your bullshit scenario of how you were a covert republican activist with orders to manipulate the 'uneducated'. it's doubly difficult to take you serious when you're arguing and advocating for groups that are maligned by generalizations because it's a democrat issue, yet do the same damn thing against other groups because it's a liberal issue. I'd rather you just sat your ass on your thumbs and whistled dixie. it would be more entertaining and informative.
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But I'm not. I'm not even a Democrat partisan. I'm an alienated and angry former Republican who saw the Republicans make a huge strategic mistake by sacrificing principle for power and the use of cynical manipulation of senstive social issues to divide and conquer constituencies in order to consolidate political power in a manner that benefits primarily the economic interests of a handfull of plutocrats. The problem with that is that Repubs overplayed their hand and now the tail is wagging the dog and the Republican party has become a party that is incompetent at governing and ruled by extremist. It has gotten away from the Plutocrats who irresponsibly have shown they don't give a crap as long as they make a buck. None of which has a damned thing to do with liberal political ideology.

I can tell you this right now. If the Republicans were still the Party of Alexander Hamilton, TR, Ike, William Howard Taft, Gerald Ford, Colin Powell and Nelson Rockefeller I'd still be a Republican but the Republicans adoption of the southern strategy has corrupted the Republican party beyond all recognition and if my recognition of that cold hard fact and the manipulations used to get them there bothers you well that's just tough.
 
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Alias said:
And IF you crap in one hand and wish in the other, tell us what you've got.
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I don't know....but I can tell you with certainty which hand will fill up faster. Obviosly you don't get my point but that' doesn't surprize me. You're one of the rubes they've targeted for manipulation.
 
Mott the Hoople said:
But I'm not. I'm not even a Democrat partisan. I'm an alienated and angry former Republican who saw the Republicans make a huge strategic mistake by sacrificing principle for power and the use of cynical manipulation of senstive social issues to divide and conquer constituencies in order to consolidate political power in a manner that benefits primarily the economic interests of a handfull of plutocrats. The problem with that is that Repubs overplayed their hand and now the tail is wagging the dog and the Republican party has become a party that is incompetent at governing and ruled by extremist. It has gotten away from the Plutocrats who irresponsibly have shown they don't give a crap as long as they make a buck. None of which has a damned thing to do with liberal political ideology.

I can tell you this right now. If the Republicans were still the Party of Alexander Hamilton, TR, Ike, William Howard Taft, Gerald Ford and Nelson Rockefeller I'd still be a Republican but the Republicans adoption of the southern strategy has corrupted the Republican party beyond all recognition and if my recognition of that cold hard fact and the manipulations used to get them there bothers you well that's just tough.
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Face it, you're just fucking confused.
 
Mott the Hoople said:
But I'm not. I'm not even a Democrat partisan. I'm an alienated and angry former Republican who saw the Republicans make a huge strategic mistake by sacrificing principle for power and the use of cynical manipulation of senstive social issues to divide and conquer constituencies in order to consolidate political power in a manner that benefits primarily the economic interests of a handfull of plutocrats. The problem with that is that Repubs overplayed their hand and now the tail is wagging the dog and the Republican party has become a party that is incompetent at governing and ruled by extremist. It has gotten away from the Plutocrats who irresponsibly have shown they don't give a crap as long as they make a buck. None of which has a damned thing to do with liberal political ideology.

I can tell you this right now. If the Republicans were still the Party of Alexander Hamilton, TR, Ike, William Howard Taft, Gerald Ford, Colin Powell and Nelson Rockefeller I'd still be a Republican but the Republicans adoption of the southern strategy has corrupted the Republican party beyond all recognition and if my recognition of that cold hard fact and the manipulations used to get them there bothers you well that's just tough.
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since your bullshit generalizations without facts or evidence sound completely moronic, we'll go ahead and group you in with legion and poet. that's about as real as it gets and if that recognition and classification bothers you, well that just tough.
 
A 6-year-old girl was injured in what Mobile police said was an accidental shooting.

The girl, whose name was not released, was treated for a gunshot at Springhill Medical Center, police spokesman Cpl. Christopher Levy said.

Police responded to the hospital about 2:10 p.m. and determined that the shooting took place at a home in the 1500 block of Houston Street.

Levy said that investigators determined the girl and another child found the gun hidden in the house, and it fired while the second child was handling it.

http://blog.al.com/live/2012/01/child_finds_gun_in_house_and_a.html
 
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