Oh, Joe.

Here's our current Vice President saying that a shotgun will keep you safer than an "assault" rifle. *Maybe* so, depending on the ranges involved, the armor of your attackers, and how many there are. I can think of a lot more circumstances, however, where greater ammo capacity, shorter carry length, and ease of reloading can really save your hide.

Of course, I believe most proponents of civilian disarmament have no earthly idea what they are actually talking about, because my .22 Walther meets the criteria to be an "Assault" weapon. (Detachable magazine, and a barrel shroud? EVIL.)

However, let's not deviate. There's something else that made me start typing, and it's this quote from the above article right here:

“Guess what? A shotgun will keep you a lot safer, a double-barreled shotgun, than the assault weapon in somebody’s hands [who] doesn’t know how to use it, even one who does know how to use it,” the outspoken vice president, a shotgun owner himself, replied. “It’s harder to use an assault weapon to hit something than it is a shotgun. You want to keep people away in an earthquake? Buy some shotgun shells.”

The VP is betraying his true sentiments towards American Citizens in this statement, and the ultimate goals of civilian disarmament with this statement. He thinks that two rounds in a break-open double barrel is more than sufficient for us poor dumb schmucks who can't hit a humanoid target at close range with a rifle cartridge. Then again, Joe et al would probably be happier if civvies couldn't own weapons at all (see Australia's new push to ban single shot rifles). It seems that Joe also believes that we "civilians" are incapable of learning basic marksmanship, and that the folks with "Assault" weapons spend a lot of time wildly spraying rounds around, ineffectually.

Kind of like the police do, constantly, but that's an aside.

That's the thing; the only way for the them to win is to paint us (folk who carry for life and liberty) as irresponsible, ineffectual, and incapable of handling a firearm proficiently. The stats on the first two don't bear out.

The truth on the third front is far less convenient for the disarmament folks; people that buy guns typically know how to use them. Really well. I've seen the scores posted by the local PD at the range I used to frequent, and I know for an absolute fact that under slow and fast fire I score *well* above them at pistol ranges. And I'm not some gun wunderkind by any means; there are plenty of regular, non-uniformed folk out there who are better shots than I.

Folks; email your senator and tell them that you are firmly against any bill that limits the 2nd Amendment, and that your vote will reflect that at the next election. Most democrats aren't going to be swayed, but there are some Republicans out there that need to be kept in line.