Oklahoma.

Because Texas is too liberal.

come to church

get redeemed

shoot up a mall

Who would Jesus Shoot?

That would have been the only way you could have gotten me to church...once.

It's good to see this story get an encore:

www.drudge.com/news/109964/
hate-snakes-assult-rifle

Makes me want to go to church.

Good lord, they were actually going to give away an assault rifle to a teenager just for showing up at a chuch event?

Words don't even begin to describe how retarded this is.

The Apostles were packin'. It's in the Bible. It's just that the "bust a cap in their ass" got mistranslated into "Do unto others.."

Jesus didn't miraculously create those loaves and fish-his posse held up the local Quikki-Mart.

WOW

good lord....stupidity is running rampant in uhmericah

Probably the membership of this church whines about us "SPs" that laugh at them cuz gee whiz, what's funny about a church giving away an AR-15 Assault Rifle??

Got stuck for a 16 hour layover in Detroit on my way to Oklahoma once.

Once I got there I wished I was back in Detroit.

I'm suprised Judas hasn't shown up to say "it's just an AR-15...".

Can there be any doubt that a certain percentage of the population is dangerously stupid?

Yeah, but I am SURE the Church elders thought he'd just use it to go hunting, right? Riiiight. So much for that pesky "Thou Shalt Not Kill" Commandment.

"Baptist" and "Oklahoma"

Enough said.

So much for that pesky "Thou Shalt Not Kill" Commandment.

Tey've already done that Dawn-they've retranslted kill to murder. But they swear its the only mistake in the Bible!
That and the whole shellfish ban cause nothing says I love Jesus more than a lobster dinner...

You guys are funny. Somehow you link every gun to a murderer. A gun is an intimate object like a car or a hammer. Would you have a problem with a car giveaway? No, but if its a gun then HOLY SHIT IT MUST BE EVIL!! When will you grow up and see its just a tool not unlike many other that can be misused but in the vast, vast majority are just another piece of sporting equipment. Seriously though, what happen to some of you anti-gun crazies that brought you to such a distorted view on them? What makes you so scared of this ar-15 and its little .22 caliber projectile? My experience with Anti-gun lunatics has been that they never have been around them or learned about them or even bothered to try to think but instead would rather be spoon fed the idea the the evil lies with a chunk of steel plastic and aluminum. Keep running away from everything you don't understand and you won't be left with a whole lot of places to hide.

Somehow you link every gun to a murderer

You're right, plenty of murders are committed by knives too.

Have you found that list of cars that are more fuel efficient at 75 than 55?

"Have you found that list of cars that are more fuel efficient at 75 than 55?"

Yes, and i went ahead and pointed out the many many flaws in your borrowed hypothesis, no extra charge.

You guys are funny. Somehow you link every gun to a murderer. A gun is an intimate object like a car or a hammer. Would you have a problem with a car giveaway? No, but if its a gun then HOLY SHIT IT MUST BE EVIL!! When will you grow up and see its just a tool not unlike many other that can be misused but in the vast, vast majority are just another piece of sporting equipment. Seriously though, what happen to some of you anti-gun crazies that brought you to such a distorted view on them? What makes you so scared of this ar-15 and its little .22 caliber projectile? My experience with Anti-gun lunatics has been that they never have been around them or learned about them or even bothered to try to think but instead would rather be spoon fed the idea the the evil lies with a chunk of steel plastic and aluminum. Keep running away from everything you don't understand and you won't be left with a whole lot of places to hide.

It's not the gun itself - it's the fact that a church was willing to GIVE IT AWAY to a teenager, in order to promote a youth event. Not only is it an incredibly hypocritical action in and of itself (as others have mentioned), but it's irresponsible.

Guns aren't evil, and by themselves they obviously don't kill people. But it's quite possible that, given a gun, a teenager just might. For evidence of that, we need only look at examples of deplorable school violence like Columbine and Virginia Tech. Tragedies like these occured because guns were put into the hands of emotionally unstable, violent people. If this youth conferencehad taken place, how can you possibly guarantee that the person given the gun wasn't going to go out and do the same thing as the shooters at Columbine, Virginia Tech, or any other number of school shootings?

You can't.

Oh, and before you bring up statistics on how the vast majority of people using guns are only doing so for sport: are you willing to bet your childrens' lives on that? Because I sure as hell wouldn't be.

It used to be that religion sold itself (well, that and a promise that you'll rot in hell if you don't convert) but now even the sheeple need to be bribed with assault rifles to attend.

How very christian!! I'm sure it's exactly what Jesus intended!

"You can't."

Nor can you guarantee the when he gets a car he won't run into a group of fellow students. I have know many a guy that has owned rifles since they were a teen, i myself have. I gave a mossin nagent to my kid brother at 15, he has yet to shoot up a school. Tragedies will happen but walking through life at a snails pace wearing a suit of bubble wrap is no way to live. You worr about the negatives but fail to see the positives. What if it get a kid into competitive shooting and he becomes an olimpic marksman or a military sniper? I understand the reaction to assume the worst, but i would give a little more credit to the kids and the organizers.
It does not say how old these kids were, at 18 they could buy it them selfs. If you want a gun you can get one either legally or black market. There is no way to keep all illegal items out of the hands of those that will commit crimes. Taking them out of the hand of the innocent only serves to punish those who walk a law abiding path.

I don't have any problems with them giving away a rifle. My 6 year old can shoot a .22 rifle - has been for 2 years - and he's not a murderer. I do think they should provide some training, or at least the opportunity to GET some training.

"Oh, and before you bring up statistics on how the vast majority of people using guns are only doing so for sport: are you willing to bet your childrens' lives on that? Because I sure as hell wouldn't be."

So what would you have me do? Send them to a concrete bunker where no harm can come to them? Facts are they are much more likely to be hit by a car, applying your fear to only one object would seem almost counterproductive. Yes, the vast majority are s used for sport and yes there are some that would misuse them but keeping everything that could be misused out of the publics hands is an asinine concept.

Nor can you guarantee the when he gets a car he won't run into a group of fellow students.

A valid point, but do you seriously think that deliberately placing a tool that was designed to kill (not to hunt, and certainly not to win Olympic medals) into the hands of a teenager is a good idea?

If you want a gun you can get one either legally or black market. There is no way to keep all illegal items out of the hands of those that will commit crimes. Taking them out of the hand of the innocent only serves to punish those who walk a law abiding path.

There's no doubt that criminals will always be able to get guns, whether legally or illegally. I wasn't trying to argue that. And yes, the self-defense argument has some merit. But if, as you say, law-abiding citizens really do only want guns for self-defense and sporting, then why do they need to have military-grade assault rifles? Aren't handguns and bolt-action Remingtons (or whatever else) enough? Why do you need a semiautomatic rifle with that kind of power?

What am I missing here?

If I'm gonna kill an intruder, I want the most powerful weapon I can get my hands on. I can lay hands to a gun from any room in my house in about 3-5 seconds. I feel very safe.

"Why do you need a semiautomatic rifle with that kind of power?"

First the .223 is not a very powerful round it has less energy than a 30-30 and even the 7.63x39 AK round beats it by a coupla hundred fpe. Second it is used in many marksmanship contests. Thirdly a semiautomatic is more fun to shoot in my opinion due to a larger magazine and added speed over a bolt or break action. And just to split some hairs the .223 or military 5.56 was deigned to clutter the lines with wounded not dead. As far as self defense goes, i don't like the AR, too small a bullet at to high a speed but they are effective, where as you bolt actions are to long to use in a enclosed environment as well as too powerful.

"If I'm gonna kill an intruder, I want the most powerful weapon I can get my hands on."

No, you want one that will minimize collateral damage. A .223 will go through a few walls and who knows whats is beyond. I still think a good old .45 with hollowpoints or a shotgun would be best fore defense.

We have several .45's and .22's and .308's. My husband builds guns, so my 6 year old and I are both well versed in ethics, marksmanship and sportsmanship. You wouldn't believe how good a shot a 6 year old can be with a little practice. :)

"Have you found that list of cars that are more fuel efficient at 75 than 55?"

Yes, and i went ahead and pointed out the many many flaws in your borrowed hypothesis, no extra charge.

Posted by salamandagator

You can tap dance all you want around it, but your claim is bullshit.

Funny, I seemed to have missed your link to the list. Perhaps you can make it up again.

You guys are funny. Somehow you link every gun to a murderer. A gun is an intimate object like a car or a hammer.

Posted by salamandagator at 2008-07-16 11:35 AM | Reply | Flag:

Do you often get 'intimate' with your gun, car or hammer? Are you the Pitcher or the Catcher?

Nuclear weapons are simply inanimate objects as well. Why are we so upset that Iran is trying to build a 'tool'? Could it be because it facilitates murder.

I still think a good old .45 with hollowpoints or a shotgun would be best fore defense.

Posted by salamandagator at 2008-07-16 12:57 PM

The .45 has too much of a kick. A lot of police have started using the S&W .40, it improves accuracy because the shooter is not anticipating the kick.

My daughter like the 9mm.

"Why are we so upset that Iran is trying to build a 'tool'? Could it be because it facilitates murder."

We are upset because the are hostile. This is a completely different circumstance. If the were giving a gut to a radical and violent youth then it would be an issue but that is simply not what would have happened.

Nuclear weapons are simply inanimate objects as well. Why are we so upset that Iran is trying to build a 'tool'? Could it be because it facilitates murder.

Posted by COMMONSENSE at 2008-07-16 01:36 PM

It's not likely anyone will EVER have a marksmanship competition with nuclear weapons.

And nuclear weapons aren't the best for going hunting.

So yeah, your analogy is almost valid.

WTF is this- the First Church of Dick Cheney?

*** If I'm gonna kill an intruder, I want the most powerful weapon I can get my hands on.
Posted by ozarkmtncur ****

.....do people in your trailer park actually rob each other ?......

......how many 13 inch rabbit eared tv's do they need, anyways ?......

....30,000 gun deaths per year......

....of which 12,000 are murders.....

......17,000 suicides........

......and 1,000 accidents.......

Man, you guys live in a funny country. This is almost as bad as the shotgun givaway a bank had: when you opened an account, you got a gun (bowling for columbine). Live, on the spot, open an account, get a shotgun. Holy fuck.

I wonder sometimes if there is a stupidity level that is high enough to warrant extermination (aka culling the herd).

.30,000 gun deaths per year......

....of which 12,000 are murders.....

......17,000 suicides........

......and 1,000 accidents.......

Posted by skizziks at 2008-07-16 02:11 PM | Reply |

Do you have any info as to how many deaths in self defense (as in killed the attacker?) or the amount of times guns are used in self defense?

I actually did scare off an intruder with the .308 one time. I didn't have to shoot him, but only cuz he saw the business end of the gun and took off. I don't have rabbit ears anymore, we upgraded to cable a couple years ago. And I don't live anywhere near a tornado magnet.

Nuclear weapons are simply inanimate objects as well. Why are we so upset that Iran is trying to build a 'tool'? Could it be because it facilitates murder.

Posted by COMMONSENSE at 2008-07-16 01:36 PM

It's not likely anyone will EVER have a marksmanship competition with nuclear weapons.

And nuclear weapons aren't the best for going hunting.

So yeah, your analogy is almost valid.

Posted by Roy_Batty at 2008-07-16 01:43 PM | Reply | Flag:

It's called context. The CONTEXT was that that they're inanimate objects that require humans to do any harm.....as are nukes.

CONTEXT. Learn it, love it, live it.

**** Do you have any info as to how many deaths in self defense (as in killed the attacker?) or the amount of times guns are used in self defense?

Posted by panchovilla *****

......off hand I do not have that number......I don't know if anyone keeps that kind of stat......

First the .223 is not a very powerful round it has less energy than a 30-30 and even the 7.63x39 AK round beats it by a coupla hundred fpe....

Thanks for the information. I thought that because the M16 was based on the design of the AR-15 (right?) that it had similar stopping power, even though it uses different caliber ammunition. I guess this isn't exactly the case.

I still don't see the application of an assault rifle for home defense. I'd like to think that pointing any gun in a burglar's face would drive your point home (get the hell out, before I shoot you) really quick. Besides, wouldn't a handgun be easier to handle (faster to draw, easier to conceal, etc) if you had someone invade your home in the middle of the night?

To respond to your earlier comment about "sending your kids to a concrete bunker to protect them," all I can say is that you're comparing two vastly different things. Yes, the world is a dangerous place, and statistically speaking getting into a car accident is much more likely than being shot by some psychopath spraying an assault rifle at random. But we can't disregard gun violence based solely on those statistics. Driving a car is something that the vast majority of the country (with the exception of people in urban areas) have to do every day. Firing a gun isn't a necessary part of life - it's a hobby.

....but when you figure that a town of 30,000 is a size-able town......

......and we lose that population every year....plus the hundreds of thousands that are wounded and disabled......

......reminded me of Germany, and their losses during WW2.....somewhere about 10 million young men who were of the age to start families but never did......
........and starting fifteen years later in the 60's...Germany had to import several millions of Turks because of manpower shortages in their economies....
.....what they could have become through peaceful technological advances in the 40's,50's,60's and so on, would have dwarfed anything they could achieve militarily..........

........likewise we are losing important parts of our population that cannot be replaced, and will cause us to be a lesser nation in the future.......

Crescent - Sometimes firing the gun is a matter of life or death. Especially if you have some idiot break into your house, or try to carjack you (had that happen once too), or just to protect yourself or your neighbor. Definately not JUST for hobbies.

"Thanks for the information. I thought that because the M16 was based on the design of the AR-15 (right?) that it had similar stopping power, even though it uses different caliber ammunition. I guess this isn't exactly the case"

They are virtually identical. The biggest difference is that most ar's are semi auto. The m-16 is the military designation and in essence they fire the same round and and an AR-15 can fire nato rounds. The stoping power is the same, not much. Our soldiers want a larger caliber bullet and they are currently testing some. The problem is the .223 or 5.56mm is a .22 caliber bullet something between 45 and 65 grains traveling at 3300 feet per second they blow through the target without imparting all of their energy.

haha north guy

bust a cap in their ass that would bust a cap in yours.

"Do you often get 'intimate' with your gun, car or hammer? Are you the Pitcher or the Catcher? " - COMM

No... but I have cum close a few times.

Harley owners...hummer owners....and owners of unnecissary rifles...sorry about your penises.

You have to be 18 or over to take possession of a firearm. If it went to someone under 18 it would have to go to his or her parents.

an eye for an eye

Only in America...

Jubal - Sorry to confuse ya, but I don't have a penis, nor do I need one....but just try breaking into either my home or my vehicle.....

I will ask Sunday if maybe our little Temple of Truth (UU) could give away guillotines, gallows and (yes!) life-sized crosses to entice more children to come out and learn The Way. After all, guillotines don't cut people's heads off, people cut people's heads off. herm

"...Facts are they are much more likely to be hit by a car...Posted by salamandagator

In 2004 a total of 29,569 Americans died in the USA from gunfire.

In 2005 the US recorded 4,881 pedestrian deaths, persons who died as a result of being hit by a car

SALAMANDAGATOR = Liar.

BTW:

Praise the Lord and Pass the Bullets!!!!!

Can I get an Amen????

How stupid can you get? I mean, really? Are there even background checks? Do the teens receive licenses? There are so many things that could go wrong with this that I'm glad they canceled it. It is irresponsible to give a free weapon to someone who doesn't have the life experience to know what it can do.

Harley owners...hummer owners....and owners of unnecissary rifles...sorry about your penises.

Posted by jubal_harshaw

Only you liml-dicked-libs bring this up all the time.

In the military, the most basic warfighting skill is to learn how to handle and fire a weapon. It's an amazing indicator of the split in the country when it comes to guns. Upscale suburban and urban recruits have often never handled a gun before. But recruits from rural areas, the South and West, and -- most scary -- from poor urban areas seem much more familiar and comfortable handling and firing weapons.

This pastor is a retired Green Beret and he preaches in an area where guns are more common. My wonder, though -- why a semi-automatic weapon? The scary part of gun-crazy pastors and evangelicals is that they are only a few steps away from their theocratic counterparts in other militarized, religion-crazed parts of the world.

Harley owners...hummer owners....and owners of unnecissary rifles...sorry about your penises.

sorry

**** Sorry to confuse ya, but I don't have a penis, nor do I need one.....

Posted by ozarkmtncur *****

....not even once in a while ?.......