Jason Massad
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On the article Mayor Reed Joins Mayors Against Illegal Guns
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On the article Mayor Reed Joins Mayors Against Illegal Guns
Jason Massad
5:09 pm on Friday, December 21, 2012
O.K., suppose you're correct. Your statement seems to assume that if "Thug Culture" - as you put it - didn't exist there would be no gun problems. The culture that glorifies it, in my opinion, comes after the reality of gun violence.
There's predators in the world, and there are people that are protecting themselves from harm. I don't believe that people, in general, are carrying guns because they're cool. That's especially true in some cities where gun violence is an everyday reality. -
On the article DeKalb Schools Start Winter Break Monday
Jason Massad
8:31 am on Friday, December 21, 2012
Must pay well, Rob. Anyways I like a good discussion based on the merits.
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On the article Mayor Reed Joins Mayors Against Illegal Guns
Jason Massad
7:24 am on Friday, December 21, 2012
ReplyWhich group created the loophole for no-wait gun shows? Which group lobbied for a pathway to get felons restored so they can own a gun? Etc.
Before the Fast and Furious stuff, I Iived in Phoenix. The Arizona Republic - long before the issue was turned into a political football - had a great series of stories on how Mexican drug cartels systematically employed straw purchasers to go to Arizona gun shows and buy light and heavy arms.
If I remember correctly, a homeless man purchased a .50 caliber in one day. The Mexican drug cartels came to the U.S. to buy their weaponry.
That left a deep impression on me. The 2nd ammendment guarantees a right to own a gun. But there are some many examples of how some of the regulation to put them in the right. law-abiding hands is window dressing.
Yet people's lives depend on it being done right -
On the article Mayor Reed Joins Mayors Against Illegal Guns
Jason Massad
7:23 am on Friday, December 21, 2012
ReplyIt's a light weapon with light, high-velocity ammunition. It's not inherently any deadlier - in fact arguably much less - than many hunting rifles.
But I think it's disingenous to say just because regulation is tricky, it can't be done. Why can't you start with high-capacity magazines? What's the utility of a 30-round magazine versus the risk to the people staring at the barrel of a gun that can fire 30 rounds in seconds?
That's not part of big-game hunting. It's got utility by the military and at the gun range, which in my mind says that it's designed to kill people and to train to kill people.
I also don't think that the right to own a gun means you have a right to own one at that second. The background checks need to be more thorough - at some points
it's laughable. The 2nd ammendment says nothing about the process for obtaining a gun, just theat you have a right to own one.
A recent New York Times piece laid out scenarios where people who had been involuntarily committed for mental illness had the ability to purchase guns.
In many cases, state databases that would have that kind of background information aren't linked to the federal database used to screen you. That's negligent. That problem can and should be solved tomorrow.
And Elf, I respect your position, but just because some rappers glorify gun toting, are you really going to claim that they have more influence than the NRA, a powerful lobby that promotes a business interest?
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On the article Mayor Reed Joins Mayors Against Illegal Guns
Jason Massad
7:23 am on Friday, December 21, 2012
I'm still making my mind up on this issue. It's complex, for sure.
At the extremes, you can subscribe to the idea that a well-armed citizenry can help prevent these tragedies or you can call for an outright ban - which in my mind is impossible given the force of law of the Second Amendment.
However, citizen carriers have not stopped these mass shootings. In my opinion ideology is getting in the way of practicality and evidence on this point. Plus
At the same time, there's no neat and clean way to call a certain class of weapons - "assault rifles" and ban them, even if you could under the 2nd.
One of the criteria for calling a gun an assault weapon as it was defined in the repeal on assault weapons that expired in 2004 was whether or not it could be rigged with a bayonet.
Seems silly to ban a weapon based on the fact that its black plastic and "deadly looking."
I read an interesting piece that claimed that the Bushmaster AR-15 type gun that was likely used in the Newtown shootings - and the entire class of guns like it - are basically built on the platform of the M-16, introduced in Vietnam what 30+ years ago. -
On the article DeKalb Schools Start Winter Break Monday
Jason Massad
5:47 am on Friday, December 21, 2012
I know this issue has become political, and I'm not here to argue that point. But There are plenty of kids in school who are not Christian (the MJCCA community comes to mind). Christmas break would have the same meaning to them as Hannukah break would have to me.
You know, from a journalist's perspective, winter break is accurate, which is why I chose to use it. -
On the article Legalizing Marijuana: Should Georgia Follow Other States?
Jason Massad
4:48 pm on Monday, December 17, 2012
Thanks @Rob. Can't speak to how important the posters are on here, but I can say it's an important issue. People did real prison time for marijuana possession 30 short years ago? Now we're seeing a legalization movement that has touched a conservative state.
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On the article Update: Dunwoody Police Sgt. Jason Dove Involved in Traffic Shooting
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On the article Bonser Denies She Leaked Information Days After Ethics Charges Against Her Were Settled
Jason Massad
5:43 am on Sunday, December 16, 2012
The reason I took the previous post down is because it contained a personal attack. Namely, about someone's weight. Let's not pretend this is a first amendment issue. It violates the terms of service and your post came down along with others.
Jason Massad
5:09 pm on Friday, December 21, 2012
O.K., suppose you're correct. Your statement seems to assume that if "Thug Culture" - as you put it - didn't exist there would be no gun problems. The culture that glorifies it, in my opinion, comes after the reality of gun violence.
There's predators in the world, and there are people who are protecting themselves from harm. I don't believe that people, in general, are carrying guns because they're cool. That's especially true in some cities where gun violence is an everyday reality.