Help me understand , why is semi automatic in a rifle so important to gun owners here?

[appal_jack]

15. Yeah, what's the big deal about any Constitutional rights?!1??11/!!

What's the big deal, 'newmember'? Oh, just that the majority of firearms technology during the past century-plus has been in the areas of semi-automatic weapons (as well as, of course machine-guns, which are already heavily-regulated enough to be effectively banned for most people of moderate means). Banning semi-automatics would send citizens back to the 19th century, while criminals (and law enforcement, etc.) would still access modern firepower: a clear violation of the intent and meaning of the 2nd Amendment. If the issue of gun control is as cut & dry as you pretend it is, just advocate repealing the Second Amendment. Or save yourself some time and admit that you have no chance of doing so.

Our Constitution protects the expression of dangerous ideas (via the 1st Amendment), because dangerous ideas are necessary and potentially helpful to an open society. The Constitution also protects the possession of potentially dangerous (but also potentially helpful) tools via the 2nd Amendment. Privacy and waiting for due process can be dangerous (or helpful) to society; we (should) protect them too, as enshrined in the 4th and 5th Amendments.

As far as I am concerned, the debate about guns (i.e.- individually-deployable 'arms', i.e.- NOT tanks, helicopter gunships, etc.) should have been settled once and for all when our Founding Fathers reserved to citizens the right to keep & bear military-grade arms via the explicit text of the Second Amendment. We have fallen away from this ideal considerably already, what with NFA regs for fully-automatic firearms, but it's here I draw the line. My semi-automatic pistols and rifles will not harm you, newmember. Indeed, they are not intended for offensive use against anyone.

I believe that citizens have the rights to think dangerous ideas, speak dangerous words, protect dangerous privacies, and, yes, possess dangerous weapons. Your choice to forego weapons (or only buy bolt action rifles & revolvers if you so choose) is fine by me. My weapons will not harm you. Nonetheless, I will remain that peaceable, but armed, citizen.

The Democrats' history with gun control begins in the late 1960's at the earliest. That's hardly some bedrock tradition, nor does any gun control platform (banning semi-auto's especially) rest upon any foundation of coherent principles that I can tell. One can be against innocents & children dying at the hands of crazed criminals (I certainly am) yet seek to redress the roots of these problems in manners that do not undermine yet another piece of the Bill of Rights.

The rational consistency and electoral platform for which I call rests on American traditions stretching back to 1789. It may still be radical (for our Founding Fathers were indeed both liberals and radicals in their day) to demand that the Bill of Rights guide all our policies and laws, and consistently constrain the power of the state, but it's a lot more rational than speaking about Constitutional rights only some of the time, on some issues, and most particularly when an 'R' is president.

I want to see the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 14th, & 15th Amendments enforced more vigorously than they ever have been in my lifetime. I believe that these Amendments enshrine not only Democratic principles, but truly American values. Being forceful about these views, all of the time, is a recipe for electoral success for Democrats. Wishing rights away when one finds them inconvenient or disturbing is a recipe for either electoral failure and/or tyranny. I'd prefer to avoid both of these outcomes, thank you very much.

-app