Skip to Content

Pat Berg

Twin Cities
Commenter for
1 year 23 weeks

Recent Comments

Posted on 01/07/13 at 08:26 am in response to Regulating guns like cars: Perspective on the gun debate after Sandy Hook

The NRA also has more than just an ideological dog in this fight since - besides the money they make if they increase their membership, they also receive money from the sales of guns and ammunition through a variety of dealer/manufacturer incentive programs. Therefore, more paranoia = more guns sold = more $$$ for the NRA.

Posted on 01/07/13 at 09:58 am in response to Regulating guns like cars: Perspective on the gun debate after Sandy Hook

That is far too simplistic. You need a lot more data than that to show cause and effect between statistics of gun ownership and the statistics of murder and violent crime rates. (Including, of course, what other factors might come into play to affect the crime statistics.)

Posted on 01/07/13 at 06:26 pm in response to Regulating guns like cars: Perspective on the gun debate after Sandy Hook

The gun supporters (not all of them, but plenty of them) are insisting that they need to keep their guns - ALL their guns in every possible variety - so they can protect themselves when the Mean Old Government headed by the Evil Obama comes a'knockin' at their door - and you accuse the OTHER side of crying "The sky is falling!"?

Oh yes, that is rich. Rich indeed.

Posted on 01/08/13 at 09:55 am in response to Regulating guns like cars: Perspective on the gun debate after Sandy Hook

So you want to see data on a statistically significant number of people dying specifically at the hands of mass murderers using assault weapons before you will find the data convincing?

Tell me, what number might that be? How many more hundreds of people must be cut to hamburger by rapid fire before we're "allowed" to discuss whether this particular kind of gun has any rationally-supported place in our society?

Posted on 01/08/13 at 10:32 am in response to Regulating guns like cars: Perspective on the gun debate after Sandy Hook

What is the intended use of a car?

Answer: Transportation.

Can it be misused to cause harm? Of course it can, but that's not the intended use of a car.

What is the intended use of a hammer?

Answer: To pound in nails.

Can it be misused to cause harm? Of course it can, but that's not the intended use of a hammer.

What is the intended use of an "assault rifle"?

Answer: As far as I can see, the intended use is to cause harm.

In this...

Posted on 01/08/13 at 01:22 pm in response to Regulating guns like cars: Perspective on the gun debate after Sandy Hook

"The sky is falling! The sky is falling!"

Posted on 01/08/13 at 04:29 pm in response to Regulating guns like cars: Perspective on the gun debate after Sandy Hook

that the person who invented the hammer intended it to be used to drive nails into things.

And if the person who invented the "assault rifle" did not intend for it to do harm (and therefore be menacing), then what use would it be to the police officer who carries it? The police officer doesn't have to carry through (hopefully) - it's the threat of the "intended use" that is generally effective.

But you are moving this whole discussion far afield and approaching irrelevance....

Posted on 01/08/13 at 04:35 pm in response to Regulating guns like cars: Perspective on the gun debate after Sandy Hook

A shooter who can pump out a ton of bullets in a short period of time gets a lot more "bang for the buck" - both figuratively and literally - than someone who has to individually throttle or pummel each person they're killing.

In other words, it's a LOT easier for a murderer to do a LOT more damage in a LOT less time with a LOT less effort when they have an "assault rifle" in their hands than when armed with a hammer, a club, or a set of bare hands.

Why is THAT so hard for YOU...

Posted on 01/08/13 at 05:12 pm in response to Regulating guns like cars: Perspective on the gun debate after Sandy Hook

Considering that we've now strayed into both illogic AND irrelevance.

What you just said makes no sense. I'm done.

Posted on 12/29/12 at 08:32 am in response to Duluth flooding at zoo: 'The devastation was beyond comprehension'

This article has zero comments, and yet it's on the "Most Commented" list?

In fact, ALL the articles currently on the "Most Commented" list have only zero, one or two comments.

The defining criteria for the "Most Comments" list must be very strange, indeed.