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Panetta: Civilians Don’t Need Assault Guns

Panetta: Civilians Don’t Need Assault Guns
UPI FILE
U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta supports prohibitions on armor-piercing ammunition.

ICENZA, Italy (UPI) — U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told U.S. troops in Italy Thursday he doesn’t understand why some people think they need assault weapons.

“I mean, for the life of me, I don’t know why the hell people have to have an assault weapon,” said Panetta, who is visiting NATO allies in Europe before leaving the Defense Department.

The gun control issue came up during a question-and-answer session with members of the 173rd Airborne Brigade in Vicenza, Italy.

“I believe in the Second Amendment,” he said. “I believe people have the right to own weapons. But, you know, when these kids are getting killed in schools — and I know it’s tragic. I know what an impact it must have on those families — we just have to try to do what we can to make sure that we take some steps here to try to protect those kids.”

Panetta, a former California congressman who served as President Bill Clinton’s White House Chief of Staff in 1994 when a 10-year ban on the sale of assault weapons passed Congress, said the government can take actions to reduce gun violence that don’t undermine gun ownership rights.

He said he also supports prohibitions on armor-piercing ammunition.

“I think there are — you know, there are areas like armor-piercing bullets — I mean who the hell needs armor-piercing bullets except you guys in battle?” he asked. Panetta said he has hunted ducks since age 10 and loved “to share that joy with my kids.”

It’s going to be a tough debate,” he said. “This is not going to be easy.”

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  • trp878

    Being a first generation Italian in US, I rememb3er my grand father talking of Mossilini and the atrocities he committed. The Women finally had enough and took care of him. You, Paneta have no idea about the Marxist agenda and therefore can say No Assult Rifles. So the lack of knowledge makes you ignorant as well as a disgrace to the Italian American Heritage. The only reason you get to speak in Italy is becasuse your a politician from America and Italy no doubt needs aid of some kind from the US.

  • Mikey

    Can u say Katrina and L.A.?

  • Mikey

    Can you Katrina and L.A.?

  • http://www.facebook.com/thomas.griffin.988 Thomas Griffin

    I would appreciate it if all you anti’s could list all the murders in the US where an “assault rifle” was used.

  • Ken

    Go to OathKeepers website right now and sign up to become an affiliate member and sign the pledge to never disarm. Do it now. They need all the patriots they can get. Its time to do something to show force in a peaceful way before Obama shows just how stupid he is.

    • tim

      Most of the people in DC should be tried for treason.. They don’t think they should have to remember the oath they took, especially obama and most of his demoncrats!!!!! Oathkeepers!!! Remember the oath you swore to the constitution of the united states of america!!!!!

  • Herb

    I’d advice Panetta to read the US Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the Federalist papers. It appears that though the Founders trusted the people more than a Centralized government to bear arms; he trusts the latter more! Such idiocracy will strip away our God given right of self defense and emboldens leaders to rule with tyranny. Just as we earned all of our rights by the barrel of a gun; if we relinquish our Right to Bear Arms; it is by the barrel of gun that we can lose them. The safest and most effective way for a tyrant to rule is to disarm the people. I don’t know about Panetta; but I trust my neighbor more with a gun than any standing army. Also: “We the People are the last line of defense’ in any war or in the event of an invasion. I wonder why Panetta thinks that the Libian’s or other middle eastern rebels should be armed; yet not us common US citizens?

  • http://Yahoo.com Cessna

    That is the thoughts of a mentally ill person !
    What are we supposed to use to protect ourselves against a tyrant and his thugs,
    Or in an event like Sandy when armed gangs break into homes ?
    You’d have to be an idiot, or have a polictical agenda to think that FEMA or the police are going to be able to protect you under those circumstances !!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • harvey

    I really think it’s sad that the second most powerful man to control our military, who has sworn to uphold, and defend the constitution against all enemies foreign and DOMESTIC seems to have no idea what it is. I really don’t remember reading anything in the 2nd amendment that has anything to do with hunting. Therefore hunting has nothing to do with the 2nd amendment. I wished these morons would at least be required to read and UNDERSTAND the constitution before they put their hand on the bible and swear to uphold it.

  • Bob Johnson

    When you do not trust the government, you get armed. There is nothing that this administration has done that encourages trust.

  • http://none bill stoffel

    obama is still out off his minde, impeachment would be better then that ass doing away with the second amendement. We need to put armed state troopers at every school and arm the princaples along with teachers trained in defending our children with a gun rather then teaching the children to hide in a closet becausr the buggey man is coming. wake up get real. Obama how long are u going to waste our money and time get real or get the hell out..??,,..

  • Joan Secrest

    Maybe be you and I don’t want an assault gun, but citizens (civilians) have a right to have guns. It is not up to Panetta to say anything about it. It is up to the individual who wants the gun, has a permit for it and has gone through a check up to have it. I personally am happy that civilians have guns. I think it is one reason that the radical left has not been able to take away all of our rights. They have to consider that. If they get them all taken away, then we will have no rights left at all. The government is not in charge of us, we are in charge of the government. If they have all the guns, guess who will be running for a third and fourth term. We don’t want an all powerful government. It never ends well when that happens.

    • Rick

      The Mayor of New York forgot to exempt cops and military…..but not to be outdone Obama did the same so all you military and cops out there are breaking the new law. This is so dam funny its scary. Should have an open season on stupid politicians…oh..and the media. LMAO!

      • eddie47d

        Your comment should be placed in the stupid box as spastic as it was. Okay lets disarm all the police and military I could possibly agree with that if the circumstances were right. What better way to stop wars from happening if our soldiers aren’t armed. Might even stop a few cops from killing.

      • Elda

        Whoa eddie….are you serious or are you talking in your sleep. The best way to start a war is to disarm the people. Weakness invited invasion. It is obvious you have never studied strategies. The best way to create peace is having the best armed people that know how to use them. Every part of our counrty that is gun free is where the most killing takes place. Those areas that are well armed are safe and quiet. I mean really….this has been proven so many times I thought we all understood it but is seems you never got that memo.

      • Chester

        Eddie, under the executive orders and proposed laws, as proposed, that is exactly what will be required. No magazines with a capacity of more than ten rounds, period, will be sold or allowed in the United States. Seems someone forgot that ninety per cent of all police HANDGUNS have magazines that hold more than that, FROM THE FACTORY. Mssrs glock and sig saur both fall into that category. BUT, they were NOT excluded in the high capacity magazine ban, so those guns will have to be turned in or converted to use smaller magazines. Tell that one to the crooks who love those big bang bangs and see how fast you are laughed out of town.

      • eddie47d

        Elda: Do you understand sarcasm for that is what I leveled at Rick for saying police shouldn’t be armed .

      • eddie47d

        Chester; I support the 10 round limit but I don’t write the rules. If it passes then police should also reduce their capacity.

    • roger

      permits and “checkups”? those are infringements……….never mind, go back to sleep.

  • http://yahoo.com BillT

    Just another governmental clown. What seems to be the difference between an “Asault weapon” and one that’s not – Only the way it looks – NOTHING ELSE.

  • worldwatchman

    It’s quite simple. We The People want the kind of guns that are NOT assault weapons and are being called that. If it was full automatic THEN it would be an assault weapon. We also want these weapons because you say we can’t and THAT is infringement that we gun owners won’t tolerate. Gun owning Americans ARE the militia in times of war in our country if it were to happen. The government has NO right to step on the 2nd Amenndment and We The People won’t let you. Is THIS government pushing for a 21 century civil war? Are ALL democrats communist who try to dumb down the masses? History has shown what happens by these things that are happening. Hitler would love this administration because they seem to think alike.

    • JCfromDC

      A “Brown Bess” musket with a fixable bayonet was considered the “assault weapon” OF ITS DAY (18th century). We all need an “upgrade” now and then. Nobody squawked about people acquiring M-1 Garand rifles after WWII, but now even an “obsolete” weapon of that era is now considered an “assault weapon” (because of the bayonet). When did a criminal last use a fixed bayonet in a robbery or other “assault weapon” crime?

      • http://PersonalLibertyDigest Joe Anthony

        Leon Panetta has a history of representing groups that had direct ties with Communist Parties or Communist Governments- which fits with his placement in the Obama Administration.

      • eddie47d

        Joe; Okay since I’m not aware of that point out those commie groups he hangs out with. No links necessary!

      • JeffH

        Joe, please allow me to respond to eddie’s comment. Hang out? That’s comical but but not unexpected from eddie.

        CIA Director Leon Panetta inserted a tribute in the April 11, 1984, Congressional Record to one of his constituents, communist sympathyzer Lucy Haessler, calling her a “woman of peace” for her work in the pro-Soviet Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF). This is when Panetta was a California Congressman representing Santa Cruz.

        Panetta’s praise for Haessler got the attention at the time of Human Events, the national conservative weekly, which noted that WILPF “appears to take the Soviet line on virtually every issue that comes up, ranging from the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and yellow rain [communist chemical warfare] to the issue of new U.S. missiles in Europe.” The Women’s International Democratic Federation was an outright Soviet front organization.

        tribute to identified Communist Party member Hugh DeLacy, inserted into the Congressional Record in 1983, suggests that Panetta did have keen knowledge of these “real activists,” by virtue of his praise for DeLacy’s stand against “McCarthyism.” Hence, it appears that Panetta did indeed “check” on these people, completely understood they had been accused of membership in the Communist Party or having communist sympathies, and found them totally acceptable and praiseworthy.

        The series of “Dear Hugh” and “Dear Leon” letters discovered by blogger Trevor Loudon in the Hugh DeLacy papers at the University of Washington proves that Panetta had seriously checked out this particular constituent and had a working and cordial relationship with him. In fact, Panetta provided DeLacy, a key contact of a communist spy ring, with sensitive documents. And judging from the tone of some of the letters, DeLacy appears to be telling Panetta what to say and do as a sitting member of Congress. Even after Panetta attended a private “celebration” for DeLacy and his wife Dorothy, another communist, DeLacy reminded Panetta that he should return to scrutinizing the “military boondoggle.”

        The tribute to Haessler proves that the DeLacy controversy is not a fluke but part of a disturbing pattern. In 1979, Panetta had spoken in Santa Cruz when the local chapter of WILPF was the site and host of the organization’s national congress.
        http://www.newswithviews.com/Kincaid/cliff529.htm

  • czman75

    Lets see, when was the last time an AR15 was used to commit a crime? …crickets…in the grand scheme of things, 1/2 of 1% is not a lot. This is the % of how many times. Hammers, cars, doctors baseball bats, knives, poison have killed more people than guns, but nobody speaks of banning those things. We can wage war with the government with guns, they don’t like that. That’s why firearms are the chopping block…
    And one more time, mr. panetta, the 2nd Amendment is not about hunting, but it is about the right of Americans to “KEEP AND BEAR ARMS”!

    You know mr. panetta, I have seen healthier looking old men in the old folks home my uncle was in, maybe you should think about retiring…

  • R.L. garner

    As far as I’m concerned, this country does not need Panetta deciding things for us!

    • Kane bonkers

      As far as I’m concerned this country does to need Panetta.
      And, now that I think about it, the other 535 members of congress along with the entire obummer administration up to and including the illegal usurper himself.
      They all need to go. Period.
      And, at this point, I don’t care how it happens.
      Think about that.

      • Kane bonkers

        Sorry…should read “does not need Panetta”
        My bad.

  • http://www.facebook.com/banjojack82 Jack Penland

    Is that what Panetta said? It was difficult to hear him clearly from behind the wall of assault weapon armed bodyguards who protect him and his family 24/7 at taxpayer expense.

  • northbrook

    Ask Panetta -does he own a gun and do any magazines have more than 7 rounds? If so will he surrender any weapon that does? Also the same would be true of any body guards. Real question what prevents a person from reloading another magazine. Limiting guns is not the answer by doing that you only limit the ability of law abiding citizens to defend themselves.

    • Adolf Schmidt

      Well said Nortbrook! If the man that shot all those kids had only a 10 rd clip, those children would have still died! As long as there is no one there to stop them, they can kill at their leisure! The gun free zone signs might as well say, ” Come on in! It’s safe for you to do what you want, with no one to stop you!” And Nortbrook is right about how quick it is to reload with even lower capacity clips! If we are going to protect our children, make laws that will do that instead of hampering the people that could really help stop the lunatics.

      • Jim S

        It’s like a friend of mine, who is a long time police officer and Army Reservist with 2 tours in Iraq, said. Teachers are taught to gather the children together in a group in the corner of the room in an instance like Sandy Hook. That makes them easy targets. Wouldn’t matter if he had a 10 rd mag or a 100 rd mag. They are all together in a huddle so taking a couple of seconds to reload with a 10 rd mag wouldn’t make a difference.

    • Steve Thomas

      We 2A’s (2nd amendment supporters) are missing the point. If limiting the size of magazines is about public safety, WHY DOES IT INCLUDE THE POLICE!!!???!!! NY’s new law includes the police and it is supposed to be a “model for the nation”?!!?

  • Benton Bain

    Ask Panetta why the government needs, not for the military, but other federal agencies 1.4 billion rounds of HOLLOW POINT BULLETS if it is not target practice on the civilian population? Hollow point bullets are illegal in warfare, but Muslim Communist Obama thinks it is okay to use on USA citizens that disagree with his Muslim Communist ideas..

    • Warrior

      That little fella with the mustache liked to collect weapons and ammo in secret also. AND he remembered where he hid them and why he hid them.

      • eddie47d

        Then some of you gun owners must feel a tight bond with that little guy with the moustache since some of you have quite a secret little arsenal stashed away! LOL!

    • Ted Crawford

      One thing is certain here, they are not for Combat operations against a foreign enemy. The Geneva Convention requires military ammo to be Full Metal Jacketed!

      • Jim S

        Not only that Ted, but most people don’t fire hollow points at the range. That’s why they make FMJ. Now the gov’t agents might fire hollow points at the range since we the people are paying for them, but most of the general public don’t.

      • tim

        Hollow points cost 2-3 times as much as regular ball ammo. Oh I forgot we are paying for them. And if obama is approving homeland security to buy more hollow point bullets than there are people in this country, than I’nm sure as hell not giving up any of my weapons!!! He plans on having homeland securtiy confiscate these weapons. They also took an oath to the constitution to the 2nd amendment and swore to protect american citizens. How many of them do you think would actually stand behing that oath… Look at TSA!!!!! The biggest violators of the constitution!!!!!!! So I wouldn’t count on even one standing behind ath!!!!!

    • Steve Thomas

      Eddie, you finally almost got something right. My guns are stashed from Hitler, Stalin, obama and YOU!

  • http://www.cindynel.co.za peter

    Merely stating that he shared the joyous experience of duck hunting with his kids already makes him an arsehole. Teaching kids to kill anything is a heinous crime. Humans are pathetic. There is no way a killer can be taught to be civilized. Does Panetta have blood on his hands? Just like the pompous emperor he so adores. Clothes do not hide their character. Killers of children preaching the virtues of being responsible gun owners – hypocritical does not even come close! But then, I suppose they feel that Iranian or Afghan children are of no importance to anyone. These are the guys who preach against violence, but use it at will and then justify it. What does that tell any decent thinking individual about their values and their real leadership qualities? May God help us all. Amen.

    • Ranchman

      Peter, Peter the vegetable eater, how does your garden grow? With cries against hunters and cries against guns, how can a liberal have any fun? Give it a break, toad. We’re Americans, end of discussion.

      As far as the govt trying to ban MY firearms…MOLON LABE!!!

      Remember 1776 & Keep Your Powder Dry!

      • ibcamn

        canvas pouches in a wooden barrel!..there ya go!

    • al

      Comon Peter, Panetta is a fool, but him teaching his children to hunt ducks is a horrible crime? We should not teach children to kill anything?
      Stop and read what you write, you cannot possibly believe these things.

      Think about what our lives would be like if we all lived by your rules. Our life span would be maybe 25 to 30 years maximum. Average would be maybe late teens.

      We must kill living things by the thousands on a daily basis in order to survive in the world.
      You do realize that all organisms are living things don’t you? Every virus is alive, every germ is alive, everything we eat was alive at one time.

      Take it another step backward, everything that is, was created from exactly the same items. Everything is made from Quarks and Leptons, EVERYTHING ON EARTH. Trees, bushes, rocks, flies, bees, dogs, carrots and potatos, you and me, stars and the moon. We are all of the same things with only the connections being different.

      We were put on earth for some reason and we were told to multiply and be nice to each other. Well we have done one of those things and so here we are.

      If we do not kill other things we cannot survive and multiply. Get used to it…..

    • Steve Thomas

      If you have ever eaten a big mac (or any other meat), you are just as guilty of “your henious crime”. You just keep going to your PETA meetings and tell yourself you are doing something good. Deer kill 200 people every year, injure 10,000 more, and cause over 1.1 Billion dollars in damage. We kill them or they kill us…period!

  • http://n.a. mort_f

    Wonderful, the outgoing Secretary of DEFENSE does not even know what an ‘assault’ weapon, military terminolgy, is.

    A note to Panetta, a C-130 is a transport aircraft, load it with mini-guns and cannons, and then it becomes a combat aircraft. A Boeing 757 is a civilian airliner, load it with terrorists, and then it becomes a weapon of Mass Destruction (WMD).

    An AR-15 is NOT an ‘assault’ weapon, unless it is modified to replicate an M-16 for fully automatic operation, and so used by a nutcase.

    Words do have meanings, stop misusing them.

    • eddie47d

      I bet Panetta does know what an assault weapon is and yes an AR-15 can be converted into an assault weapon. Personally I could care less if 20 people are killed with an AR-15 or 30 people are killed. Death is death so who gives a rats patute in what they are called! Maybe Mort i Fied should take a closer look at perception instead of glossing over the damage a AR-15 can do.

      • Chester

        Eddie, perhaps you should take a good look at the airline industry if you are going to complain about things killing people. More people have died in air crashes than in mass killings in this country, yet people STILL fly, and the airlines get bigger and more dangerous planes to fly. Far as that goes, we still use cars on highways, yet more people are killed every day in car wrecks than in shootings. If we are going to ban things because they might be dangerous to the public, why not start with banning speech we don’t agree with. That way we wouldn’t be tempted to walk over and smack them in the mouth. Has been TRIED in the past, and, as you can see, did NOT work all that well. I can show you a dozen or more things that are just as dangerous if misused, yet there is never any talk of banning them, or of mandating all of them be registered and licensed. Pipe wrenches and baseball bats are only a couple.

      • alan

        eddie i can do the same amount of damedge with my ruger 10/22 its not the gun its the person behind it

      • eddie47d

        Chester; World wide 766 people died in plane crashes within the world in 2007. That is the lowest number in the last 30 years. The highest is 3,234 which doesn’t ever come close to all the gun deaths that have occurred. The issue of mass shootings is extremely important but hardly the only statistic with guns..As I said 1.3 million Americans have died from the use of guns since 1968 yet few have the courage to do anything about it. Except for maybe a terrorist such as with Lockerbie few if anyone buys a plane ticket for the sake of killings themselves or anyone else. Planes are also safer than cars by 62% and nobody rides in a car expecting death either. Now if someone points a gun in your face I think there is a reasonable chance he could kill you because that is what the gun is for. Cars and planes are a transportation issue with hundreds of rules and safety features to avoid people dying. I expect nothing less from the gun owners in America and the manufacturers of weapons. With all those deaths by guns someone is dropping the ball and shirking their duty .

      • Adolf Schmidt

        Eddie, your contradicting yourself! You say it doesn’t matter weather 20 or 30 are killed by a ar-15, just look at what they can do. I have worked in a emergency room, and have seen people dead from something as small as 22 cal to something as large as a 44 mag. I really couldn’t tell too much difference between who was deader. Guns cans can kill period! Some handguns can do as much damage as a assault rifle. Handguns are not made for hunting even though some of them have been equipped to do so! A handguns primary purpose is to kill a person, as is a assault weapon. No matter what laws are put in place you well never keep any type of gun out of the hands of a person bent on killing. The only thing that might reduce these tragic deaths is to have more weapons in the hands of law abiding citizens that know how to use them. But with all the plans in the works for limiting some of these guns, there will less chance to stop someone from killing our children! The school my children are going to is having all the staff take a gun course to prepare for there CHL. I hate that it has come to this, but banning of certain weapons did not work before. It’s pretty much the same as the cold war. The Soviet Union kept its distance because they had little chance of survival. What do you think could have, or would have, happened if The United States had disarmed before them? Please, think of something that will work, trying what failed before is not the answer.

      • eddie47d

        Thanks for pointing out the dangers of handguns too! How can you say something won’t work if we keep pumping out semi-automatics like crazy. I guess I should be asking you do you enjoy taking bullets out of bodies regardless of the caliber size? Since we are the number one manufacturer of arms in the world ,78% then obviously we control the damage.

      • Steve Thomas

        Ooooooooo, a big scary gun. 200 hundred people are killed each year by Bambi (that means deer, eddie). Almost 200,000 are killed by doctors and prescribed drugs each year. The “presciption” drug culture in our country is far more dangerous than the so called gun culture. The difference is guns are a part of self suffiency, magic pills are part of the nanny state…depend on a doctor, the government, etc to diaper your ass you are to lazy and stupid to take care of yourself.

      • Steve Thomas

        You say that 1.3 million people have died since 1968 because of guns. The other side , and there are ALWAYS 2 SIDES, is that some 60-70 million have been SAVED by guns. I’ll take those odds anytime.
        When seconds count…the police are only minutes away.

  • http://exodus-consulting.com Thomas

    Leon: We “need assault weapons” as DEFENSIVE weapons against people like YOU. That is the only reason the 2nd Amendment was written.

    • http://www.facebook.com/banjojack82 Jack Penland

      I wish you hadn’t said that, I was going to say that. At least it shows we’re both right.

      • Steve Thomas

        The only correct view on gun control is that it is TOTALLY unconstitutional. The last 4 words of the 2nd amendment cover it…”shall not be infringed”. That means “by the government”. Who the hell are you to tell me what guns I am allowed to own!!! Ditto to obama.

    • krc

      Well said Thomas I agree

    • Steve E

      Leon shows his Washington elitist attitude when he talks about gun control.

    • eddie47d

      What did Panetta do as the Secretary of Defense that makes you think you have the right to kill him? You may be trying to make a good point but I want to hear the real skinny. Was it authorizing drone attacks and you think taking him out would stop that or what?

      • Gregg

        You mean the same Panetta that told congress that he takes orders from the UN and not you. Look it up.

      • Gregg

        No one wants to kill anyone.

      • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoQbGqYB4Y8 Gregg

        Please watch!

      • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoQbGqYB4Y8 Gregg
      • eddie47d

        I understand what Panetta was saying and indeed we should have a coalition gathered together in order to start any operation. He did dance around the question of Congressional approval and that lack of approval of coarse is what gets us in trouble with our false flag wars. Senator Sessions did not get the answer he was looking for and he heard the same old duck and cover.

      • JeffH

        (dufus ignoramous)eddie says “What did Panetta do as the Secretary of Defense that makes you think you have the right to kill him?”

        Leave it to an ignorant anti-American commie to derive such an idea from a pretty clear and un-threatening comment.

        eddie, you get dumber by the second!

  • http://charter josebear5

    I love it these people keep there in the sand. Thay have no idea what going on around them.

  • Rick

    I always find those kind of words so Intesting when a Government Official says, Why should people need assault weapons..

    Would they like to remove their armed guards from them and their families???????

    O.K.,,,if they don’t remove armed guards from themselves,,,Why Should I !!!!!!!

    • http://www.facebook.com/thomas.sherman.589 tgsherman

      10-4

    • eddie47d

      Who’s out to assassinate you? Are you a member of the Alaskan Peacekeepers Militia who openly advocated for the killing of any public official from judge,policemen and elected officials.

      • Adolf Schmidt

        I wonder if those children at Sandy Hook were thinking” Who would want to assassinate me today.” People like the shooter at Sandy Hooks would find a way to arm himself even if guns and ammunition were banned completely! The only thing that would have helped was to have a armed citizen there to stop him before he could have gathered such a high death toll.

      • al

        Eddie, again let me send you a message.
        I was a agitator in Alaska in the 1970s. The state government was full of crooks, we elected Jay Hammond as the governor. I started a movement called ‘Alaskans for Responsive Government’ and it caught on fire wihin a year and we passed a bill to move the Capital from Juneau to Wasilla, in the Matsu valley out by Big Lake. This would give the people of Anchorage and Fairbanks good access to the State Capitol.

        With the capitol in Juneau the meeting of the legislature was nothing more than a pile of drunks and whores having an unending party at the expense of the taxpayer with bills passed that only made their deal better.

        We elected Hammond as Governor because he said he would ‘take the State Seal and live in a Trailer House in Wasilla while a meeting house for the Legislature was being built.’ As soon as Hammand was elected his first act was to build an Airport on his small Island where his house was, then he paved the roads on the island. Then he and the legislature put a bill together where the cost to move the capital to Wasilla was going to cost 300 million dollars and he put it up to a vote. It was turned down naturally.

        Me and my group leaders started getting death threats and in a couple months some were dodging bullets. Our Kenai leader got shot and was still in the hospital when I sold my property, took my family and left. Within a year the organization was taken over by Bill Sheffield, of the same name hotel. And I have never went back to Alaska.

        Where is the Capitol of Alaska today – Juneau. And that is why Sarah Palin ran for office, to clean up the government of Alaska. She also did a good job, but McCain interrupted her plan and Alaska is still a can of worms….

      • eddie47d

        Thanks for being an activist in the political arena and putting your boots on the ground. Politics can grind you down and sometimes one wonders why we even try to enfluence good government. That’s unfortunate that you supported someone and he then turned against you and other citizens.

      • Steve Thomas

        Guns are used to prevent cimes 2.5 million times PER year. Gun ownership from age 20 to 70. Population 320 million. Do the math, You have a 39% chance of using a gun to prevent a crime…but only if you are smart enough to have one!!!!!!

      • Steve Thomas

        Remember, “when seconds count…the police are only MINUTES away!

  • eddie47d

    Thank You Leon Panetta in being courageous in speaking up. The military understands the need for powerful weapons in combat yet we have civilians who want to emulate their actions. Some folks can’t distinguish the difference between a soldier facing a multitude of enemy forces and a civilian confronting a home invader or a robber. Gun owners continually try and equate the two as being equal when that would be as rare as finding water in the Sahara.

    • Warrior

      And “sometimes” old “ideologies, err habits” are hard to break. Wouldn’t you say?

    • RivahMitch

      Quite frankly, Leon, to protect us from you and your boss just as the founders intended. Without the ability to protect and defend ones unalienable rights, one has no unalienable rights. If you’re totally dependent on the great collective (aka Government) for your rights, they’re not yours but belong to the great collective (aka Government) and may be granted or denied at the the whim of the great collective (Government). That’s why we have a 2nd Amendment.

      • Steve E

        So true.

      • Jake

        Exactly, “The Second Amendment was not created to be conditioned to the kind of weapons that people may have available to buy or whatever the federal government thinks are ideal social situations for people to own a gun.

        Governments alone are responsible for the murder of at least 250,000,000 people in the twentieth century and most of the people who were murdered were either lightly armed in comparison to their aggressors or completely disarmed.

        The Second Amendment was intended to guarantee the right of the individuals to be equally armed as their country’s military, both to aid the military to defend the country from foreign threats, as well as to defend themselves from the Nation’s military forces, should they turn against The People. The Founding Fathers intended to provide the citizens the ability to be armed well enough to keep their country and themselves free from oppressive forces which could arise internally and externally.”

        So it’s only natural that Leon Panetta who BTW is a life long Communist and seeks the destruction of the United States ( http://keywiki.org/index.php/Leon_Panetta )would not want the citizens to be armed. T

    • Adolf Schmidt

      In 99 out of 100 instances a assault rifle would not be needed by a civilian, but there are so many of these type of guns in American hands already. The previous ban on assault weapons did absolutely nothing to reduce the amount of gun violence! The laws that are being purposed now will only restrict the law abiding citizen from owning them, the criminal element will find one if he wants it! The number of deaths from car accidents is higher than deaths from gun violence. Do you think that banning sports car would reduce people from speeding? Every car on the road today can speed! The only way to reduce speeding would be to increase enforcement and penalties! This would not stop it, but it would help. The only real way, other than hiring more officers, is to promote more law abiding citizens to be trained to carry! Also, take down those signs on schools stating” Gun free zone”! Replace this sign with one stating” Staff may be armed”. You wouldn’t put a sign on your house saying” Gun free zone and shoe box full of money”. You wouldn’t last too long!

      • Steve Thomas

        Actually, the 1994 assault rifle ban DID have an effect on crime rates…THEY INCREASED!!

    • Ted Crawford

      ” Waiting periods are only a step. Registration is only a step. The prohabition of Private firearms is the goal ” Janet Reno
      “We’ll take one step at a time…We’ll have to start working again to strengthen the Law.and then again to strengthen the next Law….Our ultimate goal, total control of hand guns, is going to take time” Peter Shields
      “Banning guns is an idea whose time has come” Joe Biden
      ” We’re bending the Law as far as we can to ban an entirely new class of guns” Rahm Emmanuel
      “We’re going to hammer guns on the anvil of relentless legislative strategy! We’re going to beat guns into submission” Charles Schumer
      ” I don’t care about crime! I want the guns” Harold Metzenbaum
      ” Our task of creating a Socialist America can only succeed when those who would resist us have been totally disarmed” Sarah Brady
      ” A system of licensing and registration is the perfect device to deny gun ownership to the Bourgeoisie” Lenin
      ‘Germans who wish to use firearms should join the SS or SA !Ordaniry citizens don’t need guns, as their having guns dosen’t serve the State” Heinrich Himmler

    • Chester

      Eddie, you are making the same mistake a lot of other extreme anti gun people make, assuming an AR-15 is the SAME as an M-16 or an M-60. Although the AR-15 does look a lot like an M-16, and uses some of the same parts, it is NOT the same gun. Main difference being the FACT that the M-16 is capable of burst and full automatic fire, which the civilian version is NOT. The old BAR was as close to that as any gun I know of that has made its way to the true civilian market, and even it did NOT have full auto capabilities. Have fully automatic weapons made their way to the streets, yes, but not in any legal sales, other than to specialized collectors. It is BARELY possible for you or me to own a fully deactivated full machine gun, let alone one that will fire. The AR-15 is a decent hunting rifle for the same reasons the M-16 is a decent military weapon, it is fairly light and easy to carry as well as accurate, and is dependable. As for armor piercing ammunition, that is not all that readily available, but, like a lot of other things, can be obtained for the right price, from the right source.

      • Jimmy The Greek

        @ Chester First off i am not for any form of gun control I believe any one who wants and can afford to buy any thing the military has should be able to have it , That said we can buy armor piercing bullets mail order they would be the black tipped ones the red tipped ones are tracers the green tipped are for light armor all can be legally bought and sold in most states , and i seen last week in the sportsman’s guide catalog M-16 part kits the only thing you don’t get is the barrel and the lower receiver and the disconnector, the last thing being the hardest to lay your hands on the other two no problem , however putting it together as a full auto well get you 10years max as a guest of the feds , however as long as you build it as a semi-auto it’s fine , same kits can be had for most military guns from old WW-2 steins to anti aircraft guns , and it is not illegal to get them up and shooting as long as they are not full auto . just to let you know , get a copy of shot gun news and see for your self .

      • Guest

        Correction Chester, the BAR was a fully automatic weapon. Thus the designation Browning AUTOMATIC Rifle. It could be fired either semi automatically or automatically via a selector switch: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M1918_Browning_Automatic_Rifle

      • CZ52

        “Eddie, you are making the same mistake a lot of other extreme anti gun people make, assuming an AR-15 is the SAME as an M-16 or an M-60.”

        eddie is making no mistake he is perfectly well aware of the differences he just wants ALL semi-auto firearms banned as he admitted earlier this week.

    • Elda

      Eddie, you are one of those people that functions on a foundation of feelings not fact. You argue from a reality you have created in your mind by manipulating facts to fit your feelings. It makes me sad to meet people like you because you never get what you really want because you can’t lie and get truth and you frustrate not only yourself but everyone around you. You need to step back and take a better look at what you are trying to do because you of all people will not like what you get in the end.

      • Mike in MI

        EVERYBODY STOP !!!
        AND READ ELDA’S COMMENT. IF YOU HAVE HAD DIFFICULTY UNDERSTANDING LIBERALS HERE IS PROBABLY THE MOST CLEAR, CONCISE, ACCURATE DEFINITIONS OF “THE RUN- OF-THE-MILL LIBERAL” IMAGINABLE. THIS REPRESENTS THE MAN-ON-THE-STREET.
        THE LEADERSHIP AND HIERARCHY WHO MAKE IT A PROFESSION ARE AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT BREED OF UCK.

        WELL DONE, ELDA !!!

    • al

      Eddie, I would hope that your concept could be correct, but it is not and never can be. Read a bit of history of our Nation. We at one time were disarmed by King George and all of the arms were stored for the use of arriving troops to overpower the Mass colonies.
      Google on ‘Mass Colonies Revolutionary War’ you will get an education on how and why we have the 2nd Amendment.
      It is to ‘Protect ourselves from Foreign Governments and our Own Government’.

      Do you think that Hiltler came to power as a dictator in poof of smoke? Hitler started out as a rabble rouser, an early day ‘Community Organizer’ after he got out of prison. Overtime he slowly got like minded men to follow him, until he, after some ten years, had enough power to target different segments of the population in Germany. Then he created his own small army called the Brown Shirts, all volunteers from the population who could better themselves by looting other people. When he had Germany in his grasp then he disbanded, read killed, the Brown Shirts Organization and moved the leaders into the German National Army. (You might look at Obama and recognize a few similarities)
      Then Hitler went after Austria, then after the rest of Central Europe and then started WWII.
      Read, Read, Read. There is nothing new on the face of the earth in politics, they are all liars and cheats and we must learn to never trust them in any manner. Vote them into office and vote them out as soon as possible.
      Remember, a rolling stone can gather no Moss. This means that we should never leave anyone in office long enough to create his own power base… for he will surely enslave us.

    • daleh

      eddie ,
      I am a Korean War Veteran, have been in combat, M1 Rifle , BAR etc , and if someone broke ito my home , I would instantly go into combat mode , beause that is exactly what it is ,,combat–even though it is only one person or maybe 2 –I hope it neve rhappens to you for i am afraid you will come up short witrh your attitude

    • http://www.facebook.com/benjamin.fox.98892 Benjamin Fox

      eddie teddy 47 ways to be a commie makes me so mad I lose it. Mayor not mayour and some others I really don’t care about at this point, hope I run into the troll somewhere in town and see if he is a man or a mouse?

    • eddie47d

      More threats from tough guy Benjamin Brat. Are you the coward of the county? You repeat your threats so much you must love shadow boxing!

      • http://n.a. mort_f

        Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.

      • eddie47d

        I know how you interpret words Mort I Fied! We experienced that earlier.

    • http://www.facebook.com/david.wilson.7564 David Wilson

      Eddie you have got to be one of the stupidest humans that have ever lived

      • Steve Thomas

        Yes he is. I’ve seen a lot of his posts. He is just another commie in Democrats clothing. He is probably on disability and food stamps. That’s why he has so much free time on his hands.

      • Mike in MI

        STEVE -
        He (eddie47d) has indicated he has always been very much in the union movements and may be on a pension. He’s been around here for an awful long time and hasn’t learned
        a thing – history, philosophies, religious ideas/truths, science, research, new material — he’ll have none of it.
        It’s like he stopped learning before the tenth grade in the fifties or sixties. Be it disease, drugs, trauma, poison, abuse, avoidance of learning????? Who knows? He learned enough to get by then got a job where the unions did all of anything else he needed/wanted. I’ve seen it often in MI.
        Anything he’s learned since was part of the main course at a union meeting. But he’s not a shill or troll. He’s off-beat and often very singular in his commentary…but, it’s always eddie…not “talking points”.

      • Steve Thomas

        Thank you Mike. That adds to the distaste I have always had for unions, and does explain what warped eddie. Of course, that probably means he is on a pension and he doesn’t realize that when bho causes our economy to colapse, his pension will get vaporized.

    • Chief Boring

      Eddie47, I mean you no ill will, and have never responded to your misguided opinions. But I must ask, are you a masochist? You make a nonsensical remark about firearms, and half the posters jump all over you. Why do you keep doing the same thing with the same results? Just askin’. Chief Boring

  • Harold Olsen

    Actually, Penetta is probably right. But, you never know. The way things are in this country between the crooks and our current Nazi government, they may become necessary. Most people who own guns probably don’t really need them. But so what. We have the right to own guns and I believe we have the right to own any type of gun we can get, and have as large a magazine as we want. I personally do not own guns and I do not like them. But I do believe in a law abiding citizen having the right to own any weapons that he chooses.

    • Warrior

      Harold, then why should a person save for a “rainy day” or for retirement? The gubmint will take care of you. And therein lies the whole conundrum. Nanny State or Free State? Personal Responsibility or No Responsibility. Sure appears as though the current “leaders” and their “followers” prefer the latter.

    • http://www.facebook.com/thomas.sherman.589 tgsherman

      If our guns are taken then do the Feds & law enforcement need assault weapons or do they even need any weapons?? After all we have the military to protect us!!

      • Jim in NY

        The military is the Feds

      • eddie47d

        Your forming your own circular firing squad and mounting an attack. I would love for the Feds to stand down on using assault type weapons also. The problem is that our gun manufacturers pump out weapons with easy access to everyone. The Feds feel they are outnumbered because the criminals also have that easy access to those weapons so they demand the same firepower. Some gun owners hate the Feds and feel they need the same firepower to kill the Federal Agents coming to their door. I think you are all crazy and doing nothing but buying into that same line that a more powerful weapon will make you safer.

      • WILDFIRE

        Eddie and his idiotic 3rd world thinking along with Panetta. – ” I think you are all crazy and doing nothing but buying into that same line that a more powerful weapon will make you safer.”

        How do you think we become a “super power”, and have gone for so many years without an attempt of invasion? I guarantee if we had a weaker, less powerful military than others. We would have been attacked by one of the Countries that we have stepped on by now.

        Furthermore, the 2A is not just about the peoples right to defend them self during a residential invasion or personal assault. It is about overturning a tyrannical government.

        Learn the “Declaration of Independence” The first few paragraphs will explain why “We the People” should have the ability and the right to equally arm ourselves with the same power as the military. You think “We the People” could overthrow a government with bb guns and sling shots against 50 cal machine guns and automatic high capacity assault rifles? The Government has already banned the People from having Automatic weapons, which puts “We the people” at a disadvantage against a abusive government. Now they want to chip away a little more by banning the semi- automatics and high capacity mags. In 5 -10 years they will come back around and chip away a little more and take all long range rifles and shot guns, then any hand guns larger than a .22 cal will be banned. Eventually having a paint ball gun will be a crime because the gun looks to real and scary.

        IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.

        When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

        We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.–Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

        Panetta of all people knows why “We the People” need these arms. He hasn’t risen to his position or age without ever reading or learning and knowing about the “Declaration of Independence”. However the people by which he is addressing probably don’t know it, because the public school system fails to teach the youth about it and how the Government is designed to work such as “Checks and Balances” and so on.

      • Don

        Mr. Panetta, assault is a behavor, not a device.And just to let the folks here know, it is important for citizens to be equally armed in case of a tyranical government. You know this. Stop trying to BS people.

      • eddie47d

        Not a bad spiel Wildfire yet when will you figure it out that when the 2A was written there was no standing army and it was written in that context. Now there is no longer a need for any militias anywhere which at that time in 1776 was the individual citizen.

      • JeffH

        eddie, apparently the Framers, the SCOTUS and approximatly 120 million-odd gun owners in the United States, not counting illegally owned guns don’t agree with you.

      • ChristyK

        In response to Panetta’s question of why do civilians need assault weapons. My answer would be: Assault weapons are pretty much the same as hunting weapons except they have cool (aka scary looking) stuff on them. The attachments don’t make them any more dangerous that most other guns. Also, I have a right to defend my family. We live outside of town and the response time for law enforcement would be at minimum 15 minutes and likely 20-30 minutes. Any bad thing that might happen will be over a long time before they show up. Even trained policemen only have a 1 hit out of 4 shots ratio. Most civilians that have never been in a life threatening sitiuation will be worse. If there are more than one attacker (such as a gang), I may need a lot of bullets to defend myself. I intend to have plenty of ammo and preferably a more powerful/accurate gun than my attacker.

        Also, Panetta & others going specifically after assault weapons doesn’t make sense if they are trying to stop deaths. Here are some stats: Assault Rifles-18 deaths, Rifles-453, handguns-6,009 deaths, blunt objects (like hammer)-674 deaths, auto accidents-32,855 deaths, drunk driving-10,839 deaths, knives-1,817 deaths, and hands/feet/fists-869 deaths. Obviously, not even a gun is needed for those that choose to kill, and assault weapons have the smallest amount of people killed. There is only one reason to go after assault rifles and that is to undermine the 2nd amendment and disarm the people.

        Our founders were clear about the intent of the 2nd amendment in their extra-constitutional writings. It was primarily about defending the people from government tyrranny, but also allowing all people to defend themselves from all attacks. They speak specifically about giving the people the right to bear the same arms as the government because the point of the 2nd amendment was to defend against government tyrranny. They were also careful in their language. They chose to say “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed”. They didn’t say “bear muskets”. They didnt’ say “bear guns”. They allowed for the fact that technology would advance and wished the people to have the right to bear arms as powerful as the government (foreign & domestic).

        Laws do not stop criminals and madmen from getting access to guns. If only stops law abiding citizens from having guns for defending themselves against said criminals & madmen. Criminals will always have guns. To make us safer, we need all Americans to have and know how to use guns. For much of the history of our country, it was a legal requirement for all adult males (except the elderly) to have sufficient guns & ammo & training to defend themselves and our country. We would be best served by going back to this stance. Many people that currently say that guns should be banned or limited would not say so if they had experience and training with guns. Guns aren’t scary. Only the criminals & madmen are scary. Even if they don’t have access to guns, they will find ways to injure and kill the innocent. Please allow people to defend themselves, thereby saving lives.

      • CZ52

        “Not a bad spiel Wildfire yet when will you figure it out that when the 2A was written there was no standing army and it was written in that context. Now there is no longer a need for any militias anywhere which at that time in 1776 was the individual citizen.”

        eddie it does not matter if you believe there is no longer a need for militias or not. The constitution has NOT been amended to remove or alter the meaning of the 2nd. Until that is done the 2nd Amendment stands as written and intended.

      • oh oh

        The founders did not trust standing armies, and neither should we. The fact they exist only increases our need for adequate weapons.

    • James Andrews

      You’re damn right we do! And the way theis government is stealing and overspending our money, outting our future and yourth into massive debt, as well as the continued loss of value of our dollar, we might jst need them someday. I hope not, but better to be able to defend yourself and your loved ones than not, especially from a tyrannical government!

      • Steve Thomas

        If gun control had anything to do with public safety, why did NY include the police in their new gun ban????? Aren’t the police the first line of defense charged with public safety?
        It really doesn’t matter (unless it is next door to a donut shop).
        When seconds count…the police are only minutes away.
        Rapists, murders, home invaders, robbers, muggers and bullies ARE REAL. Ignoring criminals does not make them go away.

      • Mike in MI

        ” Ignoring criminals does not make them go away.”

        Right, right, right, right on, on, on – Just ask that lady in Pennsylvania who had that creep ransacking their home trying to find her and her kids. Ignoring him and trying to get out of his way did not make him go away. Warning him did not make him go away. The first four shots did not make him go away.
        Shooting him the fifth round convinced him it was time to leave.

    • Jonathan

      The Second Amendment isn’t about hunting, or target shooting, or even self defense. It is about the ability of the private citizenry to remove a government that has become tyrannical, by violence once all other methods are exhausted. The founders had fought a war to remove the tyrannical British government, after exhausting every effort of diplomacy and petition they had available, using weapons that were the equivalent or better that those used by the British Regular Infantry. If we are to have the ability to remove by force a tyrannical government, whether local, county, state, or national, then we need access to similar weapons that the military, who would undoubtably be ordered to stand against us, have.

      On August 1, 1946, private citizens in Athens, Tennessee, many who had recently returned from World War II, took up arms against a corrupt local government run by the Cantrell family. The Cantrells brooked no criticism of their control, arresting any who would speak out against them. The sheriff paid his deputies on a per arrest scale: the more arrests and fines, the more the deputies got paid, so many people were scurriously arrested and charge with petty crimes to pad the deputies paychecks. The Cantrells also refused to allow secret ballot voting, in defiance of state election laws.

      After numerous attempts to petition the state and Federal governments to step in (to which no effect was made by those governments), the veterans decided to run a non-partisan slate of candidates against the Cantrells. The state senator, Paul Cantrell, and his crony, Sheriff Paul Mansfield, planned to switch jobs. On the primary election day, August 1, 1946, several of the veterans group election judges were beaten and arrested by the sheriff’s deputies and a sheriff’s deputy shot a man in the back for voting for the GI candidates. After Sheriff Mansfield closed the election at 3:30 pm and seized the ballot boxes, removing them to the county jail for him to “count” in private, the citizenry of McMinn County used M1 battle rifles, British Enfield .303 battle rifles, and whatever else they had, and faced off against the sheriff. After hours of shooting, the sheriff and his cronies surrendered. The ballots were then counted per state law, and the veterans had won by a landslide.

      That was only sixty-seven years ago. This is why we have a Second Amendment.

      • joe1cr

        Right on Jonathan !!

        Bill of Rights
        The main difference between the US Constitution and constitutions of other nations is that ours was meant to empower the citizens, where other constitutions empower the state. The government, individuals acting alone or in groups, can possibly possess any “just power” to violate any Individual’s God-given, unalienable rights or their supporting rights. No government can abolish or destroy nor can it rightfully and constitutionally, violate–Man’s God-given rights. Government cannot justly interfere with any of these rights. No President , no Congress combined, could possibly have any such power morally. Government can unjustly and unconstitutionally interfere by force with the deserved enjoyment of Man’s unalienable rights. It is, however, completely powerless to abolish or destroy them. It is in defense of these rights that the self-governing people acting in accordance with, and in support of, the Constitution–oppose any and all violators, public officials and usurpers.

        Our Constitution should only be changed through amendment where 3/4 of all the states have to agree. See Article V of the US Constitution. That is the only way for the people to retain control through their state legislatures. Changing the Constitution in any other way falls out side of Constitutional authority and is a usurpation of unauthorized Constitutional power. The Constitution has an additional layer of protection against federal intrusion into individual and state’s rights. This additional layer of protection is known as our Bill of Rights.

        It was in this sense that George Washington, as President of the Framing Convention in September, 1787, wrote to the Congress of the Confederation–in transmitting to it, for consideration, the draft of the proposed Constitution: “. . . Individuals entering into society, must give up a share of liberty to preserve the rest.” Here he meant merely conditional relinquishment of liberty of action in the exercise of certain aspects of unalienable rights–not the surrender of any unalienable rights, which would be impossible because a nullity, a void act.

      • Jimmy The Greek

        They should have hung them after they gave up !

      • CZ52

        “The Second Amendment isn’t about hunting, or target shooting, or even self defense. It is about the ability of the private citizenry to remove a government that has become tyrannical, by violence once all other methods are exhausted.”

        Actually it was ALL of the above. While the primary intent was about the ability of the private citizenry to remove a government that has become tyrannical, by violence once all other methods are exhausted. The authors of the second were well aware of and took for granted the use of firearms for hunting and self defence. As for the target shooting that was often if not almost always a part of the training as part of the militia. As a result all mentioned and any other legal uses of a firearm were meant to be included.

      • oh oh

        As inalienable rights, they were protected by the 9th Amendment.

    • al

      Actually Panetta has his head up and locked.
      The right it ‘keep and bear arms’ has nothing to do with Duck Hunting or any other kind of hunting for recreation.
      The 2nd Amendment is our right to defend ourselves from any enemy, foreign or domestic. This means that we, you and I, each have the right to arm ourselves with what ever weapon we can afford or find that is sufficient for our protection, and ‘this right shall not be infringed’.
      Congress nor the President can do anything to infringe this right. This right can only be changed by a change in the Original Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and God’s Law of Rights.
      The ban on the so called ‘Assault Weapon’ is against the Constitution and should be driven into the Court of the Nine Stooges to see if they have the slightest Clue about the Constitution. From their ObamaCare decision we know that most of their heads are in the same position as Panetta’s.

      • Steve Thomas

        Remember, this whole 2nd amendment fight is all smoke and mirrors. When did you last hear a story about Bengazzi????? Look up a video youtube watch?v=fhqjnxKOTSc

    • http://TWN dickboz

      Panetta, is wrong, we do need our so-called assault weapons, for protection!! from a government that persists in reducing or ability to protest their freedom restricting laws and Presidential actions!! that is the reason the 2nd amendment was written!!!

    • http://www.facebook.com/benjamin.fox.98892 Benjamin Fox

      Panetta is a idiot, the crooks have them, we supplied many to the crooks and we are suppose to use pea shooters to defend ourselves against the crooks? The man is insane and needs to go to rehab to become human again with a brain that works.

    • Bob

      Police departments don’t need tanks and drones but they have them to use on us. Their all Nazi’s that should be tried for treason.

    • dan

      I wonder how Panetta would feel if a gang of armed ducks busted into his blind with
      (wait for it…………………….) fowl intent :)

    • http://aol hendrik kaarsgaren

      did anybody ever considered why Singapore is so VERY,VERY safe?
      I think people know the answer but they don’t want to know!

      • Chewy

        Singapore is safe because of their swift and severe penalties. They don’t plea bargain. It is also why it is so clean. You can be flogged for spitting or littering. There system actually deters crime, but would be considered inhumane here. Our system is basically a joke to criminals. They still hang people and have mandatory death sentences for murder and drug trafficking.

    • Arnie Tibus

      You are right in every word, Harold. I pray all thinkers are like you – free – free thinkers, so to say. Try visiting a target range one of these days and you will discover that people in these places are the safest to be with. They are respectful, friendly, and just simply good to be with. By any chemistry, that’s amiability at work.

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