Defend the Constitution: Restrict Assault Rifles

Yesterday was the first time I shot a semi-automatic, military-style rifle since I left the Montana Army National Guard 14 years ago. It reminded me just how deadly they can be in the wrong hands. Most anyone can rapidly become fairly proficient with them. My teenage son, who had never shot such a weapon before, put a deadly group of multiple shots into a paper plate from 25-yards in about ten seconds. He can't do that with my bolt-action hunting rifle. Neither can I. Nobody can.

The National Rifle Association (NRA) and its followers like to say things such as, "Guns don't kill people, people kill people." "You can kill people with a baseball bat as easy as a gun." That's true. But it's a hell of a lot easier to kill a lot of people quickly with the right choice of weapons. Nobody can go into a school and kill 22 kids in less than five minutes with a baseball bat. It's a lot easier to kill people when you have a weapon designed and made to efficiently kill lots of people in a short amount of time. This is why I was issued M16-A2 rifles, HK 9mm submachine guns, M60 machine guns, M203 grenade launchers and other potent, deadly weapons in the Marine Corps and National Guard -- not baseball bats. (See "Myths, Lies and Bullshit from the NRA.")

Some weapons are made for efficient, deadly assaults, hence the term "assault rifles." (There are those who resent that term, and claim its use shows a lack of knowledge about guns, and yet even some of the manufacturers and gun dealers who sell them call them "assault rifles.")

These weapons should be further restricted -- more extensive and thorough background checks along with registration, training and licensing requirements. And no, that would NOT violate our Second Amendment Rights. President Ronald Reagan and President George H.W. Bush didn't think so, and neither do I.

There have and always will be restrictions on Second Amendment rights. Even our "founding fathers" who crafted and approved of the amendment often fervently disagreed on it. Constitutional scholars, politicians, and others have had many rationale, reasonable, heated debates over it ever since. I am not allowed to have an M60 machine gun, an M203 grenade launcher, an M1 Abrams tank, a LAAW (Light Anti Tank Assault Weapon), Stinger anti-aircraft missile or a nuclear warhead. Those all seem like reasonable restrictions to me. We all draw the line somewhere.

Where does the NRA and its supporters draw the line? And why is it they think that wherever they chose to draw the line is what the rest of our nation should except --  and that any restrictions that cross their line is unconstitutional?

It is not unconstitutional for citizens to speak out and fight to make changes through the democratic process as outlined in our Constitution. To the contrary: It's very Constitutional. It's the American way. It's patriotic. What's actually unAmerican is for a special interest group to spread lies, myths and misconceptions and bully, threaten and intimidate our elected public officials and others to get their way -- effectively hijacking our democratic process, against the will of a majority Americans, preventing us from making our nation more safe. More sane.

There is no legitimate reason for citizens to own weapons designed and made to rapidly kill a lot of people in a short amount of time. The risks and dangers to our nation and innocent people far outweigh any benefit that can possible be gained. The NRA defends the rights of people to own pretty much any sort of weapon they desire -- not because of Second Amendment rights, but because they have become an arm of and public relations firm for a huge, powerful, wealthy and influential gun and weapons manufacturing industry. They have purchased our Congress to do its bidding through money, threats and intimidation. It's about profit, not the Constitution.

It's time for change.

The Gun Incident

It's not everyday you have a gun pulled on you, even in Montana.

My son Cory and I pulled into a small parking lot near a lake in the Seeley-Swan Valley today where we planned to canoe and fish. There was a guy standing near a big pickup who seemed to be glaring at me as I was getting ready to unstrap and unload my canoe. Eventually he walked over and introduced himself as Ken Liston. He asked if my name is Dave Stalling.

"Yes. Do I know you?" I asked.

"You're the wolf-loving, tree-hugger who insulted me online," he said.

Uh-oh.

Then I remembered. He was a participant in a recent discussion regarding wolves on a Facebook page run by a local nonprofit hunter-angler conservation organization. He kept posting common lies and misconceptions about wolves to which I responded with science-based facts. (No, the reintroduced wolves are not a different, larger, more "vicious" subspecies from what used to live here. No, they are not "decimating" our elk herds. No, they are not after our children. No, they are not associated with Muslims or the Communist Party.)  He is the type who responded with intelligent, insightful comments such as, "You're not a real hunter. You're not a real Montanan. You're a libtard."

At one point, he suggested anyone not born in Montana should have their place of origin tattooed on their forehead and then be removed from the state.

I gave up and called him an idiot.

"Ah, yes, I remember you," I said. "The guy who wants to tattoo people's foreheads and boot them out of Montana?"

"That's me," he said. "You insulted me."

"Yes, I did," I replied. "I think I called you an idiot?"

"Yes," he said. "I bet you don't have the balls to say that to my face!"
"Do you really, seriously think that anyone not born in Montana should have their place of origin tattooed on their forehead and then be removed from the state?" I asked.
"Yes, I do," he said.
"Well then, you do seem like an idiot," I responded.
"And from your hat, I can tell you are a fucking libtard," he said.
(I was wearing my Montana Wildlife Federation hat.)

I asked him to leave me alone.

"I'm with my son," I said. "We are going fishing. Please go away."

He got close up in my face in a very intimidating and threatening manner and proceeded to insult me. I felt trapped between him and my car. I got pretty nervous and asked him several times to back off. He only got more aggressive and threatening. I placed the palm of my hand on his face, holding his head like Tom Brady might grasp a deflated football, and shoved him away from me.

"Leave me alone!" I said again. "Go away."

He pulled a handgun out from a side holster (hidden under his jacket) and pointed it at me. It looked like a .45 caliber.

"Whoa!" I said. "Are you seriously pulling a gun out on me? My son is here (Cory was very scared). Knock it off asshole. Go away."

He dropped the gun to his side and said (seriously, he really did say this):

"Touch me again and I will shoot you. I'm too old to fight and too young to die."

"Wow! Did we just enter into a John Wayne movie?" I asked. "You really are a fucking idiot, aren't you? I will not touch you if you put your toy away and get the fuck out of here."

He put his toy away and got out of there. I called 911 and reported the incident and gave the operator a description, make and model of his truck, his license plate number and the direction he drove off.

While still on the 911 call, he returned and parked his truck near me. He got out and offered me a beer as an apparent peace offering.
"We're better than this," he said.
"No, you're not," I replied.
I informed him the police were on the way.
He left again.

While waiting for the police, I missed a phone call from a number I did not recognize. Assuming it might be the police, I called the number back.

It was him.

He again made a peace offering.

"How did you get my number?" I asked.

"I have my intelligence sources," he said.

The police apparently pulled him over, and eventually arrived to separately get my version of the story and then Cory's version. They were very professional and nice. They asked if I wished to pursue any charges against the guy. I said no. 

Throughout the incident, I kept reassuring Cory that everything was okay, and he kept assuring me that he was okay. But at one point he did say, "Dad, next time someone points a gun at you, you really shouldn't threaten and cuss at them -- you should cower a little bit."

He has a point.

He also said, "Be careful what you say to people online; you might meet them in person sometime." After that, we spent a lovely afternoon on the lake, fishing. The worst part of the day? We didn't catch any fish.  

The Man Shop!

On a whim I got my haircut today at a place called The Man Shop. "Kick Ass Cuts!" they claim. "This Is Not Your Father's Barbershop!"

No wimps allowed.

You can shoot a game of pool for free while waiting, or play Foosball, or shoot some hoops, or play one of the arcade games, or watch sports on one of the huge-screen TVs. I opted to kick back in one of the comfy lounge chairs while browsing through an issue of Outdoor Life full of ads for men who apparently need ATVs and military-style semi-automatic rifles to assault deer armed with large racks.

And speaking of large racks, there are a few posters of scantily-clad women with big, um . . .hooters? Jugs? Melons?

There are also assorted T-shirts for sale, most adorned with cartoon depictions of women who all looked like Daisy Mae from Lil' Abner, accompanied with words such as, "No matter how hot she is, some guy, somewhere, is sick of putting up with her shit." Another T-shirt proclaimed, "I work my ass off to feed a million people on welfare." (I assume it was referring to the small amount of taxes used to help people in need, and not the huge amount that goes towards corporate welfare for companies whose CEOs make $40 million a year but can't pay their workers enough to keep them off food stamps. But that would be a lot to put on a T-shirt, and sounds more like something a damn libtard would say, not a man! I work my ass off to feed millionaires?)

If Donald Trump's hair is real, and if Donald Trump ever gets his hair cut, and if Donald Trump ever decided to get his hair cut in Missoula, Montana, this is where he would go. The Man Shop!

There is also a display on the wall showing the past, present and future of women. The past shows a seductive photograph of Marylin Monroe; the present shows a big-breasted woman in a Superwoman costume; the future shows an very attractive woman with a nice smile who looks . . . well, just naturally beautiful. Apparently, the future bodes well for straight men.  

The young, beautiful woman who cut my hair asked me right away if I liked football. "I loved playing it," I say, "but I don't get too into watching it." When she stopped and looked at me funny and said, "What? You don't like the Broncos?" I thought, just for a second, I was going to get banned from the Man Shop. So I attempted a quick recovery and replied, "I have a lot of respect for Peyton Manning . . . he and Tom Brady are pretty amazing." To which she replied, "Tom Brady only got where he is by cheating." I changed the subject to my hair. She asked if I wanted the gray colored out. "Hell no!" I said. "I've been coloring it for years but it's time to be a man and face reality!" She liked that. "Embrace the Gray!" she said. "Be a man! Embrace the Gray!" I replied, holding my clenched fist in the air. We got along damn good after that.

I'll tell you what, I ain't lyin' . . . I did get a freaking kick ass haircut at a helluva damn good price!

There's a sign on the front door with a drawing of a handgun that reads, "Lawful Concealed Carry Welcomed on These Premises! We Support the Second Amendment, Therefore We Support and Encourage the Carrying of Concealed Weapons."

You can also get your eyebrows waxed for $10.00.