Haven't killed myself in the interim, apologies to all, especially the truly civilized people of Britannia who I'm sure must feel it deeply. ;) In fact I shall turn 60 tomorrow and hope to avoid suicide for a few more years.

Don't see much here since last time that I feel calls for another full-scale rant, but I stand by what I wrote. Briefly, like a few others on this thread, I, and most of the NRA for that matter, do not object to reforming and then *enforcing* laws designed and actually calculated to keep guns out of the hands of demonstrated criminals, immature or mentally unstable persons. But when the talk is of getting rid of the 2nd amendment, we do indeed balk, because if that were gone, there would be nothing to stop the government from disarming the general population entirely. For them as thinks that's just fine, great - your country, your way, suit yourself. I do realize it's not 1776, or 1851, or whatever dates were mentioned, but I maintain that today an armed people is more, rather than less, appropriate and necessary.

I don't have Rahere's background in Con Law, but while I can't flatly call him wrong, I think his argument is pretty weak. But what I really can't grasp is Musket's idea that the 2' amendment is a guarantee of the right to be conscripted. I'd bet I can't find any con law authorities who can understand that interpretation either.

BTW Musket, your repeated allegations about dick size are giving the male member an inferiority complex. He's also taken to making snide remarks like "Going 'turkey hunting' with that blued-finish .410 again, huh? I'll just bet you are." You have however put me off burglary in Britain, had I ever contemplated the career. If you consider a firearm a substitute for an inadequate endowment, I shudder to imagine the weapon with which the irate Englishman confronts the housebreaker. :P

Please don't let me scare you away from Killington. I only go there during the 2' week of November for the gamers' convention (I'm not a skier) and it's been years since I shot anybody while I was there. But I'm flattered by your chilled bones, I don't achieve that often. I am a little hurt that you consider my guff to be "cut-&-paste" (hang onto those chilly bones, now), it actually is my own opinions, carefully distilled over the years whilst banging rocks together, and not lifted from any other source.

I'll check back at some point and am happy to carry on discussion with any who want to do so, as time permits (which it often doesn't), but if you're just into expressions of horrified disgust at my repulsiveness & insanity I won't be answering you. I expect it, ain't worried about it, but I ain't debatin' it. Unless irony is irresistable.

Fondly,
Bone-chillingly Brutal Carl