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Groups that want more gun control think this is the moment - that the Newtown massacre finally is the kind of outrage that will not so easily fade from peoples' minds. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

How will gun owners respond?

BY Dave Ross  on December 18, 2012 @ 9:50 am (Updated: 10:24 am - 12/18/12 )

Groups that want more gun control think this is the moment - that the Newtown massacre finally is the kind of outrage that will not so easily fade from peoples' minds.

And we're seeing indications of that - even to the point that CERBERUS, the Wall Street investment firm, announced it is selling its stake in the company that makes the Bushmaster rifle Adam Lanza used.

That comes a day after we heard about how bullets fired in the classrooms ended up penetrating cars in the parking lot. That's how powerful these military weapons are. Police also found hundreds of unfired rounds, enough so that Lanza could have killed everyone in that building.

Any non-felonious, non-mentally ill adult in America can legally own that kind of firepower, and can pretty much store it in a closet if they want to. Some states hold gun owners criminally liable if their guns aren't stored properly and fall into the wrong hands - but of course that kicks in after the damage has been done.

No one knows whether this will tip the balance on gun control. But you know what might make a difference? If this incident motivates gun owners to get serious about how they store their guns.

Maybe more people now will re-think the chances of getting killed with their own weapons, or imagine what it would be like to wake up one Friday morning to a terrifying news bulletin and then get a knock on the door a few hours later from a couple of cops asking if you'd heard what just happened, and did you know your weapons were missing?

Dave Ross, KIRO Radio Talk Show Host
Dave Ross is co-host of The Ross & Burbank Show on KIRO Radio (weekdays 9-Noon) and never too far from the spotlight.
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Comments (69)


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  • It's me! Ha ha! wrote...
    A "Shadow government"?
    December 18, 2012 12:50 pm
    How about all those guns the Dear Leader sold or gave to Mexico in Fast and Furious? And for what?

    This regime is not a Shadow Government it is a full blown Marxist Leninist Obamunist government.

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  • roomtemp wrote...
    @It's me! Ha ha!...
    December 18, 2012 1:24 pm
    "How about all those guns the Dear Leader sold or gave to Mexico in Fast and Furious? And for what?"

    That would be to make sure that the preferred U.S. sanctioned Mexican drug cartel (Sinaloa) retained power.

    Next question...

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  • SeattleD wrote...
    It is the NRA that is arming the drug cartels
    December 18, 2012 1:55 pm
    The feds were just tracking the NRA death mercant shipments.
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  • maplefish wrote...
    Ummmm Seattle D
    December 18, 2012 5:10 pm
    Are you that stupid? Obama & Holder have both stated publicly that "They need to get guns out of the hands of the public". BTW-do you know that there are more Black on Black GUN MURDERS in Chicago every single month than the Connecticut tragedy? But you don't hear a PEEP from the Obama administration, The MSM, the Left wing whiney babies or anyone else. So apparently those lives aren't as important as the other lives lost? Democrats: constantly striving for a new level of HYPOCRISY.....
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  • Paul Kersey wrote...
    You've got it roomtemp
    December 18, 2012 2:14 pm
    not many Americans know what is going on in Mexico, who the players on and which sides the U.S. has taken. Our government (along with Calderon) are in business with El Chapo. One of their goals is to disarm law abiding Americans so that we will be as helpless as law abiding Mexicans. The second amendment is bad for their business interests.
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  • messiah101 wrote...
    haha
    December 18, 2012 1:26 pm
    Your understanding of fast and furious is completely wrong,your in a Fantasy of your own making
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  • circuitfr wrote...
    Great
    December 18, 2012 4:46 pm
    Obama can send guns to mexico that kills people...thats OK. But screw the american that legally owns a gun. Criminals dont give a rip. basicaly what we are saying is that murders by beatings, rape, etc... Are ok because its not enough people for the media to care? Is the one baby murdered not as important? Mediamonly cares when its numbers are bug enough.
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  • maplefish wrote...
    Yep Circultfr
    December 18, 2012 5:15 pm
    That's our President. The KIng of the LIARS and HYPOCRITES. Plus, he's from Chicago.. Black on Black GUN MURDER Capital of the World.....
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  • messiah101 wrote...
    circuitfr
    December 19, 2012 10:00 am
    Obama does not send me my SSI check and Obama SENT NO guns to Mexico.And how has Obama screwed any gun owners in the USA please give me 1 EXAMPLE
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  • rational wrote...
    Your understanding of fast and furious is completely wrong
    December 18, 2012 7:29 pm
    The facts about Fast and Furious is the Obama admin allowed guns to be moved to narco-terrorists in Mexico, and those guns ended up murdering hundreds of Mexicans and at least a couple of Americans...Obama has the blood of many innocents on his hands. But that's ok, the left doesn't care...it's only a few hundred brown skinned mexicans that Obama killed...they don't matter...lousy liberal racists.
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  • messiah101 wrote...
    rational
    December 19, 2012 10:06 am
    How is it you came to the judgement that the weapons sent to Mexico killed "hundreds of Mexicans" The only way that would be possible is if ballistic tests were done and that means the guns would need to be in the hands of law enforcement and that the serial numbers of the guns needed to have been taken before they were sold.If the sale was clandestine in nature as you FAR RIGHTYS suggest the book keeping would have been minimal.Do you feel that Law Enforcement should not attempt to infiltrate criminal organizations?Do you believe that the Drug cartels in Mexico would not be able to arm themselves with the latest weaponry if they did not get these arms from the US gov?
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  • rational wrote...
    messiah101
    December 19, 2012 5:26 pm
    Are you really that out of touch from the news? Even leftist sources have reported on the numerous killings tied to Fast and Furious. And I don't know where you get the idea that they don't have serial numbers on those weapons, that isn't how the program was run...they did capture serial numbers. Here is just one of the stories, you could find plenty more if you took the time to look into it...

    As part of Operation Fast and Furious, ATF allowed 1,961 guns to "walk" out of the U.S. in an effort to identify the high profile cartel leaders who received them. The agency eventually lost track of the weapons, and they often ended up in the hands of Mexican hit men , including those who ordered and carried out the attack on Salvarcar and El Aliviane, a rehabilitation center in Ciudad Juarez where 18 young men were killed on September 2, 2009.

    http://abcnews.go.com/ABC_Univision/News/fast-furious-scandal-details-emerge-us-government-armed/story?id=17352694

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  • Forrest wrote...
    As a gun owner, here are my two solutions:
    December 18, 2012 5:03 pm
    1)A single payer, universal healthcare plan for the entire population including mental illness. Institutionalize the mentally ill until they can function in society.

    2)Initial reporting of shooter incidents followed by voluntary media suppression of the incident. Hopefully the media will refuse to use the shooters name. Give a profile and infer what a loser he was (or is) but do not give the shooter publicity. Make him a unknown.

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  • It's me! Ha ha! wrote...
    messiah101
    December 18, 2012 7:25 pm
    Sorry Messy but understanding your Dear Leader the way we Americans do, the side of him all you Parrots cannot see, we know this to be a big part, perhaps the only part, of your Dear Leaders anti-American agenda. Liberals have wanted to end Americans right to keep and use guns for decades. And this tragedy played right into their filthy hands.
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  • rational wrote...
    Groups that want more gun control think this is the moment - that the Newtown massacre finally is the kind of outrage that will not so easily fade from peoples' minds.
    December 18, 2012 7:29 pm
    Actually, they have gone even farther...Democrat congressman Nadler called for the president to "exploit" the killings to promote gun control. The glee at using the deaths of 20 children to promote one's political agenda is the ipitome of evil...but there you have it, the democrat party of evil.

    So are we going to her any denunciations from the left, or are they down with "exploiting" the death of children?

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  • rational wrote...
    ipitome = epitome
    December 18, 2012 7:26 pm
    darn typos...and evil democrats.
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  • messiah101 wrote...
    rational, Wow are you naive
    December 19, 2012 10:12 am
    Exploit (using something for your advantage) is daily activity in Politics,Business and inter actions between humans.Would you have preferred that Nadler had sugar coated his statement? Would that have been more acceptable to you BABY boy?
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  • rational wrote...
    messiah101
    December 19, 2012 5:30 pm
    Thank you for confirming that you're ok with exploiting the murder of 20 children. And no, I wouldn't be happier if Nadler had used some sugar coated word instead of the word he did use..."exploit". I'd rather his evil be revealed instead of hidden so folks can decide rather they want to continue to support evil when his reelection comes up next. My guess is democrat will be happy to return evil to office...it's core to who most democrats are.
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  • Ron_Spins wrote...
    It's not a gun control issue!
    December 18, 2012 10:12 pm
    It's the schools themselves , make it so nuts cant show up and ambush our children "with anything".I see in Conn.today they were requiring I.D for parents dropping off their kids..and a big police presence OK now what's the plan for the next attack ...using technology with video monitors and a few (armed) guards ..watch and protect our precious children..The SCHOOL IS A SOFT TARGET! HARDEN IT! and it can be done WITHOUT making it look like a fortress ..Think!
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  • Ron_Spins wrote...
    Ramirez
    December 18, 2012 10:15 pm
    http://www.investors.com/editorial-cartoons/michael-ramirez/637526
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  • NoPrudes wrote...
    Dave's article
    December 19, 2012 12:00 pm
    Articles like this are why it is difficult to have an intelligent conversation about it: gun-haters generally don't know anything at all about guns. The article calls these "military-grade" weapons - which they aren't. He comes right out and says these "military weapons" penetrated cars in the parking lot. Let's clear this up: The AR15 shoots a .223 caliber round. It is not high powered. In fact, it is considered a low power round. Most deer hunting rounds are more larger and more powerful than that. A deer rifle would have penetrated just as much, if not further. But he doesn't say that. If he wanted to make an argument about capacity, he could. But his ignorance leads him to call a .223 "powerful" and a civilian semiautomatic black rifle "military weapon." If you want to argue with me, fine. But at least know what you're talking about, or your points are meaningless and moot.
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  • Howdy wrote...
    NoPrudes- that's how they think
    December 19, 2012 3:45 pm
    They feel an arguement is won by sensationalizing and distorting perception instead of using facts and common sense.
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  • messiah101 wrote...
    No prudes
    December 19, 2012 4:38 pm
    Your making yourself look like a idiot. Read Guns and Ammo article from Feb 10/2012 James Tarron the 223 cal rifle and the ammo it shoots it deflates everything you just said.Another example of some gun nut attempting to come across as an authority when they don't have a clue.Your just a JOKE
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  • Saltchucker wrote...
    Want a real shadow government?
    December 19, 2012 7:57 pm
    Pew Charitble Trust. Agenda driven junk science at its worst.
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  • rational wrote...
    But you know what might make a difference? If this incident motivates gun owners to get serious about how they store their guns.
    December 19, 2012 8:06 pm
    BTW Dave, this is a fair and reasonable suggestion. I'm not a big government guy, but why aren't liberals suggesting the government offer rebates for gun owners to buy gun safes? They take tax money to reimburse folks for buying new windows, water heaters and electric cars...are they more important than our children?
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  • RonJ wrote...
    Dave your an absolute dolt
    December 24, 2012 7:14 pm
    Any medium-caliber deer rifle is 10 times more powerful that the "powerful military weapon" you claim was used. Do your self a favor, purchase a Shooters Bible, available at any Walmart, and educate yourself on the subject of firearms and their potential lethality. Until then your an idiotic moron on the subject of forearms
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