Gunrights

Miro wants more gov’t control of ‘military-style’ semi-autos

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VSP in contact with Maine authorities

Lewiston, ME surveillance photo

by Guy Page 

Burlington Mayor and likely candidate for governor Miro Weinberger blamed legal possession and sale of popular ‘military style’ semi-automatic weapons for the spate of mass shootings, including yesterday’s in Lewiston, Maine.

Surveillance photos show the Lewiston shooter pointing a semi-automatic. Weinberger’s office issued this statement:

“This morning, tragic events continue to unfold in small communities across Maine following a mass shooting event last night in Lewiston. Early reports describe a scene of ongoing mayhem with at least sixteen people dead, more than fifty injured, and the shooter still at large. This is one of 565 mass shootings in America this year. Mayor Weinberger made the following statement: 

‘Even amidst a climate in which American mass shootings have become routine, the events unfolding in Maine are shocking. This time, the tragedy is taking place in a New England college city much like Burlington. The community life of Lewiston, Maine is one that we know and understand. As a city of neighbors, we know what it is like to walk into any bar, restaurant, or bowling alley and see friends, schoolmates, coworkers, and family. Yet, the devastation and terror that Lewiston and surrounding communities are faced with this morning is unimaginable and horrifying.   

‘As in so many past tragedies in the twelve years since Newtown, early reports say this lone shooter used a military-style semi-automatic weapon to commit these murders. As long as we allow these weapons to circulate in mass numbers with virtually no regulation, these catastrophes will continue. We can, and must, pass common-sense gun laws to end this scourge of violence. No other nation lives this way, and neither should we.”  

One semi-automatic, the AR-15, is considered the most popular gun in America. By some estimates (see link below), about one in 20 Americans own one. 

It was developed as a civilian weapon. According to a BBC report. “The AR-15 was first developed as a semi-automatic rifle for civilians in the 1950s by Armalite, a US firm after which the “AR” is named. In 1959, the design of the weapon was sold to another company, Colt, which soon adapted it into a military, fully automatic version known as the M-16.”

The shooting occurred just a day after Lt. Gov. and 2020 gubernatorial candidate David Zuckerman attended a ‘gun violence’ summit in Washington DC. 

Balint calls for donations for Lewiston rep seeking ‘assault rifle’ ban – Rep. Becca Balint (D-VT) yesterday called for campaign donations for Jared Golden, the Lewiston-area congressman who has called for a ban on so-called assault rifles. “We don’t have to live like this. Americans deserve comprehensive gun laws that keep our communities safe,” Balint tweeted today.

Vermont State Police in contact with Maine authorities– Vermont and Maine are among the six states that compose the New England State Police Administrators Compact, also known as NESPAC. Joined by Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island, NESPAC allows all state police agencies in New England to share resources and operate with full legal authority throughout the region without jurisdictional red tape.

There is no indication that the suspect in the Maine mass shooting is traveling to Vermont or that there is any danger to residents here. However, like all law enforcement throughout the region and beyond, police in Vermont have received bulletins with full descriptions, photographs and other information regarding the suspect and are on the lookout for him as part of their routine patrol duties. The public should remain vigilant, and if anyone sees an individual who resembles the Maine suspect, they should immediately call 911 and not approach the individual. A photograph of the Maine suspect is available via a Facebook post from the Lewiston, Maine, Police Department.

Categories: Gunrights

86 replies »

  1. Does our former Lt. Gov. really think that banning this one gun is the answer, I doubt it! I’m sure he considers this step one in many. If he were any kind of leader he would push for more stiffer penalties on the real criminals and leave the majority alone including the Constitution. His priorities of giving all a chance, who do break the law without penalties, and his eagerness to penalize the law-abiding are are twisted! ITS SOFT LAWS AND SOFT JUDGES THAT MAKE HARDENED CRIMINALS.

    • That’s funny. I don’t remember statements like this for Vermonters’ when they were shot in his town because he allowed a bunch of whiny children to defund the police under his watch.

      It’s not the gun Miro, it’s the same sickness that takes over your city council. The same sickness you advocate for.

  2. Let the games (political BS) begin ! The bodies of these poor souls aren’t even cold, some have yet to be identified, next of kin have not been notified and Miro is on his soap box.

    • there is an entire media and political net work across the nation told to say the same “talking points’ all the same day….it’s highly orchestrated.

      Sheryl Atkisson who wrote the smear, laid it all out some time ago, before the term “Fake News” was even spoken.

      It’s way worse than fake news, it’s propaganda, but propaganda to serve those who wish to do our country harm.

      And while they get us all riled up again about taking our guns (they do want to), looking and fighting about the shiny object in one hand they’ll be doing something far more sinister in the other hand we aren’t looking at.

      These snakes are pretty devious, we need to be wiser than snakes and more innocent than doves.

  3. “The world is filled with violence. Because criminals carry guns, we decent law-abiding citizens should also have guns. Otherwise, they will win and the decent people will lose.”
    James Earl Jones

  4. Yes, people Miro wants to be Governor…….what !!
    So just think about the condition he has managed to bequeath to Burlington, a city with a plethora of crime, drugs, and homeless lying all over the streets, and don’t forget about the two nudists, strutting with their junk flopping in the wind, and now he’s spewing about gun control with the ” banning ” a specific rifle, that he knows nothing about, but he does know about ” gun crime “, since his terms as Mayor of Burlington he has had the highest reported gun crimes in its history…….. Governor, now that’s funny, not really, just pathetic !!

  5. If Weinberger had half a brain, he’s be demanding research into a possible link between the Alaska Airline pilot and the Lewiston shooter. Then, insuring Vermont residents professionally diagnosed with that same mental illness profile can not harm themselves or others. To do any less is proof positive Weinberger’s priority is not the safety and health of Vermonters.

    Mental illness is a huge problem in Vermont evidenced by our well above average suicide rate. Yet our legislatures seek a worthless, easy solution to shield their personal guilt and enhance their shallow, self-esteem. Hey, let’s increase the waiting period!

    • Guns cannot be violent. Made up term that fools perpetuate to move us toward gun control.

    • 93 million a day huh? The United States had an official estimated resident population of 333,287,557 on July 1, 2022, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That would mean the population of the United State would be gone in less than four days. But you keep on watching Youtube propaganda.

      “In the abundance of water the fool is thirsty”. – Bob Marles

    • Dear J,
      You slipped on your bananas,

      93 million American deaths per day x 365 days per year = 34 billion deaths per year from gun violence. 34 billion is more than 4 times the population of the world which is about 8 billion.

      If your statistics were true the entire US population of 330 million people would be dead within 3.5 days.

    • 93,000,000 a day ??? Did you go to one of those schools where they pushed the green propaganda, gender fluidity, and racism ? You sure did not go to one that taught math or encouraged common sense .

      • You all are getting wrapped around the axle over a Babylon Bee satire regarding gun control. But, I’d not be surprised to hear joe biden say 93 Million deaths, either. Sad part is- Babylon Bee is satire and biden believes his own BS.

    • Sorry for jumping the gun, so to speak J. That Babylon Bee piece was a hilarious bit of satire . Thanks

  7. Please, just enforce the laws. Don’t make new ones to hurt the law abiding citizens.

  8. How about putting mentally insane people in hospitals, that would solve 99% of mass shootings

  9. If this doesn’t illustrate why Miro is not qualified for ANY public office, I am not sure what does. Rather than working the failures of existing laws (this recent mass shooter broke more than a few) he focuses on a campaign that will NEVER come to fruition (full confiscation of firearms from law abiding citizens who don’t commit crime). Doesn’t he realize this mass shooter was identified as a risk and not one bureaucrat did anything? Frankly, it unqualified bureaucrats like Miro that fail to address the root causes of these issues and waste time pandering to their base with feel good suggestions that amount to nothing. Now that’s he’s leaving the mayorship, one can hope he stays unemployed.

  10. Why do we judge all American gun owners and manufacturers by the actions of so few, when no other group is judged in this way, no matter how heinous and numerous are the atrocities they commit?

  11. I’ll give up my guns when all of the politicians give up their security details made up of men who use the same kind of weapons. They are getting beat in the courts regularly on the issue of gun control. Every time guys like Miro open their mouths more people go out and buy guns. Why? They don’t trust government.

    George Washington: “When any nation mistrusts its citizens with guns it’s sending a clear message. It no longer trusts it’s citizens because such a government has evil plans”.

    https://bearingarms.com/camedwards/2023/08/23/massachusetts-judge-second-amendment-rights-cross-state-lines-n74040

    https://www.breitbart.com/2nd-amendment/2023/09/22/judge-strikes-down-california-magazine-ban-2nd-time/

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/federal-judge-again-rules-that-california-s-ban-on-assault-weapons-is-unconstitutional/ar-AA1iwQWe?ocid=wispr&pc=u477&cvid=4f0bd57f1d37488db300e5c3e60027f2&ei=1084

    George Washington: “Firearms stand next in importance to the Constitution itself. They are the American people’s liberty teeth and keystone under independence. The church, the plow, the prairie wagon and citizens’ firearms are indelibly related. From the hour the Pilgrims landed to the present day, events, occurrences and tendencies prove that, to ensure peace, security and happiness, the rifle and pistol are equally indispensable. Every corner of this land knows firearms, and more than 99 and 99-100 percent of them by their silence indicate they are in safe and sane hands. The very atmosphere of firearms anywhere and everywhere restrains evil influence. They deserve a place of honor with all that’s good. When firearms go, all goes. We need them every hour.”

    • The two largest killers of humans are mosquitoes and government.

      I can defend myself from a mosquito with merely my hand, but to defend myself from the government requires a gun (or an F-16 according to Biden). Why would I give up one of the very few weapons that can defend myself from the government?

  12. I was a correction officer for 20 years and in that time, I’ve seen a lot of violence, mostly stabbings or beatings with a homemade weapon. I have never seen however an inanimate object harm anyone. There was always a human being holding the shank or cudgel. Violence is violence and only humans commit violence. The left tolerates it, if it didn’t it would not blame inanimate objects it would go to the root cause – evil people.

  13. So funny that the people that don’t think banning machine guns won’t save lives want to ban abortion because they think that it will save babies

      • Google the definition of “machine gun” . Now look up the definition of a semi-automatic firearm. Do you see any difference ? Call it a learning experience.

    • Comrade Chris, you should post on Front Page Forum where the stupid people will believe your disingenuous statement. Machine guns were banned in 1934 by the National Firearms Act. The act was passed to keep machine guns, specifically the Thompson sub-machine gun, out of the hands of the gangsters in Chicago. Chicago and the state of Illinois have some of the strictest gun control laws in the country and the most shootings every week. Meanwhile in Ohio:

      https://bearingarms.com/camedwards/2023/10/24/guess-what-happened-to-violent-crime-rates-after-ohio-adopted-permitless-carry-n76474

    • What an idea…a prohibition on dangerous guns. Will it work any better that the TOTAL PROHIBITION we have on the sale, purchase and use of street opioids, which kill 90,000 Americans/year?

    • We should probably ban scalpels is that what you mean?
      Or should we ban doctors?

    • Owning a gun is not an act of violence against an innocent human being. It is not an action at all. An abortion IS an act of violence against a completely innocent human being. A completely innocent, completely defenseless human being. Here’s “funny”… the same people who scream “murder!” when a newborn is thrown in a dumpster are the people who scream “choice!” five minutes before.

  14. Although what happened in Maine on 10-25 was horrible, you had to know the Democrats and Progressive movement waiting to politicize the horror to move their own going agenda. God forbid it happen, but what if what is happening now in Israel with Hamas, happens here in the USA ? The majority of gun owners are law abiding citizens. They don’t want to be caught without a way to protect themselves. The problem happened before 10-25 when the man in question in Maine was hearing voices and wanted to attack a unit in Saco. Nobody checked to see if he had guns ? ? ? SERIOUSLY !

  15. There were more than 600,000 abortions in the U.S. last year.

    There were fewer than 21,000 violent gun deaths last year – a slight decrease from the year before. And no one was killed with a ‘machine gun’.

    What is it about this math that you find so humorous?

    • …and over 90,000 (yes, that’s ninety THOUSAND) Americans died last year because they used too much illegal street fentanyl…because the party running the Executive branch thinks it’s a good idea to have a wide open border…allowing VIOLENT criminal gangs to profit from human trafficking and fentanyl smuggling…

    • I know you’re dying for me to engage you because you’re being as nice as you can, which is nice, so I’ll give you a minute while my bacon cooks. For starters, unlike abortion, no one chose to get shot by a gun last year. (Spare me the baby didn’t choose because the overwhelming amount of abortions occur before it becomes a fetus fact) You can dance around the issue all you want, we are the only civilized nation where mass casualty deaths happen on a regular basis. You guys can harangue me on semantics for using “machine” instead of “assault” when 1) you know what I meant 2) if I had to correct everyone’s grammar here, I’d never work.

      We had an assault weapon ban and it worked, but we didn’t renew the ban and the casualties skyrocketed because of it:

      https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/173405.pdf
      https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/09/us/politics/democrats-assault-weapons-ban.html
      (fun fact its the democrats that let the bill lapse)

      I’m not going to argue this point with you because I’m right. What I will say is that the majority of the “2nd Amendment” people here are scared, don’t leave their house and are willing to tolerate mass casualties to keep their precious machine guns. I’m not. I have hunting rifles and handguns. A handgun was used by my best friend to kill himself. I believe in the 2nd Amendment.

      What I don’t believe like your corrupt buddy Clarence Thomas is in Originalism. When the 2nd Amendment was written, it didn’t pertain to assault rifles, 3-D printed weapons or pocket nukes. We as a society decide where the line is. For me, its the ability of a common citizen to hold down their finger and spray a bowling alley with bullets. The majority of Americans are on my side.

      So what I find humorous are the people here that post that are resoundedly “pro-life”
      believing that it is common for a baby to be aborted five minutes before delivery and offer up “thoughts and prayers” along with excuses anytime a school or mall is shot up. And I always will because you can’t be pro-life and pro-death

      • “I’m not going to argue this point with you because I’m right.”

        I was taught to never argue with an idiot because they’ll bring me down to their level and beat me with experience.

      • Re: “For starters, unlike abortion, no one chose to get shot by a gun….”

        Except for the vast majority of gun-related deaths (more than half, like your best friend) – that are by suicide. That you continue to find any of your mostly inaccurate presumptions ‘humorous’ is telling.

      • You all love using the “assault weapons ban” and subsequent reduction of black on black homicide and gun rates in inner cities as your holy grail to measure success 😂. Look how “successful” our 2023 stats would appear if you did the same thing today-

  16. Come on give the guy some credit for his attempt to think through a solution to a problem. People being shot by guns is a tragic problem. There’s some logic to the idea of switching our attention from the DOERS of bad stuff to the IMPLIMENTS used to do those bad things then unleash the government to eliminate IMPLIMENTS. Yes! IMPLIMENT eliminating legislation…Compelling …right? Get rid of guns to get rid of shootings. Rapes? get rid of penises; Heart attacks? get rid of fried foods and excitement; carbon in the atmosphere
    cut exhaling by half. Oh lord we’re on to something here…what a break through…thank you Miro.

  17. Back in the late 1970s, we as a society decided that it violated the human and civil rights of dangerously mentally ill persons to pre-emptively confine them to prevent them from presenting a harm to others. So be it, but at that point in history we then exposed our society to their potential violence, and that is the price we chose to pay. I I am not willing to have any of my Constitutional Rights limited because we made that decision as a society. We dont have a gun problem, we have a mental illness problem.

    • Absolutely 💯 correct, time to bring back mental hospitals and put these people where they need to be, instead of pandering and letting them roam free.

      • The same people who blame this on mental illness also support Republican leaders who vote not to spend any money on the problem.

  18. Firstly, the guy was a firearms instructor for the National Guard and likely stole the gun from the armory. There are recordings that seem to indicate three round bursts, which are not legal for civilians. The AR-15 is the civilian model of the military versions of the M16, and limited to semi-auto, and they can be reasonably visually indistinguishable. Secondly, the guy was insane, literally hearing voices and recently committed for two weeks. I’d like to know if he was on or actively withdrawing from SSRI type medications, known to cause ideation of both mass murder and suicide, and a common factor to almost all school shootings. In any case, he probably should have been kept in the mental ward a bit longer, but we don’t do that anymore, I guess, because some folks like the things they can get away with amidst the chaos, as with releasing of repeat violent criminals. He certainly should have been examined under Maine’s yellow flag laws and lost his access to firearms. Oh, lastly, hands and feet kill more people than all rifles combined, never mind the “assault,” variety. There’s as many gun murders in Chicago every weekend as just happened in Maine, which has about 20 murders in an average year. Maine is and has been consistently one of the safest states in the nation. It still is. We don’t need gun bans. We need to return to banning criminals from polite society, and to caring for dangerously crazy people in safe, removed facilities.

  19. Now people are not just wanting a gun ,they NEED a gun. I spoke w/ a woman yesterday and she even said she wished her KIDS could carry she feels so worried about the homeless and illegals running rampant in MIDDLEBURY, yes MIDDLEBURY. Sounds like i will be hearing some practicing this coming weekend/week. Me I am ready for these fools.

    I am disappointed that I now have to carry in Middlebury as well as up north. So sad. That shooting has all the marks of a false flag. Yes, people died, but much like J6 the Feds had a hand in it. They knew who this guy was and how dangerous he is. BTW how did he even get a gun. He in every state is barred from owning or even touching one. Sounds fishy. Let’s not forget the info that he was in a involuntarily placed mental hospital. Another flag to not be able to own a gun.
    As the pundits say, the feds and cops had to watch Maga and Catholics and old people who are patriotic. Look to the true facts before you jump on any politicians bandwagon.

    • forgot to mention that this is again a distraction.
      Taken from AllNewsPipeline
      Headline;
      Renewed Calls From Left To Ban AR-15 Just As The Globalists Are Rushing Head First Into Full-Scale Global Tyranny And World War 3 – Maine Massacre Used To Hide Biden Family Crimes

      “And quite interestingly, this mass shooting happened the very same day a story went viral about how the FBI halted an investigation into the ‘biden crime family corruption,’ despite having more than 40 confidential sources who provided them with criminal information relating to Joe Biden, James Biden, and Hunter Biden. ”

      They are playing people like a fiddle.
      Two tier justice system.
      Pay attention people!

  20. Playbook known. How many times have we seen this scenario play out on schedule since Columbine? Since 1999! Interesting when more exposure of The Biden criminal conduct hits the mainstream and the 911 call from Martha’s Vineyard is released, oh snap – mass shooting – time to take the guns away! We still don’t have all the information from the March 2023 Nashville Covenant school carnage? We know more about the Lewiston Maine perp in less than 24 hours than we know about the Nashville perp? Gee, I wonder why?

    • And now the guy is dead, how convenient. So no real motive, except for a note that as of now cannot be confirmed, is from him. So, tell me, how would new gun laws have stopped this false flag event. the feds would have figured a way to get him ( or her) what they need to do the deed.

  21. From the pages of Milton William Cooper’s 1991 book Behold A Pale Horse. He predicted School Shootings by drugged individuals in order to disarm the public.

    Chapter 12: The Secret Government
    “The government encouraged the manufacture and importation of military firearms for the criminals to use. This is intended to foster a feeling of insecurity, which would lead the American people to voluntarily disarm themselves by passing laws against firearms. Using drugs and hypnosis on, mental patients in a process called Orion, the CIA inculcated the desire in these people to open fire on school yards and thus inflame the anti-gun lobby. This plan is well under way, so far working perfectly. The middle class is begging the government to do away with the 2nd Amendment”.

  22. So like every politician let’s blame the item instead of addressing the problem of mental illness in the country. Look back at every previous shooting, everyone was mentally ill and people ignored the warning signs. This man was severely ill and people did nothing to prevent it.

    • That is also a pitfall. Someone, likely Marina Brown or at the behest of Marina Brown, contacted the State Police who called me to suggest psychiatric intervention because I had stated the intention of buying firearm. Stop coddling real criminals and quit targeting eccentricity as if it were “mental illness”.

  23. Here is a reliable source of statistics about deaths related to firearms in the United States. More than half are due to suicide. Of the 43% attributed to murder in 2022 (about 24,000), most were commuted with hand guns. There were 14 hand gun deaths for every one rifle death. While the data is not included, I would wager less than 1 of every 14 rifle deaths was from a military assault rifle..

    https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/04/26/what-the-data-says-about-gun-deaths-in-the-u-s/

    The sheep are herded into ridiculous claims about gun violence (like the claim made in this thread of 93 million deaths per day from J) by the sensationalized fear propaganda surrounding these rouge shooter incidents; many of which may be false flags.

    • I’ll go you one better. I’ll bet that it’s way less than 1 out of14 that are killed by “military assault rifles, as true “military assault rifles” have full auto capabilities, and are subject to different (more stringent) regulations than an AR. It would be interesting to see the stats as to how many people are killed, or injured by real “military assault weapons”, I’d bet it’s next to zero .

  24. If we get rid of semiautomatic guns does that mean police will also. What would they need semiautomatic weapons for, if they have laws against people owning them. If you read this far please understand I’m being sarcastic.

  27. Miro Weinberger, and the many other progressive, liberal, and ignorant politicians in our state who haven’t got a clue about firearms, use a definition of ‘Assault Rifle’ that would include the .22 caliber Marlin auto-loading rifle my parents gave me for my birthday in 1960. Vermont, and the rest of United States, doesn’t have a ‘Gun Problem, it has an education, political competence, and mental health problem.

  28. There is not a gun problem. Only a sophisticated propaganda operation supported by covert forces with the intent of taking gun rights away from citizens. The operation is squarely aimed at frightening the large number of unthinking sheep that live among us. Once the guns are lost, we and the sheep are screwed. Such a loss paves the way to total control of all of us by tyrannical forces that will stop at nothing to achieve their tyranny.

  29. Miro, bringing, homeless, drug dealing and violent crime from outside city hall church street to the entire Green Mountain State, what could possibly go wrong?

  30. When you wait awhile the truth comes out. Card is categorized as “Federal Firearms Disqualified Status”.

    https://bearingarms.com/camedwards/2023/10/27/maine-police-say-lewiston-suspect-was-prohibited-from-possessing-guns-n76626

    A GUN FREE ZONE = A TARGET RICH ENVIROMENT

    https://www.breitbart.com/2nd-amendment/2023/10/27/bowling-alley-maine-
    attacker-fatally-shot-7-is-gun-free-zone/

    So, what does this mean? That no law (Maine Yellow Flag) or sign stopped Card from doing what he did.

  31. I am not against hunting or guns. My roots in Vermont are deep. I am not a democrat or a republican, but an independent. I agree there are many people with mental health issues, as there has been through all of history. I agree we need to do better as a society in dealing with people with mental health issues. But you have to help me out here. Why do we need guns that shoot large amounts of bullets really quickly? Why do we need high capacity magazines? Where does someone’s right to bear arms become in conflict with society’s right to be safe? Yes, I understand what the Second Amendment says, but see nothing about protecting the right to own a certain type of gun. I understand for some that any attempt to regulate guns is a slippery slope. I also understand addressing violence in society needs to be addressed on multiple fronts, but these mass shootings are becoming more and more frequent. What do we as a society do, nothing but argue with each other while innocent people (including children) continue to be killed?

    • Riddle me this MM. Why do you reduce this issue to NEED ?? Of course that is a totally rhetorical question, as we all know the answer .

      • Hi Patrick, We can argue back and forth but that accomplishes nothing. I am simply looking for us to come together and develop solutions that will likely require everyone to compromise. And to be honest, I still don’t understand the place in our world for guns that shoot a lot of bullets really quickly and high capacity magazines, except with the military and police, and I am not alone. If we don’t come together and compromise there will be an even stronger push for more gun laws, and in Vermont now, the changing demographics in the state will make that a reality.

      • There’s so many things that are wrong in your statement. Mark.

        “Why do we need guns that shoot large amounts of bullets really quickly”
        Fully automatic weapons are cost prohibitive and require a special license already, and are rarely if ever used in any of these crimes. Fun fact your hunting rifle and your average handgun shoot just as quickly as the AR-15 your lead to believe is evil.

        “Why do we need high capacity magazines?”
        Contrary to the movies and what the media would lead you to believe a single shot rarely stops anyone immediately. In fact, it’s well documented that there are times where police use upwards of 10 bullets to stop someone from attacking them. Police are highly trained and still require the 10+ bullets and that’s for one attacker. What if there’s more than one? What if I’m scared and shaky and don’t hit the person with my first bullet or my fifth…

        “Where does someone’s right to bear arms become in conflict with society’s right to be safe”
        Society doesn’t have a right to be safe. Contrary to what the media keeps telling you, you don’t have a right to be safe, but you do have a right to protect yourself.

        What if these mass shootings are becoming more and more frequent because someone wants to remove the firearms from the common person? What if that’s done on purpose?

        I’m going to tell you that I believe that it is being done on purpose.

        And just like James illustrated above, the laws already prevented this person from owning a firearm. It didn’t work so why do you think the next one’s going to?

      • Compromise, noun, an agreement or a settlement of a dispute that is reached by each side making concessions. Show me where there has ever been “compromise” as it relates to the Second Amendment. The fact is that anti-Second Amendmant proponents have done nothing but take away rights of lawful citizens . Why is that ? Because you have nothing to give us, unless it is something that you have allready taken away. Allow me to demonstrate an example. I have 10 of something that you feel entitled to 5 of, we settle on you getting 3, Is this a compromise ? No, I did not get anything, you just took less away from me. That is the history of negotiating the 2nd Amendment away in a nutshell . The time to stop this erosion is now !

    • MM you state “I understand what the Second Amendment says, but see nothing about protecting the right to own a certain type of gun.” Do you see anything that says it should be against the law to own “a certain type of gun”?

      • Hi Patrick,
        I have learned that in today’s environment, it doesn’t make much sense to debate issues online with people you don’t know. Nothing really comes of it. The last time I tried it was to articulate why S5 was bad legislation and would hurt poor and elderly people, especially in rural areas like the NEK where I live. There I was told I didn’t care about the environment, global warming and the younger generation, and really didn’t understand the issues surrounding S5. Problem was, I did understand the issues and had read a lot on S5.

        Our country is getting torn apart. Many people talk but few are willing to listen to an opinion that is different than theirs (let me be clear I am not saying you are one of them). You see it in the us congress and in the Vermont legislature. I fear if we do not learn to listen to each and compromise on solutions, we are heading towards another civil war in this country.

        I appreciate why you feel the way you do about gun rights. I just have a different view.

        Enjoy your weekend

      • Exactly our country is being torn apart, and now you want to remove our right to protect ourselves? It’s not that we don’t listen to what you’re saying, you just don’t make any sense.

        “Those that are willing to give up liberty for safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.”

      • This is not about hunting rifles. The amendment is there because the founding fathers understood that the citizenship may need to stand up and resist any unjust and egregious government tyranny. So they made it clear in the amendment we have the right to bear arms. This would include assault rifles and machine guns since these are contemporary arms that would likely be needed to resist if for instance the government put us all on lock down, froze all our assets, or withheld food/water/electricity or recklessly bombed a city.

      • The struggle of trying to reconcile why citizens need high capacity weapons is a seed planted by those who wish to remove them from law abiding citizens. Why do criminals need high capacity weapons? Where do they get them? (Operation Fast and Furious provided boatloads of weapons to the cartels – where did those weapons come from?) The gun violence statistics in places where guns are restricted or banned is far, far higher than open carry areas. Gee, I wonder why?

        There were two high profile murders in Vermont involving machetes. Did the Legislature regulate the sale and use of really long, sharp knife blades or any knives? No.

        I sympathize with Mark and many others trying understand why the USA is turning into a gangland cesspool and Vermont is a failed State. Don’t look at or blame your neighbors, hunters, or gun owners. Look directly at those in the “authority” positions, how long their keisters have sat in the same seats for decades, and every failed policy they touted to fix the “problem.” All spending millions upon millions of dollars and fixed nothing! The degredation of society is not a new phenomon, it’s a strategic plan hatched long ago. Power, money and control. Who has it and who refuses to let go of it?

        Which brings me to the most vital and important part of the 2nd Amendment: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State.” When the tryrants and despots refuse to govern by the will of the People, turn against the People, and are the real, nasty, evil criminal bed of snakes cartel – the People have the God-given and Constitutional right to take them out – by legal means or by force. The force part is what they want to remove and outlaw – it won’t happen, will never happen. Declared and decreed.

    • Re: I understand what the Second Amendment says but see nothing about protecting the right to own a certain type of gun.
      Sorry, but you do not understand the 2d Amendment at all. THE 2nd AMENDMENT DOES NOT GRANT US THE RIGHT TO KEEP AND BEAR ARMS. THE 2nd AMENDMENT TELLS THE GOVERNMENT IT CANNOT INFRINGE ON OUR RIGHT TO KEEP AND BEAR ARMS – PERIOD!

  32. Clearly aware that merely banning the sale of a weapon when tens of millions are already privately owned by law-abiding American citizens, Kamala Harris said the quiet part out loud: Confiscation is next.

    “Let us be clear, it does not have to be this way, as our friends in Australia have demonstrated,” she said while gesturing to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who happened to be with her ….

    Miro knows – forks make people fat

  33. Clearly aware that merely banning the sale of a weapon when tens of millions are already privately owned by law-abiding American citizens, Kamala Harris said the quiet part out loud: Confiscation is next. “Let us be clear, it does not have to be this way, as our friends in Australia have demonstrated,” she said while gesturing to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who happened to be with her.

  35. Liberal racism on display yet again. The murder rate among the US white population compares favorably to the safest European countries despite massively higher rates of gun ownership in he US .

    The African American population shows murder rates far far in excess of the white population. Yet the solution brought forward by Mr Mayor is to take legally held guns from those white people who don’t commit crime.

    The repressive, authoritarian agenda is obvious. So they use Aggressive propaganda as their weapon to confuse us. They talk up the extremely rare instance of a white mentally ill veteran who shoots up a crowd but remain silent on the tens of thousands of mass murders that occur every year in the black community. Because they don’t really believe that Black Lives Matter.

    • I’m from Ukraine where we have some of the highest gun ownership rates in Europe (10 per 100 people) and least restrictive laws- and there are still no where near enough guns available now that we need them.

  36. Hey weinberger kiss your body parts where the sun doesn’t Shine mr. So-called mayor period!!
    I’m very sorry for the loss of lives in the Great State of Maine! God bless all the family and friends 🙏 🙏

  37. Sorry Miro. You don’t get a say. You allowed BLM and Antifa into your city. You allowed defunding of the police. You allowed police to be sitting ducks. Look what has happened under your watch. No high school in Burlington. Homeless are running the city. No one is safe walking down the streets in the daylight hours, not to mention after dark. Businesses are leaving downtown due to crime, drug use and abuse, and homeless camping out in the city parks. You decimated City Hall park, removed the century old fountain, installed a splash pad and no one wants to bring their kids there. Shootings and murders are more than ever in my lifetime. Used yo be the exception and not the rule. So stuff your darn gun control. You created the mess. How are those pods working out for you?? Oh and those daytime shootings in downtown?