capodecina2

"Americans will comply with the law."

No. A law that is in direct violation of the Constitution is no law at all, and will not be "complied" with. Such a law would never pass, and if it somehow was, people would NOT comply as purpose of the Second Amendment is literally to prevent this kind of thing from happening.

"It will be a mandatory buyback of AR-15 and AK-47s"

You cannot "buy back" what you did not sell to begin with. They aren't for sale. My ability to defend myself and my family is not for sale. My ability to defend Freedom and stand against Tyranny is not for sale. And my vote is not for sale. "Mandatory" means forced compliance. So yes, you are saying that you will come take our guns. And that would be the biggest mistake any politician ever made and would be the downfall of this country because it will directly result in the deaths of tens or hundreds of thousands of people. It is inevitable the moment that first shot is fired in defense of Freedom, or the first person arrested for not "complying" and kneeling for Tyranny.

"I have met countless AR and AK owners who say they don’t need it to hunt, they don’t need it for self defense, it’s fun to shoot but would give it up."

Mr O'Rourke, with all due respect, I can only think either no you haven't, or that you should expand the pool of people you are talking to, because this belief is completely out of touch with the reality of the attitude towards gun ownership that an overwhelming number of Americans have. I am a law abiding citizen, a combat veteran of two wars and numerous conflicts. I pay my taxes, I raise my family, I love my country and have sworn to uphold the Constitution and defend this Nation. I am not a criminal in any sense. I am a gun owner and in fact own both AR15s and AK47s, the very weapons you wish to deprive me of for no reason. My guns have never harmed anyone, and hopefully never will. But if they did, it would be an act of self defense and as a last resort. Since my guns would never be used to harm the innocent, then depriving me of them will do nothing to reduce gun violence, and will do everything to increase it. Because I, and MANY other Americans who you didn't speak to or hear from would fight to their death to keep the government from oppressing us. It isnt that we "love the guns so much", its that we love freedom so much, and the gun is the tool that gives the People the power to defend freedom and liberty.

Please, I beg you to believe me when I say this, that you will have to kill me in order to take my guns. By saying that you will make it mandatory, you give people no choice but to recognize that a government that would take such a stance against its own people CANNOT rule and must be resisted. I am a peaceful man, I have had enough of war and death. I wished only to live out the rest of my days in peace, and now you are telling me that you intend to pursue a course of action that will get innocent people killed, in order to "reduce gun violence". How can I vote for or support a man or a party that make me believe that now I will die at my front door by the hands of my own countrymen? In the name of reducing gun violence? You will become the harbinger of the very thing you sought to stand against.

None of the representatives of your party give a damn about gun violence, because the only measures anyone ever takes, is against people who aren't committing gun violence, it's always about getting the guns out of the hands of the people, not the criminals. It's not the criminals with guns that you are concerned about, or even the occasional school shooting or mall shooting or shopping center shooting - or whatever brings the "gun problem" to the front page headlines.

It is the law abiding citizens of this country that you are afraid of and those are the guns you want to take away. If you have to disarm a population in order to govern them, then you are not fit to govern them. Gun ownership and the RIGHT to bear arms is what keeps Americans free as a people, as opposed to slaves and subjects who live at the whims of the government. The Second Amendment is not about semi automatic rifles, or bolt action rifles, or shotguns, or pistols, or revolvers ,or muskets, or flintlocks. The technology of the weapon is irrelevant. It was not written to protect hunting or even self defense. The Second Amendment RESTRICTS THE GOVERNMENT. It was not written to grant permission for citizens to own and bear firearms. It forbids government interference in the right to keep and bear arms. The right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.

And that is exactly what you proposed to do. "Hell yes we will take your AR15, yes we will take your AK47" are the 13 words that cost you this election, and very likely the Democrat party having a shot at the Presidency. There is no way to come back from that, because don't let the applause of the crowd fool anyone, they do not speak for the majority of the people.

No one is going to willingly turn over their guns. And if they did, those aren't the guns that anyone needed to worry about in the first place.

I'm sorry, but your position is one I cannot support. Thank you for taking the time to read my contribution to the discussion.

A shortage of platanos? THIS is the story they should be telling. When I get down there, I'll bring some. Thats irony for ya, right?

Hey man, good on you for hanging in there. I still have family in PR and a house (well, not sure if its still there) in Caguas, so I still have a lot of ties to the island. I was supposed to go down there on an emergency response team to help and to secure things so aid could be distributed. Instead I ended up working in support of a FEMA operation outside DC. I have seen the FEMA operation here (its primarily a disaster response call center) field over a MILLION calls and handle aid distribution. I don't work for them, nor am I privy to the inner workings of what they are doing, but I do know they are doing what they can in a 24/7 operation.

That being said, having worked in cooperation with aid agencies for both emergency response and ongoing infrastructure support - what happens on one side rarely translates into direct action on the other side, which makes it seem like nothing is happening or if things do happen, it happens slowly. I'm sorry for that, nothing I can personally do about it.

I deployed with what they call a QRF (Quick Reaction Force) to New Orleans in 2005 when hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit and I saw how ugly things got and how quickly they got that way. I also saw a huge outpouring of tactical, technical, medical, and infrastructure support personnel doing what they could to get the bodies out of the streets, the people to medical attention, food to those who had sheltered in place, and security to protect personnel and physical assets from being harmed/stolen.

There was so much more than just the damage from the hurricane, the real problem was the human factor. People looting/raping/murdering/causing destruction/arson. This made things so much more difficult, and even with the full resources of the US government being poured into a mainland State, it still took about 45 days to get the power grid up and stable. I know some areas are still "recovering".

I suppose my question would be along the lines of how much of an issue is personal security/crimes of opportunity/willful property destruction, and how has it affected the restoration efforts?

I have a few professional associates down there who update me on the situation, but I'd like to know from the perspective of a person who is there. My family of course just assures us that they are OK and yeah things kind of suck, but there is nothing to worry about. Thats what family does, so while its supposed to put me and the rest of my family at ease, I know it is not realistic.

What is your opinion of the security forces and personnel in place, if you have had any exposure to them?

Most importantly, what is the mofongo and pasteles situation down there? These are the important questions that people arent asking.

I've deployed to many areas that were in a state of crisis, both from natural and man made causes, but never anywhere that hit so close to home and family. When the FEMA operation here no longer needs my support, I have already requested to be assigned to Puerto Rico for however long it takes. If Im too late for the AMA, maybe I can get my answers from you in person.

Im not a "thoughts and prayers" kind of guy, but I will say "Hang in there". I will make plantanos maduros and red beans and rice for dinner in your honor.

When is GWAR performing in Richmond or at the 930 club in DC again?