Speaker 1: Let's go next to Ed from New Hampshire.
Ed, welcome.
Are you living free or dying up there or what?
Speaker 3: I am living free, Mr. Pacman.
Thank you.
Let me just say thank you for having me on.
Here is the first time caller my pleasure.
And I wanted to talk about firearms laws because I'm someone who is a fairly pro-gun person,
but at the same time, I really, really hate the Republican Party.
I grew up in a family that had people growing up within the homosexual community.
And I'm sorry, but, you know, I grew up in a time when the Republican Party still does
actively oppress homosexuals and I can't put myself support myself behind that party.
Speaker 1: Okay, now, wait, hold on.
When you say you grew up in a homosexual community, what does that mean?
Speaker 3: And not a community?
I mean, like a family, like I have gay cousins.
Speaker 2: That's all.
Speaker 1: I got.
I got.
Okay, okay, okay.
Speaker 3: All right.
So but at the same time, you know, I would I have a hard time voting for the Democrats
because of some of the things they they put forward regarding gun control laws.
Okay.
And I'm someone who believes that.
There are some compromises both sides can make.
But I actually believe that a lot of the proposals Democrats are making isn't true, isn't a good
way to go across this, and it's not going to actually make these shootings stop.
I actually think in some cases they may may actually make them worse.
All right.
Speaker 1: Well, let's dig into that.
First of all, when I talk about gun violence, when I talk about, quote, shootings, I think
there are three different types of shootings and each has to be dealt with separately.
So there's firearms, suicides, there's individual firearms homicides, individual firearms homicides.
And then you've got your mass shootings.
Am I correct that today you want to talk about the mass shootings, right?
You're not talking right now about gun suicides or the individual homicides.
Speaker 3: Um.
No.
Oh, yeah.
Let's talk about the mass shootings.
Yeah, I do.
Because I. Because if there's one thing I hate about the right, it's the whole suicide
mentality thing that is one side about the pro-gun control, the right pro-gun side.
I absolutely do.
Speaker 1: We want to reduce all three of these types of deaths.
But right.
The solutions are different.
You and I are going to talk about the mass shootings.
Give me an example of something Democrats want to do that you think might actually make
mass shootings worse.
Speaker 3: For example, banning the AR 15.
And when I say this, it's because of it has nothing to do with the with like the magazine
capacity or anything else.
It's that there the chances are is that the AR 15.
Believe believe it or not, is not all that high powered of a rifle.
There are a lot of other high powered rifles out there in America that mimic everything
the AR 15 does.
Speaker 1: Okay.
Let me stop you there, because I think this one, we might be very easily able to resolve.
The proposal I'm currently seeing would ban all assault style rifles, a AR 15 being only
one of them.
If we said assault style rifles instead of just the AR 15, would that deal with the fact
that there are AR 15 alternatives?
Speaker 3: No, it's because there are plenty of other rifles out there that function exactly
the same way as the AR 15 but are significantly older.
We are talking about weapons that date back to the World War eras.
And I just you know, these are weapons that have been out there in civilian hands for
decades.
Right.
Speaker 1: But the number of the World War One, World War Two era guns that you're thinking
of, our number one not being actively manufactured today.
And number two, not nearly as widely available just by the sheer math of it, right?
Speaker 3: Oh, no.
That is actually not true.
There are millions and millions of World War Two firearms out there still being is still
them.
Some of them even still being made today, one of them being the M1 carbine.
Oh.
Speaker 1: So you're not literacy associate now I'm going to you're you're saying you're
not literally saying units that have been around for 80 years.
You're saying models that are being manufactured today but have been around a long time.
Speaker 3: Yes, the same thing is true for the AR 15 itself.
The air 15 has been in civilian circulation since the sixties.
Speaker 1: Right.
But I don't know that the fact that these have been around for a while means anything
one way or the other.
I'm not sure what what what's the point of that?
What difference does that make?
Speaker 3: Well, the thing is, is that this mass shooting trend, you know, the way it's
been happening all around.
Speaker 2: It's a fairly recent trend.
Speaker 3: You know, I mean, this isn't to say that shootings like didn't happen in the
sixties.
I mean, we all know Charles women and everything like that.
However, at the rate of where they're occurring nowadays.
Yep.
And you know, there's certain definitions that the VA portrays as what is a mass shooting,
which I think can be is a little problematic in and of itself because.
Speaker 1: Okay, but hold on now you're on to it.
Now you're talking about how you categorize we're all over the place.
Let's let's let's let me see if I can rein this in, okay?
Speaker 3: Yeah, I'm sorry about that.
Speaker 1: When it comes to the guns, I'm with you that something has changed in American
culture, right?
There's a cultural issue where more people than ever see guns as a way to solve grievances
that they have, either with individuals or with suicide.
That's new.
And I completely agree with you.
But I also believe that if at this point in time, Americans are less able than ever to
behave responsibly with firearms at a population level, that still means we've got to do something
about the guns.
Just even if we grant that something about the culture has changed, we're now we have
so many more people willing to do gun violence.
I would still want to deal with the guns and all of the other things as well.
I would take an all of the above approach.
Is that fair?
Speaker 3: It is fair.
Yes.
The problem is, again, the and I love having this conversation with you.
Let me just say that right now, because this is something that a lot of people on the right,
a lot of pro-gun people don't do.
And this is something that I'm trying to champion.
You know, sure.
I hang around with a lot of pro-gun people and I try to get them to talk to progressive
people because believe it or not, there are a lot more progressive gun owners out there
than people may.
Oh, there.
Speaker 1: Are.
There are.
Yeah.
And listen, it's reasonable to me not to want only the right wing nuts to have the guns.
I mean, that makes sense.
So let me just say this, because we don't have unlimited time.
I am with you.
No one provision will solve all the problems, right?
Like if you just say banning the AR 15 won't solve the mass shooting problem, I'm with
you.
That won't solve the mass shooting problem.
Restricting access to high capacity magazines alone won't solve the mass shooting problem
because someone can get grab for handguns or whatever and go, okay, so I'm with you
100% my approach.
And I laid I don't want to do it now because I've done it so many times.
I laid out a ten or 12 point list of all the things that I would do on the gun side.
And that doesn't mean we don't do mental health and all that.
We do everything.
But I have 10 to 12 different things I would do, which I believe together would dramatically
reduce mass shootings.
Speaker 3: And I have seen those points.
And the one point and most of the points I do agree on, the one point I have a problem
on is when you say banning some guns, and that is the one area where I have I'm very
hesitant about because should.
Speaker 1: The average person be allowed to have a shoulder mounted RPG?
Speaker 3: Well, people do have RPGs.
I know people that do.
Speaker 1: I'm not saying that anecdotally, you don't know.
But as a general thing, should an shoulder mounted RPG be as widely available as a handgun?
Speaker 3: I would say so, yes.
Speaker 1: Okay.
How about a how about a Blackhawk helicopter?
Speaker 3: A Blackhawk helicopter?
Hell, yeah.
I would love to have one of those.
Speaker 1: Okay.
How about a how?
How about a Howitzer?
Should anyone be able to go and get a howitzer?
Speaker 3: I know people that have Howitzers.
Yes.
Speaker 1: Okay.
But that's not the question.
Should anyone go and be able to get a Howitzer?
Speaker 3: Well, they can, though.
That's the thing.
Speaker 1: No, they can't.
You can't.
Listen, I'm not saying you might not be able to somehow obtain one, but a howitzer is not
something.
You can just go to a gun store and order.
Speaker 2: Well, well.
Speaker 3: Well, that is true.
Right.
Speaker 1: So what?
And is that okay?
Is that okay?
That you can't I mean, is your is your right to have whatever gun you want being restricted
by the fact that you can't go to a gun store in New Hampshire and get a Howitzer?
Speaker 3: Well, that well, that is the problem that I'm asking you is is not so much whether
or not it should be like available for every gun store is just the fact whether or not
they should be legally allowed to buy.
Speaker 1: But what I'm asking you is, should you be able to go to a gun store and say,
hi?
One Howitzer, please?
Do you believe that should be the law?
Speaker 3: Depending on the type of storm.
I mean.
Speaker 2: No.
Speaker 1: I'm talking about the person buying it.
Should any person be able to own a howitzer?
Speaker 3: Any.
Any person.
Based off of the way the Second Amendment is written.
Yeah.
Wow.
Speaker 1: That's crazy.
I've never I honestly I've never heard anyone argue that before.
Even Ben SHAPIRO didn't argue that.
Speaker 3: I it's it's a very we're the laws in this country.
The reason I say this is because I know people that legally have bought these things and
they are just private citizens.
Speaker 1: Okay.
So I don't I'm not aware of that.
So I can't really speak to it, but I'm going to have to research that.
But Ed, listen, I got to run.
I really appreciate the conversation.
Speaker 3: Oh, this is definitely I mean, I'd love to talk more with you, but my headset
is actually running low on battery.
So great time.
Great timing.
Thank you.
Speaker 1: All right, Ed, go recharge your Bluetooth.
That interesting conversation.
I mean, anyone can just go get a Howitzer in a Blackhawk helicopter that that's crazy.
Even the most that, you know, fervent gun people.
I've not heard say that.
All right, everybody, that's it for today.
We will take calls again.
Let's take a very short break.