in USA, drugs ("speed" and similar) and nutrition (e.g. sexual desire suppressant in food) to alter behavior has been going on since Viet Nam war at least

Amphetamines yes, I've seen the cites. Sexual desire suppressant? Don't tell me you bought into the whole 'saltpeter' horse shit. That was debunked a long time ago.

Yeah, he might sell more spots in this venture if he gave away a few free bonus spots to some hot young blondes.

They're called 'furniture'.

That's a great quote but it only serves to highlight the "do as I say, not as I do" mentality of U.S. politics.

That's why I'm not a big fan of Reagan, as previously stated. I do, however, agree with the sentiment of his statement. Own up to your actions.

And yet countries that ban ownership of assault rifles and handguns by the average person don't have these crimes. They just don't.

How many of those countries have the Second Amendment?

Don't even go there with the whole interpretation issue; you'll lose that battle.

And that action drove the usually civil-liberty-loving liberals into the hands of the NRA's opponents. Take a step back a moment: does it really make much sense that liberals, who detest restrictions on speech, on what you can do with your own bodies, on people being jailed, would actually, normally, be in favor - in principle - of someone owning a device as long as they used it responsibly?

What or who are you referring to as a liberal? Some people hate it because it supposedly is still too simplified of a model, but the political compass is a more granular way of describing political views.

A libertarian-leaning liberal is much more likely to be "hands off" on many issues. Unfortunately it appears that both the left and right have a double heapin' helping of authoritarians that want to legislate what you do as a rule, and in some cases more insidiously, tell you what to think. There are very few true liberals, and quite a few authoritarian cappuccino swilling "nanny staters" who love to preach social engineering and liberal values as long as you agree with their exact version of them.

Maybe, just maybe, the NRA should change its strategy.

According to a piece recently aired on NPR, the NRA is nowhere as influential as they would have people think. I have no opinion on the matter since I haven't read anything in depth on the topic, but the idea is interesting.

As somebody who owns multiple firearms, I keep a loaded six shot .357 in the nightstand (it's just me and the dog, otherwise I'd have a nightstand gun safe), and the semiautos locked up. For self defense, my argument is that if you can't do it with six rounds of .357 mag (actually .38+P) or five rounds out of a 12 gauge while holed up in the bedroom, you're very seriously doing it wrong. But.. to each their own. That being said, I carried an M16 for six years in the service, and I think most people would be surprised at the damage a proper shotgun load or deer rifle can do in comparison. Hell, if I really hate somebody I'm going to shoot them with a compound bow and broadhead arrows.. heheh.

Yes, I know the crux of the issue for many is the ammunition capacity and the easy reload ability, but my point is that crazy will find a way to be crazy, no matter the laws. In addition, I find it unnerving that many of my local police seem to be former high school jocks with a limited amount of training (and no time in the armed forces to compensate for it) and are running around with AR-15 variants in the trunks of their cars. If the M16 and its ilk like the AR15 are war machines, why are they packing them? How often do they engage an active shooter wielding an AK or an AR? Isn't that what SWAT is for?

Now.. if the jerkoffs in the media would quit giving these maniacs so much coverage. What a feedback loop that is.. sigh. I know guys.. TL;DR

Welcome to being a target... right along with gun owners

Indeed!
I'm not a big fan of Reagan, but this fits:

Yet they do not require any skill to kill anybody you wish to, particularly random by passers and elementary school kids.

Apparently they do.

*snicker*

I can make almost anything into a lethal weapon. The only reasonable solution is obviously to ban ME.

Mr. Norris, is that you? ;)