quoteBKinzeySince the post was split I will honor that but I am replying to IDA34's post in the other thread.
The robbery involving a fake gun is not pertinent here. You can walk into a bank and say you have a stick of dynamite in your pants and give me the money. When you are apprehended it doesn't matter if you had the dynamite or not. I don't know of anywhere in the US where they wouldn't charge you as having had it.
I can't remember what exactly I said about this in my original thread. If I gave the impression that the person could not be charge with Bank Robbery with an air soft then I either wrote it wrong or you misunderstood. I think I was trying to make a comment that no one would be federally charged with removing the orange plug or painting the front. I did give the caution that if their was a local law against it you would be more apt to get charged with it.
Some people are deathly afraid of dogs. Would you like to be told you can no longer walk your dog on his 6' leash up the street because your neighbor gets horrific visions of the dog breaking free and savagely ripping their leg off?
Do I really need to bring up the fact that many municipalities were thinking of banning certain breeds of dogs. Pit bulls for one. This all because the media will put a pit bull story on when they may breeze over the same story involving a lab. A few bad dog owners create a bad impression that effects public opinion which in turn effects the politicians. I feel a better example would be walking past a neighbor that you know is afraid of you dog and letting the leash out to 8' just so the dog can get closer to the neighbor just to scare her. I do feel that having a M2 mounted in a ring mount is the same. Firearms laws vary in a manner of carry across the country but this thing is not up their because it is being transported. It is up there to be displayed. It would be like mounting a rifle through the passenger's side window ready to shoot forward.
Don't hide your "hobby." It's legal. That's no slope either. It's a cliff you are marching towards. Military is being given a bad, or evil, connotation as in military grade ammo. Now you and I know where to go if we were given rifles and told we could have our choice of ammo from the local Military Armory or Joe's Hunting & Gun Store. What about the general public? Kids are getting into trouble at school for pointing their index finger with thumb raised at each other. The general public doesn't know anything about gun laws and have yet to be directly affected by them. In studies were people were informed about gun laws and their affects the general consensus is we have enough, or to many, gun laws
I guess we will have to disagree. I see all sorts of people in my line of work. Not just the people I meet socially and I would have to say that most non-gun owners have mostly never been exposed to any type of firearms and do not really care about gun laws or want them to be more restrictive to make the country safer. Things change from state to state and if you went to Texas or Utah it would probably take you more time to find the above opinion but all it takes is enough of a media frenzy to make a politician change his vote on a bill.
Technically you may be correct that active duty do not carry weapons mounted in CONUS but I certainly saw lots of rifles being carried in a ready position during Katrina and a General yelling to lower them.
I would bet the rifles were not loaded except for MP's They probably had ammunition in a central location with the first sergeant or the company commander.
I was ready to leave this one alone and just read everyone else's take on this one but since I was called out by name felt inclined to respond so. This means I am done talking on the subject but will still follow the thread to see what everyone else says. I may feel more strongly about this topic because of my line of work.
Due to recent heated posting events I must give a disclaimer. This was meant to be taken in a conversation tone. I do not think anyone is an idiot for having a different opinion from me and fully support the right of the other side to think the way they do. Even though they are wrong and I am right.
Please do not flame me or threaten to come kick my a$$ or anything. We are having a nice calm conversation.
