@oralloy,
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Thank God that freak was booted out of the military.
That four star General you are calling a "freak" was a former commander of the Joint Special Operations Command who ran all special operations in Iraq, and he was the top commander of American forces in Afghanistan.
And, not only was he not booted out of the military, the day after he announced his retirement, the White House announced that he would retain his four-star rank in retirement, although law generally requires a four-star officer to hold his rank for three years in order to retain it in retirement and McChrystal had held the rank for only one year.
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He is very much anti-gun. And his call to ban all hunting rifles is quite easily dismissed.
I don't see any evidence he is anti-gun, but he definitely is calling for serious control over certain types of weapons that are really designed for military combat--whether these are weapons some want to use for hunting, or those you insist have only certain "cosmetic features" or those that people think they need for home defense--he is saying there has to be serious discussion about restricting their sale and availability because these are assault weapons. And his call for such control is based on his own knowledge and personal experience with weaponry, which is considerably more extensive than yours, and is based on his own concern for the public welfare, which also appears considerably greater than yours.
What you personally think of Gen. McChrystal is really of no importance. What is important is that, when a member of our top military brass speaks out in favor of serious gun control, and says that military-type assault weapons do not belong on the streets of our country, and he decries the daily deaths due to guns in this country, a great many people do listen and pay attention to him, and his comments are not easily dismissed. And the fact that a military leader has just added his voice to the swelling chorus calling for better gun control, and serious action to reduce the gun violence in our country, does signal something about the momentum of this movement right now, and the diversity of those joining in this aim, as well as a shift in attitude toward the issue, so that passivity is no longer an acceptable option.
Some people have decided it is time for another revolution--a revolution against the NRA and its stranglehold on the gun laws and gun policies we live with, and it's obstruction of even common sense measures toward better regulation, and it's obstruction of even scientific research into the effects of gun possession, which, if done, could inform better policy-making decisions regarding guns. And, hopefully, the current grassroots initiative will continue to coalesce, and organize, and gain the effectiveness to pressure the lawmakers into revising their attitudes as well, so that they respond to the voices calling for change and action, and not just to the NRA/gun manufacturers-lobby that has a vested interest in feeding the paranoia and fear that helps their profits to thrive, and a vested interest in maintaining our problem with gun violence.
And, if the lawmakers realize they will pay a higher price if they don't respond to those voices calling for change, they will act. And I do think that the massacre of 20 six and seven year olds was the tipping point--the agony and horror of that particular mass shooting tragedy has produced the attitude change necessary to get people mobilized. And I'm glad that Gen. McChrystal has added his voice to the fight.
