Pegged for debate night again

[CA Steve]

Rongo,

Your opening line should be:

"Luke, I am your father"

[strappinglad]

A modest suggestion:

 

[Amulek]

Someone alluded to this earlier, but if you live in a state that allows for open carry but requires licensing for concealed carry, you could argue that simply putting on your winter coat to go outside shouldn't automatically turn you into a criminal just because you never applied for the necessary permit required to 'conceal' your weapon.

Also, you probably know this already, but you should be looking at Vermont for statistics. Vermont is the only state in the country that has never passed any sort of permitting requirements on gun owners - for any kind of carry, concealed or otherwise. That may help to combat the invariable arguments you're going to get about permits being necessary for safety/training/educational purposes (p.s. might need to argue that the state ought to be providing this sort of training to everyone, not just to those who are interested in self-defense).

The irony, of course, is that the only reason you have to pay for a permit to carry concealed is because the state made the practice illegal to begin with. It used to be the case that people were apprehensive about the idea of someone arming himself in a clandestine manner...you know, because only bad guys would try to conceal that they were armed. Now, however, so much of the population has been raised in metropolitan areas that people today are more likely to be apprehensive whenever they see someone openly carrying a gun. And, while there may be some people who prefer to carry openly, a large number of people are cognizant of how others feel and would be happy to conceal the fact that they are armed...only they can't - because it's illegal. But, rather than changing the laws to correspond with the shift in attitudes (i.e., by repealing the laws against concealed carry), the state simply instituted a licensing scheme so that they can extract money from people who want to do what the majority of people are totally okay with. 

They have really narrowed the argument to something that really puts you at a disadvantage though. Because even if you are pro gun, there are still going to be reasons why you might want to have a permit system in place for concealed carry (e.g., so that you can then obtain a permit in your home state which will be considered valid for reciprocity agreements with other states). 

 

[Tacenda]

15 hours ago, Jeanne said:

Just don't pull out your gun for show and tell..

Funny! 😂

[rongo]

Debate was a blast last night! My son ended up winning by one vote, which is a good object lesson for JSA (Junior State of America) for the importance of voting, your vote counts, etc. (the margin was actually two votes, but there was one absention, which accrued to me). There was a heavy crowd bias in favor of my son, anyway, which is part of the fun. The audience was asked to vote on a) debate winner and b) best speaker via tinyurl and/or those new-fangled pixelated scanning box things, so the results were in semi-real-time. The other main event debate was between two teachers on whether naturalized citizens should be eligible to be president. That one was a blowout, but it was fun, just the same.

Thanks again to everyone for their suggestions as far as evidence and arguments!

I ended up going with the "Jason Bourne" music at the end of each movie for my entrance music. It's *really* big among kids in my area for memes and clips. My son went with the guitar intro to Bread's "Mother Freedom" (he likes 60s and 70s music, like his old man). We both dressed identically (all of my sons look a lot like me), which was a hit, too. We both managed to work in several references and cliches like "triggering," "shots," and the like, as well as politely and decorously denigrating our "distinguished opponents." 

All in all, a fun and good fundraiser for our school's JSA chapter.

[Jeanne]

Woot for you...and you know what is the biggest winner in all of this...the relationship with your son!!

[Stargazer]

37 minutes ago, rongo said:

Debate was a blast last night! My son ended up winning by one vote, which is a good object lesson for JSA (Junior State of America) for the importance of voting, your vote counts, etc. (the margin was actually two votes, but there was one absention, which accrued to me). There was a heavy crowd bias in favor of my son, anyway, which is part of the fun. The audience was asked to vote on a) debate winner and b) best speaker via tinyurl and/or those new-fangled pixelated scanning box things, so the results were in semi-real-time. The other main event debate was between two teachers on whether naturalized citizens should be eligible to be president. That one was a blowout, but it was fun, just the same.

Thanks again to everyone for their suggestions as far as evidence and arguments!

I ended up going with the "Jason Bourne" music at the end of each movie for my entrance music. It's *really* big among kids in my area for memes and clips. My son went with the guitar intro to Bread's "Mother Freedom" (he likes 60s and 70s music, like his old man). We both dressed identically (all of my sons look a lot like me), which was a hit, too. We both managed to work in several references and cliches like "triggering," "shots," and the like, as well as politely and decorously denigrating our "distinguished opponents." 

All in all, a fun and good fundraiser for our school's JSA chapter.

I picked up on this thread way too late, and now I am completely confused. Please explain -- were you debating your son, with him taking the con about unpermitted concealed carry?  And he won the debate according to the onlookers?  Just trying to make sense of this, sorry!

[rongo]

Yes.

Traditionally, the main event is two teachers debating a topic assigned by the JSA club. None of the teachers wanted to debate me, so it was interesting that there ended up being a teacher/teacher debate as well. They asked my son to debate me and billed it as "father against son" (we're both pretty well-known). He is our valedictorian, and actually had substituted for them in a formal debate, even though he isn't a member of JSA (much to their chagrin. Some of their events are on Sundays, though). 

He was assigned the pro (permits and licenses shall be required for concealed carry in Arizona), and I was assigned the con. 

It's an annual fundraiser for JSA, and as part of it, they hold a vote and give awards based on audience feedback (totally subjective, and popularity and bias factor in heavily, but it's for fun and exposure). While procedure is followed (yielding to the moderator, etc.), "throwing shade" and quipping is encouraged for entertainment value. That was another reason why us going against each other made sense.

We both did a good job, and it was a lot of fun. And, the title stayed "in-house" . . .