Zach Shrewsbury faces an improbable task to replace the conservative Democrat in the face of a Republican onslaught – but he won’t be put off

  • rockSlayer@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    The Midwest has a weird stance on guns in general. Even the most staunch liberals in the Midwest oppose “assault-style weapon” bans. The emphasis has been on raising the bar to ownership without heavy restrictions after reaching that bar.

    From my experience, there’s also a very healthy gun safety culture. I have some friends that are dumber than a box of rocks, and even they never touch their guns after any kind of drinking or drug use. The restrictions on using guns as a minor mixed with the very popular activity of hunting means anyone that has any genuine interest in guns has at least 5 years of training before they can even purchase a gun.

    • blindbunny@lemmy.ml
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      1 year ago

      I agree with all of this.

      To be clear though a minor has 5 years of training before they can purchase a firearm am I understanding that correctly?

      • rockSlayer@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        It’s a bit of extrapolation, my bad. The Midwest (or at least my state) doesn’t allow anyone under the age of 12 to go hunting with a firearm. At the age of 12, the kid must graduate a 6 week state-ran hunting/firearm safety course. After that, they must be within a certain distance of a legal guardian at all times if the gun is loaded. Because of the instilled safety culture, safety is also enforced by the guardian. They can purchase a gun at age 18.

        • blindbunny@lemmy.ml
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          1 year ago

          These are extremely fair rules. I was much younger when I started shooting and I wish I was raised in a more safety oriented gun culture. Thanks for sharing this. May I ask what state this is? I’m assuming Michigan.

          • rockSlayer@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            Close, but no cigar! I live in Minnesota. From what I hear, our gun laws are very similar to Michigan. Iowa and Wisconsin aren’t as strict, but the safety culture seem to cross state lines from what I’ve seen