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Woooo dude. I don't come here that often and when I do I mostly lurk but I'm jumping in here. So let me get this straight, you throw out a news article and tell me that I'm in an 8% minority and then say that NRA members also overwhelming support background checks all within the same line of text. Please let it be heard I am an NRA member and don't support universal background checks. All the NRA members that I hang with, shoot with and know, don't support universal background checks. Would you like to know why....because they're are the ones that I hang out with are educated on the subject AND we loan each other our guns on occasion. Last week I made a kydex holster form my O-6 Department Head (hey, I know I'm kissing ass here). Borrowed his Glock 17 for a week and turned out this for him: Made this for an AMT here at the zoo: (note shameless plug if you are in C Springs and want a holster) Guess what, borrowing his gun to mold the kydex=illegal in CO soon. My buddy has some free time and wants to borrow my AR so he can take his kid shooting in the woods=illegal now. So I know what you are thinking, "oh, well, you'll have to give up your little side business hobby so that rest of us can live in a safe society." As a former LEO, let me educate you a bit about how criminals work: THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT LAWS! The problem with this very slippery slope is that we used to live in a society where you were innocent until proven guilty. While I have no issues with background checks when I'm buying from a store and they don't know me, selling a gun to a friend who I've known from years, or someone from my local shooting forums who has a CCW permit and is vouched for is reversing that philosophy. Now, I must presume all my friends, coworkers, fellow USPSA, IDPA shooters as guilty until they are proven innocent at our cost and our time. Dems are winning the catch phrase war. Universal BCG is easy to say, but impossible to enforce. Theory, meet reality; reality, meet theory. Guess who wins. automobile...that took about 1/2 second to think of! house, depending on location...took me 2 seconds to think of that (if you need me to explain that too you, feel free to ask) This is a pie in the sky double speak. Did the Aurora shooter pass a BCG-yup. Did the mom of the Newton shooter pass a BCG-yup. I will say that the database should be more accurate, more up to date but BCG would not have prevented the above tragedies. Making private citizens jump through hoops won't solve this. MIND BLOWN!!! There is a huge difference between having laws that are not enforceable and the fact that criminals don't obey laws. I loan friend gun so he can go shoot. No BCG done. He gets pulled over. "Sir any weapons in the car." "Why yes, officer, I have a handgun in the trunk, I'm going to the range." "I the weapon yours?" "Yes officer." "move along, move along" aka no ability to verify if the gun belongs to you, no ability to enforce Option two (no gun) Cop pulls you over, "License and registration" "Yes officer, actually officer, the car isn't mine." "Really, who's is it?" "It's a friend's. He is letting me borrow it while mine is in the shop." Cop verifies that registration and license are different. "Do you have the contact information for the owner." "Yes officer it is......" Car theft, it's enforceable. Option three You piss me off. I punch you in the nose with witnesses. You call 911 You tell officer I punched you in the nose Witnesses agree Assault, it's enforceable WITHOUT REGISTRATION THIS IS PIE IN THE SKY. Ask Canada, UK, Australia how that registration worked out for them... This is why most Sheriffs in CO won't go along with this BS: https://www.humanevents.com/2013/03/19/colorado-sheriffs-rebel-against-new-gun-control-laws/

Also, don't volunteer for VSP 6 months before your PRF is due.

I agree with the system you suggest, but it is also important to note that under the "quality education" plan, this will perpetuate the military caste system because not everyone will realistically be sent to get a masters. I envision this system would be similar to in-res IDE. I geeked out a bit when I was at SOS and researched this for my class presentation. If I were CSAF of the universe, this is what I would do: 1. Get rid of TA for officers (already done!) 2. Mask masters degree for majors board placing increased emphasis on primary duty performance evals 3. Close Air University to save funds 4. IDE process remains the same except officers do not go to military schools. When you get selected for school, you are sent to a U.S. private/public university to get a real masters degree (we essentially outsource our IDE) 5. Masters/IDE are not masked for Lt Col boards The major benefit of this is officers are sent to real schools that carry real prestige. We get an educated officer force. Officers also get a much-needed/deserved respite and get to intermingle with civilian counterparts to reduce military groupthink/learn private sector best practices.

I oppose it. What other "property" do I own, that I have to get government permission to transfer to someone else? It's an erosion of rights, and I oppose "universal background checks" for that and other reasons like: 1) estates? Do my heirs have to pass a check? 2) Exemptions: nsplayer said "exempt immediate family members" or some such bullsheet....if there's an exemption, then it's not UNIVERSAL. If it's not universal, then why the hell are we doing it? 3) Enforcement: do I have to keep some sort of paperwork now, for each weapon I own? Am I going to have to prove I didn't steal the weapon by producing some papers to some law enforcement official whenever he wants? C'mon--this is crap and just makes life onerous for LAW ABIDING CITIZENS. Criminals don't follow the law, and crazies don't care. If the Dems can pass a law that criminals and crazies will FOLLOW, then I might change my mind. Until then, I will vote to reduce government encroachment on everyone's rights.

/Flamesuit on I think the medal, and it's precedence, are fine. It's for extraordinary efforts in modern warfare. Will be tough to qualify for. And it's not just for RPA guys...it's for cyber too. I hope the geek who thought up, programmed, and deployed STUXNET is the first to get one. Naysayers, hold your froth, go read the whole article about what this new medal is all about, and then lets see what kind of citation gets written for the first few...if its crap, I'll be first on your bandwagon.

Nice reply, tough guy. The nature of how we fight is changing. Deal with it. Further, you don't seem to understand the order of precedence: MOH (Valor), DSC (valor), DSM (merit), SS (valor), LOM (merit), DFC (valor), Airman's medal (merit), BSM (valor or merit)...etc. Putting the new medal where it is recognizes the unique, significant, and extraordinary contributions of cyber and other new forms of warfare...it has NOTHING to do with 18 yo kids getting hurt. You think someone getting a BSM with valor is somehow less recognized because your wing commander got a LOM last week?

Truthfully, if nsplayr actually did some homework on the issue he'd find that there aren't actually many guns being sold illegally because of the lack of background checks. It is another liberal-generated myth like "the gunshow loophole" of which the anti-gun clowns are clueless as well. I would be convinced these measures would work if those that propose them could prove that they're needed; but the truth is they are not. Blaming firearms for crime is ridiculous, and creating stricter laws only hampers law-abiding citizens; but that doesn't penetrate the liberal mindset (facts rarely do). Just like the six-month old killed during the drive-by shooting in Chicago last week, nary a word is spoken about the criminal who shot the gun only that a gun was used. And what about that city's strict gun laws? That is also overlooked because it is only proof that the Democrats are wrong on their position, and God knows they'll never admit they are wrong (like Feinstein, they will keep making up stories in vain attempts to prove themselves right!). Reid is at least smart enough to know that such proposals will have significant backlash, which is why he killed Feinstein's proposal. That also shows how stupid nsplayr's claims that 92% of Americans support such measures, he too is victim to the whitewash and too ignorant to admit he's completely wrong about it.

Universal background checks.... hmmm totally unenforceable without a registry.... agree That said, if there was a free way that I could verify I'm not selling to a douche bag I'd use it. Would that reduce the amount of guns sold to felons un-knowingly, probably but what's the cost and what's the true number of guns bought this way by criminals? While it may still be unenforceable, would it still be helpful? I bet the NRA would be really on board with a free background check system.

Bullshit. There is no "win-win" for private sales, just added costs and administrivia. If you honestly don't believe it will be a de facto form of registration, you're sadly mistaken. Plus, the main reason to be against it is that it will have no effect whatsoever on gun crime. Criminals will still illegally obtain firearms through various sources, and crimes will still be committed with legally-obtained firearms. "Universal background checks" is just yet another liberal "feel-good" measure that has no real benefit at all. Just like "assault rifles," high-capacity magazines" and all those other made-up, mythical threats the Democrats pull out there ass; they once again fail to recognize the true cause of the problem and the fact that such laws and legal measures have never and will never have any impact on crime rates. Quit blindly spouting the party line and actually think about what you're saying for a change... Wow, "1,110 adults nationwide" What a broad sweep? Were they all in NY, California or Chicago, or some other liberal. If you can't do any better than to quote a poll that asked 1100 people out of 315 million (you do the math) a question and think that it represents the entire nation, you're just all full of fail! Take that poll in Texas and tell me what the results are. As for the rest of your dribble, you're just talking out your ass again. None of it is worth responding to... Nice, but ya need some forward cant to them... No worries, I am about ready to block nsplayr from posting in this thread. He's just polluting it anyway...

Dang, as an enlisted dude in the Army the way our unit did it was we'd go to a bar and whoever got promoted had to spend whatever amount their next paycheck increased by on drinks for everyone else! Maybe our commander was just cheap.

I sure hope this thread doesn't devolve like many of the other threads nsplayer post in. I have enjoyed reading this thread to learn more, but it looks like its heading towards the taxes/fiscal cliff and election threads that I quit reading months ago. He is slowly ruining this forum for me.

So you think some rights are more important than others. Copy. I don't. My Gun rights are equal to my voting rights are equal to my free speech rights.

Game the system and call it something else.

I couldn't agree more with what Learjetter and Scared said. So let me get this straight...under your plan, I would have to carry a piece of paper with each firearm I have (ie similar to that of Class 3 Firearms...that are, by the way, nationally registered)? What would happen if I 'lose' such piece of paper?...if there is no national record of me purchasing the firearm, how would I get a replacement copy of the piece of paper? Would the ATF be able to come to the gun range and ask to see a copy of the transfer like they can with a Class 3 firearm? How would they ever be able to check the validity of the person with the FFL transfer form if they can't verify the original transfer through a national database? And what do you suggest for the 300 MILLION firearms already out there that necessarily do not have current paperwork? If somebody were to sell another person a firearm after the said legislation went into affect, both parties could just say that they did it before there was such a law. And if it only applies to to firearms purchased after the law goes into affect, then that is silly because again, there are 300 MILLION firearms out there...so why worry about just the new ones? Now...to the Constitutional argument--I find what you propose as being extremely hypocritical (go figure). You said that requiring somebody to have an ID to vote infringes on the Right to vote...especially when it comes to the poor/minorities, but yet you have no problem making it illegal to own a firearm without an ID? Like others have said--there's no way to enforce such a law without randomly stopping to ask people to 'show their papers' or setting up sting operations to catch people in possible illegal private sales (news flash, criminals won't obey the law). If the Dems want to pass a stupid law that says you can't do a private transfer at an actual gun show, then whatever--they can say they passed something to get rid of the supposed evil 'Gun Show Loophole'. None of this crap is going to make any difference...just like most laws the government passes.

Boom! I have an Army background so feel pretty strongly about it...They do things right on the education front, but not on the deployment front :) If you have time, take a quick look at the "rotating officer faculty at west point" under this link. If you click on their names, you can see what schools they go to. I can't find AMU https://www.usma.edu/...es/Faculty.aspx

We already get recognized just fine with our Aerial Achievement Medals for a job well done. Why do we need anything more?? How about we just recognize our drone operators for a job well done by letting them get out of this shitty weapon system? Sign me up for that.

Well of course they just show the AF assets. They're imbedded with an AF unit and the point of the show is to chronicle what that unit of PJs went through on that deployment. It would be a different story if the show was about MEDEVAC/CASEVAC in OEF as a whole, but it's not.

That sir is debatable I've been in the junior enlisted dorm rooms (room inspections before anyone takes that in the wrong direction) Great thread by the way for a young Lt. will be a while before I'm supervising enlisted but its good info.

In the last two years the only threat poster I've seen is for the donkeys that walk across 95.

I certainly would not have devoted the time and effort for my online MBA if the AF didn't force me to. Even if the AF told me it was required for promotion, but I was going to pay for it myself, I would have mulled over my options for quite some time before committing myself to $10K + out of pocket for a chance to be slightly more competitive than my peers on a promotion board with an 80%+ selection rate. Further, if the Air Force wanted me to get a real degree, with a real time investment, they would create opportunities for it. Even with TA paying for my online school, I still took the easiest route I could. Why? The Air Force already pulls me away from my family enough with deployments, TDYs, early morning and late night flights/SOF/Top 3, OREs/ORIs, working weekends to prepare for said OREs/ORIs, the list goes on. I wasn't going to give the Air Force even MORE of my time by committing to a program that would require hours every night to complete. I was not about to tell my daughter "Sorry, I haven't seen you in three days, but I can't play right now because I have to write a 20 page thesis". If I want to invest my time, money, and effort in a real master's, having a BS online MBA won't stop that. But it does put the check in the box in the fastest manner possible. If the Air Force values education, they'll stop making it a box to check and invest in actual educational options.

We are in different Air Forces. This is not a CAF/MAF debate, but what you said above hasn't really been an option for 90% of MAF guys for the past 10 yrs. Between 2003-2008 your typical C-17 Capt (CP or young AC) was doing 3 weeks on the road with between 18 hrs and 2 days at home before heading back out for another 3 weeks... Tanker toads were doing 60 on 60 off... Slick guys were doing 120 on 60 off... C-5s were the same as the C-17... Spec Ops 130 guys, well they were just gone. The point is that at all of those bases there were brick and mortar schools that were close by, but any "real" school with a "real" professor isn't going to let you be a full time student in their program where you can't attend 90% of the classes. For these people (I was one of them), Embry Riddle or the old Toro was the only option. You can say that there are "respected" schools with online programs, but those aren't real degrees either. Your Masters degree from the University of Maryland at College Park is not the same as my Masters degree from University of Maryland University College at College Park (online). Just like a Masters degree from Embry Riddle is not the same as Embry Riddle Worldwide which is printed on the diploma I have stuffed in a box in the garage somewhere. I have a buddy from UPT who did 2 Ops tours in F-15C's who has about 1,300 hrs and zero Combat hours and a 120 day CAOC tour... another buddy in KC-135s with 2 Ops tours that has 4,500 hrs with almost 4,000 Combat hrs and a dozen Air Medals (only because he just stopped putting in for them) and a dozen or so deployments to the sand box. Both are great dudes and great pilots; both played the box checking game... but yeah, because of the type of war we have been in for the past 11 yrs and how each of their MWS's were employed they were most definitely in 2 different Air Forces. One has a Masters from a brick and mortar school, the other from Embry Riddle... I'll let you figure out who has what. I guarantee you that Embry Riddle was not his first choice. I guess it doesn't matter now because they were both on terminal leave a month before their ADSC was up... one using his real MBA now and the other just got hired by a Major Airline a few weeks ago... I'm pretty sure that Embry Riddle masters was not a factor in the hiring process, but the real MBA was.

WTF, Butters? Responding almost a year later?!? And your grammar sucks ("to" --> "too"). Go find and post some appropriate visual material for the Squadron Bar Daily Pic & Video Thread NSFW thread...

Don't forget the salary/BAH/BAS/etc that we pay each of these airmen. If the organizations they leave behind while "on tour" can survive without them, one could argue that elimination of TiB could be simultaneously be paired with the insta-RIF of those 69-ish TiB members without ANY impact upon the mission at all. We're easily talking about $10M+ per year. Can that help at least one CAF squadron stay CMR? How about putting that funding toward a US-only Red Flag? We are literally mortgaging the future of air superiority in favor of a high-school-grade jazz band/drama club. YGBSM.

Yes, yes, yes. It's sad how few share your perspective. It's completely taboo to do anything that affects 'our beloved troops'...and the troops themselves are the worst offenders when it comes to complaints over the issue. It's always boggled my mind that a group of people who said they'd sacrifice their life, if necessary, in this endeavor called the military, won't make other relatively inconsequential sacrifices without bitching and moaning. How many times have you heard 'the entitlement generation' or some similar characterization used on this forum in a negative context? But then when the entitlement is yours, it's all of the sudden a problem. The fact is, sadly, that the military community is as a whole no different than the rest of the nation. In fact, I'd argue that it's worse in some circumstances. To call it the 'entitlement generation' isn't completely accurate. I don't believe that most people truely think they're *entitled* to a lot of the handouts that exist, they just enjoy free stuff and will gripe when it's taken away. Many military members, however, really do have a sense of entitlement, believing that their service somehow puts the U.S. in their debt. Shoveling millions of dollars towards for profit colleges that are specially designed to exploit the TA program while providing the lowest quality (and therefore least expensive) education possible SHOULD be done away with. Whether it's the most egregious waste of money or not. Whether it's a drop in the bucket or not. Whether it benefits our beloved troops or not. Revise the program to be available for enlisted bachelors degrees at not-for-profit institutions only. Officers can pony up their own cash if they want a masters, or use their GI bill. And for those that are inevitably going to complain about that leaving it impossible for them to pass the GI bill on to their kids (it's already been complained about in this thread): that that's the next ridiculous entitlement that should be cut (the ability to transfer your benefit, not the GI Bill in it's entirety). Unfortunately, there's already legislation in the works to restore TA because, god damnit, think of the troops!!! It's political suicide for anybody (republican or democrat alike) to make the difficult fiscal decisions that are necessary right now, and so far, nobody has had the fortitude to do it. Even when cuts are automatically made by faceless legislation they're immediately out in force trying to undo it. This country is ######ed.