Showing posts with label National Rifle Assn.. Show all posts
Showing posts with label National Rifle Assn.. Show all posts

Monday, August 20, 2018

LATEST: Montreal also voting on gun ban



Montreal will vote today whether to adopt a resolution that would echo the Toronto City Council’s call for new federal gun controls. It is reported...
"Following the shooting deaths of two people in Toronto’s Greektown neighborhood by an attacker with an illegally obtained handgun in late July, the Toronto City Council adopted a resolution supporting several federal and local gun restrictions. The measure called for a nationwide ban on all handguns and semi-automatic firearms, a prohibition on the at-home possession of firearms, shuttering the remaining shooting ranges and gun clubs in Toronto, and a local ban on the sale of handguns and “handgun ammunition” within the city."
And a pathetic U.S. Congress still pees its pants because the National Rifle Assn. and Wayne LaPierre refuses to allow even any thoughts of gun legislation so they refuse to even consder a U.S. gun ban.

Tuesday, June 19, 2018

Repeal the 2nd Amendment NOW!



Twenty-two people were injured by gun violence in a shooting at a 24-hour art festival in Trenton, New Jersey, where two men are believed to be the shooters, with one of them killed by police. While there were no deaths, four people are in critical shape, one a teenager. It was an all-nighter that started at 3 PM featuring 1,500 pieces of art. There was an attempted carjacking near the festival but law enforcement hasn't been able to tie it in with the shooting. In other words, at this point there is minimum information available, but we do know it was another senseless shooting.

First, we need to know what the weapons were, how the assailants got them, and why they picked this particular event. Not that it will explain that with guns everywhere in the U.S., the fact of where the guns came from may no longer be relevant. In just 2018, there have been 26,570 incidents of gun violence, which have ended in 6,568 deaths, and with 12,359 more injuries. There have been 1,547 children killed or injured. And there have been 130 mass shootings like the one in Trenton. But the imbeciles that populate the U.S. Congress, because of the NRA, are scared to make a move.

Wayne LaPierre, the National Rifle Assn. head gun nut, has been spewing his 2nd Amendment crap for years, and apparently it has registered with congressional members, the general public, and most certainly with his gun nut membership. It is time to repeal the 2nd Amendment and start over. Gun permits should be radically limited and right to carry only for law enforcement or those with an absolute need. Former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens said in March of this year in a NY Times op-ed piece, "Repeal the 2nd Amendment." It, of course, got nowhere.

Stevens says this nonsense of the people arming themselves against a tyrannical government is, "a relic of the 18th century." Basically, that puts the 2nd Amendment and everything that comes from LaPierre and his NRA in the same category. In a reaction to the demonstrations of schoolchildren after the Parkland, Fla. gun massacre, "They reveal the broad public support for legislation to minimize the risk of mass killings of schoolchildren and others in our society." This should include...
"legislation prohibiting civilian ownership of semiautomatic weapons, increasing the minimum age to buy a gun from 18 to 21 years old, and establishing more comprehensive background checks on all purchasers of firearms. But the demonstrators should seek more effective and more lasting reform. They should demand a repeal of the Second Amendment."
And Judge Stevens explores history...
"In 1939 the Supreme Court unanimously held that Congress could prohibit the possession of a sawed-off shotgun because that weapon had no reasonable relation to the preservation or efficiency of a 'well regulated militia.'” 
The militia thing is there but at least the Supreme Court had the common sense, and, apparently, the legal foundation to say a sawed-off shotgun wasn't included in the intent of the Founding Fathers to represent protection. In keeping with that Stevens is implying that assault rifles are not a necessary weapon for protection, thus, they should be outlawed. You may not know this but in the "long-settled understanding of the Second Amendment’s limited reach by ruling, in District of Columbia v. Heller, that there was an individual right to bear arms. Stevens was one of four dissenters.

Many of you may also know about Arizona's loose gun laws and an unusually high rate of gun violence. It is in the top 16 in the country. Here are the stats...
  • Firearm deaths per 100,000 people: 15.2 per 100,000
  • Total firearm deaths 2016: 1094 (suicides: 755, homicides: 303)
  • Violent crime rate: 470.1 per 100,000 (12th highest)
  • Permit required to carry handgun: No (Citizens allowed to carry a concealed handgun with or without a permit.)
  • Poverty rate: 16.4% (8th highest)
The reason I bring this up is an op-ed in the local Phoenix paper titled, "Control lacking in the Second Amendment." The writer was more concerned over the way the paper, conservative, had changed his title in the piece published earlier, which does not apply here. What is important is what Leon Gildin said at the end of his recent article. He exclaimed, "Control is what is lacking and the reason therefore is, with all due respect, the Second Amendment, as it was written, is not relevant to the issue of gun ownership or gun control in today's world."

Like former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens said, the 2nd Amendment is a relic of the 18th century.

                    


                  

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Camping out at the National Rifle Assn.


When I was growing up it was fun to camp out and experience the out-of-doors like it is supposed to be. You'd cook your own food and be responsible for the campsite and sleeping quarters, which included a tent or maybe a hammock out in the open. Times were simpler then. You didn't have to worry about being surprised by some gun nut, perhaps a domestic terrorist, hell-bent on killing as many people he or she can just because they have a gun in their hand and can. You were the target for only God knows why.

Well, there was a group camping out yesterday but it's not in the woods. The gathering is in front of the headquarters of the National Rifle Assn. in Fairfax, Virginia, in front of the building that shelters NRA head, Wayne LaPierre, and his bone headed minions. With the amount of blood on their hands, one can understand why they hide behind closed doors. The gun advocate group comes here every month on the 14th, in honor of the Sandy Hook gun massacre that killed 20 first graders and 6 adults.

CNN reports, "They've braved pouring rain, near-blizzard conditions and sweltering heat. They are Americans fed up with the NRA's agenda, sick of what they say is the group's devotion to gunmakers." There are a lot of those folks around today but a clueless and gutless Congress is only listening to the NRA and the money that jingles each election cycle. But I've heard, from more than one source, that many of these politicos could be sorry come November of 2016.

One can only hope.

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

THE NRA WOULD LIE IF THE TRUTH WERE BETTER


How many times have we heard this crap from wacky Wayne LaPierre, head of the National Rifle Assn.? “They are coming to take your guns away!” I have been blogging it from the mouth of WW for over five years and Dean Obeidelah of the Daily Beast put it all in a neat package following the recent NRA convention in Nashville last weekend. The man is crazy, well that's my comment for WW, who, as the biggest gun nut of them all has made himself rich through keeping gun manufacturers' sales booming, who, in turn, line the pockets of WW and the NRA. The 70,000 poor souls that attended the Nashville get together on the other hand not only pay their annual dues but kick in extra bucks when the head gun nut scares hell out of them. Pathetic but Obeidelah sees no changes for the near future. Unfortunately I must agree.

Monday, April 13, 2015

RAND PAUL BLACKBALLED FROM 2015 NRA CONVENTION



APPARENTLY NOT. Poor baby was not invited to Wacky Wayne LaPierre's party at his National Rifle Assn. affair last weekend held in Nashville. Rand Paul and his staff claim it is due to his ties to the National Association for Gun Rights. I don't know which organization is worse. Others were left out like Lindsey Graham and Mike Huckabee but after some sucking up to the NRA, they were invited. It is pathetic when a U.S. Senator and former Governor have to kiss WW's ass to get an invite to his movable feast. However, Paul's snub is not because he isn't a firm believer in the 2nd Amendment. He is. But the gun control advocates have recently announced to new approach to their goals. Where Republican Governors and state legislatures control many states, thus, loose gun laws, the new efforts are aimed at state ballot measures. Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is bankrolling the movement. Watch for a ballot in your state.

Sunday, April 12, 2015

TED CRUZ 2ND AMENDMENT FUNDAMENTALS STEEPED IN OBSOLETE IDEOLOGY


The 2nd Amendment is a divisive part of the U.S. Constitution that should either be modified drastically or repealed. The National Rifle Assn. is in the last day of its 2015 convention in Nashville, TN, and their 70,000 members are there for just the opposite reason; to preserve its sanctity. At least in their eyes. Ted Cruz is trying to help but, as usual, he put his foot in his mouth again. For years opponents of the ritualistic interpretation of the 2nd Amendment by gun nuts have argued, this is not what those guys meant on that day, December 15, 1791. That was then. This is now. Things have changed. Wake up and enjoy modern times. But Cruz elected to dredge up former Supreme Court Justice Joseph Story who did support the 2nd with the enthusiasm of someone proud of his country at a time when vigilance was needed. But that was sometime between 1811 and 1845, hardly a contemporary view of our needs of today. And therein lies the problem of the gun rights movement. Their view of the 2nd Amendment is antiquated and until that changes the shootings and killings will continue.

Saturday, April 11, 2015

NRA RUNNING SCARED OF HILLARY CLINTON


An unnerved National Rifle Assn. opened its 2015 convention in Nashville, TN, yesterday and what was on the agenda? Hillary Clinton bashing by wacky Wayne LaPierre with a generous sprinkling of digs by the GOP Presidential candidates present. The 70,000 attendees, mostly conservative, white, and male, listened to the maniac of munitions rant on why these poor souls in the audience should buy more guns and convince their congressional representative that there should be absolutely no more gun laws that curb guns like assault weapons. Gov. Sam Brownback of Kansas probably received a standing ovation based on his recent law that relinquishes guns to a warm body. I don't know if Hillary has it in her to fight for more reasonable gun laws but I know Elizabeth Warren does.

Friday, April 10, 2015

NRA BEGINS BELCHING THEIR BULLSHIT TODAY


INDIANAPOLIS 2014: It was this anti-gun demonstration that marred the spewing of gun propaganda by the National Rifle Assn. head, Wacky Wayne LaPierre in its last convention in Indianapolis in 2014. WW and his flock embark on the 2015 version today in Nashville, TN, and are connecting with country music. First of all, I don't like country music but most of all I detest the NRA. In an obvious pro-gun piece in the Nashville Business Journal, the writer makes an interesting comment that the mostly male attendees were primarily target shooters. If this is the case the attendees won't include the gun nuts I regularly hear from in this blog with comments like, " WHO YOU GOING TO CALL WHEN THE SCUMS COME FOR YOU AND YOUR LIFE IS ON THE LINE..." No, I imagine the folks in Nashville this weekend are more like the 75% level headed members of the NRA that believe there should be universal background checks. My double-digit gun nuts probably couldn't afford the trip anyway.

Unfortunately Wacky Wayne LaPierre will pay no attention to this huge majority of membership and continue to espouse unreasonable gun rights for more guns everywhere for people who aren't trained to use them.

Monday, September 24, 2012

Gun control advocates take over NRA…Oust Wayne LaPierre

A PARODY

Dateline-May 6, 2013-Houston: It was just last week and the National Rifle Assn. (NRA) was holding its annual convention at the George R. Brown convention Center in the heart of downtown Houston.  The exhibit hall was huge, some 400,000 feet, equipped to handle 500 exhibitors.  Families of gun worshippers gathered to hear the omnipotent Wayne LaPierre reassure them that gun control advocates would not take away their precious guns.


Wackier than even Wayne LaPierre

LaPierre is known for coddling this gang of gun nuts to make sure they continue to send their money that will keep his maniacal crusade flourishing while more than adequately filling his pockets and those of his top henchmen.  It’s a no lose situation with these poor souls.  But their financial support is trivial compared to the real money that comes from the gun manufacturers where clearly LaPierre has placed his nose and support up entirely within their backside.

Back at the convention, children marvel at the weaponry, especially the selection of assault rifles, reminded that their parents had promised them one when they are old enough.  Moms look over an array of holsters for females to select the one that best fits their personality.  Dads search for the most masculine looking Glock that will help them confirm their manliness.  They are all here, ready to heap praise on the great one who has fulfilled their loosest gun dreams.


NRA kid who doesn't like
gun control advocates

But there is another group present that has a different purpose than the NRA’s fanatical gun rights.  They are the gun control advocates who came to this firearms fiasco to dump CEO Wayne LaPierre and shut down its absurd advocacy for guns for everyone to take anywhere they want.  These are reasonable people, some of which own guns, many who are NRA members, but realize they should only be meant for protection in the home.

These are law abiding citizens who aren’t afraid of background checks, even the registration of their weapons.  They are also a part of the budding majority that believes assault rifles were meant for killing and have no place in the typical American home.  They believe in the 2nd Amendment but also realize its limitations.  The Founding Fathers did not intend for it to open the door to an NRA style culture with zero restraint.

It was almost a year ago in 2012 that the call went out through gun control advocates to enlist those with this philosophy to join the NRA, while identifying members within the organization that were approving of sensible gun control.  They responded in droves with 3 million new applicants signing up and 750,000 NRA member sympathizers joining the group.  That meant out of the total membership now of 7,300,000, 3,750,000 were anti Wayne LaPierre.

Finally, there was a majority in the most powerful lobby in the country; but could they throw the bums at the top out?  With determination the gun controllers set about to infiltrate the meetings, espousing their views on sensible gun control.  They were met with even more supporters from the ranks coming over to their side, but were also confronted by the typical bubba gun nuts, along with their wives and kids, that called them everything from anarchist to communist.

Glenn Beck - Wackier than
Charlton Heston
Soon the fireworks began to go off in the upper echelons when LaPierre and his minions caught wind of the movement.  They had known all along that something was going on but reacted with the same arrogance that nothing could stop the great LaPierre and his wrecking ball.  But this time was different.  The American public, although leery of blanket gun control, was weary of the daily gun homicides that were going on across the U.S.  The time had come.

Momentum grew for the gun controllers when a confrontation ensued.  But then saner minds prevailed by warning the crowd that everything they were doing was being taped for the evening news.  At this point the gun controllers forced a vote, first to elect a new President of the NRA who was one of them.  Next, a vote was taken to dethrone Wayne LaPierre, which passed by a large plurality, and to form a committee to find a new Executive Vice President and CEO to replace him.

It was done and the gun controllers had done it.  When they went searching for LaPierre to officially strip him of his titles and position he was nowhere to be found.  One security guard said that he saw him and several other men exiting through a basement door that led to the parking lot where they expected to find their limousines.  They weren’t there.  The gun controllers had made sure of that.  LaPierre was later seen walking around the parking lot begging for a ride.

The 2013 NRA Annual Meeting closed early.

Oh, only if…

Monday, May 7, 2012

Arizona neo-Nazi murderer J. T. Ready was NRA member


J.T. Ready and pal Russell Pearce

Jason Todd ‘J.T.’ Ready was well known in Arizona as a confirmed racist and neo-Nazi who never missed the chance to demonize the Hispanic community, sometimes along with his pal, Russell Pearce.  See a list of my blog posts on Ready and Pearce here.  It was this past Wed., May 2, when Ready decided to end his career of terrorizing Latinos and shot five people including himself.  I have covered this man for the last three years and this was totally unexpected. 

There was Ready’s girlfriend, Lisa Lynn Mederos, 47, her daughter, Amber, 23, Jim Hiott, Amber’s fiancé, 24, and Amber’s daughter, 15 months.  There is total tragedy in the whole incident, which someone other than Ready should have seen coming, but the killing of a toddler makes it even more horrendous.  Another of Lisa Lynn’s daughters, Brittany Hazel Menderos, 19, was in a bedroom and heard the shootings and was first to discover the bodies. 

The Young Turks on Ready massacre:

For years J.T. Ready has conducted armed civilian patrols at the U.S. border with Mexico with the group he founded, U.S. Border Guard, and although saddened over the loss of their leader and his victims, say they will continue Ready’s work.  In the past, Ready has stated, “I firmly believe in having a minefield across the border.”  He added, “This is 100% effective.”  As a part of the Arizona militia scene he was known to take matters into his own hands.

Ready was a former Marine who started his militia activities after his bad conduct discharge from the service in 1996, preceded by two courts martial.  At one point he belonged to the National Socialist Movement which supports white supremacy.  In 2007 he marched in Omaha, Nebraska with a swastika banner with brown-shirted NSM members.  He was also a member of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corp. serving in their border project. 

In 2008, Ready became a Republican precinct captain in Mesa, AZ, further promoting his political career.  Republicans tried their best to get him removed from the position due to his extremist views but apparently Ready had deep support in the Arizona GOP that was able to help him survive.  There is probably another story in just who this was.  And he was currently a prospective candidate for Pinal County Sheriff, running as a Democrat.


J.T. Ready (2nd from right)
as neo-Nazi

Harry Hughes, regional director of the National Socialist Movement said Ready had left the organization two years ago but it is obvious that he left his imprint on the group from the following:  Ready said that only non-Jewish, white hetrosexuals should be American citizens.  Also, that all non-white people should leave the U.S.  Ready entered the news early when firing on a Hispanic man in 2006 with a BB gun while running for the Mesa, AZ City Council.

When police searched the house after the massacre, they found six 40 mm projectile grenades, which an Army surplus store manager said was not available in any store.  They had to be acquired on the black market.  Also found were two 55-gallon drums that the bomb squad said was no immediate danger.  And finally, authorities recovered 2 handguns and a shotgun.  It isn’t clear yet just what gun or guns Ready used on the victims and himself.


J.T. Ready protesting

And now to my headline signifying that J.T. Ready was a member of the National Rifle Assn. (NRA), which is true.  Back in 2010 I was doing several blog posts on Ready and Russell Pearce, the defrocked Arizona senator.  The comments, as usual, were vitriolic of me but in support of Pearce, even Ready, in his quest to rid Arizona of undocumented immigrants.  There is no compassion in that state for illegals, a stigma that remains until this day.

I have never minced words about J.T., and one of his supporters took me to task in a comment for berating him for his tactics.  It was posted on Facebook, where I had shared the post.  That same day, Ready posted another comment in reply to his supporter saying not to worry, it {me} was just sophomoric writing.  I couldn’t resist and headed over to Ready’s Facebook page and left him a message.  Ignoring his comment, I asked him point blank if he was a NRA member.

His exact reply was: “I am not current on my dues.  I hold numerous NRA instructor certificates.  You may see wahtwe(sic) do at:” and he directs you to this site.  Warning.  Page 13 has a gruesome picture.  But you can see from the pictures and captions, J.T. Ready was firmly against animal abuse.  Read more on the issue here, here, here and here.

It is not clear just how close Ready’s ties with the NRA were.  His statement above is proof of membership, but apparently he couldn’t or wouldn’t pay his dues.  Over the years I have covered Ready, I cannot remember the National Rifle Assn. ever even questioning his activities.  So far I have seen no statement from the NRA on the issue.  Read more about this on Common Gunsense. 

Since Ready is or was a member of the NRA, and because he operated in a state (Arizona) where the organization has been successful in forcing the loosest gun laws in the country through a clueless Governor and state legislature, I think we are due the consideration of a statement on how this man was armored up to the hilt and allowed to wreak havoc that killed 4 innocent people including a toddler.

More on J.T. Ready tomorrow including his close association with former Arizona Sen. Russell Pearce who was booted from office.

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Have you considered suicide? If so, you were probably drunk, possibly armed

Unfortunately the statistics don’t lie and they tell us that the person is likely to be drinking and may use a firearm to take his or her life.  Guns and booze obviously don’t mix so why is the National Rifle Assn. (NRA) lobbying so hard for its members to be allowed to carry guns into bars across the country?  Just one more of those ideas that common sense tells you is stupid but Wayne LaPierre, head of the NRA, apparently suffers that distinguishing characteristic.


55% by firearms

From 2003 to 2009, around 20 percent of U.S. citizens committing suicide had blood levels that satisfied the standard definition of intoxication, according to family Practice News.  Shocking?  Not really when you consider 72 percent of those age 35-54 drink; same for 18-34; 59 percent for 55+, and the fact that there are 270 million guns in the hands of U.S. civilians.  That’s 88.8 firearms per 100 people, close to one per person.

Suicide and alcohol
The U.S. is number 41 in the world in the number of suicides with 11.8 per year per 100,000 population.  In a 2011 study of suicides by city, Business Insider listed the top 15 with Las Vegas, NV as number one.  Interestingly, Arizona with the loosest gun laws in the country was the only state to have three cities listed: Phoenix, Tucson and Mesa.  According to the American foundation for suicide Prevention, someone commits suicide in the U.S. every 14.2 minutes.

Interesting video on suicide prevention:

Mitchell Zoler of Family Practice breaks it down by gender with 24 percent among men and 17 percent for women.  But the possibility increases among young adults where suicide is more impulsive.  As Zoler puts it, Alcohol serves as the “disinhibitor.”  And alcohol is also the number one instigator for abuse because it is so readily available.  Drinking reduces inhibition and increases aggression which is present in both domestic abuse and suicide.

Here are some more startling statistics from the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention and Suicide Awareness Voices of Education:

  • Recent data puts yearly medical costs for suicide at nearly $100 million (2005).

  • Men are nearly 4 times more likely to die by suicide than women. Women attempt suicide 3 times as often as men.

  • Suicide rates are highest for people between the ages of 40 and 59.

  • There are twice as many deaths due to suicide than HIV/AIDS.

  • Suicide rates in the United States are highest in the spring.

  • Over half of all suicides are completed with a firearm.

  • Suicide rates among the elderly are highest for those who are divorced or widowed.

  • The strongest risk factor for suicide is depression.

  • 80% of people that seek treatment for depression are treated successfully.

  • There are an estimated 8 to 25 attempted suicides to 1 completion.

  • 1 in 65,000 children ages 10 to 14 commit suicide each year.

  • Suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the U.S.

  • An average of one person dies by suicide every 16.2 minutes.

These are raw, startling facts re. how suicides occur in the U.S. and some of the avenues taken to achieve the act.  What is really alarming is the fact that over half of suicides are accomplished using a firearm.  What is equally alarming is how many guns are available in this country (270,000,000) that gives the person the means to do harm to themselves.  At some point the gun public must realize just how much the 2nd Amendment infringes on the right to live of non-owners.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

NRA member’s “Obama assassination joke” shows the insanity of this organization

Pres. Lincoln's assassination
At the recent NRA meeting in St. Louis, a reporter had the luxury of witnessing first-hand just what a bunch of morons make up at least a portion of the membership of the National Rifle Assn. (NRA).  Alexander Zaitchik, writing for Media Maters for America, was on an airport shuttle bus when this idiot, who is an attorney by the way, dropped the bomb:

“What do Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, and Barack Obama have in common?"  The answer, "Nothing. Yet."


Gun wacko Wayne LaPierre

According to Zaitchik, the quote came from a professional Second Amendment extremist named Stephen Burke, who is a buddy of Wayne LaPierre, Exec. V.P. and CEO of the NRA.  In his day job “Burke specializes in getting guns into the hands of ex-cons whose licenses have been revoked or downgraded for criminal activity.”  A shining example of the NRA’s mission to put guns in the hands of everyone, no matter their background, allowing them to carry them anywhere.

What is chilling about this group of gun worshippers is the fact that most of the shuttle bus erupted in laughter, except for the “soft-spoken” father from Long Island who was going to the convention with his teenage daughter; he just looked out the window, “embarrassed.”  Yes, there are NRA members who believe in moderation and don’t wish to participate in the lunacy of these double-digit red necks.  They are apparently few, however.  Pathetic!

Zaitchik cautioned, though, that parents who want to shield their children from this kind of low class humor should keep them away from NRA conventions.  He added, “The group's leadership has in recent years expertly cultivated a very profitable hatred and paranoia among its membership.”  We all know that the use of hate and fear-mongering has a distinct appeal to conservatives.  And it keeps the NRA coffers full from the dull-witted among its members.


NRA 2012 convention

At the convention, NRA members and their leaders described President Obama as an “enemy of freedom,” with the same old tired phrase that he wants to take away all their guns.  This bunch of deadbeats will be after the President in November, but it’s not clear if his GOP rival, probably Mitt Romney, will be their saving grace.  Romney has vacillated on his support of gun control since he was the Massachusetts Gov., and wasn’t a surefire at the NRA convention.

But did you know that the NRA was almost bankrupt in the mid-1990s?  Considering the donations of only two gun manufacturers at this year’s convention, Ruger and MidWayUSA, who gave up $8 million, that’s hard to understand.   And in 2007, one of its former lobbyists, Richard Feldman, “…described the organization as a "cynical, mercenary political cult."  Zaitchik is more conciliatory of the group today, but I say it hasn’t changed.  Nada.

 The NRA’s official battle cry for November is “All In.”  Zaitchik says it works when you consider the group’s extreme, even “insane” interpretation of the 2nd Amendment.  The organization has gone on the offense in recent years which is plainly obvious in the states of Arizona and Florida.  Arizona has the loosest gun laws in the country allowing guns in bars by owners who had no background checks.  And Florida passed the original “Stand Your Ground” law.

The NRA has as its steadfast partner the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) in passing its absurd gun laws.  ALEC is a pro-business, anti-consumer group composed of U.S. corporations and state legislators that pass legislation designed for the profits of American companies while leaving consumers to fend for themselves.  In many cases the legislation is passed by states verbatim of what ALEC proposes. 

"Shoot-em-up Charlie" cartoon of the NRA and ALEC

But currently the NRA is focused on a federal bill to allow gun owners to carry nationwide, according to their state’s laws.  As an example, under this proposed law, a gun totin’ cowboy from Arizona with no background check, nor any training in firearms whatever, could carry his or her handgun to any U.S. state, no matter what the state’s gun laws say.  It’s another of the NRA’s licenses to kill. 

Thirty years ago there were discussions of a national handgun ban.  Today we’re talking about universal right to carry, brags the NRA’s Chris Cox.  Will this conglomeration of misfits still be bragging when some of their own are killed by the guns they want everywhere?

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Has the NRA provided a ‘license to murder’ in “stand your ground law?”

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg thinks so, claiming the National Rifle Assn. (NRA) promotes a gun culture at the expense of public safety in its creation of and promotion of the “stand your ground” laws.  This legislation that allows gun owners to claim self defense in shooting someone, even killing them, if they feel threatened, has been passed or is under consideration in 35 states.  Florida, where it originally passed in 2005, is where Trayvon Martin was killed.

Bloomberg claims it advocates vigilantism saying, “You just cannot have a civilized society where everybody can have a gun and make their own decisions as to whether someone is threatening or not."  Further, "This has nothing to do with gun owners' rights, nothing to do with the second amendment. Plain and simple, this is just trying to give people a license to murder."  The twisted minds of the NRA and some of its members will no doubt try to refute all of this.

And this fanaticism is not limited to the gun worshippers.  Immediately following the Trayvon Martin shooting, U.S. senators introduced NRA-backed legislation that would require all states to honor any permit for the concealed carry of weapons that has been issued by any other state.  Considering the fact that just about anyone in the state of Arizona can buy a gun and carry it anywhere they choose, you could be putting gun freaks on the street throughout the country.

It is almost as if the NRA looks at a tragedy like Trayvon Martin’s killing and suddenly realizes the promotability of the incident to assure its dues-paying membership that, no matter how horrific a situation is we can overcome the negativity by passing another law to loosen gun control.  And then they promptly take it to the gun nuts in Congress who are afraid to oppose the NRA.  Pathetic! 


Geo. Zimmerman, Trayvon Martin


If you are a Bill Cosby fan, or even if you aren't, this is a must-see video on his view of gun control below:




And something that could become a national public safety issue is the confusion that has been planted in the minds of police officers of whether or not to bring charges against someone like a George Zimmerman for killing Trayvon Martin in supposed self defense.  The Sanford, Florida police did not, yet a special prosecutor brought 2nd degree murder charges against Zimmerman.  This kind of mentality could potentially release a maniac to do even more killing.

According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll, “Most Americans support the right to use deadly force to protect themselves -- even in public places -- and have a favorable view of the National Rifle Association…”  OK, I can live with number one, confined to the home, but two and three completely baffle me considering the evidence of so many guns on the street and the shootings that take place daily.  There were 48 deaths from shootings alone in just last March. 

The poll concluded that "Americans do hold to this idea that people should be allowed to defend themselves and using deadly force is fine, in those circumstances," said pollster Chris Jackson. "In the theoretical ... there's a certain tolerance of vigilantism."  But did the poll mention to its respondents that many of these cowboys have absolutely no training in the use of firearms, like in Arizona where it isn’t required.  Ladd Everitt of the Coalition to stop Gun Violence.

I asked him the amount of training the average gun owner was required to have?  His reply: 

“If they're simply purchasing firearms, none whatsoever.  If they are  going to be carrying that gun in public, they MIGHT be required to have training.  In 28 states you can now openly carry a loaded gun in public with no permitting, screening or training.  Four states now require no permitting, screening or training to carry a concealed firearm in public.  And even in "Shall Issue" states that require one to obtain a permit to carry a concealed firearm in public, several have no training requirement.”

“According to the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, nearly 100,000 people are shot every year in the United States in murders, suicides, accidents or police intervention.”  A whopping 91 percent want every gun owner to have a background check, including those in the gun show loophole, a move that the NRA and its members will probably fight to the death.  A measly 6 percent were in favor of no or minimum restrictions.

There is so much mixed reaction in this poll that I recommend that some independent pollster conduct a current study to determine just how often a gun-carrier has been successful in stopping an individual confrontation or has been instrumental in assisting someone in need.  The NRA crusades for guns for everyone everywhere in the name of protection and self defense.  It is time that we know just how effective this is, particularly re. carrying of concealed weapons.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Graying Granny Marion Hammer excellent example of NRA’s brain washing


Marion Hammer

Attacking grandmothers is not something I would normally do but Marion Hammer is the exception.  She is ruthless in her loyalty to the National Rifle Assn. (NRA), one who illustrates perfectly just how this gun worshipping culture is instilled in kids from a very young age.  She was five when her grandfather gave her a .22 bolt-action single-shot rifle—at least it didn’t have a high-capacity magazine—and ordered her to “hunt down a rabbit or a squirrel for dinner.”

In 1995 she was president of the NRA and today is committed as a top lobbyist for the organization dedicated to putting a gun in the hands of every American—including even 5-year-olds—and make it legal for them to carry their weapons anywhere they want to.  She was the ramrod behind the “Stand your Ground” law which has been deemed responsible for the Florida shooting and killing of Trayvon Martin by George Zimmerman.  She is now 70 years old.


Brian Malte

“Brian Malte, director of legislation for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, said he considers Hammer an extremist.”  Further, "Marion Hammer and the NRA are the masterminds of a dangerous paranoid mentality that got Trayvon Martin killed, the mentality that is responsible for endangering all of our lives.  It's based on a lie that you need to be armed to the teeth anywhere you go,” said Malte.


Gary Kleck

Rep. Dennis Baxley, the Ocala Republican who sponsored Florida's Stand Your Ground law in 2005, counters. "It's not because we want to shoot somebody," he said. "We want to keep people from getting hurt."  Based on that statement, I looked for some confirmation of just how often an individual’s personal gun is used for self-defense.  The latest I could find was a 1997 study by Gary Kleck, an expert and Professor of Criminology at Fla. State U.  He said: 

“…gun ownership is largely passive self-protection--once a gun is acquired, the owner only rarely does anything defensive with it. Only a minority of defensive owners actually use their guns for self-protection; most of the rest just keep the gun in a bureau drawer or similar location, where it is available for use should the need arise.”

There’s more.  In 2008, Hammer and the NRA defied Walt Disney and the Chamber of Commerce and were the driving force behind a 2008 law that allows employees to bring guns to work -- as long as they lock the weapons in the car.”  She wasn’t done.  Her next pursuit was taking on the medical community to pass legislation “…to prevent doctors from asking young patients about guns in their homes. A judge shot down that law, saying it violated doctors' free speech.”

In the following video you must watch it to the end for the true meaning:



Apparently “Stand your Ground” was inspired by a Florida homeowner, 77-year-old James Workman, who shot and killed an intruder in a trailer outside his hurricane-damaged home.  He wasn’t prosecuted because it was legal to protect yourself in your home against imminent harm.  A reasonable law that most gun control advocates agree with.  But that wasn’t good enough for Marion Hammer, who saw an opening to move gun defense out onto the streets.

Hammer is described as “emotionally compelling’ in her presentations to lawmakers.  What is more important than her enthusiasm to these under thumb legislators is the fact that, if they don’t cooperate, the NRA will cut off contributions to future campaigns and back a competitor in the next election to run them out of office.  It is bad enough when money alone can decide elections but it is tragic in the hands of a Marion Hammer and the NRA.

Hammer has said little following the killing of Trayvon Martin, only commenting that Stand your Ground is “a good law.”  It is this complete lack of recognition for what is wrong and the lack of responsibility to admit you have perpetrated something horrible on the American public, that is defined by many as typical NRA arrogance.  And it will go on as long as the Marion Hammers and her NRA are allowed to pass more gun rights laws and loosen those on the books.

Friday, April 13, 2012

Here’s why guns in the hands of the inexperienced is dangerous

It is a well known fact that many gun owners have little or no weapons training because a number of states do not require it. 


It's never too late

“In 28 states you can now openly carry a loaded gun in public with no permitting, screening or training.  Four states now require no permitting, screening or training to carry a concealed firearm in public.  And even in "Shall Issue" states that require one to obtain a permit to carry a concealed firearm in public, several have no training requirement.”

The above statement came from Ladd Everitt, who should know.  He compiles this data for the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence in his role as their Director of Communications.  He used Arizona as a prime example exclaiming, “Law enforcement {in Arizona} would have no idea what the background of a gun carrier is until he opens fire (unless that individual voluntarily obtained a permit to carry a firearm into certain sensitive public spaces.”

One of the primary reasons used by the National Rifle Assn. (NRA) and its members for carrying their guns anywhere they choose is for self-protection or to help out a fellow citizen.  Second, they think the 2nd Amend. gives them this right.  First of all, I don’t want the help of some yahoo playing Wyatt Earp because there is a good chance he or she might shoot me, not my aggressor.  Next, the 2nd Amend. does not cover the carrying of concealed weapons.

But the real danger of these gun worshipping cowboys on the loose is found in the statements from and training of law enforcement officers.  In an article, “Police know better than to stand their ground,” in The Daily Beast, the irony is drawn: “while police departments now encourage off-duty police officers to avoid carrying firearms or confrontations, the so-called stand-your-ground laws effectively encourage civilians to do so.”


Concealed weapons are everywhere

Law enforcement has come out in force and almost 100 percent unanimous against gun laws like “stand your ground.”  But lawmakers never listen because they are playing to a constituency that loves its guns, and apparently hasn’t the slightest notion of what damage these firearms can do in the hands of the bad guys and the inexperienced.  Law enforcement even admits that law officers off-duty can misread a tense situation.

As an example of the difference in outcomes of a police force still allowing their officers to carry their weapons off-duty, The Baltimore Police Department last year had “three highly questionable shootings by officers in bars.”  By contrast both New York and Los Angeles have the policy for not carrying when not working and off-duty shootings are rare among their combined 45,000 cops.  Police departments suggest they simply walk away from most altercations.

Weapons training in law enforcement:



The Daily Beast says, “With police officers being warned away from involvement in all but the most unavoidable life-and-death confrontations, the last thing the nation needs is their replacement by unaccountable, self-deputized citizen surrogates.”  It becomes even more important when you take into consideration that minorities have been the targets of these so-called “watchmen.”        
 
Further, “In the Martin case, the evidence so far suggests that Zimmerman had convinced himself that the teenager was one of the dangerous “assholes who always get away,” as he put it to the 911 dispatcher (who encouraged him to remain in his vehicle and let the police investigate).”  George Zimmerman did not comply and this led to his shooting and killing of Trayvon Martin.

Also from The Daily Beast, “The ‘nation under siege’ rhetoric favored by advocates of widespread weapon carrying resonates with the worst possible self-appointed “community defenders”: the mentally unstable and those deeply rattled by America’s cultural and demographic changes.”  One needs to add here, all the “rhetoric” suggested above spews from the muzzle of the NRA.  Pathetic!

And if you didn’t catch the moral of this story, it is that even with the training that is available to private gun owners, and meager it is at times, you could never achieve the preparedness that law enforcement officers have.

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