May shootings in U.S. show an astonishing increase over March and April

The figures are more alarming than April where there was a 37.5 percent increase over March.  In April there were 66 dead from 69 shootings.  The month of May gave us 90 shootings, 69 deaths with 131 wounded, the latter added in this report.  Doing the numbers, that’s another 30.4 percent increase in shootings, an increase of 3 deaths and scores wounded, some of which may have resulted in death by now. 



Guns are easily available to anyone at gun shows



In two cities, Chicago and New Orleans, I listed the shootings as “Multiple” due to so many unknowns by police.  When two major cities like these have a problem this severe, you must examine the gun culture.  Chicago and Illinois have some of the most stringent gun laws, New Orleans and Louisiana some of the loosest.  Since the Chicago dilemma seems to center around heavily armed gangs in the city, the obvious answer would be the proliferation of weapons.

In multiple shootings over the Memorial Day holiday, there were 10 deaths and 41 wounded.  The Day after Memorial Day, New Orleans experienced several shootings resulting in 3 deaths and 6 wounded.

But the figure that shocked me almost as much as the increased percentage in shootings was the 131 woundings.  Some of these were severe, life threatening, therefore possibly resulting in additional deaths by now.  How can an American citizenry look at numbers like this and not be horrified?  Especially after my recent post, “Canada Laws prove that gun control works,” illustrating the enormous difference in shootings and gun deaths between our two countries.

Now here are the grim statistics:

• May 2, Dallas, TX, 2 dead, man and woman, fatally shot in an apartment.
• May 2, Kissimmee, FL, husband suspected of shooting and killing his wife and another man and wounding his pregnant daughter.
• May 2, New Orleans, LA, 3 people shot in three different incidents.
• May 2, Gilbert, AZ, the infamous racist, neo-Nazi J.T. Ready family shootings leaving 5 dead including himself.
• May 2, San Antonio, TX, 16-year-old girl shot in her front yard at her birthday party.
• May 3, South San Francisco, CA, 3 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents shot while serving “high risk” warrants.
• May 3, Carson, CA, 14-year-old shoots and kills his father in his home.
• May 3, Ellicott City, MD, man shot and killed woman then believed to have killed himself.
• May 4, Albion, MI, homicide shooting one block from a police station.
• May 6, Cincinnati, OH, 6 wounded in shootings at a party.
• May 6, Albion, MI, shots fired seriously wounding a man.
• May 6, Plainfield, NJ, 3 shootings in area leaving one man dead and two wounded.
• May 7, Pleasanton, CA, mother and daughter shot, expected murder, suicide.
• May 8, Tulsa, OK, security guard and patron shot at night club.
• May 8, Scottsdale, AZ, member at Scottsdale Gun Club accidentally shot himself in the chest and had life-threatening injuries.
• May 8, Thornton, CO, son dead, dad in critical condition after shootings.
• May 8, Yuma, AZ, shooting a trailer park leaves one man in serious condition.
• May 8, Tunica County, MS, in the first Mississippi highway shooting, Nebraska man is shot to death on Interstate 55.
• May 9, Mesa, AZ, man shot and killed by police after threatening another man with a gun.
• May 9, Fort Carson, CO, 2 wounded by gunfire resulting from a car crash.
• May 10, Miami, FL, police officer and immigration officer shot by carjacker who eventually shot himself.
• May 11, Tunica County, MS, second Mississippi highway shooting killed woman.
• May 11, Yuma, AZ, 2 people killed after road rage events called act of self-defense.
• May 11, Oakland, CA, 1 man killed, 1 man wounded in East Oakland.
• May 12, Page AZ, man accused of shooting and killing his girlfriend.
• May 12, Newark, NJ, 1 man shot and killed and security guard wounded at social club.
• May 13, Harrison Township, OH, fight in club parking lot leaves 2 wounded.
• May 13, Gainesville, FL, 2 people are wounded in a tent-city altercation.
• May 13, Los Angeles, CA, Idaho wide receiver Ken McRoyal killed when attending a Hollywood party.
• May 13, Buckeye, AZ, man dies from gunshot wound by suspected illegal immigrant.
• May 13, Raytown, MO, jogger killed by passing car with no apparent motive.
• May 14, Zanesville, OH, 18-year-old shot in the neck on street.
• May 14, Tucson, AZ, man shot and wounded by neighborhood resident when he wouldn’t stop firing his own gun.
• May 15, Port St. John, FL, 5 dead after mother shoots 4 kids, then herself.
• May 16/17, Columbus, OH, 2 shootings a 2 days in close proximity, one connected to cocaine.
• May 17, Louisville, KY, 3 people shot and killed and 3 others wounded in a two-hour gun spree.
• May 17, Fort Wayne, IN, 2 Arizona men dead from different shootings in 2 neighborhoods.
• May 18, Cape Girardeau, MO, 2 Arizona men dead from shooting that appears to be murder-suicide.
• May 18, West Bloomfield, MI, 17-year-old fatally shot by his 74-year-old grandmother.
• MAY 18, Phoenix, AZ, a man and his pit bull dog were shot and killed after a physical struggle for a gun/
• May 19, Palmetto, FL, 2 drive-by shootings resulting in a police chase that ended with suspects’ car crashing into another car.
• May 19, Phoenix, AZ, man killed in shooting believed to be related to sale and purchase of a stolen car.
• May 19, New Orleans, LA, man wounded in Algiers section of city.
• May 19, Philadelphia, PA, man shot and killed in No. Philly.
• May 19, Philadelphia, woman shot and wounded in the neck and mouth.
• May 20, Philadelphia, PA, man shot multiple times pronounced dead in southwest Philly.
• May 20, New Orleans, husband accidentally shot his wife, also in Algiers section.
• May 20, Louisville, KY, 2 off-duty officers wounded by gunfire close the location of prior-week deadly shootings.
• May 20, Independence, MO, unidentified man killed inside a residence, one of five shootings this Sunday.
• May 20, Plant City, FL, 4 people shot and critically injured in a vehicle.
• May 21, Tempe, AZ, 2 men are dead in apparent murder-suicide.
• May 21, Oklahoma City, OK, 8 people shot after NBA playoff game between the Thunder and the LA Lakers, one in critical condition.
• May 21, Golden Valley, AZ, man fatally shot his girlfriend, and after barricading himself, shot himself.
• May 24, No. Omaha, NE, 1 16-year-old dead and 15-year-old critically injured in two shooting.
• May 24, Baltimore, MD, man shot and killed in East Baltimore.
• May 24, Seattle, WA, father shot in head is dead in one of several Seattle shootings over just a few days.
• May 25, Knoxville, TN, 2 men wounded by guns in East Knoxville.
• May 25, Avondale, AZ, female in critical condition after shooting in high school parking lot.
• May 25, Phoenix, AZ, man killed during argument at a house party.
• Memorial Day Weekend, Chicago, IL,, 10 dead and 41 wounded from shootings throughout the city.  Most violent period was hour-and-a-half stretch early Sunday morning when 13 people were shot.
• May 26, Seattle WA, man wounded in leg from shooting apparently meant for someone else.
• May 26, Charleston, WV, shooter waved gun at pharmacy workers and is shot and killed by one of workers.
• May 26, Tulsa, OK, 2 shot and wounded, both in serious condition.
• May 26, Tulsa, OK, teen is shot and killed after her high school graduation.
• May 27, Seattle WA, 4 drive-by shootings early Sunday morning.
• May 27, Seattle, WA, home invasion left man with life-threatening gunshot wound in his chest.
• May 27, Kansas City, KS, 4 shootings in six hours; 1 in apartment bldg., another shot on highway, man shot through window of jeep was critically injured, the fourth when an SUV pulled up beside man shooting.
• May 27, Glendale, AZ, man arrested for reportedly injuring his girlfriend’s son and killing her cat with a BB gun, while intoxicated.
• May 28, Chicago, IL, member of Coast Guard killed on South Side.
• May 29, Phoenix, AZ, woman dead from shooting; husband suspected.
• May 29, New Orleans, LA, 9 shot, 3 killed including 5-year-old at birthday party.  Woman actually killed on way to party.
• May 30, Seattle, WA, 2 dead 3 wounded from shooting at local café.
• May 30, Indianapolis, IN, man shoots to kill one, wounding 4, before fatally shooting himself.
• May 31, Sacramento, CA, drive-by shootings at opposite ends of city.
• May 31, San Bernardino, CA, one shooting, man shot multiple times in back but expected to survive.  The second shooting, mother and baby suffered minor wounds.

PEACE!

2nd Amendment repeal not likely. I’ll settle for an amendment to the Amendment

The 2^nd Amendment: “A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”

It rings in our ears because the National Rifle Assn. (NRA) has shoved it down our throats for years.  To this conglomeration of thugs it means that anyone can own a gun, take it anywhere they want, with little or absolutely no training.  The best example of a NRA state is Arizona with the loosest gun laws in the country.

It is followed, or maybe even equaled by, Florida, where the now infamous Stand Your Ground law made its debut, and is now probably responsible for the death of black, unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin at the hands of George Zimmerman’s gun, an inexpensive 9 mm semiautomatic known as the Kel-Tec 9 mm PF-9.  As a neighborhood watch captain Zimmerman wasn’t even supposed to be carrying a weapon and the 911 dispatcher told him to let police handle the situation.

Studies have proven that these gun worshippers sometimes try to replicate law enforcement in a situation such as this with results that are tragic, which this one was.  It didn’t have to happen; if only Zimmerman had stayed in his car.  And there would probably have been no altercation at all if there wasn’t a concealed carry law in Florida.  A total of 49 states have passed laws allowing citizens to carry certain concealed firearms in public, either with or without a permit.

There are three unrestricted states: Alaska, Arizona and Vermont.  An Unrestricted jurisdiction is one in which no permit is required to carry a concealed handgun.  In Arizona the concealed carrier can even skip a background check by making the purchase at a gun show where NY Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s group, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, proved it was as easy as…just asking.  But Arizona takes it one step further.  You don’t have to have firearms training.

Josh Sugarmann

Josh Sugarmann is the founder and executive director of the Violence Policy Center an organization that is attempting to reduce gun violence in the United States.  He cites an incident where Meleanie Hain insisted on taking her loaded Glock pistol to her 5-year-old daughter's soccer game in Lebanon, Pa.  This didn’t sit well with the crowd so they complained.  After the game her permit was revoked but reinstated by the court.  She became an open-carry hero.

The judge even urged her not to carry her gun to the soccer games, but Hain decided she knew best because she was afraid of murderers and terrorists.  Even others who might have concealed weapons to harm her like the young soccer players or other fans.  Do you believe this idiot?  She is more brain-washed than the NRA’s graying granny Marion Hammer. 

Sugarman says: “At least 402 victims have been killed in 32 states since May 2007 in non-self-defense incidents involving private citizens legally allowed to carry concealed handguns.”

Sugarman continues, “In October 2009, Hain was gunned down in her home by her husband who, after firing six shots into her with his handgun (hers was in a backpack hanging off a door), went upstairs and ended his own life with a shotgun blast.  Meleanie Hain believed that a handgun—on her hip or in her home—guaranteed her personal safety.”  It didn’t.  Not only was she wrong about the security of a concealed weapon, her actions left her children without parents.

Constance Johnson, a Democratic State Senator in Oklahoma, thinks “Open Carry Is an Invitation to Chaos.”  She makes some good points like, are the armed gun owners trustworthy?; Open carry sounds good but is it realistic in today’s society?; reiterates that law enforcement is against these laws; the 2^nd Amendment in its inception was truly for protection during lawlessness but has evolved into nothing but a crutch for the NRA.

So is the U.S. Congress softening its stance on gun control?  On TownHall Brian Darling points out one bill among several designed to restore and preserve 2nd Amendment rights that have stalled in the House and Senate.  Among the bills ready for action is S.2205, the Second Amendment Sovereignty Act, that would bar the Administration from signing onto the Arms Trade Treaty.  The head of Gun Owners of America wants action if Congress expects their votes in Nov.

I know there are reasonable-minded gun owners out there; I have talked to them through comments on this blog.  There are also the gun nuts who are capable only of doing what the NRA tells them to.  It is the former group that must consider revising the 2^nd Amendment.  Things like mandatory background checks and adequate training for gun owners.  Closing the gun show loophole and eliminating open/concealed carry except for law enforcement and unusual needs.

This NRA bullshit of no compromise of any kind is getting old and probably beginning to open the eyes of many non-gun owners out there that are starting to believe that just maybe gun control is a good idea.  You can only push your point so far and when the negatives in your issue—like multiple shooting deaths on a daily basis now—begin to be obvious, the momentum is bound to shift.  I think we are on the verge of this happening today.

Washington’s problem is the GOP

It’s official.  Two top political scientists commented in a recent op-ed, "Let's just say it: The Republicans are the problem."  Further, "We have been studying Washington politics and Congress for more than 40 years, and never have we seen them this dysfunctional.  In our past writings, we have criticized both parties when we believed it was warranted. Today, however, we have no choice but to acknowledge that the core of the problem lies with the Republican Party.”

This is heavy stuff reported by David Frum on CNN, but once again illustrates what President Barack Obama has been up against during his first term in office.  Frum is quoting from Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein, “two of Washington's most veteran watchers of Congress. Both men have hard-earned reputations for nonideological independence of mind despite their institutional affiliations.”  Mann is liberal, Ornstein is conservative. 

Ornstein and Mann continue, "The GOP has become an insurgent outlier in American politics. It is ideologically extreme; scornful of compromise; unmoved by conventional understanding of facts, evidence and science; and dismissive of the legitimacy of its political opposition. When one party moves this far from the mainstream, it makes it nearly impossible for the political system to deal constructively with the country's challenges."

In their new book, "It's Even Worse Than It Looks: How the American Constitutional System Collided With the New Politics of Extremism," Frum states that it is clear that the GOP has acted in a “uniquely irresponsible way.”  He cites a number of examples like Republicans almost forcing a default on U.S. obligations in the debt slowdown; a delay on many actions in the senate; and holding up executive-branch nominations.  Just because of Barack Obama.

Karl Rove looking for guidance

It can all be traced back to the master of deceit, lies and fear mongering.  Karl Rove.  His Crossroads group is spending $25 million from donors he will not identify to back Republicans in Congress to denigrate and demonize President Obama.  A media analysis group has indicated that Crossroads GPS is the biggest spender on advertising for the general election up to this point.  So far they have spent $12.6 million in placing 17,000 spots in 47 television markets.

I did a post back in January of this year, “Can Republican HATE politics bring this country down?”  For the piece I Googled “GOP hate” and “Republican hate” and was able to formulate a list of what some pretty influential sites and organizations think Republicans hate.  The results were as follows:

Taxes, the poor and hungry, gays, Hispanics, liberals, gun control, animal rights, the truth, women, even those pregnant, the Occupy Movement, Barack Obama, science (as in stem cell research), public education, environmentalism, veterans, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Obamacare, teachers, unions, and, yes, even other Republicans (as in Newt Gingrich)

Example of Karl Rove HATE:

Norman Lear, who abhorred bigotry, and was the creator of the Archie Bunker character on TV, was attacked for his liberal views by ministers Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell.  Robertson responded with a threat of God’s wrath against him.  Jerry Falwell told his followers, “I am about to name the man that some people believe to be the greatest threat to the American family in our generation: Norman Lear!"  Lear founded the organization People for the

American Way

.

I also used George Orwell’s novel, 1984, to draw a comparison in my post to the connection between hate and the GOP.  In 1984, Emmanuel Goldstein is the face of the “Two Minutes Hate” which the citizens of Oceania were subjected to on a regular basis.  They were whipped up into a tremendous frenzy to hate Goldstein and anything else that didn’t agree with the Party.  One might characterize Barack Obama as the modern day Emmanuel Goldstein. 

What Goldstein said made perfect sense in defying this extremely hellish atmosphere and no matter how much hatred was directed against him and his leftist beliefs, his influence never seemed to grow less.  The “hellish atmosphere” cited would be how Republicans hold the White House and the country hostage in attempting to carry out their deranged ideologies.  And we are guaranteed that will not subside until Pres. Obama is re-elected in Nov.  Maybe not even then.

But closing with another Mann and Ornstein point; the solution to all this must be found outside politics.  They feel the problem “will not be solved until America's rich and America's elderly become either less fearful or more generous.”  These are two terms that are at different ends of the spectrum but explain exactly what this country is up against today.

Canada Laws prove that gun control works

In its drive to open the world to more guns, the U.S. has now decided that our neighbors to the north are ripe for the picking.  Mexico remains lucrative but why not invade a country with sensible gun laws.  U.S. gun runners see a rewarding market in Canada where certain kinds of guns are hard to get because of stricter laws.  Criminal groups and terrorists up north are finding a ready supply of weapons smuggled from the U.S. by “straw” buyers from Michigan to Florida.

In the years 2007 to 2011, Canada submitted  6,574 guns to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives for testing; a small amount compared to the 99,000 guns sent by Mexico.  However, virtually 100 percent of Canadian guns were traced to the U.S. with over half linked to a retail purchase as compared to Mexico where two-thirds were traced to U.S. manufacturers or importers, one-third to a U.S. retail purchase. 

Not allowed in Canada

The difference in violence between the two countries is obvious with the Mexican drug cartels wanting AK-47 assault weapons and the Canadians looking for handguns.  They are used by drug rings, Asian ethnic groups, Mafia types and motorcycle gangs.  The Canadian government decries the “comparative ease of gun purchasing in the U.S.”  Former Toronto mayor David Miller commented: “For us, it's a river of guns flowing north."

Canada gun laws are specific in their regulations.  As an example, in Canada the right to private gun ownership is not guaranteed by law.  No automatic firearms or certain type of handguns and no automatic or assault weapons.  You must pass a background check, character references are required for a gun license, and records are maintained on gun ownership.  Also, you must re-apply and re-qualify for a firearm license every 5 years.  Training and testing are also required.

Now who could possibly find anything wrong with gun laws like this?  Easy, the thugs at the National Rifle Assn. (NRA) and their collection of a few million member bootlickers who bow to the organization like the Oceania subjects to Big Brother in George Orwell’s 1984.  It’s pathetic but NRA head, Wayne LaPierre, has these poor souls right where he wants them.  Sitting at the kitchen table making out checks to his group of goons.

And get this…you cannot carry a concealed weapon in Canada unless you are a part of law enforcement.  What will all those helpless people on the street do when they have no NRA gun totin’ protection against the hordes of bad guys that are always lurking in the shadows to do them harm?  Should American concealed carry nutcases come across the border to rescue those in distress?  Stay tuned for the next exciting chapter.

 

And here are some figures that will blow your mind.  I would like to see you gun worshippers deny these facts.  In the last year that numbers are available, 2009, Canada had a total of 173 gun homicides compared to 11,493 in the U.S.  OK, you said the U.S. population is much greater than Canada’s and you are right.  Deaths per 100,000 people in the United States were 3.7 compared to only 0.5 in Canada.  Figures don’t lie.  Canada is safer with stricter gun laws.

There have been changes in the Canadian firearms program.  One, you no longer must register non-restricted firearms.  And it was decided to destroy all existing non-restricted firearms records.  In case you are not familiar with Canadian gun laws, non-restricted firearms are rifles, shotguns, and any not referred to in the restricted category.  Isn’t it interesting that these people have actually registered their handguns and no one has taken them away yet?

NRA storm-trooping membership

So we’ve covered all the bases when it comes to sane gun control and proved without doubt that you can have gun laws that restrict gun ownership and still not have all-out gun violence on the streets.  It is clear that a civilized country can still pass and maintain gun control laws that work, something that has to be initiated by its government.  Are Canadians just smarter than Americans, or is it just a higher level of common sense?  Whatever the case, it works.

If I had to put my finger on the U.S. problem it would be firmly pointed at the NRA.  With their lobbying expertise, gun manufacturers that keep the till full, and a slew of loyal, if neurotic, members, they have pushed this country to the point where killings by guns is an accepted daily occurrence.  All this is compounded by an inept Congress that is scared to death of Wayne LaPierre and his NRA bullies.  The final blow is the fact that these screwballs think they are right.

Will Arizona be the pulse of the Hispanic vote in November?

I raise this question because Arizona is the center of immigration reform on the state level with its first nationwide anti-immigration bill SB-1070 that is still before the U.S. Supreme Court.  Arizona v. United States was argued April 25, 2012, and the question presented was whether federal immigration laws preclude Arizona’s efforts at cooperative law enforcement and preempt the four provisions of S.B. 1070.  The high Court is expected to give its decision in June.

Arizona Federal Judge Susan Bolton blocked the most contested provisions of SB-1070 in July of 2010, shortly after the law was passed.  That is what sent the Arizona gang of autocrats gyrating to the Supremes.  There are no other officials in other states throughout the U.S. more vocal than those from Arizona, with their challenge to Judge Bolton’s decision as the centerpiece.  What the Supremes decide will have a definitive effect on Latinos in Arizona and across the country.

The villains in this whole fiasco are easily identifiable and are at the source of many of Arizona’s many problems.  These three, along with a state Republican legislature that is clearly on another planet, can also be credited for most of the ridicule that is regularly thrown at the state.  The terrible three are Gov. Jan Brewer, former state senator Russell Pearce, and Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.  Together they resemble a very untalented Three Stooges.

Jan Brewer is laughable as perhaps the most incompetent governor to ever serve a state in this country.  Brewer is detested by most Hispanics for signing SB-1070.  Russell Pearce, the main supporter of SB-1070, was voted out as a state senator, primarily by Latinos because of racist and other extremist views.  Joe Arpaio has endeared himself to Hispanics with his regular sweeps that pick up illegals—and even legal citizens—for minor offenses of the law for ID.

NY Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer on Hispanic vote:

There are 1.8 million Latinos in Arizona in 525,000 households, just under 30 percent of the total population, with an average age of almost 26.  59 percent of this group is making more than $35,000 a year which puts them in a formidable position to determine the outcome of Arizona elections.  If they can be convinced to come to the polls.  But even some of the legal immigrants are scared to come to the polls because of the threats of Brewer, Pearce and Arpaio.

The fact that the Dream Act is still important to Hispanics is a recent protest in Phoenix, and it wasn’t against Republicans but aimed at democrats for not doing enough.  This only emphasizes what many Latino advocates have been saying of late.  It will make little difference if you get this group enthused over the November election if their concerns aren’t turned into priorities by both parties.  President Obama promised to overhaul immigration in 2008 and hasn’t fulfilled.

Another Hispanic concern is education, according to a poll from the American Federation for Children and the Hispanic Council for Reform and Education Options.  58 percent of Latinos in five battleground states want more on what the candidates will do, compared to 49 percent overall.  This parallels interests from African-Americans in the past because they wanted better educational standards for their children.  Jobs, the economy and federal deficit are also ranked high.

The NPR article above estimates that 22 million Latinos will be eligible to vote in November, with a potential voter turnout of up to 12 million.  This is a 26 percent increase over 2008 and would be a new record.  However, on Univision, the Velasquez Institute predicts that national Latino turnout this fall will be no higher than 10.5 million votes cast.  What makes all this important is the fact that President Obama was the first to win the office without the white vote majority.

Arizona is now a hub for protest for a pro-Hispanic ‘super PAC’ aimed at Mitt Romney.  At a fundraiser in Palm Beach, FL, Romney acknowledged the possibility of losing the Latino vote.  He said, “If its {Dems. momentum} not turned around, it spells doom for us.”  In the Los Angeles Times, a new national poll, conducted for NBC News, the Wall Street Journal and Telemundo, showed him trailing the president 61% to 27% among Latinos.

The liberal super PAC began airing TV spots in Arizona on May 24, where the strategy is to characterize Mitt Romney in the same light as two of the most “reviled” politicians in the Hispanic community: Gov. Jan Brewer and Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.  Brewer endorsed Romney just before Arizona’s February primary, Arpaio stayed neutral having endorsed Rick Perry who quit the race.  The ad runs several weeks in English and Spanish.

Arizona is clearly evolving from red to purple with the Latino population reacting to SB-1070 and the sweeps of illegals by Sheriff Arpaio.  That’s the best sign progressives have seen in Arizona for years but the question is whether they take full advantage of the situation.  There are non-Hispanic white and black populations that must also speak out in November.  They are there.  But apparently not as passionate as conservatives.  This needs to change now.

Gun deaths versus car crash fatalities…who wins?



NRA philosophy



A lot of articles have been written about this new report by the Violence Policy Center, many simply documenting the number of deaths on each side with the conclusion that in ten states, more people have died from firearms than in motor vehicles.  It is the kind of study that the National Rifle Assn. (NRA) and its members cannot argue with, considering the recent increase in obstacle driving causing auto accidents, like texting, while you are on the road.

There is also a good analysis of the report on the New Trajectory site that goes into detail on the study findings with quotes that point out just how much new gun control regulations are needed.  The report accentuates that while auto deaths are on the decline due to years of education and injury prevention strategy, “firearm deaths continue unabated.”  In my view, entirely the result of NRA pressure on conservative state lawmakers caving to the sheer force.

I thought I would concentrate on just one state in the study to point out just how loose gun laws have led to more gun deaths.  The state is Arizona…where I live.  Yes, we have the loosest gun laws in the country and it is the result of a bunch of gun loving fanatics backed by a state legislature and Governor that bow to this group in order to be re-elected.  It is still the Wild West here and many residents are proud of it.  Others, progressives like me, look at these people with pity.

Arizona had 856 gun deaths in this study of 2009 data compared to 809 motor vehicle deaths.  Here’s another interesting statistic I calculated: although Arizona is 2.1 percent of the U.S. population, it has 2.7 percent of its gun deaths.  Arizona is number 2 in the country behind number 1 Michigan with 1,095 gun deaths to 977 motor vehicle deaths, with Virginia coming in 3^rd with 836 gun deaths to 827 motor vehicle deaths.  You can see the other seven states in the report, above.

An interesting video on how gun ownership is diminishing:

Kristen Rand, Violence Policy Center’s legislative director, comments that firearms are the only consumer product not regulated by the federal government for health and safety.  Thanks to the NRA and its head thug Wayne LaPierre.  Americans are experiencing new safety regulations that protect them in their cars and from others on the road.  But not so with guns. 

Rand thought gun deaths exceeding motor vehicle deaths was “stunning,” considering that 90 percent of U.S. households own cars when only one-third own firearms.  More than stunning, it is tragic.



Members of Arizona legislature



Charles Heller of Arizona Citizens Defense League, a gun rights group, has his own figures.  To show you the inaccuracy of the NRA led, gun worshipping gang, Heller says there were 50,000 who died in crashes compared to 32,000 from guns, the latter close.  The VPC reports from their study that there were 31,236 firearms deaths in 2009, 36,361 motor vehicle deaths.  In Arizona there were 12.98 gun deaths per 100,000 residents versus 12.27 motor vehicle deaths. 

Arizona is hell-bent on allowing its gun toters to carry their weapons anywhere anytime.  They can already carry them into bars but were recently denied taking them on college campuses and in public buildings.  The state legislature has threatened to introduce both bills again.  State Sen. Ron Gould is running for the U.S. Congress and is firmly behind both pieces of legislation.  It is obvious that Gould is courting the gun-totin Tea Party that has a firm hold on Arizona politics.

TucsonSentinel.com quotes VPC on tightened gun regulations and education: “Comprehensive regulation of the firearms industry and its products could include: minimum safety standards (i.e., specific design standards and the requirement of safety devices); bans on certain types of firearms such as “junk guns” and military-style assault weapons…”  Now this would sound reasonable to most thinking individuals but not to dimwit gun nuts.

Arizona’s own Charles Heller, who rejected calls for weapons design changes, said: "You want them to be dangerous or they're no damn good. Making them safer adds complexity, and that has unintended consequences.  The only true safety in firearms is the person using it."

And therein lays the problem.  Too many of those “persons” walking around the streets of Arizona and other states throughout the country with a weapon they hardly know how to use.

Memorial Day origination loosely connected to Civil War vets who founded NRA

The Civil War had ended and the country was looking for a way to honor the dead.  There were several false starts but the end result was today’s Memorial Day holiday.  It was primarily guns, mostly rifles that were used to kill the other side in the War Between the States.  Soldiers were recruited to fight, some with little or no real instructions on how to use their weapons.  It was a war that was put together rather hastily.

But it was a couple of Civil War veterans from New York that were concerned about the state of marksmanship in the military and who decided to do something about it.  It was 1871 when the National Rifle Assn. (NRA) was founded by Union veterans Col. William C. Church and Gen. George Wingate.  The purpose was to promote and encourage rifle shooting.  The organization’s first president was Civil War Gen. Ambrose Burnside, also a Senator and governor of Rhode Island. 

By the way, this comes right from an NRA site. 

Their goal was to establish a rifle range that improved marksmanship, and a site was built on Long Island, NY in 1873.  But the promotion of marksmanship met opposition from some New Yorkers—probably a Michael Bloomberg ancestor—which forced the range to move to New Jersey.  They got the youth involved and this is still a cornerstone of the NRA.  We are talking about gun education here, something clearly absent with most state gun regulations today.

So where is all this going?  The site, Common Gun Sense, posted an article last week on the celebration of Memorial Day and where we are today when it comes to guns.  It talks about the “stunning” number of lives lost to gunfire in our communities.   “Every year, 100,000 Americans are shot. Of these, about 30,000 die from their injuries. This includes homicides, suicides and accidental shootings.”  And much of this can be attributed to the NRA and the gun lobby.

In the years since inception, the NRA, headed by CEO and Exec. Vice President Wayne LaPierre, has managed to turn a worthwhile movement, originally designed to promote gun education, into a bunch of power-hungry thugs whose main thrust is to put guns in the hands of every person in the U.S. and make sure they can carry them anywhere they want.  Oh, and their political appetite for power has now exceeded guns and is into other causes like immigration, etc.



NRA with blood on its guns



Memorial Day is now a celebration for all those who have served their country in war.  The time has come to establish a memorial for those who have fallen at the hands of gun freaks like George Zimmerman, now charged for the killing of Trayvon Martin.  We need a day that articulates the gun violence that is increasing in this country in a way that will illustrate to a public that has been brain-washed by the NRA that guns do kill people. 

It is interesting that the NRA initially supported the Gun Control Act of 1968 and even helped draft portions of the bill that was introduced by Senator Thomas J. Dodd, Democrat of Connecticut.  Then it later turned to its true nature and opposed the law.  Wayne LaPierre has served as the NRA head since 1991 and during his reign has produced the loosest gun laws ever enacted in the U.S., perhaps the world, which have resulted in a rapid increase in gun deaths.

I started documenting monthly shootings in the U.S. and resulting deaths in March; something you gun worshippers cannot argue with, and the results are frightening.  In March there were 38 shooting and 40 deaths.  Then April surged to 69 shootings and 66 deaths.  But the lunatic LaPierre raves on about the 2^nd Amendment and how it protects gun owners.  Well, it is time to examine the “how” and consider completely revamping its meaning.  And now!

Obama must go to the trenches to win in November

During the middle of April, a CNN poll of registered voters showed the President leading Mitt Romney by nine points if the vote was held then.  Today, a Washington Post-ABC News poll reports that they are tied at 47 percent.  The latter does show that overall, 49 percent are actually in Obama’s corner with 46 percent for Romney.  The CNN poll was conducted just 2 days after Hilary Rosen said that Ann Romney hadn’t worked a day in her life.

Other polls found that the decision by President Obama to approve gay marriage could hurt him but nowhere is this proving to be a major barrier in voting for him.  Christians say he can have the gay vote and 2010 exit polls say he received 70 percent of it.  The GOP garnered 31 percent.  With 3.5 percent of Americans identifying themselves as gay/lesbian, that is just under 11 million potential voters that must be convinced that they can expect more from a progressive.

John Boehner

President Obama political strategy:

The CNN poll says that 55 percent of women are in Obama’s corner compared to 39 percent for Romney.  With an all-out assault against the ladies by the GOP, it’s hard for me to understand how any woman could vote Republican, except maybe Ann Romney.  House Speaker John Boehner continued the rage recently by pushing a House bill that “…seriously weakens the Violence Against Women Act.”  And there’s a lot more where that came from.

Abortion, the constant push to repeal Roe v. Wade.  Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed a law recently moving the ban on abortions from 20 weeks to 18.  Many of these laws “…omit reasonable exceptions for a woman’s health or cases of rape, incest or grievous fetal impairment.”  All include criminal penalties and fines that make doctors reluctant to do an abortion.  Republican lawmakers, with the religious right on their backs, think only of re-election, not the pregnant woman.

Jan Brewer

Access to health care is also threatened as evidenced by another stupid move by Jan Brewer to eliminate funding in Arizona for Planned Parenthood.  These funds were already blocked from being used for abortions, now this dingbat has cut off care to women for care like cancer screening and family planning.  This is the only place these folks had to go.  Last year the House GOP tried to limit PP funding for birth control, cancer screening and other preventive care.

Equal Pay.  President Obama has been attempting for three years to improve on the “…1963 Equal Pay Act to enhance remedies for victims of gender-based wage discrimination…”  He wants to “…mandate that employers show that wage differences are job-related, not sex-based, and driven by business necessity.”  It is beyond me what possible difference it could make to a man that his female counterpart is making the same as him.  Unless it’s a masculinity thing.

Domestic violence.  The Senate tried to renew the Violence Against Women Act, designed to protect victims of domestic and sexual abuse.  But the House version omitted protections for gay, Indian, student and immigrant abuse victims.  In some cases this will make the abused stay with the abuser, ultimately resulting in more violence.  Of course this isn’t a Republican voting block so why should they care.

Romney is still seen as one who will likely change his position on issues to fit the situation with more feeling that Obama will stand up for what he believes than Romney.  Now if I was looking for someone to depend on doing what they said they would do after the election, it would be hands-down-Obama.  The president will hopefully have a more favorably stacked Congress after November so he won’t have constant GOP opposition to everything he presents.

The economy is the thing.  80 percent of Americans still think it’s bad but 54 percent feel positive about the future and 58 percent think their financial prospects will improve.  Obama has promoted tax breaks for small business, wants to end oil and gas subsidies and wants to allow the millionaire tax breaks to expire.  Romney is against the latter two, has recently touted the 100,000 jobs Bain Capital, his former company, created.  And of course, cut, cut, cut taxes.

The President has an edge on Independent voters with a differential somewhat favorable in age/income, but these numbers are hard to confirm and maintain.  My guess is still that the Hispanics will get their act together and it will be this vote that helps re-elect Barack Obama, and give the Dems. additional seats in the House and Senate in states where they have the numbers.  The question is what kind of campaign will Romney run.  On the issues or Karl Rovish???