Concealed Guns and the North Carolinataliban aka General Assembly

Guns

In North Carolinatalibanistan the mental midgets in the general assembly have pushed back against towns that have passed strict concealed carry laws for guns.  The towns in the interest of their citizens now must bow to state control and their local ordinances must jive with state law when it comes to weapons of mass destruction namely: the American handgun, rifle and assault weapon.

The socially corrupt gun apologists on the right also known as the rabid second amendment gun lobby, insist that concealed weapons reduce crime, to that I site the Washington Post….12/17/2012

National Research Council of the National Academies devoted a chapter in a report titled “Firearms and Violence: A Critical Review” examining Lott’s research. The report concluded:

No link between right-to-carry laws and changes in crime is apparent in the raw data, even in the initial sample; it is only once numerous covariates are included that the negative results in the early data emerge. While the trend models show a reduction in the crime growth rate following the adoption of right-to-carry laws, these trend reductions occur long after law adoption, casting serious doubt on the proposition that the trend models estimated in the literature reflect effects of the law change. Finally, some of the point estimates are imprecise. Thus, the committee concludes that with the current evidence it is not possible to determine that there is a causal link between the passage of right-to-carry laws and crime rates.

So nuff said on that. A whole lot of mish mash to say…NO causal link between the right to carry and reduced crime.  This right wing argument is so much like their climate change rants…they cow and crow that because they don’t like the science  they then refuse to  believe the science.

Finally, I refused to be lectured by those on the right and those in the gun lobby that they should be painted as victims in this argument because they feel as if their rights are being abridged.

So I site the following:

Sandy Hook Elementary, three semi-automatic guns used, gun owner killed by her gun and her child. Her guns legally owned fell into the hands of a lunatic because she didn’t have a sense of moral decency to rid her home of these horrid tools.  Sadly, Nancy Lanza knew her son was nuts. But the gun toting genie was out of the bottle and twenty six teachers and children shot dead in less than fifteen minutes. In my opinion, the first victim, Nancy Lanza, guilty of accessory to murder and to that she was sentenced to death prior to the crime. And worst of all, her death sentence was carried out by her child. 

At Virginia Tech, Seung Hui Cho, described by ABC News as insane/mentally ill buys two guns legally, passes background checks and in fifteen minutes shoots fifty six and kills thirty two. The internet gun sellers are NEVER held to account for their accessory to murder in the sale of those weapons. Neither is the NRA which works tirelessly to weaken gun control laws.  Interestingly, Virginia Tech has been sued because of the actions of Cho the lunatic.  Yet I can find no evidence that Eric Thompson president of TGSCOM, a company now closed that ran fifty websites that sell guns and sold Cho the Walther P22 used in commission of his murderous rampage has ever, EVER been held to any account for his culpability in dropping a weapon of mass destruction into the hands of a nut.  Yet there is some justice…. And Eric Thompson isn’t an innocent, he’s a fraud and a huckster.

So my point…it is morally bankrupt for the State of North Carolina in a fit of right wing hysteria to assert its rights on municipalities that are interested in protecting their citizens by enacting strict conceal carry laws. Secondly I site that a well-armed citizenry in Virginia and Connecticut and across this country is unable to prevent local holocausts while toting concealed weapons. No gun toting buckaroo stopped Adam Lanza or Seung Hui Cho or the 11,078 gun murders  committed in 2010 alone.

"Guns are not the problem"

True, guns are not the problem, that is, the entire problem but, they are a huge part of the problem.  Additionally, and in the wake of the carnage and wreckage and destroyed lives in Newtown, Ct.; why would a seemingly rational and kind person publish something such as above?

 

 

One act of horror, Oklahoma City does not forgive, exclude or mitigate the horror, terror and destruction of another act of mass murder.  Each in its own right exposes a fundamental flaw in the fabric of our society and our culture.  To think that a man, any man would disarm his mother, turn her guns against her and then rampage killing 25 more and then in one final act of rage kill himself is unfathomable. Yet in our culture, or society it happens over and over and over again.

 

 

Oh gun rights advocates will cluck that the second amendment blah, blah, blah and yes true, it does say that but, the founding fathers were thinking about single shot, cumbersome muskets not automatic weapons of mass destruction that would wipe away countess in a few minutes. One can only imagine how Washington, Madison, Jefferson and Adams would react to the world since Columbine. Perhaps it's time for Americans, all Americans who are thoughtful and rational to step back from this craziness and think about a solution to this problem. Clearly what we're doing now IS NOT WORKING.



Guns,Guns,Guns,Guns,Guns,Guns,Guns,Guns,Guns,

Guns

Durham restaurant owner killed

The owner of a Durham restaurant was found shot to death in the eatery's parking lot late Thursday, police said.

 

Sad, sad, sad and sad.  Then I posted on GOLO a response to some nut's rank about being pro gun and if the shop keep had had a gun then...blah, blah, blah...

 

(I'm amazed at how a tragic crime like this can trigger an emotional and political rant about gun rights, when a gun was used to kill this man. There are enough guns in the hands of Americans to arm each and every one of us and yet gun ownership advocates still want more gun ownership. Clearly this policy isn't working. So I'll put it this way to SmokeWagon and the rest of his ilk, it is time for a different solution and until you come up with something that works...I shall remain anti gun.)

 

Notice nothing, not a word saying I wanted to take away anyone's guns.

 

From working human

 

("" Please don't align all gun owners with the likes of Smokewagon. I come from a family of responsible gun owners...hunters & competitors. It's the cowardly, worthless pieces of bone & carcass that would gun down another human being in cold blood. Not all gun owners are so devoid of empathy, morals and consideration of their fellow human beings. We have gun laws that are not currently enforced that absolutely should be. I personally feel gun shows and kitchen table sellers should be outlawed as you are able to skirt laws in place to keep guns out of the hands of convicted felons, and the mentally disturbed.

What a senseless tragedy. My thoughts and prayers go out to this man's family and loved ones. I hope they catch this coward that murdered this man as soon as humanly possible.)

 

Ok, logical.

 

Goalieman

 

(amenmike, you are more than welcome to remain anti-gun but don't try to take my rights away!! Just because you believe something is wrong doesn't make you right. There are bad people out there and they have the illegal guns. Mine is registered! Something needs to be done about the illegal guns and gangs!!)

 

And we're swimming in a sea of crazy.

 

Of course then I throw gas on the fire...

 

Goalieman et al, the ball is in your court, you want your guns, then fix the problem. Until you do, I will indeed work to take away your right and eveyone else' right to own guns.

 

From pauley

 

("I'm amazed at how a tragic crime like this can trigger an emotional and political rant about gun rights, when a gun was used to kill this man. There are enough guns in the hands of Americans to arm each and every one of us and yet gun ownership advocates still want more gun ownership." --amenmike)

Are you advocating that Americans give up their rights to guns entirely? If so, I'd argue that there would still be guns and the only ones with guns would be these criminals.

Gun control laws are reasonable. People who with a violent criminal history should not have them. That said, criminals with non-violent offenses (even felonies) should not be excluded. Fail to pay taxes or license a business and lose gun rights?

The root problem is not guns. It is people who are so cold that they would even think of using a gun. We need to fix the people in this country. Many are morally bankrupt.)

 

Still on the balance beam.

 

From NCSUEngineerFC

 

---

("Goalieman et al, the ball is in your court, you want your guns, then fix the problem. Until you do, I will indeed work to take away your right and eveyone else' right to own guns." - amenmike

Wow, that's quite an attitude to have. Just dump the problem off on the other side of the aisle. You do know that law-abiding citizens have the right to bear arms according to the 2nd amendment, right? I'm hoping you do.)

 

Here NCSUEngineerFC assumes I haven't read the Constitution.

 

Then per nctorwart

 

(Amenmike: if you don't like the constitution then leave.)

 

It's not that I don't like the Constitution.  What I don't like is what handguns do to innocent shop keepers etc. who are simply going about their business. NCtowart employs that simple confuse and difuse tactic; I have no logical response so I'll attack.

 

Then carlostheass, who just well might be a huge one, pipes in

(Goalieman et al, the ball is in your court, you want your guns, then fix the problem. Until you do, I will indeed work to take away your right and eveyone else' right to own guns." --amenmike

People also drown people. I don't see you working to ban water. Are you on a thirst strike? Water is evil because it drowns people, as guns are evil because they cause massive tissue trauma, right? No more water for you until you fix the problem of people drowning people.)

 

His sense of logic is to say the least LACKING. Again, water is a naturally occuring substance and not, NOT created to kill.  

 

Then samdutes says this

(Until you do, I will indeed work to take away your right and eveyone else' right to own guns. --amenmike

So, what are you doing to take away peoples cars......folks break the law every day and kill people in cars.....just sayin')

 

Um, no Sam, cars are manufactered for moving people around not killing. If we were to use Sam's logic we'd have to outlaw knives, baseball bats, lead pipes...all objects made for a non-lethal reason but perverted sometimes for lethal purposes.  Guns are made to do one thing, kill.

 

By the way, go to google, and type in guns and see what happens.

OK gun lovers...help me on this one

One of the clarion calls of gun lovers is..."We need our guns to protect ourselves in the event of mayhem."

OK, I get that but....

 

14 shot dead at 'Dark Knight Rises' screening in Aurora, Colorado

Story

Early reports are not whispering a word about armed citizens in the theater rising to the occasion to do battle with the assailant. Thankfully this is the case given statistics regarding outcomes when gun battles erupt between heavily armed people.

 

 

Sarcasm aside, dear Lord God in heaven comfort and heal those hurt in this tragedy, touch and comfort their families and friends and lead us in your ways. 

Chicago Sun Times~Good heavens

"Gunman somewhat erratic" is a direct quote from the Chicago Sun Times regarding the mayhem in Illinois. You think? I'm thinking that the Sun Times could perhaps elaborate on how erratic our society is. Somewhat erratic is not hiding behind a curtain in a university lecture hall and then popping out and gunning down innocent people. That is both oars out of the water nuts. That is not only falling through a society's saftey net, if there were one, but using a knife to make the holes larger and wearing leg weights to fall faster.

This is the failure of the society's government, health care system, families, churches and schools. What the Chicago Sun Times needs to talk about is a back to basics care for one another. We need to remember prior to the Reagan Revolution when the mentally ill were housed in institutions and not on the streets. Personally, I'd like to see some of the hundreds of billions of dollars that we've wasted in Iraq put to this use, but that is money long gone.

I'd like to hear teachers and preachers telling folks that they are cared for and loved and joyously and wonderously made and completely unworthy of such senseless and horrible acts. I'd love to see people in this country reach out and across color, ethnic and socio-economic lines and care for their neighbors and community members. Perhaps, just perhaps if we would do a little more of this kind of caring then we wouldn't have full prisons and "somewhat erratic" gunmen in universities killing innocent students and teachers.

More guns and more mayhem

I wake to yet another day and hear that someone has gone nuts in Illinois in a university, with a gun. This happens so often in America that we as a people have become blasé. So pain is again inflicted on innocent kids who were doing nothing more than sitting in a classroom and trying to learn; I struggle to find the answers. I struggle to wrap my mind around this madness.

So, I pray and hope that eventually the powers in the country and the people of our country see the light and do something about this tragic national epidemic. How many more young people must be gunned down in their universities before we do something about it? When it comes time to cast blame we can blame only ourselves. You see when the gun crimes were happening in poor disenfranchised areas of our nation we said and did nothing.

Now, that the mayhem has spread to our bucolic college campuses and suburban neighborhoods we as a people find ourselves at a loss as to how to deal with this. We as a people have fallen victim to the special interest groups who promote gun ownership. My mind races to the question for the Democratic front runner for President of the United States; please Mr. Obama, please explain your pro gun stance to me and make it make sense. You, a man of color who’s people for all too long have been the victims of gun crime, random gun crime. Please help me sir, understand this. How sir do you intend to sleep at night and face yourself, taking a stance to simply gain votes? Where sir are your morals?

Gun ownership in and of itself is not dangerous however gun ownership in a society that is terminally ill is. We as a people do not value ourselves, our children and the mores of a decent society. If we did guns would not be so readily available. We sell guns like we sell fast food and the consequences are as dangerous. We have cast simple humbleness aside and we’ve purchased into the belief that we can still solve our problems with violence which in and of itself causes more problems. Our cultural cannibalism is like a serpent eating its own tail. Rome burns while the population here reloads their automatic weapons whose sole purpose is to hunt and kill people.

It’s time for the preachers in the pulpits of this country to start preaching on this issue. Time for them to leave drinking, smoking and gay marriage alone and start hitting the tough topics of cultural suicide and mass gun killings, it is time for them to start preaching the universal salvation that the belief and love of Jesus Christ brings. In the meantime I will continue my diatribes against guns, gun ownership and the murder of our people. I will back this up with prayer and hopefulness that this country and its gun owning people somehow see the light and turn on their wicked ways.

An angry society, what to do?

Yesterday a man walked into a city council meeting in Kirkwood, Missouri and opened fire with a gun and killed five, two police officers and three city officials. Inside I pain for the people of Kirkwood and the families of the police and the city officials. Inside my brain swims with questions; why would he do this? What would drive a person to grab a gun and attack? How can human life go so unvalued? What made him snap? Why are there so many guns in the hands of so many unstable people who view those guns as the only effective way to solve a problem? Why is our society at war with itself?

The questions out weigh the answers, but maybe as a recovering angry person I can shed light on some of this. The attacker most likely felt slighted by society and was offered no constructive, effective outlet for those slights. As the slights against him built in his mind they began to boil to the point of lost control, and perhaps the only thing that he could see was the red of his anger. Then, put a gun in the hands of an angry person, who is clearly at the end of his rope and out of control and poof, disaster in Kirkwood, Missouri. One would beg the question, is America the only angry society in the world? Simple observation might say no, look at chaos in Africa, hooliganism in England and organized crime in the former Soviet Union. I think each of those societies grapple with the same problem but in different ways.

To me the solutions are simple and plain but not simplistic. Start by getting guns off the streets and out of hands of people. Oh, I’ve heard the comment that guns don’t kill people, people kill people. True, but I rather like this statement instead; people with guns kill people more often. Second, churches, local government and agencies put in place programs to deal with an angry society. The training must be started at an early age and it must start with a call to conscience and judicious thought.

It is imperative in this country that we start treating one another with mutual respect and love. Day to day I am in contact with angry people or people on their way to institutional anger, whether it be an email blasted off without though or regard to other’s feelings, a belief that one can say whatever one wants without regard to other’s feelings, or an angry home owner who calls me, rails me out because she has received several postcards and a letter or it’s an aggressive driver acting out behind the wheel of a car. In each instance I see the old angry me lashing back in rage. Sometimes it was a scary reaction, which took me out of my car and into another person’s face.

I recognized with me that this instant and spontaneous reaction to even the slightest of slights or perceived slights caused my emotions to boil faster. It is within us to curb these actions when we come to the realization that we are loved. For me it is the gift of the cross at Calvary which takes away my anger. It empowers me to not respond to a slight. I pause, I take the Psalm, be still and know that I am God, and I reflect on it. I say a silent prayer in my mind for the anger I’m confronted with and more importantly the person. Do I still get angry? Absolutely, sometimes to the point where I feel hot; I try to walk it out and pray it out and get myself back to a loving place. More often than not when I take that time to reflect and pause it becomes very clear that the problem isn’t mine and by not submitting to my anger I don’t buy into the problem. I give it up to God.

I suppose the real work here or the million dollar question is; how do you get a society to see this and when?