August 11, 2016

Does Hillary Clinton Want To Abolish The 2nd Amendment?

It took just twenty-four hours for Donald Trump to torpedo his latest “reboot.” One day after an economic speech intended to put his campaign back on track, Trump suggested “Second Amendment people” might be able to stop Hillary Clinton from appointing “judges.” While his comment could be viewed as ambiguous in a sanitized context, it’s hardly a stretch for someone to interpret it to mean an armed uprising against a U.S. president. Even if it was just a joke, and even if we can debate the meaning, the problem is not the intent, the problem is that it was said at all.

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December 14, 2013

More Guns In The Hands Of A Raving Fringe

On the one-year anniversary of Sandy Hook, and one day after the latest school shooting, there are still many Americans who are passive on the issue of gun control. In fact, many Americans who don’t own guns, and some who don’t even like guns at all and wish they didn’t exist, are still apathetic to the issue of firearm proliferation in this country. For decades the percentage of households with a firearm has decreased while the number of total firearms has increased. That means being quiet on this issue, being indifferent when a few resolute lawmakers attempt something as seemingly practical as universal background checks, leads to a hoarding of arms by a few raving lunatics. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying every household with a firearm is occupied by crazy people. But what I am saying is that there is a fringe minority in this country who are amassing large stockpiles of guns and ammunition. Can you honestly tell me that you don’t care about this?

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September 22, 2013

Louisiana GOP State Rep. Says Go To ‘Gun Friendly’ Coffee Shops Instead Of Starbucks

Maybe it’s because I don’t live in the South, but I’ve NEVER seen someone openly carrying a weapon in a store. I live in Pennsylvania, which is (according to Wikipedia) an “anomalous” open carry state, which apparently means it’s mostly up to local jurisdictions. But tell me, do you honestly consider yourself to be in greater danger when shopping at your favorite store sans firearm? Again, I must make it known that it’s entirely possible I’m ignorant to people’s lifestyles in other parts to the country. Maybe in some states it’s commonplace to see people openly carrying a firearm in a Starbucks, but it’s just not the case where I live. But because I know there are parts (I’d like to assume a majority) of the country where open carry is not a common practice, that makes the right-wing gun nut freak out over Starbucks all the more ridiculous.

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August 13, 2013

Does The Second Amendment Simply Say, ‘A well regulated Militia shall not be infringed’?

It’s true that we all carry baggage when engaged in a debate. We all have our own ideas about how things should work and what things mean. So when it comes to a debate on guns and the Second Amendment, my baggage is “regulation.” A gun rights advocate will haul around their “unfettered access to firearms” attaché.  So it’s likely our interpretations, in a parsing of the Second Amendment, will be quite different.

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June 14, 2013

CHART: Fear Of Terrorism Makes People Irrational – Terrorism Fatalities vs. Firearm Homicides

Due to Homeland Security - photo by Thomas HawkAmerica is a country that prides itself on bravery and strength, but we have an irrational fear of terrorism in the post-9/11 years. You are more likely to die in a car accident, a fall, or even drown, than die in a terrorist incident. In some cases, many thousands of times more likely. But while we made no rash or illogical decisions regarding automobile deaths, we have done exactly that in response to terrorism. In addition to car accidents, falls and drownings, you are also more likely to be murdered by firearm than murdered by terrorist attack. And while car accidents, falls and drownings are accidents, murder by gun is no accident, and that makes it a good statistic to compare to terrorism.

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April 5, 2013

Wayne’s World: Guns Over People

If all human beings displayed the same fervor and passion for human rights as NRA members and gun owners express for their guns, we might already have achieved world peace. — Well, if only we could do something about those guns.

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April 2, 2013

Gun Laws: Nelson, Georgia to Newtown, Connecticut

The small city of Nelson, GA, population 1300, has passed a new ordinance requiring all residents to own a gun. Yes, you read that correctly. I speculate that at least one of the people responsible for this new law opposed the Affordable Care Act’s “individual mandate,” on the grounds of freedom of choice and individual liberty. But when it comes to guns? You’ll buy one and you’ll like it, or else…

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February 28, 2013

Assault Weapons: No One Needs Those Guns

On Tuesday night, Rachel Maddow’s guests were the siblings of Newtown shooting victim Victoria Soto, who was a teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Rachel asked Carlos Matthew Soto, brother of Victoria, what he would like to see congress change. “It would probably be the assault weapon ban. Just because, no one needs those guns,” said Soto. “There’s no reason to have them unless your military.”

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