I have often heard the mantra from those who feel emotional about their gun rights that the majority of gun owners are safe, responsible and law abiding, and that if this country were only to endorse how to properly use a firearm, and firearm safety, that gun violence would great diminish.
Well, you had your chance.
The past holiday weekend, gun owners and groups had the opportunity to urge fellow gun owners not to engage in celebratory gunfire. Shooting a deadly weapon randomly in the air, as common sense will dictate, is a dangerous practice. What goes up, must come down. This practice shows a blatant disregard for the public safety of Americans, the shooters' neighbors. Not only that, it is illegal. It is a blatant exercise in irresponsibility and lawlessness.
On July 4th, reports of celebratory gunfire came in from across the country. In Illinois, it cost an innocent man his life. In North Carolina and Florida, innocent Americans were wounded as a result of celebratory gunfire. In Richmond, Virginia, at the one year anniversary of the loss of seven year old Brendon Mackey to celebratory gunfire, gunfire was reported as early as 8 PM on Independence Day, less than one mile from the Mackey home.
Urging gun owners not to engage in celebratory gunfire is not an infringement of rights. It is a promotion of firearm safety. Yet, in my thorough perusal of gun groups on social media, I did not see one message. Not one. Pages like the NRA, Gun Owners of America, Cold Dead Hands, Guns Save Lives, The Right To Bear Arms, etc, did not practice what they preach. They failed to promote firearm safety, on a day that would logically appear to be an opportune time to do so. A number of these pages did have sweepstakes to give away a free deadly weapon.
Gun owners and groups alike need to pay more than just lip service to the common sense notion that with rights, comes responsibility. Not just for oneself, but to the gun owning community at large. Gun owners are more than willing to wash their hands of the daily American blood shed by gun violence. Omitting to promote responsibility along with rights is in and of itself irresponsible, and they only have themselves to blame.
Saturday, July 12, 2014
More on Celebratory Gunfire and gun responsibilities
This blog ran something asking gun owners to not engage in the practise of shooting their guns in the air "in celebration", but it seems that many "pro-gun" blogs didn't bother with making the same request.
Come on, rights happen to come with responsibilities and you are far more likely to lose your "right" if you act irresponsibly.
Listening to the BBC is (sort of) an act of resistance.
As someone who with a knowledge European WWII resistance, I know that one of their activities was Covert listening to BBC broadcasts for news bulletins and coded messages.
The BBC opened its studio to the first members of the resistance who fled France's occupation by Germany in 1940. This was when the service called "Radio Londres" began and would become the daily appointment of the French people for four years. It opened its transmission with : "Ici Londres ! Les Français parlent aux Français..." ("This is London! The French speaking to the French..."), now a very famous quote in France. It was the voice of Free French Forces under Charles de Gaulle, who on 18 June 1940 made his famous Appeal of 18 June, inviting his compatriots to resist and rise against the occupation.
There was a similar service for the Belgians Radio België or Radio Belgique. Radio Belgique was listened to by a majority of Belgians despite its being banned, far more than officially approved stations (like Radio Bruxelles) which broadcast German propaganda.
The BBC would regularly transmit hundreds of personal messages, of which only a few were really significant. A few days before D-Day, the commanding officers of the Resistance heard the first line of Verlaine's poem, "Chanson d'automne", "Les sanglots longs des violons de l'automne" (Long sobs of autumn violins) which meant that the "day" was imminent. When the second line "Blessent mon cœur d'une langueur monotone" (wound my heart with a monotonous langour) was heard, the Resistance knew that the invasion would take place within the next 48 hours. They then knew it was time to go about their respective pre-assigned missions.
Even after the war, the East German propaganda machine was foiled by people who could access western media, particularly in Saxony.
Where I am going with this is that when one is faced with a media which is clearly biased, listening to other sources of information is an act of defiance. But it isn't just listening to any source of information, but one which is reliable and trustworthy.
In some ways, the BBC World Service is beginning to follow the US media, but it hasn't gotten as corrupt as its US bretheren. Still, it is another voice and another source. It also has a history of being a trusted new source.
The BBC opened its studio to the first members of the resistance who fled France's occupation by Germany in 1940. This was when the service called "Radio Londres" began and would become the daily appointment of the French people for four years. It opened its transmission with : "Ici Londres ! Les Français parlent aux Français..." ("This is London! The French speaking to the French..."), now a very famous quote in France. It was the voice of Free French Forces under Charles de Gaulle, who on 18 June 1940 made his famous Appeal of 18 June, inviting his compatriots to resist and rise against the occupation.
There was a similar service for the Belgians Radio België or Radio Belgique. Radio Belgique was listened to by a majority of Belgians despite its being banned, far more than officially approved stations (like Radio Bruxelles) which broadcast German propaganda.
The BBC would regularly transmit hundreds of personal messages, of which only a few were really significant. A few days before D-Day, the commanding officers of the Resistance heard the first line of Verlaine's poem, "Chanson d'automne", "Les sanglots longs des violons de l'automne" (Long sobs of autumn violins) which meant that the "day" was imminent. When the second line "Blessent mon cœur d'une langueur monotone" (wound my heart with a monotonous langour) was heard, the Resistance knew that the invasion would take place within the next 48 hours. They then knew it was time to go about their respective pre-assigned missions.
Even after the war, the East German propaganda machine was foiled by people who could access western media, particularly in Saxony.
Where I am going with this is that when one is faced with a media which is clearly biased, listening to other sources of information is an act of defiance. But it isn't just listening to any source of information, but one which is reliable and trustworthy.
In some ways, the BBC World Service is beginning to follow the US media, but it hasn't gotten as corrupt as its US bretheren. Still, it is another voice and another source. It also has a history of being a trusted new source.
North Carolina Mom Finally Charged in the April Death of her 9-Year-old
Amy Pittman
Local news reports
The mother of a 9-year-old who was killed in an accidental shooting in April was arrested by police Wednesday.
Officers arrested Amy Pittman Wednesday morning on Rock Street.
Officers were dispatched to the 400 block of Macon Street April 28 around 9:40 p.m. in reference to a shooting. When they arrived, officers found 9-year-old Christian Pittman, who had died from an apparent gunshot wound.
Durham police said three children were home alone at the time of the shooting.
On Tuesday, Pittman was indicted on one count of voluntary manslaughter, three counts of felony child abuse – gross negligence, three counts of misdemeanor child abuse, three counts of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and one count of failure to store firearms to protect minors, authorities said.
An investigation into the shooting revealed it was an accident.
Friday, July 11, 2014
Yeah, it might be like beating a dead horse, or shouting "Benghazi", BUT...
It is an accurate assessment, no matter how much the right wing want to deny it:
And they only show their dishonesty when they do try to deny it.
And they only show their dishonesty when they do try to deny it.
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