There’s an old adage that states “keep your friends close and your enemies closer.” I am a “member” of Moveon.org because I like to see what kind of rank insanity comes from their absent minds.
Today, I received an email that frankly I expected to receive – just not as soon.
We all woke up to the tragic news of the killing of at least 12 people and the wounding of many more at a late-night screening of the new Batman movie in Colorado.
Reports indicate that the disturbed individual who committed this horrifying act had a bulletproof vest, used some kind of gas canister, and had multiple guns when he opened fire in the crowded theater. A three-month-old is among the injured.
We are immeasurably sad for those who lost their lives, those wounded, and their families—and for all those who experienced the horror of those terrible moments. Let our thoughts and prayers go out to them today.
We’re also so angry. From children’s lives lost in school shootings, to Trayvon Martin, the Representative Gabrielle Giffords attack, and this latest slaughter of innocents, we are not safe from gun violence.
Mayors Against Illegal Guns has been campaigning to put a stop to senseless gun violence like this with commonsense measures, like fixing gun checks to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people.
Sadly, it often takes moments like these to bring politicians to their senses about guns. And while signing a petition seems so inadequate in the face of what happened last night, it’s important to do what we can. Today that means taking a small step toward preventing this kind of tragedy from happening again.
The people who died at the Colorado theater last night are only 12 of the 34 people statistics tell us will die from gun violence today—and among 19,000 murdered with guns since the attack on Representative Giffords in Tuscon.
And yet today isn’t about statistics. It’s about the pain of human loss—the loss suffered by the community of Aurora, Colorado. And the losses to gun violence suffered today and every day by other communities, whose tragic stories won’t be covered on the news.
It’s in the power of Congress to greatly reduce these senseless shootings and make tragedies like today’s far less possible. They can start by enacting commonsense measures, like fixing giant loopholes in gun checks, that are supported by the vast majority of Americans—including gun owners.
It’s difficult to decide where to start on this nonsense, but I’ll give it the old online college try.
We’re also so angry. From children’s lives lost in school shootings, to Trayvon Martin, the Representative Gabrielle Giffords attack, and this latest slaughter of innocents, we are not safe from gun violence.
We’re all angry. We should be angry every time someone breaks the law and illegally discharges a firearm at an innocent person. However, there is no surefire way to prevent gun violence. Before guns, there were swords, axes, spears, and arrows. Before those, there were clubs and rocks.
Mayors Against Illegal Guns has been campaigning to put a stop to senseless gun violence like this with commonsense measures, like fixing gun checks to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people.
You can create all the “commonsense measures” you can think up and it won’t stop dangerous people from being violent. Sure, if some psycho goes to the local Cabela’s to purchase a gun legally the mental state of an applicant MIGHT be discovered IF that person had previous diagnosis. As much as Morons.org would like to think to live in a Minority Report nation, it simply isn’t possible to see into the future what every single gunowner will do. What we do know from past data is that the overwhelming majority of gun owners do NOT commit crimes.
The people who died at the Colorado theater last night are only 12 of the 34 people statistics tell us will die from gun violence today—and among 19,000 murdered with guns since the attack on Representative Giffords in Tuscon.
What Morons.org won’t tell you is that the particular theater where this tragic shooting took place already bans firearms from entering its theaters. That didn’t seem to do anything but make victims out of the 12 unarmed deaths and 71 unarmed injuries. The city of Aurora doesn’t allow its citizens to carry weapons without jumping through a million and one loopholes and paying an exorbitant fee first. Then, they must wait long months for their license if it’s even approved. So, gun control only served to make matters worse in this case. Those 19,000 murders weren’t all committed with legally purchased firearms as Morons.org would have you believe, but I’ll save these comments for the next quote.
And yet today isn’t about statistics. It’s about the pain of human loss—the loss suffered by the community of Aurora, Colorado. And the losses to gun violence suffered today and every day by other communities, whose tragic stories won’t be covered on the news.
Of course it isn’t about statistics. If Morons.org followed statistics, they wouldn’t have a good, coherent argument. So, I’ll tell you what Morons.org won’t. It is estimated that nearly 50% of household possess some sort of firearm (between 250 – 280 million firearms in the US). That number has grown exponentially since 2008. Yet, according to the CDC, violent crimes committed with firearms has dropped.
Provided by CDC. Latest information available.
One effort to quantify the benefit of firearm ownership estimates that guns are used for self-defense in the United States as many as 2.5 million times each year. (Kleck G, Bates D. Chapter 7. In: Armed: New Perspectives on Gun Control. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books, 2001.) Washington D.C. enacted a virtual ban on handguns in 1976. Between 1976 and 1991, Washington D.C.’s homicide rate rose 200%, while the U.S. rate rose 12%. How does that happen where guns are banned. Thankfully, the Supreme Court fixed that issue with the Heller decision. D.C. citizens are safer today than ever before now that they are able to legally purchase and possess firearms for self defense.
It’s in the power of Congress to greatly reduce these senseless shootings and make tragedies like today’s far less possible. They can start by enacting commonsense measures, like fixing giant loopholes in gun checks, that are supported by the vast majority of Americans—including gun owners.
Another bold-faced lie. The Huffington Post poll that Morons.org used rates over 60% of respondents as favoring current laws or less restrictive laws. Keep in mind that of the slightly less than 1500 people polled, over 1000 of them did NOT own firearms. Only 30% of gunowners faulted “lax gun laws” as the culprit of the Gabrielle Giffords shooting. The poll also noted that 79% of all respondents (and 90% of gunowners) indicated that the 2nd amendment applies to ALL Americans, not just state militias. Yeah, statistics are a dangerous sport when trying to encourage more gun control.
Morons.org wastes millions of its contributors’ money on such senselessness. They are finding it harder and harder to raise funds to cover their operations and are scaling back as a result. However, they are still trying to convince their followers with false and faulty information and continue to use every tragedy as a platform to spread their gun grabbing agenda.
I just thought I’d put out some facts before the idiots take control of the airwaves using James Holmes and the Batman shooting as a springboard for more gun control.