The Great ILX Gun Control Debate

papers have to compete with craigslist somehow

fb comments creepfest on that one this morning

there should be some sort of honor code about accidentally discharging your weapon where you have to throw it into the ocean if it happens or something.

maybe have The Rock say it in a movie next summer

http://www.cnn.com/2014/09/18/us/florida-deadly-shooting/index.html?c=homepage-t

if only those children had been armed

http://media.giphy.com/media/oyr3pswQ8B2Sc/giphy.gif

https://vine.co/v/MjlE0Qb3P5b

https://vine.co/v/MYDLAngiIwA

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/12/us/gun-control-gun-rights-pew-survey.html?smid=tw-nytimes

sigh. this is what happens when the SC creates from whole cloth the "right" to own guns

http://www.krem.com/story/news/local/kootenai-county/2014/12/30/deadly-shooting-kills-hayden-walmart-shopper/21058855/

http://thegazette.com/subject/opinion/guest-columnists/i-carry-a-gun-every-day-20150104

I’m “that guy.” I know that bad things happen. Every day. Everywhere. So I try to be aware. I try to study my surroundings. I expect to not see it coming every time. I expect that evil may show up while I’m shopping or walking through the mall or eating at a restaurant. It doesn’t make me crazy. It doesn’t make me paranoid. It simply makes me aware. Unlike a lot of people that walk by me every day. Looking at their phones, their notes, their purses, or any of the other distractions that plague us. I get it.

I also get that there are wolves. Hungry. Lean. Skilled at their trade. Studying you. Studying me. They like you. They don’t like me. I see them at the mall. I see them at the gas station. I see them right here in this town. Do they know I’m armed? No, they don’t. They know that I’m aware. I look at them. Kill them with kindness. It’s a like a mutual agreement. I see you; you see me. Let’s not kid each other.

I guess it must be exciting to live that way. He makes every trip to the grocery store sound like Escape From New York.

Basically that's how every trip to the grocery store feels to me, except I'm not packing. I'm constantly thinking about how to get myself/my kids out in case of some crazy gunman. Also, I don't make any sort of ridiculous assumption that the people around me are the "wolves".

Maybe he's literally talking about wolves? We've had a couple of mornings where a coyote on the school grounds meant my little ones had to be ushered in early. I should start packing heat, because you never know when they might turn up at malls or the gas station.

Yup, every day is Snake Plissken in The Grey

Just another day in Iowa.

http://digital-art-gallery.com/oid/86/1600x705_14953_Hl6_2d_fantasy_characters_warrior_wolf_little_girl_city_picture_image_digital_art.jpg

Oh man, I used to see coyotes occasionally in San Diego. Only once out here in MD though and that was about 30 years ago. Was thinking the other day about how cool it would be to see one strolling around the neighborhood, but I bet that at least one of my neighbors would freak out over it and shoot it or whatever.

Coyotes are pretty much everywhere in the lower 48 now I think. I was in a traffic slowdown in a neighborhood here (East Tennessee) a year ago, and it turned out the cause was a coyote sort of casually loping down the road. A good number of missing cats have been attributed to them.

My friend in LA told me the coyotes are so smart, they send their little pups out to play with dog pups. They lure them back where the grown coyote parent can swoop in and kill it.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7ie6WIf-Azw/UMdXNJNN2QI/AAAAAAAAAJU/nXZWNkHy8Xc/s1600/Collateral.png

https://refractionsfilm.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/vlcsnap-2013-02-16-13h29m09s192.png

wolf and sheep is standard gun-dude lingo, with "sheepdog" being the exalted state of armed goodguy

They don’t stay awake late at night watching videos from self-defense experts. They don’t read the articles. They don’t look at unedited news on the Internet. They don’t search out the videos of people fighting for their lives and losing.

All the animals come out at night - whores, skunk pussies, buggers, queens, fairies, dopers, junkies, sick, venal. Someday a real rain will come and wash all this scum off the streets.

I know that bad things happen. Every day. Everywhere. So I try to be aware. I try to study my surroundings. I expect to not see it coming every time. I expect that evil may show up while I’m shopping or walking through the mall or eating at a restaurant. It doesn’t make me crazy. It doesn’t make me paranoid. It simply makes me aware.

Coincidentally, women do this a lot too. "Who do I know on this block? Can I run to that open deli in time? Does he really have a gun? What am I carrying that can be a weapon?"

file photo of Ernie Traugh, guest columnist
http://a4.mzstatic.com/us/r30/Video/v4/e5/c1/12/e5c11246-5dae-f190-d5ea-a79092286533/poster212x312.jpeg

Coincidentally, women do this a lot too.

Yeah, the same paper ran this column, maybe as a response: http://thegazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?category=ARTICLE&date=20150110&lopenr=150119985.

I do not know this man, have no knowledge of his profession, personality or character. I am unaware of his mental state, of why he feels the need to carry a weapon into a bookstore. Frankly, I’m not that interested in his reasons right now. My mind is too busy filtering through the various scenarios that could be taking place. They flick before me like movie trailers, and I watch, casting some aside and mentally marking others for further consideration.

tbh I am kind of worried about Ernie, with his sleepless nights seeking out violent videos on the internet

Okay sure. But we do it, like, ALL the time, not just when we see someone who's carrying a gun.

That guy thinks he's the only awake & aware person anywhere he goes? Try anyone who's experienced physical abuse, or rape, or the threat of them. Or people living in a police-occupied community where you get stopped & beaten and sometimes dead. Whatever, I know itt we're supposed to be subtly mocking these guys but I can't help it.

They don’t look at unedited news on the Internet.

What the fuck does this even mean?

(Besides Fox, Breitbart, etc.)

i'm gonna take a wild guess and say checking out right wing racist websites

It doesn’t make me crazy. It doesn’t make me paranoid.

'zat a fact?

My favorite part is all his imaginary standoffs with people who are clearly just about to do something bad until he silently stares them down. Protecting the sheep without them ever knowing.

Show them how friendly is. Force them to buy something. He's not going to stand in front of them in line.

That post reminds me of Wolf In White Van. Good to be alert in public, now more than ever, with so many states loosening up their concealed carry laws; lately, I've been about getting caught in the crossfire. Open carry laws have been extended too, though so far, there's also this thing where you can post a gun-free zone logo on the front door of your place of business or public institution, even in Alabama and Texas (dunno about Georgia; apparently, at least in theory, you can take a gun into courtrooms, for instance, incl. the one where a defendant stole a guard's weapon [the guard busy texting], shot his way out, killed a bunch of folks, took a woman hostage, but then she turned him on to The Purpose-Driven Life and he turned himself in, so hey).
And you really can take weapons onto the floor of the New Hampshire legislature; we know this because one representative dropped his, and it went off.

There's been indignation, several confrontations about universal-open-carry-but-not-really; may take a Federalist I mean Federal court solution.

"been *wondering* about getting caught in the crossfire, " that is.

Okay sure. But we do it, like, ALL the time, not just when we see someone who's carrying a gun.

That guy thinks he's the only awake & aware person anywhere he goes? Try anyone who's experienced physical abuse, or rape, or the threat of them. Or people living in a police-occupied community where you get stopped & beaten and sometimes dead. Whatever, I know itt we're supposed to be subtly mocking these guys but I can't help it.

― Orson Wellies (in orbit), Tuesday, January 20, 2015 10:18 AM (50 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

we're supposed to subtly mock people who carry guns around and actively make this country worse. not what you describe

That's what I meant by "these guys," I know it was a terrible sentence but give me SOME credit.

apparently multiple times per day he sees situations where he thinks violence or crime could erupt in front of him

Good job he isn't paranoid then.

What the column really needs is Frank Miller illustrations.

throw in some drugs and buttsex and it's a WS Burroughs piece

This morning some guy walked into the hospital I work and shot dead one of the doctors in my division. We were on lockdown for almost an hour and had no idea what was going on. We had to hide in a office and saw about 30 cop cars and a swat team outside. Two of the nurses I work with had to bag and start compressions on the injured doctor who is still in the OR. Ban all fucking guns everywhere tbh.

Oh god

That's awful

wait - sorry I'm a little out of it - he's not dead like I said in the first sentence - he's still in the OR

dear fucking god

Goddamn :(

glad you're OK, hope the doctor is too