Gun Politics

[Grifman]

The epitome of right wing stupidity:

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2023/08 ... l-windows/

[Smoove_B]

They're not stupid. They're genuinely afraid of gunfire at work - and rightfully so. Loosening gun laws and then having taxpayers pay for improved gun defenses at the state Capital is just another form of high-level grift. Won't surprise me at all to learn the construction and window contractors donated money to support the wild west gun laws in FL.

[Blackhawk]

That's hypocrisy, but it's the opposite of stupid. They're fully aware of the threat that firearms represent, and they're taking steps to protect them and theirs. They just prioritize the money and votes that firearms represent.

[Grifman]

It’s like the NRA Convention not allowing guns.

[Smoove_B]

It’s like the NRA Convention not allowing guns.

Another example of them not being stupid. They know exactly what they've encouraged and enabled. Doesn't mean they want it on their doorstep.

[Smoove_B]

This should be interesting:

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Friday issued an emergency order suspending the right to carry firearms in public across Albuquerque and the surrounding county for at least 30 days amid a spate of gun violence.

The Democratic governor said she is expecting legal challenges but felt compelled to act in response to gun deaths, including the fatal shooting of an 11-year-old boy outside a minor league baseball stadium this week.

The firearms suspension is tied to a threshold for violent crime rates that only the Albuquerque area currently meets. Police and licensed security guards are exempt from the temporary ban.

Violators could face civil penalties and a fine of up to $5,000, said Caroline Sweeney, a spokeswoman for the governor.

It doesn't say in the article but she declared a *public health* emergency over guns.

[Punisher]

I can't see that holding up in court at all. It's basically suspending a right and I can easily see people argue that what if they decide to suspend the 1st amendment just because enough people are spouting nonsense.

[Unagi]

This is dripping red meat for ‘the base’.

They will knock this one out of the park.

It will prove every point they were ever trying to make.

[Punisher]

I can see them definitely start pushing hard on "see? They DO want to take our guns away!" line.
I can also see how they'd be seen as right.
Not sure what they were thinking when passing this. Just seems like a recipe for disaster.

[Victoria Raverna]

If they oppose it then just call them child killers.

Label everyone that oppose it as someone who want to kill children.

[GreenGoo]

[Smoove_B]

Yikes. This is America:

The Missouri School Boards’ Association (MSBA) has rolled out the TI Training Recon System, which brings to life about 1,400 tense situations. From an angry student to a lunchroom fight, a knife-wielding jealous boyfriend, and an active shooter, the interactive video simulator is designed to help school workers think on their feet.

...

“Our teachers really are the first responders of their classroom,” said McDonald. “They’re the emergency managers of the hallway. Their decision-making skills moment in time when there’s a crisis is really what keeps our kids safe. So it’s incumbent upon us to give our educators the tools to respond effectively and quickly to any crisis.”

As a reminder about Missouri:

In 2014 the Missouri legislature approved a school protection officer program allowing school districts to designate teachers or administrators who volunteer to carry concealed firearms.

[Blackhawk]

"There will absolutely be an attacker coming from right over there within the next few minutes. Now, pretend to be working, and think on your feet."

Combat drills are important. The create important skills (provided this isn't just a single one-hour session.) They do not, however, create the mindset to react when it happens in the middle of the afternoon on a Thursday after a poor night's sleep when you haven't thought about it in three months. They do not create the mindset to react when the student with the gun is someone you have in third period and have been trying to help through difficult times. They do not create the mindset to react correctly when 30 students just ran directly between your muzzle and the attacker.

Combat drills are only one step, and only work if they're repeated often enough to become muscle memory.

[Kraken]

When schools need to conduct combat drills, something is deeply wrong.

[The Meal]

I bet the drills are fun for folks who have hero-fantasy daydreams.

[LawBeefaroni]

I bet the drills are fun for folks who have hero-fantasy daydreams.

Anyone who is honest with themselves would probably say they're pretty humbling. The physiological effects, even in a drill, are pretty unbelievable. Nevermind the mental strain. What a normal person would take away is that they don't ever want to be in a real-life scenario depicted in one of the drills.

But of course a lot of peole aren't what we'd consider normal.

[Daehawk]

[LawBeefaroni]

Drugs and guns don't mix. It is amazing to me that they opened with a taser, thought for sure she'd be shot.




That kind of response time in their own building is pretty telling.

[Alefroth]

Drugs and guns don't mix. It is amazing to me that they opened with a taser, thought for sure she'd be shot.




That kind of response time in their own building is pretty telling.

She was shot at before the taser.

[Isgrimnur]

Drugs and guns don't mix. It is amazing to me that they opened with a taser, thought for sure she'd be shot.




That kind of response time in their own building is pretty telling.

She was shot at before the taser.

Yup. Jump to 3:35.

[Daehawk]

Ya the video has been edited in some way to where the time line is a little backwards.

[LawBeefaroni]

Yeah, I guess so. "You know we have ballistic glass on our doors..."

[malchior]

Drugs and guns don't mix. It is amazing to me that they opened with a taser, thought for sure she'd be shot.




That kind of response time in their own building is pretty telling.

She was shot at before the taser.

Yup. Jump to 3:35.

We can safely say he fired a couple of shots. At what? Who knows because he first asks about bulletproof glass and then after firing asks, "That's her?". So was he testing the door? Shooting at her - a target he apparently hasn't clearly identified? Who knows.

[malchior]

The US Senate - such a serious place!

[LawBeefaroni]

"Ah may be just a simple southern Senatah but seems to me like y'all been doin' too much book learnin'..."

[Alefroth]

We can be pretty sure why he thinks so.

[YellowKing]

These hearings are so worthless. He never wanted an actual answer; he wanted her to hesitate or fumble. When she responded with an articulate response, he immediately ignored it, dismisses it, and tries to move on. You see it time and time again with these dumbasses. And I don't think it's a leap that when he was struggling to come up with a simile for the length of a criminal's rap sheet, he went straight for a gorilla reference. Racist piece of shit.

[Isgrimnur]

Illinois Supreme Court finds state assault weapons ban constitutional

Supreme Court leaves Illinois assault weapons ban in place

The Supreme Court on Thursday declined to block an Illinois law banning assault-style weapons, leaving the measure in place while proceedings before a federal appellate court continue.

The decision from the justices, with no noted dissents, marks the second time they have declined to halt Illinois' statewide ban, which a gun rights advocacy group and gun shop owner argued violates the Second Amendment. It has also left in place a similar ordinance in Naperville, a suburb of Chicago.

[Unagi]

I'll just take a second here to applaud that.

[Isgrimnur]

Wayne LaPierre resigns as NRA leader, days before start of his civil trial

Fox News Digital, which first reported the resignation, said the 74-year-old cited health reasons for his exit, which will take effect Jan. 31.
...
LaPierre and three other current and former NRA leaders are fending off a lawsuit brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James in 2020 that alleges they violated nonprofit laws and misused millions of dollars of NRA funds to finance lavish lifestyles for themselves.

The lawsuit alleges that LaPierre diverted millions of dollars away from the group’s charitable mission for his personal use of private jets, expensive meals, travel consultants, private security and trips to the Bahamas for him and his family.

The attorney general claims LaPierre spent more than $500,000 of the NRA’s assets to fly himself and his family members to the Bahamas. From May 2015 to April 2019, the NRA incurred over 1 million dollars in expenses for private flights in which LaPierre was not a passenger, according to the lawsuit.

LaPierre received more than $1.2 million in expense reimbursements from 2013 to 2017, the lawsuit alleges.

[Octavious]

I'm sure the trial had nothing to do with this. What a sack a shit that dude is. Dedicating your life to getting people killed. Awesome...

[Smoove_B]

Seems like a great plan:

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Nearly 30,000 firearms have been stolen from motor vehicles in Tennessee in the decade since Republican lawmakers voted to allow gun owners to keep their weapons in their cars and trucks without any penalty for those who leave them unsecured, a NewsChannel 5 analysis has discovered.

In 2022 alone, the most recent year for which statewide numbers are available, data from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation shows that more than 5,000 guns were stolen from motor vehicles, in many cases putting them into the hands of dangerous individuals who are not legally entitled to possess firearms and are likely to commit other crimes.

Some of those stolen weapons have since been used to kill innocent Tennesseans, but Tennessee Republicans have so far shown little interest in revisiting those laws or in cracking down on gun owners who make their firearms easy targets.

Quote of the decade:

"Listen, freedom comes with some dangers. That's one of the things that made our country great is that we put the power in people's hands," said Rep. Jeremy Faison, an East Tennessee Republican who sponsored the 2013 legislation.

[Smoove_B]

It's not often I see Indiana in the national news for guns:

A video taken by a high school student shows an Indiana lawmaker flash a gun to students who were visiting the statehouse to talk to legislators about gun control.

A student from Burris Laboratory School in Muncie told The Associated Press that she and four other students were at the state Capitol on Tuesday to participate in a day of advocacy with Students Demand Action, an arm of Everytown for Gun safety. Alana Trissel, 17, said state Rep. Jim Lucas asked the students what brought them to the Capitol and began to defend gun rights.

...

In discussing places where firearms are banned, Lucas said people aren’t “truly free” unless they can defend themselves. A student off camera asked Lucas if he means carrying a firearm. Just over six minutes into the 10-minute video, Lucas said, “I’m carrying right now,” and holds open his suit jacket exposing a holstered handgun. It was not immediately clear what kind of gun Lucas was carrying.

“Nothing about someone carrying a gun makes me feel safe,” a student said off camera after Lucas lifted his jacket.

Sure would be a shame if something happened while you kids were here today to ask us to enact strict gun control.

[Punisher]

I really don't think it was meant as a threat. More as an example of wgat he is trying to say. He wants it for defense and so he carries whereever he can.

I also find this interesting.

Trissel disputed Lucas’ claim that the group’s argument was based on emotion, and she said she felt talked over.

“Since a state legislator had shown a weapon, I felt all the more powerless,” she said. “I felt scared. I felt alone. I was timid and almost petrified with fear.”

They disputed his claim that they were being emotional and then immediately went into her emotions.
I'm ok with her having her feelings but don't say your questioning is not emotional then immediately complain with your emotions.

[hepcat]

How about don’t flash a goddamn gun at a group of kids, no matter what your freakin’ intent. What a friggin’ asshole that Lucas is.

[LawBeefaroni]

Too many people view a gun as a magical talisman of power. Both those who fear it and those who think it is some mythic protection or badass flex.

I certainly understand the students' point of view, it had to be shocking, but Lucas isn't going to suddenly start shooting them in the statehouse. OTOH, what the hell is he thinking? Concealed means concealed for dozens of reasons, not the least of which is avoiding undue panic. It would be dreaming to think he'd get charged with brandishing but he should.

[YellowKing]

but Lucas isn't going to suddenly start shooting them in the statehouse

But he could.

Sorry, but I don't naturally assume people who love to shoot, own, and carry guns aren't going to shoot guns.

[GreenGoo]

I really don't think it was meant as a threat. More as an example of wgat he is trying to say. He wants it for defense and so he carries whereever he can.

I also find this interesting.

Trissel disputed Lucas’ claim that the group’s argument was based on emotion, and she said she felt talked over.

“Since a state legislator had shown a weapon, I felt all the more powerless,” she said. “I felt scared. I felt alone. I was timid and almost petrified with fear.”

They disputed his claim that they were being emotional and then immediately went into her emotions.
I'm ok with her having her feelings but don't say your questioning is not emotional then immediately complain with your emotions.

Sir, we prefer that we keep tigers away from us. They are natural killers and it makes logical sense to keep them to a minimum.

Well kids, the answer to tigers is more tigers. I have one here, see?

Holy fucking shit, just being around a live tiger makes me feel extremely unsafe.

A HA! It was always about your emotions! I knew it!

[Isgrimnur]

Lisa, I'd like to buy your rock.

[Unagi]

I also find this interesting.

Trissel disputed Lucas’ claim that the group’s argument was based on emotion, and she said she felt talked over.

“Since a state legislator had shown a weapon, I felt all the more powerless,” she said. “I felt scared. I felt alone. I was timid and almost petrified with fear.”

They disputed his claim that they were being emotional and then immediately went into her emotions.
I'm ok with her having her feelings but don't say your questioning is not emotional then immediately complain with your emotions.

No, I think you are missing what is being communicated with your comparison of these two statements.

The first comment about Trissel is that their arguments about gun control were not based on emotion, as Lucas insisted.

You then go on to conflate that with their complaint about Lucas's behavior, which was described by telling us about how it affected her.


Why can she not do that?