Most people need transportation. Almost no one needs a gun.
Most people need transportation. Almost no one needs a gun.
Thank God I live in America, where no one tries to decide for me what I need or don’t need…though admittedly, some like you, would certainly like to.
It’s worth noting that yours made national news, (I read about it in our local fishwrap this morning) in part because it’s relatively unusual. I’m guessing the simple drunk driving deaths didn’t make your paper this morning… Of course, if they were to print all those every day, there wouldn’t be much room for anything else.
This post is more a general response than one aimed at DiF.
Are we all still bickering with each other this? Good. Number one, there’s a tragedy here and I don’t think anybody’d dispute that. The tragedy is that three peace officers were ambushed and killed and it looks like they never even saw it coming. Number two, every one of us here has an agenda or set of beliefs when it comes to this issue, including my friend Mr. Hey, me and centermiddy. I think we all know where we stand on the issue of guns and our society. And as a former military man, I can’t help but do a “lessons learned” on something like this, which I can tell you that at least DiF and I have had to do in real life, too, so if I’ve offended anybody by doing it, I of course apologize.
Number three (at least for me), I’m worried about how people are dealing with stressors in their lives lately. This isn’t to say that we’ve all-of-a-sudden begun experiencing an epidemic of gun violence, because – in reality – we’re not. What we have is several incidents in a nation of over 300 million people that gets plenty of attention because of the ubiquity of our news media these days. It gives everyone the impression that it’s Dodge City or the wild West out there. Funny enough, though; the so-called “wild West” wasn’t actually all that wild, for a number of reasons. Rather, I’m wondering how folks are getting the impression that wild shootouts and “going out in a blaze of glory” are somehow to be considered viable solutions when it comes to dealing with issues in life?
Is there more going on in the eddies and undercurrents swirling about in our collective, deep, and turbulent American stream of consciousness we see acted out on a daily basis? What sort of collective mindset is it that’s being created in our culture? The “thug life” seems to be something that mope in Pittsburgh had an interest in, yet the fellow in Binghamtom – from what we can tell so far – was more the classic “inadequate loner lashing out at society” – type. And who’s to say what personal demons were pursuing this father up in Washington?
I confess to no small amount of bafflement, which is unusual for me as I’m usually so arrogantly sure of myself in most situations.
T.
Why do you need a gun?
I’d like to hear the tape from the initial 911 call, which likely came from the suspect’s mother (who was apparently in fear for her safety). It sounds as if they may have know they were heading into a potentially volatile situation - but then, what isn’t?
We’re dispatched to “unknown situations” daily, either from 911 hang-ups, or from people who can’t or won’t give more information when requesting immediate help. In these situations, we’re put on standby and stage away from the scene until police secure it for us. The boys in blue have no such luxury, and usually bear the brunt of whatever psychotic agenda the perp feels the need to execute. Officers from our local agencies (police and fire) have literally saved my ass on more than one occasion - I’d have taken a club to the occipital region were it not for a lightning-fast FD engineer last year - and I have nothing but respect for those wearing the uniform.
What’s really tragic is that the third officer killed had already finished his shift, heard the call for help, and responded to assist his fellow officers. The poor guy was in the clear, off duty, driving home to his wife and kids (assuming), and put himself in harm’s way for his brothers. It’s painful to lose people like these officers, who give so much to society, while human cockroaches like the shooter tend to live out their miserable lives largely unmolested.
Why do you need a gun?
Guns play a small, yet important role in the measure with which I’m able to keep my family safe and protect them from possible harm. Other items that play equally important roles are…in no particular order and certainly not all inclusive; Pepper spray, fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, door locks, alarm systems on cars and home, a small, lovable, yet protective little schnauzer, first aid and CPR certification, PFD’s while boating, marine flares, marine radio, cell phone, road flares, spare tire, flashlights at home and in the cars, road maps and marine charts, gps units, safety glasses, a well developed sense of awareness to what goes on around me,…well, that’s enough, you get the idea.
Take away any of the above, and my ability to care for myself or my family is incrementally reduced. As always, your own mileage may vary…
***It’s painful to lose people like these officers, who give so much to society, while human cockroaches like the shooter tend to live out their miserable lives largely unmolested. **** ***
Indeed…
More info is coming out about this fellow Powlawski. It looks like he wanted to commit death by cop and then lost his nerve. They’re saying over a hundred shots were fired, too. Looks like these three men were called to handle a domestic disturbance, which every cop absolutely dreads and hates having to handle because it can go south on him or her in a microsecond. It also looks like he’s (Powlawski) been featured on some sort white supremacy or superiority websites in the past – or at least he and his tatoos were. He seems like the classic inadequate loser white male with a gun fixation who wants to be famous. He’ll get his wish, too, and be a big man in the joint. Maybe even a made-for-TV movie about his exploits. I wonder if they’re going to march in support of this “freedom fighter” in Pittsburgh, like they did last week in Oakland?
I remember the case some 10 or 15 years ago of two L.A. cops (one man, one woman) who were walking up the walk to a home in answer to a domestic disturbance. The fellow inside opened the door (he’d been waiting for them to show) and let them have it with a Chinese-made SKS, which a lot of folks confuse with a classic AK-47. They never saw it coming, just like these three poor men. Now, my three uncles may have been horrible shots, but they managed to make 30 years on the Detroit force. And all three of them have said the call they hated having to handle was always a disturbance type call. Sadly, we can see why.
T.
Most people need transportation. Almost no one needs a gun.
better outlaw screwdrivers:
http://www.lacrossetribune.com/articles/2008/09/10/wi/09wis.txt
better outlaw hammers:
http://news.scotsman.com/uk/Canary-islander-admits-hammer-killing.5127627.jp
had a woman here in north texas a couple yrs ago cut her new born child arm’s off. she then called 911 but by the time help arrived the poor thing bled to death. and was it in one of the carolina’s that a mother put her kids in a car and pushed them into a pond or river? if someone wants to kill they are going to kill.
guns kill people like forks makes people fat.
So, in other words, you don’t really need a gun, you just want one more than something else which may be just as effective…
It’s not like transportation. Short of walking long distances, people absolutely need transportation. They may want a car, like you want a gun, but there are alternatives like buses, and like pepper spray.
if i knew no one was going to break into my house, i don’t need a gun. if i knew the worse thing they had should they break into my house is pepper spray, i don’t need a gun. taxes exist, they will always exist. drugs exist and they to will always exist. we can wish things didn’t exist that can harm us but it ain’t gonna keep it from happening. i wish people didn’t text and drive, but ya’ know what, they do, they are and they’re going to keep killing people doing it.
a number of yrs ago a man broke into my aunt and uncle’s neighbor’s house and raped the woman for hours. when he left she came to their door, her husband was traveling on business, my uncle opened the door in the middle of the night to this poor woman who was a complete mess. needless to say scared the you know what out of both my aunt and uncle. my uncle at the time traveled for work also he just happened to be home at the time. if this woman had had a gun would things have ended differently? who knows? but a woman with a gun v. a man with pepper spray or a knife, i’ll put my money on the woman. of course i believe in training and practice, just like i believe in drivers ed for new drivers.
and if there are always alternatives, like buses and bikes, then why not get rid of the cars? it’s a choice, a right that we have here.
***if this woman had had a gun would things have ended differently? who knows? ***
She didn’t have a screwdriver or hammer in her house? If she could have only reached one of those items on time …
Most people know that the cause of most violance and murders is domestic violance. Some family member or boyfriend/girlfriend etc killing each other. This is why police are able to solve such a high percentage of murders. It is rare for a stanger to commit a murder. It is rare for someone to be violently assualted by someone they don’t know. Having a gun in the house only makes it easier for a domestic violance event to escalate to murder, and while a hammer and screwdriver can certainly kill mostly they don’t. Having a gun in the house ensures that an accident with that gun can become deadline. How many persons do you hear about killing themselves with a hammer or screwdriver.
With regards to DUI deadly accidents - there are hundreds of millions of car trips, and hundreds of millions (billions) of miles driven in America. The percentage of road deaths, while high as a number, are miniscule in comparison to the number of road trips that American’s take. Compare that to the number of times a gun is used in a domestic “self defense” event as compared to the number of times guns are used illegally - it is extremely rare for someone to use a gun in self defense.
"I’m sure this guy owned his car lawfully and had it to transport his family. "
For the love of God, will you stop using the automobile as a comparison to a gun in this context? It just makes you sound dumb, which, from the rest of your posting, I know you’re not.
if you choose to have a screwdriver under your pillow why can’t i have a gun? i haven’t killed anyone. no one i know has killed anyone with a gun. doesn’t that little thing called the constitution say i have the to right to have a gun under my pillow? does it say you can have a screwdriver? 
wouldn’t it be more accurate to ask how many bullets are fired then without incident, i.e. training, practice, recreation, compared to what the percentage are actually used to kill? or how many guns are there in the u.s. v. how many are actually used to kill.
- if you choose to have a screwdriver under your pillow why can’t i have a gun?*
If this makes you feel safe, go ahead. Burglar alarms, smoke detectors, etc., make perfect sense to me. A loaded gun (or a screwdriver) under my pillow wouldn’t make me feel any safer. (I wouldn’t own a pit bull terrier to protect my family either, but some people make that choice too.)
“if you choose to have a screwdriver under your pillow why can’t i have a gun?”
Are you of the opinion that Americans have the right to any and all firearms or weaponry if they can afford it? If not, then we’re just talking about a matter of degree to which some has the right to own an item for self defense. Some people draw that line at firearms. Some draw that line at fully automatic firearms. Some draw it at knives of a certain length. All a matter of degree.
I draw it at an M109A6 Paladin self-propelled howitzer. That’s just too much firepower for any law-abiding citizen to carry around.
T.
“if you choose to have a screwdriver under your pillow why can’t i have a gun?”
Are you of the opinion that Americans have the right to any and all firearms or weaponry if they can afford it? If not, then we’re just talking about a matter of degree to which some has the right to own an item for self defense. Some people draw that line at firearms. Some draw that line at fully automatic firearms. Some draw it at knives of a certain length. All a matter of degree.
that’s a very good question that i don’t have an answer to. i’ve never had the aspiration to own a missile launcher or rpg so i honestly never gave it that much thought. but if i do ever want something with ***real ***power i’m calling big kahuna for guidance.
Not at all. Pepper spray is no substitute for a gun and is deployed under a completely different set of circumstances than a gun would be. In fact, it’s recognized as a completely different class of weapon by every state in the union.
I have determined that I need a gun. You may determine that you do not. I wouldn’t presume to tell you what you do or do not need. Of course, that’s one of the differences between us, isn’t it?
“I have determined that I need a gun.”
I think a more accurate statement is that you have determined that you might need a gun. Because you think you might need one, you have decided to own one.