Toles misses the obvious. Assault rifles account for very few homicides in the US. Local gun bans are pretty much useless. We have some pretty good laws on the books that let those of us who are responsible gun owners enjoy our rights. Let’s enforce those laws.
This latest case was not madness, this was not an issue of mental health, unless people go crazy in pairs. She left her job at Hobby Lobby (!) so they could go support Cliven Bundy. Even Bundy’s supporters thought them too extreme (!). This time they went off with full intention to kill, and targeted the first pair of policemen they found. They draped the bodies with a “Don’t Tread on Me” flag and a swastika flag. They invaded a Walmart but only killed one more person, the one customer who himself had a gun and who tried to stop them. (The “good guy with a gun.”) When more police arrived, as expected and apparently as desired, and they were finally cornered, she shot her husband before shooting herself.They acted alone and were solely responsible for their actions. But who can deny that they are emblems of our time? That they are symptomatic of the fever that burns in our country today? Of the fire that is willfully fueled and propagated by certain of our fellow Americans? All across Canada people are wearing red to remember the three mounties recently killed. Will the two policemen murdered for wearing a uniform be remembered in this country in a similar manner?A man signs up to wear a uniform, and carry a gun, for more reasons than he just wants a job, just wants to earn a living. When he put on that uniform, he knew he might very well have to put himself in harm’s way to protect his fellow Americans.But even those who claim to “support our troops” and prattle a great deal about patriotism, and veterans, and the flag, and go out of their way to shake hands with and thank a man in camouflage for his service, will hardly do the same for him.Because the uniform he wears is blue rather than green.
The problem is not gun violence, it is violence, period. The proliferation of guns is a symptom not a cause. Guns are not a problem among people who regard shooting as a hobby, or hunting as a sport, who think that the use of a gun is properly a last resort, rather than an appropriate first response.
Because guns have recently become a religion, their proper place in society has been distorted. As Doughfoot says, hunting and hobby shooting are fine. This paranoia of the gun religionists is fangerous to the rights of the rest of us. This couple DO represent the anti-government militia-types which now try to distance themselves from the action. I recently read comments from some such radicals who claimed that belonging to radical rightwing groups had nothing to do with their actions; that it was just two crazy people, nothing more, and that they alone were responsible for their actions. Is that what we say about suicide bombers? No, we say they represent a group, and the group is responsible.
I would like to add a comment about a word that is much misused: militia. The militia are the “body of the people, trained to arms” and raised by a community, city, county, or state to protect the same. If they are not defined by law, raised by law, and “subordinate to the civil power” they are not militia. They are just groups of armed men, and when they are acting outside the law, in fact in opposition to the law, they are no more a militia than Al Capone’s gang was a militia. That is not to say that an armed gang cannot have a better purpose behind their actions than Capone’s gang did. Just as in the “olden days” if the sheriff or other authority deputized a group of citizens and led them out after the “bad guys” it was called a posse; if a bunch of guys just got together to do the same thing it was a mob. You can’t be a militia, or a posse, or a jury, or a legislature just because you say you are.
Our American problem with gun-related violence needs more than simply proper regulation. Many American citizens (and from other nations) succumb to fear and social alienation, and find such weapons as a solution to their difficulties. Modern societies, which, more and more, replace people with computers and robotic machines, take away their ability to earn a decent living by shipping their job overseas, ruled by a wealthy group of congressman who ignore, or threaten their needs, an entertainment industry which revels in killing & gore: some people bottom-out, feeling they have no other options. I do not condone the behavior, but it is a major part of the problem, perhaps the number one problem, which MUST be addressed.
I don’t have a problem with the right to own a gun. I do have a big problem with allowing gun runners to buy guns at Indiana shops and gun shows and reselling them to street gangs in Chicago. The Police can’f frisk a suspected gang-banger because they will violate his right to be free from unreasonable search. It simply unreasonable to let these morons run around the streets blasting away as the please, often killing innocent people who just happen to be in the wrong place. We need some laws that suppress the flow of guns to criminals. We need laws that allow the police to search known gang members. Right now it is the wild west and that is just plain stupid.
We have a death toll from guns that is far beyond that of any other nation. We need laws to restrict gun violence. Handguns should be outlawed except for law enforcement personnel. This probably requires repeal of the Second Amendment. That would be difficult but not impossible, and the stakes make the effort worth it. Don’t forget that slavery was once enshrined in the Constitution, and slave owners pointed to this as a “sacred right”. The Constitution was amended and slavery was ended. We need to do that again.
Whenever there is carnage from a person who chooses a gun as a weapon, the standard response from the pro-gun crowd is to tell us that the laws now on the books are not being enforced, so why make new laws?
But no one ever answers the question as to WHY the laws now on the books are not being enforced. And one would expect the NRA, which exists for the sole purpose of ensuring that gun owners keep and use them safely, would push hard to enforce current gun laws. But they don’t.
When we get an honest answer as to why, the whole conversation will suddenly start to make sense. Until then, we will just wait and repeat.
Remember the definition of “insanity”: continuing the same actions and expecting a different result.
Now, if we apply the term “insane” to those who are perfectly fine doing nothing……….
Because TTM, the NRA like sane people aren’t banning guns just using common sense in where they should be permitted and used. No license or government registration necessary: Common sense and rational rules.
Do you honestly believe that we have “common sense and rational rules”? Really? Should we ask the families of the two police officers who were shot dead in Las Vegas merely because they were wearing a uniform? Or the family of the woman who was in the Walmart nearby who suffered the same fate, even though she wasn’t wearing a uniform?
Sandy Hook? Chicago shootings in the ‘hood? The four-year-old who shot his two-year-old brother, because he didn’t pay attention the last time, when his father told him not to do that again?
If this is the result of common sense and rational rules, something is very much askew.
And now we’re back to the question I always ask when gun advocates counter that we don’t enforce the laws already on the books: WHY NOT? Who’s responsible for THAT?
Who has the most to gain from allowing anyone and everyone to purchase any weapon in any quantity? Follow the money; that generally works. I can tell you this: those who don’t love guns are NOT the ones making sure current laws are either watered-down to the point where they are ineffective or just not enforced.
Tigger: GIVE IT UP! California law requires a person be committed and adjudged violent and a threat before they can be denied a firearm. Rodger never met that criteria, thus legally got his guns. When the police DID go to the house and contact him, he did NOT MEET A SINGLE CRITERIA UNDER THE LAW TO TAKE HIM IN or search his house, or prevent him having guns, thank you, Wayne LaPierre and the NRA, but don’t blame the state of California!
braindead Premium Member almost 10 years ago
Yet another banner week for gun violence advocates. They’ll be celebrating everywhere.
DoctorUmmmNo almost 10 years ago
Toles misses the obvious. Assault rifles account for very few homicides in the US. Local gun bans are pretty much useless. We have some pretty good laws on the books that let those of us who are responsible gun owners enjoy our rights. Let’s enforce those laws.
Doughfoot almost 10 years ago
This latest case was not madness, this was not an issue of mental health, unless people go crazy in pairs. She left her job at Hobby Lobby (!) so they could go support Cliven Bundy. Even Bundy’s supporters thought them too extreme (!). This time they went off with full intention to kill, and targeted the first pair of policemen they found. They draped the bodies with a “Don’t Tread on Me” flag and a swastika flag. They invaded a Walmart but only killed one more person, the one customer who himself had a gun and who tried to stop them. (The “good guy with a gun.”) When more police arrived, as expected and apparently as desired, and they were finally cornered, she shot her husband before shooting herself.They acted alone and were solely responsible for their actions. But who can deny that they are emblems of our time? That they are symptomatic of the fever that burns in our country today? Of the fire that is willfully fueled and propagated by certain of our fellow Americans? All across Canada people are wearing red to remember the three mounties recently killed. Will the two policemen murdered for wearing a uniform be remembered in this country in a similar manner?A man signs up to wear a uniform, and carry a gun, for more reasons than he just wants a job, just wants to earn a living. When he put on that uniform, he knew he might very well have to put himself in harm’s way to protect his fellow Americans.But even those who claim to “support our troops” and prattle a great deal about patriotism, and veterans, and the flag, and go out of their way to shake hands with and thank a man in camouflage for his service, will hardly do the same for him.Because the uniform he wears is blue rather than green.
Doughfoot almost 10 years ago
The problem is not gun violence, it is violence, period. The proliferation of guns is a symptom not a cause. Guns are not a problem among people who regard shooting as a hobby, or hunting as a sport, who think that the use of a gun is properly a last resort, rather than an appropriate first response.
cdward almost 10 years ago
Because guns have recently become a religion, their proper place in society has been distorted. As Doughfoot says, hunting and hobby shooting are fine. This paranoia of the gun religionists is fangerous to the rights of the rest of us. This couple DO represent the anti-government militia-types which now try to distance themselves from the action. I recently read comments from some such radicals who claimed that belonging to radical rightwing groups had nothing to do with their actions; that it was just two crazy people, nothing more, and that they alone were responsible for their actions. Is that what we say about suicide bombers? No, we say they represent a group, and the group is responsible.
Doughfoot almost 10 years ago
I would like to add a comment about a word that is much misused: militia. The militia are the “body of the people, trained to arms” and raised by a community, city, county, or state to protect the same. If they are not defined by law, raised by law, and “subordinate to the civil power” they are not militia. They are just groups of armed men, and when they are acting outside the law, in fact in opposition to the law, they are no more a militia than Al Capone’s gang was a militia. That is not to say that an armed gang cannot have a better purpose behind their actions than Capone’s gang did. Just as in the “olden days” if the sheriff or other authority deputized a group of citizens and led them out after the “bad guys” it was called a posse; if a bunch of guys just got together to do the same thing it was a mob. You can’t be a militia, or a posse, or a jury, or a legislature just because you say you are.
moosemin almost 10 years ago
Our American problem with gun-related violence needs more than simply proper regulation. Many American citizens (and from other nations) succumb to fear and social alienation, and find such weapons as a solution to their difficulties. Modern societies, which, more and more, replace people with computers and robotic machines, take away their ability to earn a decent living by shipping their job overseas, ruled by a wealthy group of congressman who ignore, or threaten their needs, an entertainment industry which revels in killing & gore: some people bottom-out, feeling they have no other options. I do not condone the behavior, but it is a major part of the problem, perhaps the number one problem, which MUST be addressed.
greenlynn Premium Member almost 10 years ago
I am tired of living under the gun.
emptc12 almost 10 years ago
The Carbine Nation …
Aaronious almost 10 years ago
The concept of continental drift is outdated and incorrect, and that undermines the strip’s message.
Theodore E. Lind Premium Member almost 10 years ago
I don’t have a problem with the right to own a gun. I do have a big problem with allowing gun runners to buy guns at Indiana shops and gun shows and reselling them to street gangs in Chicago. The Police can’f frisk a suspected gang-banger because they will violate his right to be free from unreasonable search. It simply unreasonable to let these morons run around the streets blasting away as the please, often killing innocent people who just happen to be in the wrong place. We need some laws that suppress the flow of guns to criminals. We need laws that allow the police to search known gang members. Right now it is the wild west and that is just plain stupid.
magicwalnut Premium Member almost 10 years ago
If I were drawing a cartoon on this topic, I would link it to , say, a plague….
Darsan54 Premium Member almost 10 years ago
Wow. Symbolism is just out of your intellectual grasp, huh? Go back to school and get your elementary school GED.
krisjackson01 almost 10 years ago
We have a death toll from guns that is far beyond that of any other nation. We need laws to restrict gun violence. Handguns should be outlawed except for law enforcement personnel. This probably requires repeal of the Second Amendment. That would be difficult but not impossible, and the stakes make the effort worth it. Don’t forget that slavery was once enshrined in the Constitution, and slave owners pointed to this as a “sacred right”. The Constitution was amended and slavery was ended. We need to do that again.
hippogriff almost 10 years ago
Aaronious: Yeah, continental drift is science, science is satanic, therefore anything real must be denied in order to preserve delusion.
I Play One On TV almost 10 years ago
Whenever there is carnage from a person who chooses a gun as a weapon, the standard response from the pro-gun crowd is to tell us that the laws now on the books are not being enforced, so why make new laws?
But no one ever answers the question as to WHY the laws now on the books are not being enforced. And one would expect the NRA, which exists for the sole purpose of ensuring that gun owners keep and use them safely, would push hard to enforce current gun laws. But they don’t.
When we get an honest answer as to why, the whole conversation will suddenly start to make sense. Until then, we will just wait and repeat.
Remember the definition of “insanity”: continuing the same actions and expecting a different result.
Now, if we apply the term “insane” to those who are perfectly fine doing nothing……….
TripleAxel almost 10 years ago
It’s a lot easier to fixate on the availability of guns than it is to address the harm that misguided government policies have done to our society.
Enoki almost 10 years ago
Because TTM, the NRA like sane people aren’t banning guns just using common sense in where they should be permitted and used. No license or government registration necessary: Common sense and rational rules.
I Play One On TV almost 10 years ago
@Enoki:
Do you honestly believe that we have “common sense and rational rules”? Really? Should we ask the families of the two police officers who were shot dead in Las Vegas merely because they were wearing a uniform? Or the family of the woman who was in the Walmart nearby who suffered the same fate, even though she wasn’t wearing a uniform?
Sandy Hook? Chicago shootings in the ‘hood? The four-year-old who shot his two-year-old brother, because he didn’t pay attention the last time, when his father told him not to do that again?
If this is the result of common sense and rational rules, something is very much askew.
I Play One On TV almost 10 years ago
I get your point….I heard you the third time.
And now we’re back to the question I always ask when gun advocates counter that we don’t enforce the laws already on the books: WHY NOT? Who’s responsible for THAT?
Who has the most to gain from allowing anyone and everyone to purchase any weapon in any quantity? Follow the money; that generally works. I can tell you this: those who don’t love guns are NOT the ones making sure current laws are either watered-down to the point where they are ineffective or just not enforced.
Dtroutma almost 10 years ago
Tigger: GIVE IT UP! California law requires a person be committed and adjudged violent and a threat before they can be denied a firearm. Rodger never met that criteria, thus legally got his guns. When the police DID go to the house and contact him, he did NOT MEET A SINGLE CRITERIA UNDER THE LAW TO TAKE HIM IN or search his house, or prevent him having guns, thank you, Wayne LaPierre and the NRA, but don’t blame the state of California!