Gun Control & RKBA

LAGC

(5,330 posts) Tue Feb 18, 2014, 01:57 AM Feb 2014

On "Gun Nuttery" and SYG

First let me preface this by saying that I'm a pretty strong Second Amendment supporter, and think most gun control laws do more harm than good. Criminals by nature don't obey the law, so most of the time you're only restricting law-abiding citizens and giving the NRA reasons to rile gun owners up and GOTV, as with the recent recalls in Colorado.

But it's hard not to notice the marked increase in news stories of minor altercations escalating into shots fired lately, more often than not without any good justification. But the burning question is: what can be done about it? Most of these incidents appear to involve folks with no prior criminal records, so universal background checks won't solve anything. All of these incidents seem to involve either handguns or old-fashioned bolt-action rifles, so an Assault Weapon Ban won't help, even if it really did ban more than just cosmetic features. As the economy continues to flounder and things get more stressful for more people, I don't see such random acts of violence getting any rarer either.

So what can we do? The "toothpaste is already out of the tube" so to speak, no way to "put the genie back in the bottle," -- guns are here to stay. Expanding access to mental health services might help, but only if the aggressive behavior is detected in time.

I know the statistics show that crimes of violence (including gun violence) are on a 20-year decline, but it sure doesn't feel that way with all these news stories lately. Are we really to the point where such random acts of violence are just the price we have to pay to live in a free society? I mean, I'm not even sure repealing SYG would be effective in those states, unless their self-defense laws were all changed to mandate fleeing from all conflict if at all possible. Just seems like these nutcases don't give a damn about the law anyway, they just shoot first and answer questions later.

Is this really the new "normal?"

5 replies

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Highlight:

On "Gun Nuttery" and SYG (Original Post) LAGC Feb 2014 OP

Is there an increase in escalation incidents, or news saturation? Eleanors38 Feb 2014 #1

If you're going about your day and you run into one asshole ileus Feb 2014 #2

Thought provoking post. Thank you. Enthusiast Feb 2014 #3

Excellent post! Starboard Tack Feb 2014 #4

Actually they are not gejohnston Feb 2014 #5

Eleanors38

(18,318 posts)

1. Is there an increase in escalation incidents, or news saturation?

Reply to LAGC (Original post)

Tue Feb 18, 2014, 02:12 AM

Feb 2014

We all moan about "when it bleeds, it leads," yet are convinced a tidal wave of incidents is occurring, forgetting MSM's priorities. And there may be newz "aggeegators" dedicated to the proposition that all guns are going off all the time. The "new normal" is probably the old stuff covered 24-7 by MSM: That is the new normal.

ileus

(15,396 posts)

2. If you're going about your day and you run into one asshole

Reply to LAGC (Original post)

Tue Feb 18, 2014, 07:55 AM

Feb 2014

it's an asshole....if everyone you run into is an asshole it's you.

Folks with shitty attitudes need to evaluate if they need to be carrying.

Politeness rules the day when you carry a personal safety device on your person.

Enthusiast

(50,983 posts)

3. Thought provoking post. Thank you.

Reply to ileus (Reply #2)

Tue Feb 18, 2014, 08:23 AM

Feb 2014

Starboard Tack

(11,181 posts)

4. Excellent post!

Reply to LAGC (Original post)

Tue Feb 18, 2014, 09:26 AM

Feb 2014

As you say, it is hard to put the genie back in the bottle. Not sure if I would call it "the price of freedom". More like the price of placing individual whim over societal need, more like being programmed to go for the easy fix rather than thinking outside the box, more about greed and fear than constructive problem solving.

When you have a country where people care more about their guns than their healthcare, then "freedom" becomes a highly relative concept.

gejohnston

(17,502 posts)

5. Actually they are not

Reply to LAGC (Original post)

Tue Feb 18, 2014, 09:59 AM

Feb 2014

But it's hard not to notice the marked increase in news stories of minor altercations escalating into shots fired lately, more often than not without any good justification.

The problem is the news media, not the guns. The media wants to look for cases and they often distort the facts. Those incidents always existed, I doubt no more than exists now, just that the media is going out of their way to find them. See Summer of the Shark.

I'm not even sure repealing SYG would be effective in those states, unless their self-defense laws were all changed to mandate fleeing from all conflict if at all possible.

Even in SYG states, most people will retreat. Take Florida for example, there is one case where retreat was not possible, even though the media was dishonest and irresponsible. Two others were one shooter and another a stabber tried to retreat but could not. One was a Orlando area African American guy who had to shoot two white guys. He won his immunity hearing and there will be no trial. Since neither of those fit the narrative of the consent the MSM wants to manufacture, it won't go beyond the local papers. The consent they are trying to manufacture is that the oligarchs that control the media don't like the proles having guns and they don't like the proles defending themselves.

SYG has been around for 130 years. Most states are SYG. Some by statute, like Florida, some by common law, like California. SYG has been on the federal level since at least the 1920s. Some both. If Georgia were to repeal its SYG law, it would still be a SYG state because they simply codified what was already common law.

Just seems like these nutcases don't give a damn about the law anyway, they just shoot first and answer questions later.

Dunn committed murder and drove off and ordered a pizza. Later he tried to claim self defense. I don't think SYG or DTR would have mattered to him. Like I said in LBN, I think the jury is deadlocked between first or second degree murder, not between SYG and murder.

It will be the new normal until the media finds something else to focus on.

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