Repost: Something Must Be Done

I wrote this post several years ago after the Sandy Hook School killings. It resurfaced in my logs after showing up in somebody's search results recently and getting a bunch of fresh hits. The specific incidents have have changed. The anger I feel towards those who insist on creating defenseless victims remains. It's sad that we've learned so little since.

Reposted from December 15, 2012.

Again, the face of evil has again reared its ugly head. Just days after a tragic mall shooting that left three dead, a deranged gunman has left a trail of 27 bodies in Newtown, Connecticut. And once again, we are reminded how helpless we have allowed ourselves to become against such evil. Even before the bodies were removed from the elementary school, the blood dancers were demanding further restrictions on our natural rights to protect ourselves and our loved ones. The president put on his thespian costume to go on TV to shed crocodile tears over the dead children. (All the while cheerfully planning for continued tax money for Planned Parenthood, who killed around 900 children that same day.) The protesters lined the street in front of the White House, NOT to mourn the dead but to demand further restrictions be imposed on innocent citizens.

The president called for "meaningful action" to prevent these tragedies from occurring. Yet, he and others like him bear responsibility for setting so many innocents up for slaughter. They created the "gun free zones" that attracted the deranged individuals. Mass shootings at shopping malls, movie theaters, churches, and schools all have one thing in common. Law-abiding citizens are denied the ability to defend themselves. Dim-witted lawmakers and dependent voters made sure the criminals had free reign for their heinous deeds. A few years ago after a man killed two police officers, VA Senator Saslaw introduced a bill to prevent citizens from taking guns into police stations. The gunman had no issue with current laws against murdering police officers, so just how much of an idiot do you have to be to think he'll be bothered by a "no guns allowed" sign on the door.

Yet, that is just the sort of brain-dead thought that passes for logic among the "gun control" crowd. They want special restrictions on weapons they have superficially labeled "assault weapons." Their designation is based merely on what the inanimate object looks like. The appearance of the weapon has nothing to do with the destruction for which an evil person might use it. The 9/11 bombers carried nothing more than box cutters to carry out their murderous deeds. MinYingjun used a knife to injure 23 school children in China. The common factor among these deeds is not the weapon used. In Connecticut, Oregon, Aurora, Columbine, Virginia Tech, and other places, the commonality is the presence of people intent on doing evil and a defenseless victim pool.

So yes, I agree with the president, we need "meaningful action." In fact, I demand meaningful action. It is time for the American public to stand up and demand that our defensive rights not be limited. The lawmakers and the people who support them are complicit in the deaths of these innocent children. It is they who insist that the innocent be left unprotected and vulnerable. In the words of Stewart Rhodes, Founder of Oath Keepers,

This shooting is yet another tragic example of the failed, grotesque insistence on helpless victim zones where any crazed gunman can be assured of a large number of disarmed, undefended, helpless victims, all crammed into one place, where he can kill many children before an armed defender arrives from elsewhere.  It is disturbing and sick that the federal government so hates the right of the American people to bear arms, and so hates their natural right to self defense, that the government insists on making them helpless, disarmed victims for anyone who cares to kill them.   And in this case, all of the teachers and staff were willfully disarmed by the Federal Government, by force of law and threat of prison, to ensure that they would be disarmed and incapable of saving the lives of the children entrusted to their care.

How many more people must die before the American people stand up and demand an end to victim disarmament zones? Like sheep being led to slaughter, we stand idly by, letting dishonest and hypocritical politicians get away with providing support to killers. These same politicians demand armed protection for themselves and their families. The Brady group, the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, The Mayors Against Illegal Guns, and others of their ilk scream out for more "gun control." They focus on an object, and play on the irrational fears of others to create more innocent victims. It's time to face the obvious. It is not the weapon that is the issue. We cannot deny that evil exists. What we can do is stop cooperating with evil by keeping people defenseless.

It's is indeed time for meaningful action. It is time to allow people to be armed and cease creating feel-good "sensitive areas" where you and your children are sitting ducks. No one knows if an armed citizen in any of the recent tragedies could have stopped the killers. What is obvious is that NO ONE was even allowed the option. It's also obvious that the killing locations were chosen because of the concentration of defenseless victims. These killers are cowards. Like all criminals, they choose their victims because they can't or won't fight back. Responsible citizens need to stop merely trying to save the gun-related rights we still have. The time is now be on the offensive, and demand an end to restrictions of our God-given rights. Responsible citizens must be allowed the right to defend themselves EVERYWHERE and ANYWHERE, without restriction. Government and law enforcement cannot and will not protect us.

I'll say it right now and clearly. If you are the type of person who utters calls for "gun control" you are complicit in making these tragedies possible. If you want "reasonable restrictions" on the types of weapons I can own, you are complicit in assuring the criminals have an advantage. If you continue to support "gun free" zones, you are showing you don't care if me or my family are defenseless against perpetrators of evil. I consider those who try to restrict my right to self-defense, in any manner, just as much of a danger to my safety and the lives of my loved ones as the psycho who would attack them.

Yes, I am angry. I am angry that these innocents have lost their lives. I am angry that families are mourning. And I am angry that our government demanded that they be left open for slaughter. If someone wants to go about life with no more than a "hope" that violence never finds them, that is their choice. I pray every morning that I will not need to defend my life that day, and I pray every night in thanks that I did not. But I will not leave my loved ones at risk to assuage the weaknesses and phobias of others. The right to self defense and the right to defend our children from harm is God-given and cannot be taken away or limited by any man or government.

ATF Agent Shoots Pet on Playground

Dogs sometimes fight. Fortunately, those folks are rarely serious and sensible humans can usually separate them without undo risk. Unless you happen to be an ATF agent walking his dog on a school playground. In that case, the interaction can turn deadly in a hurry.

SPOTSYLVANIA COURTHOUSE, Va. - A dog owner said an off-duty ATF agent fatally shot his mastiff puppy outside of a middle school in Spotsylvania County.

Vance Gibbs said he brings his dogs to a large field at Ni River Middle School several times a week. However, he is now traumatized after he watched his 8-month-old Presa Canario mastiff puppy Ari die in his arms.

Gibbs said it happened when he and his four puppies and three adult mastiffs were enjoying some exercise on the field Tuesday night. A golden retriever off a leash ran up to them while his dogs, which were on leashes but running free, chased after it.

The dogs then started fighting and Gibbs said he threw himself into the middle trying to get his dogs away. Meanwhile, he said the owner of the golden retriever pulled out a gun and fired twice into the ground, and then a third time hitting Ari in the side. She died minutes later.

There was plenty of irresponsible dog ownership on both side here, and both parties share in the guilt. That said, the trigger-happy ATF agent seems to have exhibited little concern for innocent bystanders. The dogs were fighting each other, not threatening people. The pet owner claims the agent brandished his gun in an earlier incident as well.

If this goes on the record as a "school shooting," it will be eerily fitting with the ATF's record of illegal activity geared towards gun control.


See "Virginia dog owner says off-duty ATF agent shot, killed his mastiff puppy."

It's Not "Gun" Control They Want

This list about the Maryland school shooting has been making the rounds of social media, and it gets right to the heart of the matter.

• What didn’t stop the Maryland school shooting

• Maryland’s assault weapon ban

• Maryland’s 10-round magazine limit

• Maryland’s universal background check requirement

• Maryland’s law requiring an extensive application process to obtain a permit to purchase a handgun

• Maryland’s law prohibiting purchase of more than one firearm a month

• Maryland’s law requiring handgun registration

• Maryland’s law requiring licensing of handgun owners

• Maryland’s extremely limited approval of conceal carry permits

• Maryland’s refusal to honor any concealed carry permit from another state

• Federal law prohibiting handgun possession for people under 21

• Laws against carrying without a permit

• Gun free school zones

• Laws against discharging a firearm in public

• Laws against attempted murder

• What did stop the Maryland school shooting

• An armed person at the scene who engaged the shooter in less than a minute

The "do something" laws and restrictions around gun ownership that the left has been crying for are already in place. Honest and intelligent people know these laws do nothing to stop evil people from committing acts of violence. Regulations and processes that could actually serve to keep people safe are routinely ignored by those charged with enforcing them. Our leftist antagonists have but one goal with their calls for "gun control." They are not interested in the safety of children, children are mere pawns to them, a means to an end. Their motive is a compliant, defenseless and submissive citizenry.

The despicable people pushing for "gun control" are in my opinion, no different than the tyrants throughout history who cruelly clamped down on the freedom and lives of others. Whether willful participants or useful idiots, they should be met with utter disdain and contempt. They've already proven how they feel about us.

The violence in Maryland will soon fade from the headlines. Unlike the Parkland, Florida mass killing, the outcome in this case doesn't fit the agenda. The leftist narrative must be maintained, facts be damned.

He Just "Went Bananas"

I've often said if you can't be trusted with a gun, you probably can't be trusted on the street without supervision. Here's an example of why. Jorge Jove of Hialeah, Florida decided he didn't like the AT&T trucks parked on the public street. His reaction was a bit over the top.

Jove was arrested and later let out on bond. If you ask me his reaction indicates more than a little instability. I'm all for "innocent until proven guilty" but perhaps some time should be taken to make sure he won't snap again. What if the victims had been kids he didn't want riding bicycles on the street when he "went bananas"? Stupid people doing stupid things wth guns just pisses me off. The snowflakes and anti-gunners waste no time in lumping all gun owners with this guy.

See "Man accused of shooting at AT&T trucks told police he went 'bananas,' report says" for more on this bizarre story.

It's An Ammo Horde

More details have emerged regarding the leftist terrorist who targeted Republican law makers in Alexandria on June 14.

The gunman who opened fire on a congressional baseball team in Virginia kept a local storage locker with more than 200 rounds of ammunition that he visited daily, including less than an hour before he shot more than 60 times at the GOP team during a morning practice last week.

Two hundred rounds! That number is pointed out like it's some extreme number that should shock us. 200 rounds. I often shoot that much during my lunch break. The idea that he visited his ammunition stock daily is interesting. I wonder if he was sitting there mumbling, "My precious."

See "Gunman at Virginia ballfield kept local storage locker with ammunition"

A Good Guy With A Gun

The only reason—the only reason—why any of us walked out of this thing: By the grace of God, one of the folks here had a weapon to fire back and give us a moment to find cover. Because we were inside the backstop and if we didn’t have that cover by a brave person who stood up and took a shot themselves, we would not have gotten out of there and every one of us would have been hit. Every single one of us.
--Michigan Representative Mike Bishop

That's all that needs to be said about that.

I suspect we'll see more like this. Carry your gun.

Remember Fabio?

The Italian immigrant, now an American citizen, has a few things to say about the left's support for criminals.

“The day you give up your weapon in the United States, the United States is going to be history.”

-- Fabio Lanzoni

See "Fabio’s Advice to Americans: ‘Don’t Ever Give Up Your Guns’" for more on his warnings to American citizens.

Boys and Guns

"Boys who own legal firearms, however, have much lower rates of delinquency and drug use and are even slightly less delinquent than nonowners of guns."

Source: U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, NCJ-143454, "Urban Delinquency and Substance Abuse," August 1995.

It's shouldn't be all that surprising that active participation in shooting sports teaches responsibility. At the very least, it ensures there's no money left over for drugs or other vices.

How Much Longer?

I can't help but wonder, how much longer will good people continue to stand by and watch their neighborhoods burn? How much looting and destruction will hard working shopkeepers tolerate? How many more flash mobs will attack innocents before people start fighting back? How much longer will righteous people stand by and watch anarchists violently oppose free elections?

Good men can only be pushed so far...

Silly Spammers

It's like they aren't even trying any more.

Click to embiggen

Liberal Paradise

Meme of the week.

How about we round up the anti-gun crowd and give them the home they have been demanding?

Media Narrative Chart

Meme of the Week

Source.

Back to Civilization

I've often felt this way myself.

From Overheard in DC...

On the Yellow Line coming out of the tunnel and on the bridge toward Virginia: 

Two middle-aged women are talking. 

Woman 1: "Ah, we're finally heading back to civilization."
Woman 2: "Well, we're heading into Virginia."
Woman 1: "Like I said, heading back to civilization."

Naturally, the editors at DCIst took offense, but this map shows the civilization picture quite clearly.

Naked Guy Likes Hams and Hamm's

This is taking your love for bacon, and beer, a bit too far.

MILLERSVILLE, Pa. (KRON) — A Pennsylvania man is facing a charges after a nearby farmer busted him in a barn having beers with his pigs. In the nude.

64-year-old Larry Henry told police, “I just like pigs” when they found him in the hog barn June 26 about 10:15 p.m.

According to the story, Henry was enjoying Hamm's beer.  I wasn't aware they still made Hamm's, but it's a MillerCoors product so not exactly on my radar.

See "‘I just like pigs’ naked man drinking beer arrested in barn" if you really want to read more.

Monster

I've never reposted, in full, a post from another blog on these Musings. But I recently read an essay by Tiffany Johnson who writes at Front Sight Press that moved me to do just that. Tiffany's post is probably the most thought provoking commentary I’ve read on the recent rapid mass murder incident in Charleston, SC. I urge you to read this carefully, think about it, and then read it again.

Reprinted with permission of the author.

MONSTER 

Once you read this, close your eyes. Do your genuine best to suspend disbelief and breathe life and purpose into the monster I’m about to describe. By conservative estimates, it probably weighs about 1,500 pounds. It has 36 arms and legs, 180 claws, and as many as 288 teeth. It has nine different vocalizations, each one powerful in its own distinct way. It is highly territorial and finds refuge in the very same den that has sheltered its ancestors for generations. It also has at least 13 offspring to protect, and some of them have growing nests of their own. 

Between its sheer physical might and its psychological motivation, surely such a creature could never be defeated. Surely nothing could infiltrate its den with the slightest hint of hostility and live to tell about it. No beast. No predator. And certainly no 90-pound pipsqueak with a pop gun. And yet, here we are. Each voice silenced, every limb laid waste. Nine families are disemboweled, and a storied force of culture and history is decapitated — all by a bigot with a bowl cut. 

An incredulous cynic once asked me, “So if someone stuck a gun in your face, you would actually fight back? Why not just give him what he wants and move on with life?” Make no mistake: I’m not one of those gun people who bash the “compliance approach.” I acknowledge that “just give him what he wants” is one potentially viable option in some cases. And I don’t begrudge those who go that route. But for these nine worshippers, compliance wasn’t an option. The assailant’s demand was whiteness, and they couldn’t have given him that, even if they wanted to. 

As for me, I’ve gotten to know myself pretty well. I have a sense of how I might fare after even momentarily having my human autonomy usurped by a self-seeking ravager. Even if I escaped with a beating heart, I know that a vital part of my soul would be lost. As much as I might hope to “move on with life” afterwards, there wouldn’t be much of a life awaiting me. 

I have no little ones at home to inspire me. Nor do my limbs number in the dozens (and the few that I’ve got aren’t in optimal shape right now). I don’t for one instant pretend to be a model of might or courage, so who knows how I would actually react to a sudden deadly threat. But at least in my mental preparation, I’ve decided that I’d rather take my chances with resistance. And I don’t mean some tentative flinch, but a nuclear explosion of flailing kicks and scratches and flying chairs and teeth and spit and ink pens and scissors and bullets and shrieks, if necessary. I would hope to defend my life with an unshakable singularity of purpose, the likes of which are beyond my ability to articulate in the English language. That’s what I’m hoping, anyway. And if I die in that process, I guess I’m cool with that.

It is my opinion that Americans are being purposefully conditioned to think "This isn't happening" when faced with violence. It's part of the "someone will come to your rescue" propaganda the leftist elites spout while they work to disarm law abiding citizens and push us into complacency. You can't control a population that is determined to protect itself, and that scares them. If you are to survive, you cannot fall for the lies. "This" can happen. "This" does happen. If and when it does, are you prepared to bring out the monster to protect your life or the lives of your loved ones?

Brand Loyalty

Craft beer fans can be passionate about their beer preference, but even factory beer drinkers have standards it seems.

Clarence Sturdivant, 64, shot his 66-year-old neighbor, Walter Merrick, said Col. John Fortunato, spokesman for the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office. 

The beer showdown occurred Saturday afternoon (March 7) at a complex of single-story apartment buildings in the 1500 block of Esther Street in Harvey. Merrick told investigators that he and Sturdivant were chatting in the parking lot when Sturdivant asked for a beer, a Sheriff's Office incident report said.

Merrick returned with a can of Busch beer -- apparently not Sturdivant's brew of choice. An angry Sturdivant declared his preference for Budweiser, according to the report.

The two men continued to quarrel over beer brands until Merrick said Sturdivant shot him and left, the incident report said.

See "Budweiser or Busch: Argument over beer brands ends with shotgun blast" for more on this beer debate among friends.

Whittle: Number One With a Bullet

Bill Whittle fires back at the gun grabbers with facts. They hate that.

Seems to me our cities would be safer if we just outlawed Democrats.

Firearms Training at the Pub

Milwaukee restaurant owner Andy Kochanski knows the life-saving value of firearms. In August of 2013 three armed thugs attempted a robbery of Kochanski's Concertina Beer Hall. The businessman, who was also armed, shot and killed one of the robbers. The other two were later captured and put on trial. To ensure other citizens are properly prepared to defend their own lives, a free concealed carry course was hosted at the bar recently, attended by 100 people.

This is the second such course hosted at the beer hall. Kochanski was praised by Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke for his actions in defending his and his customers' lives.

I suspect the Concertina Beer Hall is an unlikely place for future robbery attempts.

See "Imagine That: A Bar That Will Teach You How To Shoot" for more.

Higher Stakes Beer Crime

We've seen some interesting beer-related crimes recently, but a robbery at the Minnesota State Fair reaches a new level.

A popular beer booth at the Minnesota State Fair was robbed last Friday night. 

The State Fair Police say the suspect was armed and the victims' hands were bound behind their backs.

The robbery occurred at the Minnesota Craft Beer booth in the Agriculture building. According to State Fair Police Public Information Officer Brooke Blakey, at least two suspects took more than $10,000. Blakey says police believe the victims were able to free themselves and call for help within 10 minutes.

$10,000? That's obviously a popular beer stand.

I am at a loss to explain how the robber was able to pull off the crime. The Minnesota State Fair is a well-known "gun free zone." Firearms have long been expressly prohibited at the fair. Surely, no criminal would ignore a "no guns" sign.

See "Police: Armed Robbers at Minnesota State Fair Flee with $10K" for more.

Chief O'Hara, Turn on the Bat Signal

The Penguin is afoot! According to reports,

Police are still on the lookout for a man dressed up as a penguin. The New York Daily News reported on Monday that a man dressed in a “fancy penguin onesie (that’s a mascot-like costume to you and me)” took it upon himself to enter into a northern England convenience store early this week and steal 10 cans of beer.

Give the cartoon thief credit though. Unlike the Budweiser thief, this entrepreneur stepped it up a bit and walked off with a case of Stella Artois lager.

See "Thief dressed in a 'fancy' penguin suit steals 10 cans of pseudo-fancy beer" for more on this caper.