Tag: Gun Safety

Do You Have Your Three Orange Outfits Lined Up?

Trish

Today is #WearOrange Day, but according to Every Town for Gun Safety, if you already missed wearing the color associated with staying safe in the great outdoors during hunting season, you can try again Saturday and Sunday.

There are also Wear Orange events across the country to try to reverse the tide of American gun proliferation. They will call for gun regulations to help decrease the uncontrolled gun violence our country has experienced since stand your ground, open carry, and other gun lobby-written laws have been rubber-stamped by pro-NRA legislators. Search for a Wear Orange event near you.

Can’t attend an event but still want to show your support? You can upload a photo of yourself wearing orange and apply a shareable social media-friendly frame to help get the word out.

Pack Your Heat When You Pack For Home

Trish

Original photo by Damir Bosnjak

A timely reminder from the part of Florida known as the “Redneck Riviera:” When traveling over the summer, remember to take your gun home with you.

Travelers often leave behind personal items when they check out of an Airbnb or other vacation rental, but police in Fort Walton Beach, Fla. have noticed a particular absentmindedness on the part of those who just can’t be without their guns. They remember to bring them to their relaxing getaway on the shores of the Gulf, but they forget to take them home.

…according to Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Corey Dobridnia…a total of 20 guns have been turned in since Memorial Day. Ninety percent came from vacation homes.

Since the guns are either reunited with owners through the diligent efforts of the property owners or used for police training, what’s the harm, you might ask? […]

The Governor Who Set an NRA Record for Pro-Gun Legislation in His First Term is Shocked by FEMA’s Denial of His Emergency Request for Dealing With a Mass Shooting

Trish
scotty
Scott to FEMA: “But, but, but…”

It had to be hard for Gov. Rick Scott (GOP-TEA) to ask Pres. Obama to declare a disaster in Orlando worthy of federal funding. After all, Scott’s request for all American taxpayers to cover the bill for the mass shooting at Pulse nightclub flies in the face of everything that tea partyers hold dear. As they say, they are Taxed Enough Already.

But he did.

“I urge you to declare an emergency under the Stafford Act so that ‘the full resources of the federal government’ can be made available for the individuals, families and communities impacted by this ‘horrific massacre,’” Scott wrote.

Scott has gotten his response. We can save you some time and tell you the answer was, “No.” But reading the full letter from FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate is just too much fun, so here it is.

[…]

Following Yet Another Moment of Silence, House Democrats Ask: “Where’s the Bill?”

Trish

U.S. House Speaker Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) tried to put the same “moment of silence” coin in the slot the day after the Orlando mass shooting as he did after others, but House Democrats discovered they have backbones and acted accordingly.

“The fact is that a moment of silence is an act of respect, and we supported that. But it is a not a license to do nothing,” House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told reporters off the House floor afterward.

“Members have just had enough of having one minute, a moment of silence on the floor, and then take no action,” she said.

Yep. Haven’t we all?

Some Questions for the Gun Store Owner With the “Muslim-Free Zone”

Trish

When a gun shop owner announces he’s closing because he’s tired of selling arms to young, disturbed white guys wearing rebel flags, that will be a YouTube video worth watching

It’s bad enough that a gun store owner declared his store a “Muslim-free zone” after the shooting and killing of four Marines and a Navy sailor by 24-year-old Muhammad Youssef Abdelazeez. That he chose to deliver this message in front of a rebel flag tacked up over an American flag, while wearing a sidearm, made this move just that much worse.

There are so many questions raised by Andy Hallinan’s video. For starters:

  • Why didn’t Hallinan declare his gun shop a “white supremacist who says he wants to start a race war free zone” after 21-year-old Dylann Roof shot and killed nine people at a Charleston church?

    • […]

You’re More Likely to be Killed by a Gun than a Car

Trish

Graphic from Americans for Responsible Solutions
Graphic from Americans for Responsible Solutions
The good news is cars and driving are getting safer, thanks to better construction, a trend away from younger drivers, and maybe even because of harsher penalties for things like texting while driving or not wearing a seatbelt.

The bad news is you’re more likely to take a bullet, especially if you’re under 25.

[…]

America is Awash in Guns — And Fear of Them

Trish
whitecop
Guns aren’t making us safe, they’re just scaring us.

What if we’re missing a bigger issue in our musings about Ferguson and race and unarmed black men being shot by white guys, often police officers? Yes, systemic racism and a breakdown in our ability to trust police are serious problems. But are we overlooking something more basic?

It’s a rare day without a story like this one:

A white cop observes a black man cut through a parking lot to avoid a red light. He follows the car and when it starts to pull into an apartment complex, he turns on his cruiser’s lights to pull it over. The black man, 29-year-old Brian Dennison, drives further into the complex and parks in a parking space. When he gets out of the car, the cop shoots at him. Luckily, the shot missed. It was lucky because Dennison had his 6-year-old daughter in the car. And she was having an asthma attack. And her inhaler was inside their home, where Dennison was rushing when he drove around the red light.

So why did Officer J.C. Garcia get it so wrong?

[…]