Tag: guns

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?

Florida Gov. Rick Scott Shoots a Blank with Gun Making Incentive

Trish

pistolDon’t expect FOX News to cover this story since it doesn’t contain sexy words like, “Solyndra” and “Obama.”

But Gov. Rick Scott (R/Tea) shot himself in the foot and might have to bite the bullet over the wasted $1.6 million paid to gun manufacturer Colt to bring jobs to Central Florida. The skilled manufacturing jobs, touted to earn an average $45,000 each, were promised and paid for in 2011. As of 2015, there are no jobs.

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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?

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NRA Points Out That Shooters Aren’t Shooters Just Because They Shoot Someone — Thanks, NRA!

Buck Banks

Leave it to the National Rifle Association to define propaganda in a video that could be the poster child for propaganda. The NRA thinks the news media, or “entertainment,” should not call murderers “shooters” if they shoot a gun and thereby kill somebody. Unless, I suppose, the media starts differentiating between shooters, stranglers, stabbers, bludgeoners, electrocuters, poisoners and vehiculers.

And who knew there was something called “NRA News?” Is it “media” or “entertainment?” It’s not very entertaining, but then again, it’s not exactly reportage, either.

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Even the 2nd Amendment’s Little Known Dumbass Clause Wasn’t Strong Enough

Trish

While this ad from Saatchi & Saatchi for the “gun responsibility” group, Evolve, is funny, neither the ad’s, nor the group’s, dots connect.

“Personal decisions” leave us at the mercy, not of good guys with guns, but just guys with guns which in reality is all there is

The spot’s creators said they were not taking a stand on gun safety laws.

“When we researched the gun debate in America, we saw that it’s become almost impossible to have a thoughtful discussion about gun safety. What I love about Evolve is that they’re not about taking a side in that debate–they’re squarely focused on promoting personal decisions about gun safety.”

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Florida Eclipses Other States’ Paranoia Game

Trish

1 million

Number of concealed weapons permits Florida has handed out, as of Dec. 12, 2012, making it the number one gun-toting state — by far. The nearest contenders are Georgia, with 600,000 permits, Texas with 524,000, and Indiana with 420,000. Gun lobbyist Marion Hammer says the NRA and others will pressure the Florida legislature this session to pass “open carry” laws that will officially convert the state to the wild west by allowing the paranoid to walk around brandishing guns.