November 27, 2003

• All in all he seems a reasonable advocate of gun ownership rights and the fight against racism. From the site: Some have been conditioned to fear the black man, the "Negro" or a male of African descent. When you add the word "GUN" to it -- you can make a headline. We can’t make our neighborhoods safer with our head in the sand and waiting for the "MAN" to protect us. I don't agree with the NAACP on gun control. We can’t get different outcomes doing the same old things.
• [from the site:] A gun has as many uses as a pair of woman
• I was driving through Texas some months ago listening to a talk radio DJ (Texas talk radio is an amazing thing) Unfortunately, I cannot remember his name, but he was a New York lawyer whose show was essentially answering the gun law questions of real T-for-Texas types. One such question came from a truck driver whose route routinely took him through, as he stated it, "neighborhoods where no white boy should be". His problem was that Texas state law forbids him from having a gun in his commerical vehicle. His proposed solution was to carry a flare gun, which is categorized differently. Anyway, The host gently reminded him that the neighborhood of which he speak was probably more dangerous for blacks than for whites given the slower 911 response to black queries and the more common instigation of investigation following black on white crime. Thisis a huge issue, worth raising. Blanchard is a wacko though, and the assertion that "All the laws on the books haven
• I'm really hoping that as a country we can step out of the guns = safety and guns = liberty paradigms sooner rather than later. Guns do not make us safer. More guns in homes mean more people get shot dead. Guns do not make us free. Someone else has more firepower than you do. Your government has more firepower than you do. And so what? Eventually we run out of people to kill and then what? Is anything solved? Are we any closer to resolving big issues? It seems to me the only issue solved is who has the most firepower.
• From the site:
• As a kid, my summer camp had the usual activities, plus BB guns and rifles- BBs for the little kids, rifles for the 12+ crowd. I had the reputation of being absolutely the worst shot in the entire camp. On the BB range (in the basement of the chapel, no less) other kids would wind up with extra holes in their targets, while mine would show no signs of having been shot at whatsoever. When I got old enough to graduate to rifles, the camp counselors saw me coming and said "oh, ummm, say, wouldn't you rather go to crafts instead?" When it comes to self defense, I'll stick with the bit of karate I know, and my dog, if he happens to be around. Neither one will be taken away and used against me. In any case, if you look for things to be fearful of, you'll find them, whether or not they are really there. I don't want to live that way.
• I've never held a gun, let alone fired one. That's my personal choice. I don't put myself in positions where someone might suggest that a gun would keep me safe. Although I can't stand Mike Moore, I appreciate a lot of the points he made in "Bowling For Columbine" - particularly the main point that US society is a fearful one, leading people to mistakenly believe that they need a gun to protect themselves when they don't. Statements such as "The police aren't obligated to protect you" only add to the fear unnecessarily. I guess in summary I'm saying that I don't like guns, I'm not about to preach to other people about my dislike but I do think this guy is adding to the fear.
• I don't know where in DC this fellow lives, but I do know that there are areas there where I'd want one, in spite of my feelings that they cause more problems than they solve. On the other hand, "People that openly blame mechanical devices for crime, low self-esteem poverty, and drug abuse will have a hard time with me. I stand in defiance of people that have admittedly lost all common sense when they know:..." I think those of us who are gun-shy would think he's putting the cart before the horse. I, at least, blame crime and the rest of it for the feeling that one needs a gun to be safe in some places. Most of the places I've lived in the US made me feel safe enough to not even have to lock my door, but that has to be because I don't live in either a poverty-stricken or a rich neighborhood. Yes, I'm white, and probably priveleged, but I've never blamed mechanical devices for causing the problems he's talking about. And: "1. All the laws on the books haven
• I really can't see why this guy is any more an example of a gun safety guru than the KKK guy. It was more tongue in cheek than anything. However, he seems to have more GUN sense, i.e. if I shoot upward, something comes down, than the KKK people. As for common sense? I think his writings are clear enough on that as everyone else has pointed out.
• well said, path
• ... school...
• >P
• SHOO!
• I need to find out how this turns out. Out. Out.
• getting d i z z y /clunk