The problem with the gun culture, including the problem with the philosophy of people with guns taking action themselves instead of through established authority like law enforcement. Authority, which is accountable publicly and legally, is required to act as unemotionally as possible in ways which consider situations rationally.
Shoot first laws allow people to take action against others directly, often with little knowledge of law and less restraint. People who have guns believe they can use them not only to shoot bad guys committing crimes, but then that becomes a sense of justification for pretty flimsy or imaginary threats as well. From there it is a very short step to feeling empowered and justified in shooting people over real or imagined wrongs, from significant losses to the most minor loss of face.
We see this daily in people bringing guns to schools to shoot people who have harassed teens; we see it in people bringing guns into bars to settle silly rivalries and conflicts. We see it in adults who should know better, both with and without the contribution of alcohol impairing judgment, who commit the frequent murder/suicides. We saw that just recently with the 15 year old boy in New Mexico who took his father's firearms, including the ubiquitous AR 15, and shot his mother because he was frustrated with her, his brother because he wouldn't stop screaming at the sight of his shot-up mother, and his two little sisters who were crying because of the gun fire in their house in the middle of the night. He then planned to kill his 12 year old girlfriend's parents, followed by plans to shoot up a nearby Walmart where he expected to die in a shootout with police. And there was the recent shooting of his estranged wife by a man on the front steps of his in-laws on the occasion of his daughter's 16th birthday party, after which he . Those horrible acts made SENSE to these people, they believed they were doing something not just right, but often the see as heroic, and that firearms empowered them to act on an innate right. There is an inherent sense of justification and entitlement that is horribly subjective, and therefore too easily distorted and exaggerated by emotions that eradicate their judgment.
Here is another example, from the Eugene, OR area where a parent attended a high school sporting event, and then posted to Facebook seriously inappropriate references to shooting, because like the 15 year old in New Mexico, he was frustrated. I think it is a reasonable conclusion that sharing his idea on social media was with the expectation of approval and support from his friends and followers. A HuffPo update indicates the bad dad is banned from not one but two school districts' property. I'm sure his child /children are mortified.
From KVAL.com:
School: Frustrated parent posts alarming Facebook message
MOUNT VERNON, Wash. - A Washington man who threatened to shoot up
schools if his gun rights were taken away after the Connecticut school
massacre was sentenced Thursday to three months in jail.
The Skagit Valley Herald reports 19-year-old Korry Martinson of Sedro-Woolley pleaded guilty to felony harassment in an unusual plea agreement with prosecutors.
If a mental health evaluation indicates he could pose a danger to the community, the plea will remain. But, if the evaluation yields no concerns for future behavior, he could withdraw his felony plea and plead guilty to gross misdemeanor harassment instead.
The Sedro-Woolley case is separate from a similar case in Camas, Wash. in which a man posted he hoped a school would be shot up after a high school basketball game. That man, Jeff Berni, 39, apologized and did not face charges.
Martinson made the threat on Facebook on Dec. 14, the same day as the mass school shooting in Newtown, Conn.
Both of these facebook postings may have just been empty threats, but they were made because of a deeply held belief about guns that is the foundation of our epic gun culture failure - that individuals can take up guns to right what they perceive to be wrongs done to them as a natural extension of a right to self-defense. They see that self-defense as being more than shooting someone who is trying to kill you when you're backed into a physical corner, as a last resort.
We see it in those bellicose and belligerent representatives of far right wing law enforcement, who should know better if they carry a badge and a gun, and we see it in the irresponsible rantings of individuals like Ted Nugent, board member of the NRA.
This is not the way people in other countries think of firearms, and there is no indication whatsoever that this was the attitude or belief of our founding fathers in drafting either the Declaration of Independence of the articles of confederation, or the U.S. Constitution. That thinking has no valid root in law, or in reason. It is entirely emotional, and it is what underlies our problem with violence, not games, not movies, not song lyrics, not sex, not television, not drugs or mental health care. It is a set of emotional false assumptions that is the underlying, foundational problem.
And there is no larger personification of that problem than ol' draft dodger coward and loud mouth, and accused pedophile Ted, from the Daily Caller :
Shoot first laws allow people to take action against others directly, often with little knowledge of law and less restraint. People who have guns believe they can use them not only to shoot bad guys committing crimes, but then that becomes a sense of justification for pretty flimsy or imaginary threats as well. From there it is a very short step to feeling empowered and justified in shooting people over real or imagined wrongs, from significant losses to the most minor loss of face.
We see this daily in people bringing guns to schools to shoot people who have harassed teens; we see it in people bringing guns into bars to settle silly rivalries and conflicts. We see it in adults who should know better, both with and without the contribution of alcohol impairing judgment, who commit the frequent murder/suicides. We saw that just recently with the 15 year old boy in New Mexico who took his father's firearms, including the ubiquitous AR 15, and shot his mother because he was frustrated with her, his brother because he wouldn't stop screaming at the sight of his shot-up mother, and his two little sisters who were crying because of the gun fire in their house in the middle of the night. He then planned to kill his 12 year old girlfriend's parents, followed by plans to shoot up a nearby Walmart where he expected to die in a shootout with police. And there was the recent shooting of his estranged wife by a man on the front steps of his in-laws on the occasion of his daughter's 16th birthday party, after which he . Those horrible acts made SENSE to these people, they believed they were doing something not just right, but often the see as heroic, and that firearms empowered them to act on an innate right. There is an inherent sense of justification and entitlement that is horribly subjective, and therefore too easily distorted and exaggerated by emotions that eradicate their judgment.
Here is another example, from the Eugene, OR area where a parent attended a high school sporting event, and then posted to Facebook seriously inappropriate references to shooting, because like the 15 year old in New Mexico, he was frustrated. I think it is a reasonable conclusion that sharing his idea on social media was with the expectation of approval and support from his friends and followers. A HuffPo update indicates the bad dad is banned from not one but two school districts' property. I'm sure his child /children are mortified.
From KVAL.com:
School: Frustrated parent posts alarming Facebook message
CAMAS, Wash. - Frustrated after a Tuesday
basketball game between the Camas and Skyview boys teams, a parent
posted a message on Facebook, saying “I hope someone shoots up the
(Camas) school real soon.”
Notified by the school, police are now investigating the parent, officials said Wednesday.
The man, identified as a parent of a Skyview High School player, posted the Facebook status update sometime after the Tuesday evening game.
The post followed a confrontation between the man and a group of students as he was leaving the gym, said Josh Gibson, Camas School District’s athletic director.
“He flipped kids off. He had some negative reaction” about the game, Gibson said. “Exactly what is said, we don’t know.”
After the game, when most of the players were outside or in the locker room, a parent showed Gibson the post on a phone.
The post said: “Camas fans!!!!! Worst in the league!!!!! I hope someone shoots up their school real soon!!!!!!!!”
Gibson said Camas police, Vancouver Public Schools and the Clark County Sheriff’s Office are all taking part in deciding how to best handle the situation.
Deputies interviewed the man and his son on Wednesday and they both gave statements, said Clark County sheriff's Sgt. Fred Neiman.
It’s not yet clear if the parent will face any charges.
Neiman said he anticipates some type of action would be taken.
"We in law enforcement cannot afford to ignore them," Neiman said regarding references to shootings.
Gibson said the situation was especially alarming in light of the recent shootings across the nation.
“I think when you look at the things that have been going on recently with shootings, I think that it’s just unfortunate that a comment like that is thrown out,” he said. “There’s an emotional response to it.”
and this equally ill-advised notion about gun violence posted on social media, also from KVAL:
Wash. man sentenced for Facebook threat to 'shoot up' schools
Notified by the school, police are now investigating the parent, officials said Wednesday.
The man, identified as a parent of a Skyview High School player, posted the Facebook status update sometime after the Tuesday evening game.
The post followed a confrontation between the man and a group of students as he was leaving the gym, said Josh Gibson, Camas School District’s athletic director.
“He flipped kids off. He had some negative reaction” about the game, Gibson said. “Exactly what is said, we don’t know.”
After the game, when most of the players were outside or in the locker room, a parent showed Gibson the post on a phone.
The post said: “Camas fans!!!!! Worst in the league!!!!! I hope someone shoots up their school real soon!!!!!!!!”
Gibson said Camas police, Vancouver Public Schools and the Clark County Sheriff’s Office are all taking part in deciding how to best handle the situation.
Deputies interviewed the man and his son on Wednesday and they both gave statements, said Clark County sheriff's Sgt. Fred Neiman.
It’s not yet clear if the parent will face any charges.
Neiman said he anticipates some type of action would be taken.
"We in law enforcement cannot afford to ignore them," Neiman said regarding references to shootings.
Gibson said the situation was especially alarming in light of the recent shootings across the nation.
“I think when you look at the things that have been going on recently with shootings, I think that it’s just unfortunate that a comment like that is thrown out,” he said. “There’s an emotional response to it.”
and this equally ill-advised notion about gun violence posted on social media, also from KVAL:
Wash. man sentenced for Facebook threat to 'shoot up' schools
MOUNT VERNON, Wash. - A Washington man who threatened to shoot up
schools if his gun rights were taken away after the Connecticut school
massacre was sentenced Thursday to three months in jail.The Skagit Valley Herald reports 19-year-old Korry Martinson of Sedro-Woolley pleaded guilty to felony harassment in an unusual plea agreement with prosecutors.
If a mental health evaluation indicates he could pose a danger to the community, the plea will remain. But, if the evaluation yields no concerns for future behavior, he could withdraw his felony plea and plead guilty to gross misdemeanor harassment instead.
The Sedro-Woolley case is separate from a similar case in Camas, Wash. in which a man posted he hoped a school would be shot up after a high school basketball game. That man, Jeff Berni, 39, apologized and did not face charges.
Martinson made the threat on Facebook on Dec. 14, the same day as the mass school shooting in Newtown, Conn.
Both of these facebook postings may have just been empty threats, but they were made because of a deeply held belief about guns that is the foundation of our epic gun culture failure - that individuals can take up guns to right what they perceive to be wrongs done to them as a natural extension of a right to self-defense. They see that self-defense as being more than shooting someone who is trying to kill you when you're backed into a physical corner, as a last resort.
We see it in those bellicose and belligerent representatives of far right wing law enforcement, who should know better if they carry a badge and a gun, and we see it in the irresponsible rantings of individuals like Ted Nugent, board member of the NRA.
This is not the way people in other countries think of firearms, and there is no indication whatsoever that this was the attitude or belief of our founding fathers in drafting either the Declaration of Independence of the articles of confederation, or the U.S. Constitution. That thinking has no valid root in law, or in reason. It is entirely emotional, and it is what underlies our problem with violence, not games, not movies, not song lyrics, not sex, not television, not drugs or mental health care. It is a set of emotional false assumptions that is the underlying, foundational problem.
And there is no larger personification of that problem than ol' draft dodger coward and loud mouth, and accused pedophile Ted, from the Daily Caller :
Ted Nugent, the 64-year-old rock star and NRA board member, unloaded his opinion on current Gun Control measures, America’s elected leaders and gun-free zones to the team at Guns.com while at the annual SHOT show.
The SHOT show, which is being held this year in Las Vegas, is the nation’s largest shooting industry trade show, with approximately 60,000 attendees.
Nugent was a veritable gun-rights quote machine at the event.
“If you want another Concord Bridge, I’ve got some buddies,” he said. “Anyone who questions the most basic fundamental right of self-defense is a dangerous, freedom threatening, scary person that we must beat down.”
On gun free zones: “What kind of subhuman mongrel would want more of that?”
On the New York gun control measure: “When you are forced into unarmed helplessness, and your firepower is restricted, then evil will do with you what they want to do with you.” (RELATED: New York gun law mistakenly bans cops from carrying most of their weapons)
On more gun laws: “The psychotic murder in Newtown, Conn. broke 41 laws – how insane do you have to be to think the 42nd law would have had any effect on this madman? If you listen to Mike Bloomberg framing the Second Amendment as a deer hunting issue – this is bizzaro world. He’s got to be the dumbest upright species in the history of breathing creatures. What kind of idiot thinks that our Founding Fathers were protecting deer hunting?”If I had to choose between the informed opinion of the very intelligent and well educated Mayor Bloomberg, and the under-educated rocker and wing nut Ted Nugent, I'd take hiszzoner the Mayor's opinion, every time. Because while Bloomberg is arguably a boring guy in a suit, of the two Bloomberg represents maturity and self control and an intelligent attitude involving critical thinking compared to the emotional replacement for thinking proffered by Nugent. Unfortunately - too many people who use emotional judgment have guns, and they make the erroneous and unethical, immoral decisions based on our flawed gun culture that is based on those flawed, wrong assumptions. So long as those false assumptions, and the prevalence of emotional thinking prevails, we will have threats of violence, wishes for violence, enjoyment of violence, and acceptance of violence. We need to grow up and to repudiate these dangerous, deadly notions.
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