AndyS

AndyS's Journal

March 3, 2022

Remember that guy who shot his three children?

The Sacramento man who killed his daughters had been barred from possessing a weapon. He shot them anyway. The Los Angeles Times has more on the father who killed three of his own children in a church on Monday while seeing them under supervision. The man was under a restraining order by the mother of his children for years of abuse, and was reportedly told in court documents that he was not allowed to possess a gun. Police are still investigating the shooting, but a local domestic violence advocate told the Times it was an all-too-common story. “It is left to an honor system [to surrender guns] with a person who has already hurt or threatened a partner being relied upon to abide by the law,” said Julie Bornhoeft. “It is a flawed system.”

Link

A flawed system? Really? Are reasonable people supposed to expect a man who beats his wife to have honor?

Considering that 70 women are shot and killed EVERY MONTH by a domestic partner this should be low hanging fruit. This can be fixed. RESOURCES

March 2, 2022

Sandy Hook vs Remington, tying it all together.

First, in this time of worldwide tumult over the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the incredible courage those people have displayed, let me say that some might see my mission of anti gun violence here as trivial and I struggle with taking attention away from that awe inspiring display of bravery against overwhelming odds. However I think we can walk AND chew gum. My struggle, also against death and misery, continues.
. . . . . . . .

The Sandy Hook settlement, a verdict in effect if not in law, has held a gun maker accountable for the mayhem their behavior has caused. What has it shown us and what will it mean for the future of the Gun Culture? Bear with me as I meander through my convoluted thoughts.

There is a thing called Toxic Masculinity. It may be seen as a form of Testosterone Poisoning. Ironically it is a manifestation of the very absence of what masculinity should mean; strength, self esteem and comfort in one's own skin. How and why it infests our culture is for psychologists to explore but it does exist and it is at the heart of what happened at Sandy Hook Elementary school on December 14, 2012 and continues nearly a thousand times a day every day. https://www.beaconjournal.com/story/opinion/columns/guest/2022/02/28/sandy-hook-families-right-highlight-remington-gun-advertisement/6938452001/

What the Sandy Hook law suit showed us is that the gun makers know what Toxic Masculinity is and how to market to that segment of damaged and susceptible young men. Thousands of pages of marketing strategy will be made public but what we have been shown so far is damning at best. The Gun Industry has abused their customers.

As a result of the Sandy Hook settlement states are enacting laws similar to the Connecticut law that allow civil suits against companies that promote products in a harmful way creating a “public nuisance”. There are doors opening to make gun makers and sellers accountable thanks to the almost ten year long ordeal the families of Sandy Hook endured. Those of us in the gun violence movement owe these enduring families a debt that is beyond payment. President Biden took a moment in his State of the Union speech to call for the repeal of the PLCAA. Please make it so with your calls, letters, emails and political contributions.

All through their search for justice in the names of the children and educators taken in that five minutes of terror the parents were attacked by the Gun Culture. The likes of Alex Jones's Info Wars and Gun Owners of America accused them of being crisis actors in a conspiracy to take the guns away. A more passive/aggressive method was to solicit sympathy for the poor plaintiffs being milked dry by the evil lawyers. Now that the suit is settled it can be known that the lead council was working on Contingency, only being paid IF they prevailed and spending millions of dollars over 9 years in the pursuit of justice for the families. In addition to that more than 20 other law firms contributed up to 100 hours each of Pro Bono support to the case. https://www.legalexaminer.com/editors-pick/what-does-the-sandy-hook-settlement-mean-for-future-gun-manufacturer-lawsuits/

How has the Gun Culture reacted to the Sandy Hook victory over the Gun Vultures? One of my favorite sites, Ammoland, is in denial over the whole case. One of the things gunners do is parse words and twist language to find a way to make reality fit into their own alternate universe. In this case the article postulates that the Gun company Remington did not lose the case but rather because the company no longer exists (due to bankruptcy forced by the law suit) it was only a loss and a condemnation of the INSURANCE companies that covered the now defunct gun maker. This is the depth of indoctrination you deal with when attempting to engage gunners. They have been deceived and manipulated for so long they no longer have a firm footing in Earth 1. ttps://www.ammoland.com/2022/02/remington-did-not-settle-sandy-hook-lawsuit/#axzz7MOYnymdX

You've seen my plea for action before and are probably tired of following the link but please take action. It works and your voice, joined with ten thousand others, will be heard. RESOURCES

March 1, 2022

120

---the number of murder-suicides so far this year, according to Gun Violence Archive. In the latest tragic case, a father with a restraining order against him walked into a Sacramento church and fatally shot three of his own children and another adult before killing himself during what appeared to be a supervised visit.

Children's ages: 9, 10 and 13. Shooter's age 39. Female adult supervisor's age not listed.

https://www.abc10.com/article/news/crime/church-shooting-sacramento/103-c8bbfdcb-0826-4c2e-a194-43ec7aea3daf

February 25, 2022

Every 7 hours

— how often, on average, an American teenager took their own life with a gun from 2019 through 2020
The Trace email news letter

February 22, 2022

From the be careful what you ask for file.

California legislators introduce bill to enforce state assault weapons ban by letting private citizens sue gunmakers. On Friday, state Democratic lawmakers and Governor Gavin Newsom made good on their earlier pledge to model a pro-gun reform bill off Texas’ new statute that bans most abortions by outsourcing enforcement to private citizens. The California bill would let people seek a court order to curb the spread of assault weapons and recover at least $10,000 in damages for each gun. Gun rights groups pledged to challenge the measure in court should it become law. A federal judge struck down California’s assault weapons ban last June, though a federal appeals court ruled that the law should remain in place while appeals are being litigated.

From The Trace email newsletter

February 21, 2022

As February draws to a close there have been

10,579 people shot.
198 unintentional shootings.
144 children under the age of 11 shot.
And wait for it . . . . 143 good guys with a gun, aka defensive uses.

There have also been about 140 women shot by intimate partners. Which leads me to the renewal of the Violence Against Women Act. In a compromise to get enough republicans to vote for it a key provision was removed. Known as the 'boyfriend loophole' it would prosecute unmarried dating partners the same as a spouse. Apparently if he isn't actually actually married to her he can just beat the shit out the bitch when she won't shut up. In return the bill now includes a provision to notify police of who and when someone is denied a gun because they can't pass a background check.

Wait, what? Gun sellers aren't required to report a crime committed during an attempted gun purchase?? WTF! Owners aren't required to report a lost or stolen guns either. Seems republicans think the poor gunner has suffered enough, after all he just lost his gun! There are about 150,000 guns reported lost or stolen every year and there is no federal mandate to report them. Who really knows how many guns enter the black market every year.

It is like this because the gun industry seized control of enough legislators to turn the voter's will on it's head. Nearly 40% of voters want stricter gun regulation and only 9% want less (the rest are like: Meh, who cares?).

Nothing is going to change until we play by the gunner rules; Money talks, voters walk. We have to out bid the gun lobby.

Join me and do something about it: Resources

February 15, 2022

Ya' can't fix something you know nothing about.

From the Trace newsletter email:

In 2017, a novel study estimated that shootings were the least researched topic among the top 30 causes of death in the United States. In one particularly striking example, it estimated that gun violence research between 2004 and 2015 received 0.7 percent as much funding as research on sepsis, which killed about the same number of people. While public health issues like motor vehicle accidents, influenza and pneumonia, and Alzheimer's get millions of dollars of investments from both public and private sources, researchers interested in gun violence have had to jump through hoops including an effective federal funding ban and intense scrutiny from political leaders.

A Young Scientist Compared Gun Deaths to Other Leading Causes, and Found a Billion Dollar Research Deficit
How David Stark put a number to the knowledge gap surrounding fatal shootings.

link

I've seen everything in the world blamed for gun violence and the devastation it leaves behind. Video games, poverty, gangs, drugs, the pandemic and just about everything under the sun. Yet we really don't know how to deal with 90 people a day being shot. It costs the US $280 Billion a year yet we spend next to nothing finding out how to stop it.

It's politics clear and simple. The gun industry does not want us to know how to stop gun violence because it will decrease sales. Fear sells guns and gun violence stokes fear. The gun industry has been buying legislators for 50 years. ALEC and the ILA (legislative arm of the NRA) write laws and hand them to politicians to put into practice. ALEC wrote the first Stand Your Ground law and got it passed in 25 states.

If anything is to change we have to play their game. BUY politicians. Contribute to a gun violence prevention group of your choice.

February 8, 2022

From the mouths of babes . . .

Take a Positive Stand: resources

February 7, 2022

DOJ releases 50 years of mass shooting data.

Public Mass Shootings: Database Amasses Details of a Half Century of U.S. Mass Shootings with Firearms, Generating Psychosocial Histories
A troubled past and leaked plans are common to those who take part in mass shootings. Most use handguns, NIJ-supported research shows.

https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/public-mass-shootings-database-amasses-details-half-century-us-mass-shootings

Like most DOJ reports it's kinda dry reading but there are some highlights:

Persons who committed public mass shootings in the U.S. over the last half century were commonly troubled by personal trauma before their shooting incidents, nearly always in a state of crisis at the time, and, in most cases, engaged in leaking their plans before opening fire. Most were insiders of a targeted institution, such as an employee or student. Except for young school shooters who stole the guns from family members, most used legally obtained handguns in those shootings.

77% of those who engaged in mass shootings purchased at least some of their guns legally, while illegal purchases were made by 13% of the perpetrators.

The findings support safe storage of guns. Yet, the researchers noted that there are no federal laws requiring safe storage of guns, and no federal standards for firearm locks. The data also support “red flag” laws permitting law enforcement or family members to petition a state court to order temporary removal of a firearm from a person who presents a danger.

What surprises me is that about half of the shooters broadcast their intentions and nobody did anything about it! Of course that's made more difficult by the fact that only 19 states (and DC) have red flag laws and one state, Oklahoma, has an Anti Red Flag law. In the states that have red flag laws police and courts are often un-informed of their existence or are unwilling to enforce them. How about that, more than half the states have no recourse even if someone knows of a pending mass shooting and the states that do often treat warnings with 'meh'.

It doesn't have to be this way. GVPedia.org researched political donations by state by pro&anti regulation groups. In states where anti violence spending exceeded gun rights spending there was a 44% success in passing anti violence laws resulting in about a 5% decrease in gun deaths. It can be done. Now is a critical time to give. The gun industry has had 50 years to buy politicians and we have just passed the 10 year mark. Momentum is building and every $5 counts.

Do something: resources

February 6, 2022

As of today, February 5, 2022

There have been 4122 people shot in the united states since the new year started.

2% were shot in defensive use incidents.

That matches the 2% that were children under the age of 11.

It's far less than the 3% that were 'unintentional shootings'.

Can someone tell me again how safe guns make you?

It doesn't have to be this way: link

https://www.gunviolencearchive.org/

Profile Information

Gender: Male
Hometown: Pelican Bay, TX 76020
Home country: United States
Current location: home
Member since: Thu Jan 20, 2005, 02:07 PM
Number of posts: 14,559

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