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[gejohnston]

24. my last post of the year

but nothing about the 30,000 who die each and every year by guns.

In 2011 there were 16,238 homicides in the US, 11K with firearms. Most of those are concentrated in a few areas of major cities because of the drug war. 77 percent of the murder victims are men 90 percent of that 77 are shot. Not true with women. 17 percent of female murder victims are shot. There were 40,600 suicides, 52 percent by firearm. If there were no guns, there would still be 40,600 suicides, just no gun suicides. I care about all 52K of them. To me, they are all tragic and equally unfortunate. To people like Bloomberg, those shot are bloody shirts to wave in front of cameras for his own political power and culture war. The rest are statistics. I have no interest in power or culture war. In fact, I detest culture warriors, especially when they declare war on mine.

I may have allergies because of Monsanto, but my neighbors 9 year old never will. He's six feet under at the hands of his
father, a responsible gun owner until he was 60.

It doesn't sound like he was responsible does he? If it falls under what the CDC calls and accident, he was one of 62. Compare that number with the number of people who successfully defend themselves each year.

Speaking of Monsanto, here in CO we're fighting to expose GMO's. Spent two hours on the phone listening to sponsors of the bill and the many questions and comments from callers. It was very informative - can't say that about guns, because the NRA and their talking points get repeated over and over and over,

Here is the real truth. Monsanto (and gun control organizations) are corporate top bottom throw money and buy ad time. It isn't the NRA, it is the many grassroots groups and gun owners who don't like being scapegoated for political corruption and police incompetence in the cities. In the recall election, all of the opposing ad were purchased by out of state billionaires like Bloomberg. The other side, the NRA gave a fraction of one of Bloomberg's personal checks but the rest were grass roots. MDA is a fiction created by a PR firm headed by a former Monsanto head of public relations. There are some facebook followers, but nobody who puts their money or time where their mouth is. Bloomberg's coalition of mayors? They lose an average 5-7 a year to the criminal justice system.

while people like me get shouted down and even threatened online, even on so called Democratic sites, like DU.

I have never seen you threatened here. I have seen "antis" try to shout down "pros" in every forum I have been to.

Seems Colorado cares more about keeping people alive and healthy and many people are furious about that.

What really happened was a few politicians took Bloomberg's money and ignored the wishes of their constituents. Politicians who do that and do the "I know better than you" kind of arrogance and refuse to listen to the people in the districts deserve being fired. I don't care what their party is or if I agree with them or not. They should have been fired and were. I would prefer they be replaced by other Democrats, but that is the system.

In an other post, you mentioned organic pot. How much of that pot is grown by peaceful tax paying growers in Colorado and how much is soaked in blood? No, the corrupt oligarchs in Mexico have no fucking business lecturing us about our gun laws. How much is from out of state by the tie dyed Kochs? When I go hiking, yes I carry. The pepper spray is for the bears.
Edit to add:

I will continue to worry about my safety and especially my son who works for touring band. They spend a lot of time in states where guns are everywhere.

Statistically, he is safer in those states. He is also less likely to be killed with a gun in those states. For example, 2 of Vermont's 8 murders were with a gun. In Wyoming, 5 out of 14, four were with bare hands.
http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2012/crime-in-the-u.s.-2012/tables/20tabledatadecpdf