It's hard to argue with this kind of logic

I'm reading an AP story on a report published by a group called Mayors Against Illegal Guns. The upshot of the story is that a relatively small group of states, mostly located in the South and Appalachia, are net exporters of weapons used to commit crimes elsewhere in the country.

Now, i'm pretty much agnostic on most gun control stuff. To a large extent, it's a dead issue, and certainly the idea of running a campaign on a platform of making it more difficult to own guns has been shown to be a loser. I think liberals and progressives have come to understand that. (It would be equally worth while for gun rights advocates to come to understand that there might be some benefit to regulating the presence of handguns, automatic weapons, and other people killing devices in high population, urban settings, but that's another story.)

Here's the part i like the best:

South Carolina Rep. Mike Pitts, an ardent gun rights supporter, said the state's high ranking doesn't surprise him. He recalled a burglary at his home, saying the thief stole about a dozen of his guns.

"It's not our lax gun laws. It's our high crime rate that causes the problems," said the Laurens Republican, a retired police officer and a National Assembly of Sportsmen's Caucuses committee member. "What's happening is people break into my home, steal my guns and get a premium price by taking it to other states and selling them."

Emphasis mine.

One of the arguments constantly being made in favor of "lax gun laws" is the deterrent effect they supposedly have on crime. Criminals are theoretically less likely to act if they have reason to believe their intended victims might have superior firepower. Pitts pretty much, unintentionally, i assume, puts the lie to that idea in two ways. First, by acknowledging the "high crime rate" that accompanies his state's lax gun laws. And second, by acknowledging his personal contribution to both the rate of crime in his community ("people break into my home, steal my guns") and in the communities where his weapons stash is resold.

It gets better:

A spokesman for South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, who signed a bill removing the one-a-month limit on how many handguns a person can buy, said state laws are not the problem.

"We think we have adequate controls in place," said Joel Sawyer. "Unfortunately, criminals are always going to find a way to circumvent the process."

You keep using the word "adequate." I do not think that word means what you think it does. Criminals, of course, are always going to be around. Does it follow, though, that the response our leaders should have is to throw up their hands and say, "Shit, nothing we can do. No matter how much we try, we'll never get a handle on this."

I mean, you'r ethe governor, right? Shouldn't you be making an attempt to, you know, govern?

Continue reading It's hard to argue with this kind of logic

Huh?

Obama win triggers run on guns in many stores
Sales of rifles, pistols and ammo are surging in parts of the United States, as many gun owners fear President-elect Barack Obama's administration may seek to tighten ownership of certain weapons.

"The day after the election, I had many more calls than usual from people looking for semi-automatic rifles," said David Greenberg, the owner of the Second Amendment Family Gun Shop, in Bisbee, Arizona, who sold out of AR-15 rifles in recent days.

"There seems to be a fear they will be banned, and it's fairly likely," he added. "Obama and Biden are driven to eliminate firearms from the face of the country."

Read the rest.

A few weeks back, i interviewed Joe Bageant, author of Deer Hunting with Jesus, for my radio program. He was in town for an early production of an adaptation of his book that David Fellerath and Katja Hill are working on for ManBites Dog Theater. One of Joe's contentions is that liberals don't know how to talk to a certain portion of the American electorate, namely rural, working class white people (he calls them rednecks), with the consequence being that rednecks often vote against their own economic interests when they should be allies with liberals, whose policies on issues like health care and education will be of benefit.

Here's the deal. I don't recall hearing anyone during the just completed election cycle talking about gun control, restricting gun owners' rights, yadda yadda yadda. It simply wasn't an issue this time around. Even after the Supreme Court struck down the Washington DC ban on handguns. Even after an 8 year old killed himself firing an Uzi at a rifle range. Even after a convicted felon fired 29 rounds through a front door and took out a 12 year old trick-or-treater on Halloween and wounded his father and brother. Obama has spoken about "common sense" actions on guns, but it's clearly not going to be a priority for either his administration or the 111th Congress. So where's the fear and panic coming from? Is there a common sense argument against making automatic weapons available to convicted felons (and apparent paranoid nutcases) like the guy in Sumter who thinks that a kid walking up his steps is a robber who can only be defended against by emptying a clip through a door? Seriously, i'd like to hear how putting in some restrictions preventing this guy from having an Uzi would jeopardize the legitimate 2nd Amendment rights of most other American citizens.

But that's beside the point. Progressives have learned that talking about guns is a losing issue, so they're really not doing it. Why is it that some folks still hear that anyway, even though no one is, you know, actually saying it?

Continue reading Huh?

Just one of those things

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - A gunman wearing a jacket and tie wordlessly and randomly opened fire inside a Wendy's during the lunchtime rush Monday, killing a firefighter who'd gone back to fetch a missing meal toy for his child and wounding five others. He then turned the gun on himself.

"This was not a robbery. He didn't demand anything," said Paul Miller, a Palm Beach County sheriff's spokesman. "Looks like this was just another random shooting like we've seen around the United States."

The 42-year-old victim, a Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue lieutenant who was not in uniform, had met his wife and child at the restaurant, Deputy Fire-Rescue Chief Steve Delai said. The family had gotten their food and walked out, but the man returned because the free toy was missing from the kids' meal, he said.

The lieutenant, who had been promoted in January and was on his break from new officers' training at a building down the street, was shot in the back as he stood at the counter, Delai said.

Continue reading Just one of those things

Scary

From my alma mater:

I just received a text message, followed by a voicemail, from the Stony Brook University alert system, passing on word of a report of an armed perpetrator on the University's academic mall.

More here, but also lacking in any details. This kind of thing, sadly, is becoming more and more a part of the normal media landscape. It's really unbelievable that the best we can do is shrug our shoulders and hope it doesn't happen to anyone we know.

UPDATE: So far, so good.

Update:
University and Suffolk County Police have conducted an extensive search of the Stony Brook University Main Campus and have determined that there is no longer an immediate threat to the Campus Community. Police have issued an all-clear to continue normal classes and activities. University and Suffolk County Police are continuing with increased patrols throughout campus.

Continue reading Scary