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You are here: Home / Archives for Politics / Guns / Gun nuts

Gun nuts

Look Ma, a Metaphor

by John Cole|  December 11, 20197:43 pm| 121 Comments

This post is in: Gun nuts

America, fuck yeah:

Video footage shows the moment two women buying a rifle failed to notice a baby falling off the shop counter.

The customers can be seen admiring the gun inside a pawn shop while the infant sits on top of the glass counter beside them.

But while they are busy talking to each other, the shop assistant behind the counter leaps forward and tries to grab the baby as it slowly topples head-first towards the ground.

Luckily store manager Bill Reel noticed the child seemed “unsteady” and raced forward to catch it just before it hit the concrete floor.

The younger woman can be seen clutching her hand to her chest in shock as the father-of-four hands the baby to the other woman, believed to be the grandmother.

A little heavy-handed as far as metaphors go, but I’ll allow it.

This kid has no fucking chance they should just allow the clerk to keep it.

Look Ma, a MetaphorPost + Comments (121)

Late Night Open Thread: When Narwhal Tusks Are Outlawed…

by Anne Laurie|  December 2, 201910:52 pm| 69 Comments

This post is in: Gun nuts, Open Threads, United Kingdom, War on Terror, Riveted By The Sociological Significance Of It All

I’m not even mad at 2019’s screenwriters. I’m impressed. https://t.co/9v3i40rQbH

— Daniel W. Drezner (@dandrezner) November 30, 2019

Bloody foreigners. Coming over here, saving lives. https://t.co/0RrjlHap6N

— Nick Harvey (@mrnickharvey) November 30, 2019

honestly this is a better argument for giving everyone narwhal tusks than it is for making it easier for the terrorist to get an ar-15 like he could in the US https://t.co/GrajCpUz23

— John Cole (@Johngcole) December 1, 2019

also, you fucking moron

— John Cole (@Johngcole) December 1, 2019

… Actually, as far as I can tell from a cursory google search, because the narwhal is a protected species, only pre-1972 narwhal tusks are legal in the U.S. (The one spontaneously repurposed in London was a pub ornament, date of its collection unspecified.) And given the legal ones are hella pricey, there’d probably be fewer stories like this…

A 65-year-old Maine man who outfitted his home with a device designed to fire a handgun at anyone opening the front door unintentionally shot and killed himself on Thanksgiving night. https://t.co/z9N1nIanKa

— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) December 1, 2019


I’m not fond of unannounced drop-ins either, but jeez.

I’ll just leave this right here … pic.twitter.com/xVpIExGGVK

— Tyff ???? ???? ???? (@mojo_girl) December 1, 2019

Late Night Open Thread: When Narwhal Tusks Are Outlawed…Post + Comments (69)

Breaking: Shooting at Duncan, Oklahoma Wal-Mart

by Adam L Silverman|  November 18, 201911:52 am| 25 Comments

This post is in: America, Ammosexuals, Gun nuts, gun safety, Guns, Open Threads, Silverman on Security

There has been a shooting at the Wal-Mart in Duncan, Oklahoma.

Duncan Police Department have confirmed the suspect in this morning's Walmart shooting is dead. The Duncan Banner is meeting with DPD in 15 to 20 minutes for a media update. https://t.co/wyBzbYvXoj

— Duncan Banner (@DuncanBanner) November 18, 2019

There aren’t a lot of details available. Duncan is about 90 minutes south of Oklahoma City. The local police department doesn’t appear to have a Twitter account and the county sheriff’s office’s Twitter account is secured and not open to the public. The Duncan Banner, the local newspaper, has most of the available details:

Duncan Police Department have confirmed the suspect in this morning’s Walmart shooting is dead. It is confirmed three are dead, including the suspect.

District Attorney Jason Hicks is on the scene. He has confirmed the scene is contained and this is not an active shooter situation anymore.

The Duncan Banner is meeting with DPD in 15 to 20 minutes for a media update.

—

At approximately 9:54 a.m. calls on the police scanner indicated a shooting at Walmart with three down and suspect still at large. The suspect, according to DPD, is now dead.

Red River Tech is on lock down. Duncan Public Schools is on lock down as well. According to Tom Deighan with Duncan Public Schools, schools are on lockdown and school will continue as normal inside. The district says parents should not try to pick up their child at this time. Children will not be released because of the lockdown protocol.

It is unclear at this time how severe the injuries of the victims are. The Banner will update more as information becomes available. Please use caution when traveling in this area and be aware of law enforcement as they work to secure the scene.

The shooting has made the national cable news, which is how I heard about it, but there doesn’t appear to be video or even large scale local TV news coverage because of where Duncan is. As is almost always the case with these types of events, information is going to come out in fits and starts and will likely be adjusted and revised as new, better, and more accurate information becomes available.

Open thread!

Breaking: Shooting at Duncan, Oklahoma Wal-MartPost + Comments (25)

Breaking: Saugus High School Shooting

by Adam L Silverman|  November 14, 201911:32 am| 99 Comments

This post is in: Ammosexuals, Gun nuts, gun safety, Guns, Open Threads, Silverman on Security

Shooter at Saugus HS. Several injured. LASD resources on site and searching for suspect. Will be locking down area schools. Advise residents to shelter in place and report any suspicious activity

— Undersheriff Tim Murakami (@LASDMurakami) November 14, 2019

There’s been another school shooting. This time at Saugus High School in Santa Clarita, CA. The LA County Sheriffs Office is currently reporting 3 wounded dead. The other schools in the area are on lockdown as the shooter is still at large.

#LASD The following surrounding schools are on lock down Highlands Elementary and Rosedale Elementary in Santa Clarita Valley. https://t.co/unZtMYRrmG

— LA County Sheriffs (@LASDHQ) November 14, 2019

This is an active shooter situation. The suspect described to be a male Asian, black clothing is outstanding.

— SCV Sheriff (@SCVSHERIFF) November 14, 2019

AS A PRECAUTION, ALL SCHOOLS IN WILLIAM S HART DISTRICT ARE BEING PUT ON LOCKDOWN.

— SCV Sheriff (@SCVSHERIFF) November 14, 2019

Here’s the live feed from NBCLA Channel 4:

More to follow as it comes in.

Updated at 11:48 AM EST

This is still a very active situation. Reports of approximately 5 victims being treated. Parents, deputies are on scene everywhere protecting your children.

— SCV Sheriff (@SCVSHERIFF) November 14, 2019

.@LASDHQ tells us weapon was recovered. Unclear if shooter had any other weapons. Anyone near Saugus High School is told to lock doors, call 911 if you see someone suspicious #saugus #schoolshooting https://t.co/Y0c4z1I9Sa

— Adrian Arambulo (@AdrianNBCLA) November 14, 2019

And MSNBC’s Pete Williams has just reported is that law enforcement authorities have informed reporters that the suspect has been found and is no longer a threat, but he is unclear what “no longer a threat” means. And while there are five wounded, there are no fatalities, so that’s a revision.

LA County officials revising number of victims to three. #saugus #schoolshooting @NBCLA https://t.co/IYOmaEfqmn

— Adrian Arambulo (@AdrianNBCLA) November 14, 2019

Updated at 12:40 PM EST

I had to step away for a bit, but here are the most recent updates.

First, the number of victims has been revised again.

UPDATE: Six students are hospitalized after they were shot by a classmate at Santa Clarita's Saugus High School, sheriff says. https://t.co/S0aBKHeSD3 pic.twitter.com/1cEc1ocjAz

— NBC Los Angeles (@NBCLA) November 14, 2019

And the suspect has taken his own life.

UPDATE: Suspect in California high school shooting is dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, @PeteWilliamsNBC reports on @MSNBC.

— NBC News (@NBCNews) November 14, 2019

Update at 12:43 PM EST

The latest information on the suspect from the LA Sheriffs Office contradicts Pete Williams reporting that the suspect is dead.

Update regarding the shooting at #SaugusHigh, suspect is in custody and being treated at a local hospital.

— Alex Villanueva (@LACoSheriff) November 14, 2019

Pete Williams is correcting his reporting on air as I type this.

Update at 1:22 PM EST

The Henry Mayo Hospital also says there are two male victims in critical condition and one male victim in good condition. #NBCLA #saugushighshooting

— Rick Montanez (@RickNBCLA) November 14, 2019

Open thread!

Breaking: Saugus High School ShootingPost + Comments (99)

Russiagate Open Thread: Maria Butina Released from Federal Prison

by Anne Laurie|  October 25, 20194:12 pm| 118 Comments

This post is in: Foreign Affairs, Gun nuts, Open Threads, Republican Stupidity, Russia, Clap Louder!, Peak Wingnut Was a Lie!

David Clarke, Scott Walker and the Overstock-dot-com guy all Crocodile-Dundee-headwalking across caged asylum seekers, desperate to profess their love before she leaves. https://t.co/hVKEnMbrJw

— Zeddy (@Zeddary) October 25, 2019

Per NPR:

… The Russian national, who pleaded guilty late last year to conspiring to act as a clandestine foreign agent, was released Friday into the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Now she’s expected to be deported quickly back to Russia.

Her release closes a fraught chapter for Butina, who for months occupied a spotlight in the federal investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Prosecutors accused Butina of scheming to forge a connection between Moscow and the Trump administration, as well as several heavy hitters in the conservative political community — including officials at the National Rifle Association and the National Prayer Breakfast…

She still has at least one NRAphilic defender — “U.S. Rep for KY’s 4th District, Chairman 2nd Amdt Caucus, Political Science Denier”:

She served a ridiculously long sentence essentially for not filing the right paperwork. But now she is free. Sadly, she was jailed to satiate the rampant Russophobia in the US these days. We are better than this.https://t.co/ZNkKfD9wnP

— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) October 25, 2019

Russiagate Open Thread: Maria Butina Released from Federal PrisonPost + Comments (118)

Late Night Open Thread: Does Dan Crenshaw Have 30-50 Feral Friends?

by Anne Laurie|  September 5, 201911:35 pm| 37 Comments

This post is in: Gun nuts, Guns, Open Threads, Republican Stupidity, Republican Venality, Assholes

… is this a thing? … do grown-ass men pass around handguns out like PhD students do two-in-one slide-clicker-laser-pointers? https://t.co/uWZHnJ5F32

— Hilary Matfess (@HilaryMatfess) September 4, 2019

Oh Dan. You really caught the car on this one.

— Greg Pinelo (@gregpinelo) September 4, 2019

So Rep. Crenshaw doubled down, because OF COURSE…

Local man doesn’t know that background checks routinely successfully block gun purchases. https://t.co/BrE3RgtA3v

— The Hoarse Whisperer (@HoarseWisperer) September 5, 2019

Would you loan your car to someone with no license or insurance?

— Matthew Dowd (@matthewjdowd) September 4, 2019

dog i've spent my entire life in cities and i can't think of a scarier thing than a scared suburbanite who thinks they're rooster fuckin cogburn rolling up with a gun for "protection" as they quiver and shake with terror at the strange-looking people in the grocery store

— scuba chuck (@Fishfoode) September 5, 2019

As in something that's killing a lot of people so a few people can get rich? pic.twitter.com/ZkM2idcW0l

— Schooley (@Rschooley) September 4, 2019

show full post on front page

I'm from rural North Carolina and what he's saying is misleading. Yes, people very temporarily loan people guns for hunting (usually with the loaner present.) Unfortunately, people I know do not loan their guns to people who may not pass a background check.

— Ares (@AresStopell) September 5, 2019

Did You Know? In Texas they have Little Free Gun Libraries, where your neighbors can take and leave guns and build community and friendship https://t.co/ZyISGkmYyK

— Paul Szoldra (@PaulSzoldra) September 4, 2019

Despite 10 million fewer people, guns kill more people in Texas than California. TX Consistently leads nation in total gun deaths per year and has seen no less than 6 mass shootings with ten or more dead, 3 in just the last two years.

Gun nuts from Texas get to lecture NOBODY.

— Zeddy (@Zeddary) September 4, 2019

I can count on 1 hand the times I lent a gun to someone away from a range; I’d still have 5 fingers on that hand

I can’t count how many friends, most vets and gun owners, have asked me for help or advice in separating someone in a bad way from their guns

Is *that* real America? https://t.co/dfcAz5BJel

— Adam Weinstein (@AdamWeinstein) September 4, 2019

I had hoped you could bring some new perspective to the House, but now I see you have been paid off and are just another party hack. Congratulations. ??

How did you win your house seat again? Oh. That’s white. pic.twitter.com/yG2ZgJjifD

— Donald Stewart (@Dcstewart8) September 5, 2019

(Gerrymandered district looks like the silhouette of a guy wearing sound-blocking headphones… )

Late Night Open Thread: Does Dan Crenshaw Have 30-50 Feral Friends?Post + Comments (37)

Dan Crenshaw May Be the Dumbest Person on the Planet

by John Cole|  September 4, 20199:16 pm| 100 Comments

This post is in: Gun nuts

Situations like this story are why we protect the 2nd Amendment.

Side note: With universal background checks, I wouldn’t be able to let my friends borrow my handgun when they travel alone like this. We would make felons out of people just for defending themselves. https://t.co/x60mdd1WW1

— Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX) September 4, 2019

He said this. Out loud. For everyone to see. A member of congress is handing out guns to people who couldn’t pass a background check.

Dan Crenshaw May Be the Dumbest Person on the PlanetPost + Comments (100)

Senator Scott’s Amnesia

by Betty Cracker|  September 2, 201912:54 pm| 98 Comments

This post is in: Gun nuts, Guns, Open Threads, Politics, Republican Stupidity, Assholes, General Stupidity

Since joining the US Senate, former Florida Governor Rick Scott has tried to pass himself off as a DC outsider and non-pol with new ideas and a refreshing lack of allegiance to party orthodoxy. It’s bullshit of a particularly pungent variety that will be familiar to anyone who has followed his career.

Scott won the governorship during the country’s Astroturf tea party era using a similar ruse, casting himself as a businessman with fresh ideas. He was and remains a thoroughly corrupt fraudster who regards the $150 million-plus of his personal fortune he spent on his campaigns as an investment that will pay off when he redirects the flow of government contracts toward his businesses.

In other words, Scott is just as corrupt and craven as every other Republican politician, just wealthier than most. In yesterday’s Post, opinions editor James Downie identified how Scott is a chickenshit on gun control, just like a common Republican:

Appearing on the Sunday talk shows a day after another mass shooting left seven dead in Midland and Odessa, Tex., would Scott tout the bill he signed as an example to fellow Republicans that the NRA need not be feared? No. Instead, he was too scared of the NRA to even talk about much of the law that he himself signed…

Scott described “what we did in Florida” in similar terms on CNN’s “State of the Union,” as well as in an August op-ed for The Post: “The steps we took in Florida, in addition to committing $400 million to increasing school safety, included a ‘red flag’ provision.”

You might be thinking at this point, “That’s doesn’t sound like all that much.” But Scott himself left out many of the key changes the law made. It also banned bump stocks (which increase the rate of fire for semiautomatic weapons), implemented a three-day waiting period for firearm sales and raised the minimum age to purchase a rifle from 18 to 21. The latter change was significant enough that the NRA is suing over it, yet somehow it managed to slip Scott’s memory.

The truth is that after Parkland, then-Governor Scott and the Republican-majority statehouse would have been happy to do the NRA’s bidding as usual and sweep the latest massacre under the rug with “thoughts and prayers.” They’d done so after the Pulse nightclub massacre, which at the time was the single deadliest shooting spree in US history.

The difference in Florida was the Parkland survivors. They wouldn’t let the news cycle move on, and they were savvy enough to tie their protests to voter registration drives and political action.

Thanks to their efforts, for the first time in decades, Republican lawmakers in Florida feared backlash from disgusted citizens more than the NRA and gun nuts. That’s why meaningful gun safety laws were passed in the GOP-controlled legislature and signed by Scott.

Trump and the Republicans in Congress are right where Scott and the FL statehouse were when Emma González gave her “We Call BS” speech. They’re hoping media attention from this latest spate of massacres blows over so they won’t be pressured to restrict access to guns in any meaningful way. Scott is part of that effort, which is why he’s omitting key details about what happened in Florida.

The guns are the problem, but Republicans will do anything to avoid taking the obvious steps the rest of the developed world has taken to stop the carnage we Americans routinely endure. But why is this still the case, when the NRA is in a weakened state and public sentiment is clearly shifting?

Yesterday in comments, Kay highlighted one possible motive for this hysterical paralysis: If gun nuts belatedly admit that guns are the problem, that’s tantamount to admitting they were wrong to insist on unfettered access to firearms for decades and that people died as a result of that mistake. She described it as a “sunk cost” situation.

I think that’s true, and because it is, nothing will budge rank and file gun nuts from their reflexive defensiveness on guns. Their own part in enabling the massacres is simply too horrifying to admit the possibility.

But Republican politicians can be moved, as the actions on which Scott developed selective amnesia demonstrate. The Parkland survivors made Florida Republicans more fearful of backlash from voters than they were of the NRA. Nothing will change at the federal level until we replicate that on a national scale. I believe we will.

Senator Scott’s AmnesiaPost + Comments (98)

Fuck Greg Abbott With A Rusty Chainsaw

by John Cole|  September 1, 20193:09 pm| 149 Comments

This post is in: Gun nuts

The balls on this prick:

“I am heartbroken by the crying of the people in the state of Texas. I am tired of the dying of the people of Texas. Too many Texans are in mourning. Too many Texans have lost their lives. The status quo in Texas is unacceptable, and action is needed,” Abbott said.

Man, if only Governor Abbott were in a position to do something. He should probably talk to the fucking asshole who signed these bills:

A series of new firearm laws will go into effect in Texas on Sunday just hours after a shooting left five people dead in the western part of the state.

The laws will further loosen gun restrictions in a state that’s had four of the 10 deadliest mass shootings in modern US history. They will make it easier to have guns just a month after a shooter stormed a Walmart in El Paso and killed 22 people.

Eat a bag of dicks, you scumbag.

Fuck Greg Abbott With A Rusty ChainsawPost + Comments (149)

The Second Amendment is Again Waging War On The First: Alabama and Texas editions

by Tom Levenson|  August 31, 20197:45 pm| 84 Comments

This post is in: Ammosexuals, Gun nuts, Guns, Open Threads

Bouncing off of Adam’s post about the Odessa murders…

Last night a bunch of folks gathered together for some fun, a high school football game in Mobile, Alabama.  A teenager showed up with a gun and shot ten other kids.  By some astonishing good luck, no victims died.  Nine of them had to go to the hospital and six have been released from care already.  The shooter left the scene and turned himself in this morning.

So there you have it:  two cities, two crowds just going about their business, trying to have some good times on a weekend, and two assholes who demonstrate as brutally as possible the the right to free assembly can’t be fully trusted in these United States.

Second Amendment absolutism is at war with the right to assemble, to express our ideas freely, to pray if and as we choose.

Practically or actually unregulated guns directly threaten civil society.

Gun violence does more than just murder individuals.  It threatens the ability of Americans to express the consent of the governed.

The citizens of Mobile, of Odessa and Midland, of everywhere in the US,  no longer have the full enjoyment of their rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of an afternoon’s entertainment.

I know that mass shootings produce a relatively small fraction of the death toll from firearms; suicide takes two thirds of that total.  But terror is not about the absolute destruction terrorists are able to inflict; what counts is the impact on the terrorized society, the change in our behavior, our expectations, and our ability to make free and unfettered choices about whatever it is the terrorists care about.

That’s what mass shootings do: make it harder for all of us to live the way we want.

The fight against the NRA, #MoscowMitch’s GOP and the rest of the gun cabal is a campaign against those who are, right now, using the tools or terrorism against the United States of America.

Georges Seurat, The Circus, 1891

The Second Amendment is Again Waging War On The First: Alabama and Texas editionsPost + Comments (84)

Breaking News: Another Weekend, Another Mass Shooting in Texas

by Adam L Silverman|  August 31, 20197:15 pm| 61 Comments

This post is in: America, Ammosexuals, Gun nuts, gun safety, Guns, Open Threads, Silverman on Security

BREAKING: Police report "multiple gunshot victims" after suspect hijacks mail truck in Odessa, Texas, and begins shooting at random.

— The Associated Press (@AP) August 31, 2019

As of now there are at least 5 dead and 21 wounded and/or otherwise injured in a mass shooting spree in Odessa, Texas. The shooter was killed by the responding law enforcement officers and was a white male in his mid 30s. According to police reports to the news media, he attacked the cop who pulled him over for a traffic stop and after shooting the officer he hijacked a mail truck, took off, and went on a spree shooting.

As always, this will be a fast moving story and details are likely to change as today moves into tomorrow.

Open thread!

 

Breaking News: Another Weekend, Another Mass Shooting in TexasPost + Comments (61)

The Parkland Peace Plan

by Betty Cracker|  August 21, 201911:10 am| 72 Comments

This post is in: Domestic Politics, Gun nuts, gun safety, Open Threads, Politics, General Stupidity

As predicted last week, Trump is already caving on his latest feint toward gun safety legislation after promising to “look very strongly” at universal background checks and red flag laws in the wake of the El Paso and Dayton massacres — this despite the fabled moderating influence of Ivanka.

The NRA is at its lowest ebb in decades. Board members and employees are running from the organization like Trump White House lackeys fleeing a process server. Even a Fox News personality called out the epic corruption of the NRA’s Trump-scale tacky-grandiose chief Wayne LaPierre last week. So this cave is the latest data point on Trump’s crap negotiating skills.

My husband is famously bad at negotiating. Our daughter and I still tease him about walking into a Ford dealership several years ago, clapping eyes on his future truck and exclaiming, “Oh my GOD! I LOVE it!” right in front of the salesman. We were fleeced most thoroughly soon after, of course, and the mister is no longer permitted to even ATTEND major purchase events.

But the mister is steely-eyed and canny at the long table in comparison to the credulous fool in the White House, who has handed over our economic fate to China’s Xi, been pantsed by tin-pot dictators worldwide and sports Vladimir Putin’s brand on his ass. In that context, it’s no wonder the weakened sociopaths at the NRA were able to vaporize Trump’s mealy-mouthed resolve to “look very strongly” at new gun safety regulations with a single phone call.

Luckily, the March for Our Lives group, founded by Parkland massacre survivors, isn’t waiting around for Trump to nut up. This morning, they released an ambitious gun safety proposal: A Peace Plan for a Safer America. Here are its main points:

1. CHANGE THE STANDARDS OF GUN OWNERSHIP: Advocate and pass legislation to raise the national standard for gun ownership: a national licensing and registry system that promotes responsible gun ownership; a ban on assault weapons, high-capacity magazines, and other weapons of war; policies to disarm gun owners who pose a risk to themselves or others; and a national gun buy-back program to reduce the estimated 265-393 million firearms in circulation by at least 30%.

2. HALVE THE RATE OF GUN DEATHS IN 10 YEARS: Mobilize an urgent and comprehensive federal response: declare a national emergency around gun violence and announce an audacious goal to reduce gun injuries and deaths by 50% in 10 years, thereby saving up to 200,000 American lives.

3. ACCOUNTABILITY FOR THE GUN LOBBY AND INDUSTRY: Hold the gun lobby and industry accountable for decades of illegal behavior and misguided policies intended to shield only themselves; reexamine the District of Columbia v. Heller interpretation of the Second Amendment; initiate both FEC and IRS investigations into the NRA, and fully repeal the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act.

4. NAME A DIRECTOR OF GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION: Appoint a National Director of Gun Violence Prevention (GVP) who reports directly to the President, with the mandate to operationalize our federal goals and empower existing federal agencies such as the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) – agencies that have all been structurally weakened by the gun lobby. The National Director of GVP would begin by overseeing a down payment of $250 million in annual funding for research by the CDC and other federal agencies on gun violence prevention.

5. GENERATE COMMUNITY-BASED SOLUTIONS: Fully fund targeted interventions addressing the intersectional dimensions of gun violence, including community-based urban violence reduction programs, suicide prevention programs, domestic violence prevention programs, mental and behavioral health service programs, and programs to address police violence in our communities.

6. EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATION: Automatically register eligible voters and mail voter registration cards to all Americans when they turn 18. Create the “Safety Corps,” a Peace Corps for gun violence prevention. The younger generations are disproportionately affected by gun violence. They should have a say in how their country solves this epidemic.

It’s a smart plan that frames gun violence as a national health issue that reaches far beyond mass shootings. And it focuses on political mobilization, which is critical. It also signals that the Parkland group possesses political savvy that morons like Trump, his dingbat daughter and wastrel son-in-law can’t begin to match. Unlike those clowns, the Parkland kids are building on the past work they’ve done nationwide and swinging for the fences when opponents are at a weak point.

Senator Murphy of Connecticut sees hope (The Post):

“My hope is that they focus like a laser on youth turnout,” Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said of March for Our Lives’s 2020 efforts, after reviewing the proposal. “The election is over the minute young people decide to turn out. The only reason that Trump would get reelected is if young people stay home. The issue of gun violence is one of the only issues that truly motivate young people to shake off their indifference and aversion to voting.”

Democrats, who in the past would at least nod toward gun owners and do photo ops while hunting, are embracing gun control with greater urgency than they have in any election in recent memory, a sign that they are sensing movement among voters. During the 2018 midterms, when Democrats recaptured the House majority, nearly 70 percent of registered voters said gun policy was “very important” to them, ranking the issue ahead of taxes and immigration, according to a survey by the Pew Research Center.

This is what we’ve lacked — a sense of urgency to match that of the gun nuts. But thanks to the gun nuts’ maximal resistance to commonsense positions backed by 90% of Americans — and the insane among that group’s limitless appetite for mass murder — the pendulum might finally swing toward sanity, and perhaps a lot further than seemed possible even a couple of years ago.

You can read more about the plan, sign the petition and donate to March for Our Lives here.

The Parkland Peace PlanPost + Comments (72)

Ding Dong (Open Thread)

by Betty Cracker|  August 16, 20195:35 pm| 123 Comments

This post is in: Gun nuts, gun safety, Open Threads, Sociopaths

Friends, let us savor (even though the fare is provided by Politico):

‘I’m worried’: Allies fear NRA has lost its power in Washington

The National Rifle Association’s internal turmoil is preventing the once-mighty organization from crafting a plan to blunt the latest gun control push, highlighting the group’s weakness at a crucial political moment.

The disarray at the NRA is alarming allies who say President Donald Trump and Congress appear to have a brief opening to pass legislation while the group is so politically feeble it isn’t able to aggressively lobby lawmakers against proposals or hold them accountable for their votes, according to a half-dozen Republicans familiar with the situation…

Multiple Republican Senate offices said they haven’t heard from the NRA, which touts 5 million members. The NRA has been slow to respond to the litany of scandals. And Trump has told aides the NRA is vulnerable and on the verge of being “bankrupt,” according to a Republican close to the White House.

The article says Republicans are worried that meaningful gun safety legislation will be passed in the short term. They needn’t be. Trump has already moved on to blaming mass shootings on the closure of old-timey insane asylums.

It’s perfectly on-brand for Trump to question the death merchant lobbyist’s fiscal health after they gave him $30 million in 2016, but a Venn diagram of gun nuts and Trump supporters would be damned close to a perfect circle, so he’s unlikely to cross the NRA in any significant way.

Still, it’s glorious to see the blood-gargling sociopaths at the NRA engulfed in cascading corruption scandals like common TV preachers. LaPierre seems determined to cling to power, which is great news for people who wish the organization a messy, protracted demise.

An unfavorable election cycle that sweeps NRA toadies out the door might finally wrest political power from the organization’s cold, bloody hands. It wouldn’t solve our gun nut problem, but it sure would make it harder for gun nuts to impose their will on the majority of Americans. A girl can dream, anyway.

Open thread!

Ding Dong (Open Thread)Post + Comments (123)

Ongoing Active Shooter in Philadelphia!

by Adam L Silverman|  August 14, 20198:37 pm| 98 Comments

This post is in: America, Ammosexuals, Crazification Factor, Gun nuts, gun safety, Guns, Open Threads, Silverman on Security

This appears to have started about 4 hours ago and is still ongoing. It apparently started while Philadelphia Police were trying to serve a warrant.

Officers were serving a narcotics warrant in a Philadelphia house this afternoon and had entered the premises when gunfire erupted, with a shooter firing multiple rounds, says Philadelphia police commissioner. https://t.co/0Z5DJDEsnH pic.twitter.com/uuBqMiveVK

— CBS News (@CBSNews) August 15, 2019

NBC25/FOX66 Breaking News – NBC News reports an active shooter situation in Philadelphia where police were shot at in a North Philly neighborhood. According to CBS3, at least four officers have been rushed to the hospital. (CNN, KYW video) pic.twitter.com/v8XC7pi2z7

— Bill Harris (@BillHarrisTV) August 14, 2019

Philadelphia police commissioner says he is “not sure” that there is just one shooter in active standoff in city. https://t.co/0Z5DJDEsnH pic.twitter.com/JK2XyUszkm

— CBS News (@CBSNews) August 15, 2019

And that despite taking casualties, the Philadelphia Police Department is trying to end this without further violence.

A male shooter “continues to fire rounds out of the window,” as authorities attempt to speak with him, “trying to let him know he can end this peacefully now,” says Philadelphia police commissioner of active standoff https://t.co/0Z5DJDEsnH pic.twitter.com/Tc2CJvIqvd

— CBS News (@CBSNews) August 15, 2019

Philadelphia police commissioner says the six officers struck by gunfire in shooting are in “stable condition.” https://t.co/0Z5DJDEsnH pic.twitter.com/Odga6WQs7J

— CBS News (@CBSNews) August 15, 2019

From Philadelphia Police Department Sergeant Eric Gripp:

Shooting incident 3700 N 15th Street. Suspect/(s) firing at police. Large police presence. AVOID AREA

— Eric Gripp (@PPDEricGripp) August 14, 2019

MEDIA HELICOPTERS: PULL BACK FROM THE AREA – YOU ARE HINDERING OPERATIONS

— Eric Gripp (@PPDEricGripp) August 14, 2019

Shooting situation ACTIVE and ONGOING on 3700 15th St. Avoid Area. Several PPD Officers have been injured. Updates will be provided as received

— Eric Gripp (@PPDEricGripp) August 14, 2019

Update – Multiple injuries to Officers. 5 PPD Officers Shot – at area hospitals with non life-threatening injuries. Shooting still active. Avoid area. MEDIA – STOP BROADCASTING TACTICAL POSITIONS OF OFFICERS

— Eric Gripp (@PPDEricGripp) August 14, 2019

Suspect is still firing. STAY OUT OF THE AREA

— Eric Gripp (@PPDEricGripp) August 14, 2019

UPDATE: Suspect is still firing. SIX (6) PPD Officers shot – at area hospitals with non life threatening injuries. Additional officers also receiving treatment for non-gunshot injuries. Continue to avoid area. Situation is active and ongoing.

— Eric Gripp (@PPDEricGripp) August 14, 2019

UPDATE 7PM – Situation is active and ongoing. 6 PPD Officers shot – continue to receive treatment at area hospitals. Shooter is still armed inside location. AVOID AREA

— Eric Gripp (@PPDEricGripp) August 14, 2019

Officers are attempting to communicate with the shooter; imploring him to surrender and avoid further injuries.

— Eric Gripp (@PPDEricGripp) August 14, 2019

Officers continue to attempt to communicate with suspect; suspect is still firing at officers. STAY AWAY FROM THE AREA.

— Eric Gripp (@PPDEricGripp) August 14, 2019

Parents/Guardians of Children from Shake, Rattle & Roll Learning Center at 3625 N. Broad, and Precious Babies Daycare at 1433 Erie: You can retrieve your children at 3643 Germantown Ave on the Bus out front

— Eric Gripp (@PPDEricGripp) August 14, 2019

.@PPDCommish "We are trying to get him to come out peacefully, but he is refusing to do so."

— Eric Gripp (@PPDEricGripp) August 15, 2019

To reiterate: Scene remains active and ongoing. Officers continue to implore suspect to surrender – this can end without any further violence. Continue to avoid area

— Eric Gripp (@PPDEricGripp) August 15, 2019

Media and citizens: Do not operate drones in the area of police operations.

— Eric Gripp (@PPDEricGripp) August 15, 2019

Update at 9:47 PM EDT

Update: 2 PPD Officers who were in house with shooter have been safely evacuated by PPD SWAT. Suspect is still armed and inside house. Continue to avoid the area.

— Eric Gripp (@PPDEricGripp) August 15, 2019

Open thread!

Ongoing Active Shooter in Philadelphia!Post + Comments (98)

All That’s Missing From This Story Is an Alligator, a Golf Cart, and Several Kilos of Cocaine: Approaching Peak Floriduh! Man

by Adam L Silverman|  August 11, 20199:24 pm| 78 Comments

This post is in: Ammosexuals, Because of wow., Gun nuts, gun safety, Guns, Open Threads, Floriduh Man, Floriduh Woman

Welcome to the Gunshine State!

Is that a GLOCK in your orgy party outfit pocket or are you just happy to see me?

Take it away Daytona Beach News-Journal!

A 9 mm Glock was taken from a bedroom during a sex party, in which guests wore masks during the orgy and were encouraged to use code names, deputies say

A handgun was swiped from a Deltona home during a weekend sex party and the gun owner couldn’t give detectives any names of possible suspects because the culprit — like the 20 or so other guests at the party — was wearing a mask, deputies said.

“We’re probably not going to solve this one,” Volusia County Sheriff’s Sgt. Todd Smith said during a public meeting Thursday. “And DNA (identification) is not going to be an option.”

The 9 mm Glock was holstered and lying on top of a nightstand in the master bedroom when it was stolen, the homeowner told deputies. It was taken during an orgy, in which the theme was anonymous sex, according to a report.

Guests who were invited to the party near Saxon Boulevard were encouraged to “come and go as they pleased” throughout the weekend and were told to bring friends and acquaintances if they so desired, the report stated.

Additionally, guests were told to use fictitious names or no name at all, the homeowner told the Sheriff’s Office.

The orgy took place July 19-21 and deputies were contacted a few days later. On July 26, the detective assigned to the case called the homeowner for more information, but he seemed “apprehensive” about giving further details.

The homeowner eventually told the detective that 20 or so people were in his house that weekend and he guessed that he only knew five or six of them, the report stated.

The party was advertised on a social media site, deputies said.

All this needed to achieve peak Floriduh! Man is an alligator, a golf cart, and several kilos of cocaine!

Open thread!

All That’s Missing From This Story Is an Alligator, a Golf Cart, and Several Kilos of Cocaine: Approaching Peak Floriduh! ManPost + Comments (78)

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Balloon Juice | Cool Cat Open Thread

It’s been a bit chilly lately. Thank god I just got a great parka from Uniqlo, for the cost of roughly 0.12 of those Canada Goose jackets everyb...

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omfg the Watchmen was already amazing and now Jean Smart’s character and performance is taking it to the next level

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I dunno but I bet they love the White Album

I dunno but I bet they love the White Album
Parker Molloy@ParkerMolloy

What’s the name of this band?

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New Post added at Balloon Juice - How Did They Do It? -

Balloon Juice | How Did They Do It?

One of the things that continuously amazes and depresses me is the success with which right wing politicians and media have successfully brainwashed m...

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#BeBest

Donald J. Trump@realDonaldTrump

So ridiculous. Greta must work on her Anger Management problem, then go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend! Chill Greta, Chill! https://twitter.com/RealRomaDowney/status/1204822160470093824

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3h 1205281775490084864

can't think of a more perfect name for a company run by Rudy Giuliani than Fraud Guarantee

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Balloon Juice | Timely Content Open Thread: The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson

Everyone's talking about impeachment and Clinton & Johnson as the only presidents ever impeached. But most people don't know WHY Johnson was impeached...

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