Bang! Was that 'gun violence' or self-defense?

Liberterian News Examiner ^ | 15 June, 2012 | Garry Reed

[marktwain]

From time to time the Libertarian News Examiner receives Editorial Ideas to write about. A recent one was "Gun Violence."

"According to a National Institute of Justice survey," this Editorial Idea declared, "gun fatalities have steadily risen every year since 2002."

While lots of statistics and examples were thrown around by this Editorial Idea no definition of gun violence was offered. Words like homicide, murder and attacks were used but there was no mention of people defending themselves from attempted homicide, murder or attacks.

The obviously intended insinuation is that every instance of gun usage is an act of "gun violence" that must be stopped at all costs, even if it oxymoronically means turning every responsible person into a future disarmed victim of gun violence.

But what if a 103-pound woman stops a knife-wielding lout from raping and murdering her by blowing a hole in his head with her purse gun? Is that "gun violence" or "rape prevention?"

What if a father shoots a man who's trying to drag his underage daughter into his van? Is that "gun violence" or "stopping a child molester?"

What if a bystander guns down a man who's beating an old woman in the face so he can steal her purse? Is that "gun violence" or "rescuing the innocent?"

What if a citizen shoots a murderous thug attempting to kill a police officer? Is that "gun violence" or "saving his life?"

You can bet in today's Orwellian-speak gun-phobic world every occurrence of a gun used by a non-government-authorized person, no matter how it's used, is all lumped together under the politically manipulated rubric "gun violence."

(When a jumpy cop shoots an unarmed teenager because his cellphone looks like a handgun that's not "gun violence," that's "a righteous shooting.")

[marktwain]

Violence is neutral, like gravity. It can be used for good or ill.

[expat1000]

A lot of these stats include shooting incidents *by* LEOs as well.

[cuban leaf]

England bombing Berlin at night looked a lot like Germany bombing London. There was not moral parity, however.

I no longer take the press seriously. They are about making money and titillating to keep you watching through the commercials. They twist, obfuscate and omit information to keep you watching, but the net effect is a hopelessly uninformed or, worse, missinformed viewership. That is why NBC employees were fired after their blatant editing of Zimmerman’s call to the dispatcher became public.

I get my news from the internet and sometimes and sometimes (on the rare occasion where I am even exposed to it) watch news on TV. Once I figured out why TV press exists, I’ve been able to take their stories in the proper context - comedy.

And it really is funny to watch a tv news story on a subject after you’ve reviewed it in depth on the internet. It is literally funny. I mean Laugh out Loud funny. Even Fox.

[CaptainAmiigaf]

The stats INCLUDE shooting incidents by LEOs. Crap.
The statistics, if to have any TRUE (!) meaning should list FELONY shootings apart from LEO “incidents”.
Statistical studies have degenerated into a form of PROPAGANDA, utilized to drive home a very narrow point.
There are MORE shootings in some of our major (?) cities each weekend than in Afghanistan, yet beyond raw numbers nothing is reported.
We “should” be told..WHO did it..WHO is the target(s)..Why the shooting..Was a crime being committed that led to the shooting..Was a shooting a legitimate “self defensive” act?
No.. we get merely a casualty report and a bland statement by the local government promising to act and do...NOTHING.

[expat1000]

My favorite quote on statistics:

The average human has one breast and one testicle.

Des McHale

[Fido969]

England bombing Berlin at night looked a lot like Germany bombing London.

Both ended up looking a lot like Detriot, or just about any "democrat stronghold" in the US, though.

You know, when you think about it, the communists, by taking control of our unions and teachers, did to the US about as much damamge to some parts of the country as a nuclear was would have.