The Arizona Shootings, Gun Violence Research and the Facts vs. The New York Times (FACTS ALERT)

You know you’re doing something right when two New York Times columnists, Gail Collins and Nicholas Kristof, attack your research on the same day. Kristof followed up on criticism leveled earlier in the week by others writing for The Times. I must have said something substantial enough to warrant this attention. Let us check the facts...

I just wrote an email to my congressmen AND to Speaker Boehner (with slight differences in wording):

Dear Speaker Boehner, I am sure you were as shocked and saddened as I was at the recent loss of life due to the shootings in Arizona recently. I am praying for the victims and their families, and I am sure you are doing the same.

I am writing to ask that you try and quell the rampant EMOTIONS (or nefarious, freedom-robbing agendas) that this shooting entails in some, and as a legislator, encourage all to just deal with the FACTS and LOGIC (unlike public official, Sheriff Dupnik) when it comes to any and all proposed gun control legislation stemming from this shooting. The reason for my request is that there are some in congress already calling for yet more gun control to be passed due to this aberration. Luckily, that is EXACTLY what this shooting was - an extremely unfortunate event, but also, an extremely RARE event.

This is no time to do what the progressives and liberals amongst us (including Nanny/Police-state RINOs like Rep. King) want, which is a further erosion of our liberties, freedoms, and CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS, especially our 2nd Amendment rights. The VAST majority of gun owning citizens in this country, MILLIONS of us, are law-abiding and practice our 2nd Amendment rights on a daily basis. This is accomplished WITHOUT harming ourselves, our loved ones, or our fellow citizens. In fact, as studies prove, many of us are able to DEFEND those same people, often without a shot being fired.

In light of that, please fight the attempts by some who would let EMOTION and/or a far-left AGENDA override LOGIC and FREEDOM, on the backs of the victims of a tragedy such as this. President Obama's former chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, once said of his fellow progressive/liberal democrats, "You never want a serious crisis to go to waste". I believe this is why perennial gun CONTROL fanatics, Rep. McCarthy and Senator Lautenberg, have already introduced yet more (as if 20,000 PLUS laws aren't MUCH MORE than enough in a FREE society) gun control legislation before all of the victims are even buried and at rest.

As usual, this proposed legislation has no basis in reality - it would NOT have stopped the tragedy, and as such, is yet more useless, freedom-robbing, "feel-good" nonsense from the usual suspects on the left. They are ALL about CONTROL, and I think we've had enough of that from the current administration and the previous left-led congress for the last 2-4 years.

Most Americans want a repeal of big government legislation, including any and all gun control that does NOTHING to stop crime, but only robs us of our freedoms. We do NOT need or want more Nanny/Police-State controls placed on our lives and infringing upon our Constitutional rights, as these usual suspects want to import from the various "Peoples Republics" they hail from.

I implore you to STOP any and all proposed gun control DEAD IN ITS TRACKS, both now, and all through your tenure in Congress.

Let FREEDOM endure, and ENHANCE it at every turn.

Thank you.

Sincerely, my full name

Former Active Duty Marine NRA Benefactor Life Member

The FACTS are what we all saw and heard. We DIDN't't all SEE the nutcase do the shooting; we DIDN't all spend the last 10 years with Loughner to watch his mental state deteriorate; we DIDN'T all spend the hours leading up to the shooting with Loughner to ascertain his state of mind.

But the FACTS are, we ALL HEARD the lies and innuendo the left and it's lapdog media spewed, never ending, for over a week. Not one shred of proof around any of the rhetoric, just liberal speculation.

We all heard what obama said - not what his adoring press said that he said - but the actual words. We also heard what Sarah Palin said and we could see she was sincere and was not using this as a grandstand hootnanny like obama did.

We don't know all the facts of the actual act, we don't know any of the facts that led this nut to do what he did; the tragedy in this whole event is the left trying capitalize upon a tragedy and have a re-do of the Wellstone funeral at the Memorial Service.

It's a FACT that we heard the press insinuate that the Congresswoman opened her eyes after a visit from him.

It's a fact that the left tried to blame everything on Sarah Palin except the Kennedy shooting with nothing to drive their frenzy, but the blood of the 6 people killed in the water...and their rabid hatred for Palin.

The left and their steno pool acted like children this week, mean and spoiled children. But then, the left does that, don't they. They don't give a fig about victims of senseless crimes unless they can use it politically.

and THAT my friends is the real definition of "Politically Incorrect".

In regard to a proposed law by Representative King and Senator Lautenberg to forbid carrying a gun within 1,000 feet of an elected federal official or federal judge, I think the unaddressed problem here has to do with inflammatory rhetoric. For just one example consider that in Fairfax County Virginia guns appear to live passive lives. However, as soon as they cross the Potomac River and enter the Anacostia area of Washington D.C., they become psychopaths when hearing rules associated with rigid gun control legislation.

We need to take a lead from the Obama administration, which has excised such phrases as “unlawful enemy combatant” and “war on terror” from any discussion surrounding the events of 9/11 and thereafter. Guns need to understand we are not at war with them. If we approach them with an open mind and without preconditions, then we can arrive at lasting détente.

Using this more embracing, benevolent approach to interacting with guns; legislation should consider ways to make guns feel welcome. Representative King and Senator Lautenberg should propose that individuals with a concealed carry permit, who attend an event at which a Congress person or federal judge appears, must be not more than 1,000 feet from the individual. In this way guns would not feel offended, and would be unlikely to react violently.

It continues to mystify me that anyone gives any credibility to what the NY Times says.

It is revealing to take a tour thru the "Comments" section following a particularly egregious NYT article.

As a sane person, you'd probably expect to find at least a majority of respondents questioning the article's veracity.

Shockingly, you'll find 98% of the respondents expressing complete agreement. Or, perhaps, demanding an even harder left approach. Often, any conservative response is limited to 1-in-50. And it will be the calmest, most rational response of the lot.

Clearly, the New York Times writes to its audience.

It's probably always been that way.

Interestingly, suicides are very high in Japan, where they have strict gun control. Wikipedia lists some common suicide methods used in Japan as, jumping in front of trains, leaping off high places, hanging, or overdosing on medication.

When a person, or persons, in Japan want to murder, they usually do it with knives, swords, or, in at least one case... chemical weapons on trains (Sarin gas).

Of course, even with strict gun control, the Yakuza (Japanese mafia) and other criminals are able to get firearms and use them illegally.

As we know, weapons other than guns can be used for murder, even mass murder. One noted mass murder in Japan was called the The Akihabara massacre that took place on Sunday, June 8, 2008, in the Akihabara shopping quarter for electronics, video games and comics in Sotokanda, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. At 12:33 p.m. JST, a man hit a crowd with a truck, eventually killing three people and injuring two; he then stabbed at least 12 people using a dagger (initially reported as a survival knife)[1] killing four people and injuring eight.

Prohibition did not stop people from obtaining and using alcohol here in the states. By the same token, no laws, especially GUN CONTROL laws can prevent evil people from killing others, even in great numbers. A determined or sick individual or pair or group of individuals (like the two at Columbine) can obtain and use bombs, fire, chemicals, firearms, swords, vehicles, etc. to murder at will.

Luckily, these horrific events are very rare, and are the unfortunate, but worthwhile price of living in a truly free society.

The upside, besides maintaining our freedoms, is that WE law-abiding citizens - the GOOD GUYS (300 MILLION PLUS) vastly outnumber the evil and the violently sick. Also, with our 2nd Amendment rights, WE can often protect and defend against such attacks against ourselves, our loved ones, and our fellow citizens.

Hardly reported was that one of the civilian responders in Arizona had a concealed handgun and could have used it if necessary (if the tacklers were unsuccessful in wrestling the shooter to the ground and preventing the reloading of his pistol) to stop further carnage.

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