“Hollywood shootout: Gunman calmly targeted drivers, pedestrians,” LATimesblog reported yesterday.
Video shows the gunman calmly pointing his handgun and opening fire on passing cars near Vine Street and Sunset Boulevard near the ArcLight Cinema.
It was hardly a “shootout,” as there was no return fire—until nearby police fortunately arrived in minutes when seconds counted—but it is true the twisted monster was able to take his time until then—watch the video in the sidebar media player for yourself. He slowly walked down the middle of the street while shooting into passing cars. He did not feel the need to seek cover. And he had good reason to be confident, because the odds of encountering a peaceably armed citizen in any major metropolitan area in California favor those armed with criminal intent. That’s because California is a “may issue” state, where the urban police establishment is notorious for exercising the “may not” option—for the unconnected.
For all intents and purposes, the “rampage” happened in a “gun free zone.” And the ruling class has just upped the odds in favor of the predators and against those they ostensibly represent by banning open carry. Which, based on who they elect to office suits ‘the majority” of voters just fine...
This is reflected in some of the comments appearing with the article. Case in point:
What a horrible thing to do.
If people can't control the way they use guns, then maybe we should control guns.
They do in California (and how!)—with bans on certain semiautomatics, registration, waiting periods, police say-so on who gets to carry—it’s “the Golden State” for the Brady Campaign, earning their “Four Stars” rating, the highest in the land. (Curiously, with an irony that appears lost on him, the person who left this comment has a YouTube page that’s a shrine of sorts to murdered actress Sharon Tate.)
And what forum would be complete without the requisite NRA-blaming outburst?
Thanks heavens! Finally -- another mass shooting. I was beginning to worry. The fantastic success of the NRA's policy of "all guns, all the time" was falling into disuse and oblivion.
If only every single person carried 3 or more guns at all times, we'd be totally safe at all times. Plus an Uzi in the trunk, of course.
That's the answer. ARM EVERYBODY! The NRA is never wrong.
It’s amazing anyone can compress this much stupid, unfounded resentment into one short outburst. Ignorance and hate run strong in this one.
And no summary of flawed anti-gun thinking would be complete without venting this sentiment:
The police - who train constantly to make split-second decisions about whether to even draw their gun, let alone fire it, let alone shoot at someone - still make mistakes and shoot innocent unarmed people. How would an individual *without* that training possibly avoid making fatal mistakes with a gun in their hand? That's also assuming that everyone doing cc is completely in control of their temper 100% of the time and would not use their weapon in anger. Very unlikely.
You know: “The Only Ones.” Forget the actual record in “shall issue” states, that is, most of the country, and the record of those states providing for “Constitutional carry.” The hysterical worries just aren’t borne out by reality, no matter how much the Violence Policy Center would like to bamboozle us into believing otherwise.
Gun owners in California definitely face a dilemma of daunting proportions—caught between predatory politicians and an electorate increasingly turning to such government for all solutions, there’s no easy way out, unless, of course, that way includes a moving van. For those who choose to stay and fight, the rest of us also have a choice: Some will no doubt be tempted to leave a snarky, unoriginal comment about the place dropping into the Pacific Ocean. Or we can offer support to our brothers and sisters fighting the battle on the front lines...
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Project Guntalker
My Thursday interview with Scott Horton of Antiwar Radio is now archived online.
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