Bigotry assumes many forms, hides behind many facades, but always it is the same; the social demonization of entire groups, classes or races of people in an effort to make them appear inferior and detrimental by their very existence.
In the wake of a nasty multiple shooting at a Pittsburgh, PA-area fitness club by a not-so-clearly psychotic man identified as George Sodini, America’s gun prohibitionists – led by the Violence Policy Center and Freedom States Alliance – are clamoring for restrictions or repeal of concealed carry statutes.
In the case against legally-armed citizens, the VPC has even manufactured an innuendo-riddled “study” to support their prejudices. My colleague, Cleveland Gun Rights Examiner Daniel White, writes about the shooting here.
Their hardly subliminal argument appears to be that citizens licensed to carry concealed handguns for personal protection are a threat to the community. This contention is based on six shooting incidents over the past couple of years in which the gunman had, or apparently had, a carry permit.
A 39-year-old Ypsilanti man used his concealed weapon and his experience in the Lebanese army to stop an alleged bank robber.
Meanwhile, proponents of public disarmament haven’t said a thing about the estimated five million other citizens who are licensed to carry, and haven’t harmed anybody. There hasn’t been a peep from the gun prohibition lobby about the armed citizen who shot a convenience store robber in Virginia recently, heading off a bloodbath.
Nor have the gun grabbers mentioned the incident a week ago in Topeka, KS in which a legally-armed store clerk fended off two robbers at closing time. Self-defense Examiner Eric Puryear wrote about that incident here.
And you never heard applause from the hoplophobes – about whom I wrote the other day – after an Ypsilanti, MI man named Nabil Fawzi last year intervened in a bank robbery, did you?
An employee with a concealed carry license used his handgun to defend himself and stop a pair of criminals who tried to rob his shop.
Instead, what we get from the gun prohibitionists is a steady diet of fear mongering with but one purpose: The stripping of a fundamental civil right to keep and bear arms so that we lose our ability to exercise that most basic of human rights, that of self-preservation.
Nowadays, about the only form of acceptable overt social bigotry is against gun owners. The gun bigots argue that when one person with a gun does something heinous, all gun owners are expected to bear responsibility, and surrender their rights as though it would undo the crime.
Before the armed citizen, it was the owners of .50-caliber rifles who were likened to terrorists and cop-killers. Next week or next month, who will the prohibitionists smear in their effort to promote public hatred of fellow citizens whose only “crime” is that they exercise a constitutionally-protected civil right?
The VPC and Freedom States crowd would have us all believe that every armed citizen is just like George Sodini, and that he is like all of us; a killer waiting to strike.
While they are loathe to admit it, there is really no difference between gun bigots and racial or religious bigots. One form of class hatred is no less divisive than another.
Visit with other Gun Rights Examiners:
And don't forget to visit these forums:
Comments
Great article Dave.....the leftists have always used this strategy to undermine their opponents; they are not above slinging mud, stabbing people in the back, or outright lying about those they don't agree with in a desperate attempt to win an argument. If you can't come up with facts to support your position, just lie about it. Enough people will believe you to make a difference, and when you are called out on the lies, just change the subject or claim you "didn't know"......really quite despicable.
If you look up the term "n ig ger" in the American Heritage Dictionary, you'll find a cogent quote from John Aquilino: "Gun owners are the new n ig gers... of society."
Liberals love to invent new disparaging terms for people they don't agree with. If you think Obama shouldn't have classified his birth certificate, you're a "birther." If you think there are still some shady issues about 9/11, you're a "truther." If you attend Tea Parties or protest Obamacare at the offices of politicians, you're an "astroturfer." Whereas, I am perfectly satisfied with the traditional American terms to describe people like those liberals: tyrant, traitor, and liar.
and yet these are the people who enable the Sodini's and Cho's. Methinks there just might be a symbiotic relationship there.
Sort of the same thing we see in law enforcement. Any citizen who is of a mind to can go into a brand new town with which he is unfamiliar and find a "drug house" in thirty minutes or less. But the cops can never find them????? C'mon, those drug houses are useful to law enforcement. When the need for excuses is gone, so are the drug houses, but at the moment, they have a symbiotic relationship by which both profit.
Of coarse the one-sided media will not report of the foiled attempts of the criminals! Now for all of the Un Americans that want to take my guns...Kiss my _ss and come and get them! One barrel at a time!
Road rage in Edmond
kfor.com/news/local/kfor-news-edmond-road-rage-story,0,5845809.story
Pilot Facing Felony Charges After Allegedly Waiving Gun
news9.com/Global/story.asp?S=10474628
Concealed handgun license holder threatens motorists in road rage incident.
Shooter claims victim rushed, punched him
goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090428/NEWS02/304289961/-1/NEWS
Concealed handgun license holder murders man because he told him to slow down while driving through the neighborhood.
Attorney Defends Accused Parking Lot Shooter
wreg.com/news/archive/wreg-parkinglotshootingsuspectincourt-story,0,7840947.story
Concealed handgun license holder murders man in dispute over parking space.
Schuylkill Trail patrols to increase after gun incident
philly.com/philly/news/breaking/20090724_Schuylkill_Trail_patrols_to_increase_after_gun_incident.html
Concealed handgun license holder fires at two teenagers during argument.
Cyclist who heckled Fort Worth police says he paid price
star-telegram.com/news/story/1505479.html
Concealed handgun license holder heckles police.
Arizona Gunman Had Threatened School
cbsnews.com/stories/2002/10/30/national/main527553.shtml
Student with concealed handgun license murders three college professors.
Elyria man has CCW permit
chronicle.northcoastnow.com/2009/05/28/elyria-man-has-ccw-permit/
Man with concealed handgun permit calls police claiming three legged dwarves are burglarizing his home.
I've got several more examples of concealed handgun license holder behaving badly. It's a very common occurance.
Hey Smitch. That sounds like a terroristic threat. You could get in trouble over that.
A common occurrence, Alex? Lets do some math. Your half dozen stories span over 6 months of news, dating back to February, and some of the stories are still being hashed out in court to determine if self-defense was legit...so no conclusion can be drawn from that.
That is not really a "common occurrence" considering the FBI's estimate of 200+ million guns in private hands, 50 million+ gun owning households and the 5 million+ concealed permit holders in the US. Compare deaths by gun ownership and deaths by car ownership.
Scouring for a half dozen stories every 6 months, or even if you found 100 stories a year is insignificant statistically. We have 300+ million people in the US. There are a thousand more likely death scenarios than being shot. It's akin to worrying about that one kid that decided to catch lawn darts with his face.
To take things into perspective, take up the quantity of cops-behaving-badly stories and compare the per-capita figure to CCW-behaving-badly stories--which demographic has more trouble skirting or violating the law? Cops are supposed to be the ones that passed the gold standard, the ones professional and educated enough to carry a firearm and uphold the law.
There are only several million law enforcement officers across America. Yet, in June alone, there were:
431 - Reported instances and alleged instances of police misconduct.
14.4 - Reported instances and alleged instances per day on average.
56 - Number of deaths associated with police misconduct reports this month.
472 - Number of police officers and/or deputies involved.
40 - Number of Police Chiefs and/or Sheriffs involved.
$51,449,000 - Dollars paid out through civil settlements
And that's only a tally of stories that made the news. Statistically, I am more worried about being randomly shot by a cop than a gun
You can find at least a half dozen fresh stories DAILY on police misconduct and wrongful death by keeping up with the twitter feed at injusticeeverywhere.com
Despite a "few bad eggs", that doesn't discount the vast majority of concealed permit holders behaving properly or cops behaving properly. If you think there is some demographic out there free from insidious, malicious, or careless individuals, please wake up. Politicians, gun owners, teachers, students, kids, adults, firemen, military, pizza delivery drivers...whatever.
Regardless of how many tests you have to pass and what minimum standard you apply, you're going to get an occasional bad egg no matter what you look into. You only have to look into all the idiots on the road that passed the government-mandated written and driving test.
Put things into perspective. I'm more worried about an idiot driver than a rogue cop or rogue gun owner.
I've been duking it out with the anti-carriers and anti-gun folks allot lately. About all they can do is casdt insults and call gun carriers names. The only time they attempt to present any evidence for an argument, they use what ever the Brady Bunch, VPC, and other anti-gun groups pass out in their propaganda. I've been able to disect teh anti-gun garbage each time, and show it for the fraud that it is.
The most rediculous argument I've seen is the one that gun carriers are compensating for shortcomings in the male organ dept. I just laugh at that one. I also challenge them to cite just one incident inwhich anyone has attempted to use their penis in self-defense against a violant attacker. So far, no one has cited even one time that it's happened, because it never has.
Are we in the legal carry community "shooting ourselves in the foot" by referring to the "Right to Keep and Bear Arms" as a CIVIL right? Isn't the definition of a civil right that which is conferred BY GOVERNMENT (which can be therefore retracted by government)?
The founding fathers included the 2nd. Amd. because they believed (and stated in their writings) "that unalienable right" preceded all government. As long as we propagate the civil rights concept, we are conceding the fight for our unalienable right from the beginning!
Let's take a strong communication "first step" to win the war!
McB, RKBA is a civil right, just like free speech, jury trial etc. Those and more are unalienable civil rights, but they are civil rights. n They predate government and are ours by natural right and not conferred by any government. Ours is the only one that guarantees in writing not interfere with them. Of course, we know they do interfere, but that relieves us of guilt if it comes to violence to defend, reclaim, and/or assure our "unalienable" civil rights.
I wonder how well a Class Action Lawsuit would go over against all of these advocacy groups that are against our inherent right to self preservation? It seems to me that there is sufficient evidence that no one but ourselves can ultimately protect ourselves from danger. Hence, the Brady's, Violence Policy Center, and the Big Cheese himself, George Soros are guilty of pre-meditated murder. To say the least. Who would you have to talk to get get something like that going? While we're at it, get all of the jack leg politicians that are guilty as well.
Anybody up for it?
I don't know Clint, if you noticed we just confirmed to the USSC a racist bigot who could not bring herself to answer Sen. Tom Coburn as to whether innocent people had a right to defend their own lives.
She even claimed there was no law nor any court decisions addressing such. She demonstrated that she is both morally and intellectually unfit to serve on any bench of jurisprudence, let alone the Supreme Court. Yet, she was confirmed. How would one proceed with a Class Action suit against a society so messed up, that no one cared about this woman's hypocrisy and lack of character, for which she was rewarded with a lifetime seat on the highest court in the land?
I just don't see a peaceful way for those of us who would be free to be free.
Alex... you did not read or comprehend what I wrote. The brutal reality of it is I am an American and I believe in fighting for my rights. If someone is going to come to my house and take my guns...Yes they will have to fight for them!
I just saw a bumper sticker that describes you exactly..."God hates Pussies and Liberals".
It AMAZES ME that the anti-gunners feel so empowered by the "righteousness" of their cause that they can justify dehumanizing anyone who disagrees with them.
Clint - you are bang on. The laws are on the books for us to do EXACTLY that
USC 18.241 Conspiracty against rights
USC 18.242 Deprivation of rights under color of law
www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/18/usc_sup_01_18_10_I_20_13.html
Probably more importantly, since the above are criminal statutes and require a US Attorney to indict; but these statutes cover CIVIL actions, and can at least in theory be brought by any aggrieved party:
USC 42.1983 Civil action for deprivation of rights
USC 42.1985 Conspiracy to interfere with civil rights
USC 42.1986 Action for neglect to prevent
(and others in this same sub-chapter)
www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/42/usc_sup_01_42_10_21_20_I.html
These are the laws which Thurgood Marshall and the NAACP used to break the backs of the "Jim Crow" laws. They are also (one of) the reason(s) the hoplophobes are scared to death of incorporation.
EdinSac I fear you, and many others, miss a very important point: we are NOT humans to them. Just as the Jew were not human to the Nazis.
Think about it: have you EVER seen the mayor of NYC, Chicago, DC or LA WITHOUT being surrounded by men with guns? They KNOW the threat is REAL; it’s just that what happens to the beasts of burden; is really insignificant.
We are but slaves in their eyes, nothing more.
What happens to us is no different, than when coyotes get chickens: “Well, I hate it. But they are just chickens, and coyotes have to eat too.” Important animals; we protect, and if the chicken killing gets too out of hand; a few coyotes will be removed.
This thinking that they are important and that we peons are mere chattel is made even clearer by Josh Sugarmann being a licensed FFL dealer:
www.atfonline.gov/fflezcheck/
License Number:
1-54-XXX-XX-XX-00725
Expiration Date: 03/01/2011
License Name: Sugarmann, Joshua Alan
Premise Address:
1730 Rhode Island A
The people who demonize concealed carry are in the minority. They make a lot of noise and publish alot of half truths or lies. They have no solid ground to stand on and thet know it!
With Obama in office,Sotomayor being confirmed,and the right to carry nationwide not passing unfortunately,the anti-gun crowd is on a roll. And as expected,up to their same ole fear mongering strategies again. See what happens when you have a CCW permit,they say. Innocent people get killed. Unfortunately this will happen no matter what. But what about ALOT of times,guns were used to PREVENT a crime. And alot of those times,without firing a shot. The anti-gun crowd doesn't care about that. All they care about is wanting to pass more laws and bans. And will exploit every tragedy,as reasons to do so. Their so called facts are based on lies,fear mongering,and twisted statistics. Now their fear mongering strategy,is to try and convince the public,and the politicians,that CCW holders are dangerous. Really to them,just one shooting,would be reason enough to pass a law or a ban if they could! Let's not forget the fact,the anti-gun crowd has a real hatred of guns in general!
For Alex: ALL the statistics, of which there are a great many now avialble, clearly show that it is extraordinarily UNUSUAL for a CCW licensee to break the law. The fact tht you can find some examples is statistically insignificant and irrelvant. Consider the study a few years ago, that found that NYC Police Officers were not just arrested, but convicted of criminal behavior, FIVE times more often than CCW holders nationwide. Then consider how hard it is for a cop to get arrested and convicted, relative to the average citizen. That number is statistically meaningful. Or consider the several studies that found that the percentage of CCW licensees who lose their license because they were convicted of felonies, many of which were not even gun related (ie, stopped for DUI when they had a gun locked in their trunk, etc.), constitutes well under one percent of those with CCW licenses. The percentage of the general population who are convicted of felonies is notably higher than that.
It might be interesting to consider the logical argument that, if CCW holders actually WERE attacking people, it would be even more important for as many people as possible to go armed, as that is the only effective defense against an individual armed with a gun and intending to harm you. The simple fact is, if you ever get confronted by an assailant with a knife or gun, your only effective (indeed almost your only possible) defense, is to have a gun yourself, and to have it with you at the time you are attacked. So the number of CCW holders who may commit crimes is essentially irrelevant to the argument. Indeed, the more there are, the stronger the argument for even more concealed carry. The police certainly will NOT be there to protect you, since a non-psychotic assailant will never attack anyone when they know, or even suspect, that there are police around. They always wait until the odds are in their favor.
Fear mongering is the anti-gun crowds biggest weapon. And they scare the public,and to many politicians,who don't know any better,or hate guns to begin with,to side with them. Now they want to repeal or restrict,CCW permits! Saying CCW holders are a threat to the community. No doubt an OVERWHELMING percentage of CCW holders,are law abiding citizens! That's a fact! To anti-gun nuts,ALL guns are a threat to the public! And anytime there is a shooting,they love to exploit it! Now because of a few unfortunate shootings,ALL CCW HOLDERS are now considered dangerous! That's just plain ignorant! Their the ones that are dangerous! And any politician who sides with them,needs their head examined! Like SamF said. Alot of crimes are prevented because of guns. Alot without firing a shot. But to the anti-gun crowd,that means nothing. I sure hope,the NRA jumps all over this insanity! I have a new slogan for the anti-gun nitwits. ONE bad apple,DOES spoil the whole bunch!
Their, (The VPC), hardly subliminal argument appears to be that citizens licensed to carry concealed handguns for personal protection are a threat to the community.
Well, I too have a problem with citizend "permitted" to carry concealed handguns. Here's my "problem". Where in the Constitution is there any mention of "permission" required to exercise a RIGHT? Ive reveiewed my old law school notes and read through the Constitition ... again, but nowhere can I find reference to this elusive "permit" required to exercise a RIGHT granted under the 2nd Amd. So I'll continue doing what Ive done for the past 40 years and carry a gun in defiance of State law requiring a so called "permit". I urge others to do the same.
DEFY UNCONSTITUTIONAL LAWS!
Your AUTHORIZATION to bear arms, (concealed or otherwise) is as follows:
Date of Issue: 15 Dec 1791...
Expiration Date: NEVER...
Issued to: All Law abiding Citizens...
Iaauing Authority: The US Constitution..
Okay, I'm stealing this! With citation of course. Check with Anthony in N.C. for my bonafides.
Now I just wonder how many people would have been dead if someone in that fitness class had a concealed weapon? Knowing how Pennsylvania is about gun control, they and these venal anti gun orgs would probably be defending the guy doing the shooting instead of thanking the person who could have put the killer down. But then again all you have to do is just look at what is going on in Philadelphia (aka The City of Brotherly Love!).
The cowardly Sickies of the "entertainment" world and their bretheren of the "Driveby Media" have been demonizing us for years. To blame criminals and crime prone cultural groups for their criminal acts might bring them criticism from the likes of Jesse ("Rent a Riot") Jackson, ostricism from their peers, and a possible need to make an honest living. Such is the nature of their putrid culture.
If we allow their crap attacks to influence legislation relevant to the 2nd Ammendment or any of our constitutional rights, we'll become victims of something a lot worse than defamation.
Defy now or cry later!
More people would listen to lawful RKBA people if we led with logic rather than emotion, division, pettiness, partisanship, t-shirt slogans and emotionally/morally immature comments.
Get real: fearmongering is all around. "Ooo, ooo, black man gonna take yer guns!" I've been embarrassed by hysteria among gunners in the past year, in lieu of mature calm, strategizing, securing our perimeter, leading by example, holding BOTH parties accountable to THE PEOPLE.
Bashing black leaders, name calling, etc., hardens resistance. Especially when it comes across as garden variety racism. Why are Jesse, Obama, and Sonia the examples? Learn some facts!
More Senate Repubs supported the AWB in 1994 than Dems. The author was Jack Brooks, not Biden.
Nixon, Poppy Bush, Saint Dutch--all gun grabbers. As are/were Pataki, Guiliani, Dubya, the Bradys, Helmke.... The GOP lies about protecting 2A, undermines RKBA, and reaps gun owners votes. Pathetic!
www.strike-the-root.com/3/powers/powers2.ht
Here's that link again:
www.strike-the-root.com/3/powers/powers2.html
I wanted to separate out this comment from the other.
NOBODY can "dehumanize" you. They can try, and you can choose not to take that on. What I see gunners doing is playing the liberal-flavored victim game. Poor poor poor little me/us.
Let's just cut this all out. It's immature, whiny, and stupid. Our Constitution needs us to be Americans first. If you're so insecure that you can't stand up to name calling and put downs, then you need to re-do high school.
When I talk about RKBA (I never reveal my conceal), and get stupidity in return, I ask just one question:
Have you ever been beaten, raped, and left for dead by a person two times your size?
No, neither have I. The one time someone tried that, he was real surprised at what he got instead. Now tell me that I would have been a better person for being a victim.
No more victimhood. It's time gunners grew up, like our fathers did. Like the Deacons for Defense. Enough whining!
The antigun crowd is so stupid they think repealing concealed carry or more laws will prevent crimes, wake up people criminals don't care about the law!! Disarming law abiding citizens just says to the criminal your in control because we are defenseless. these antigun radicals need to get a life and leave us alone.
fr8dog, I have a problem with your analysis. Here it is, the second amendment does not grant us anything. Nor do the other amendments in the bill of rights. No one is granted any right in the constitution. The BOR guarantees certain enumerated rights, and other not enumerated rights. For instance, the second says "......The right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed." It is a prohibition of interference of an already existing right. You will note also, that unlike other amendments it makes no mention of any specific entity being prohibited to infringe this unalienable right, it is a general prohibition meaning NO entity, whether governmental,public or private may infringe that already existing right. Otherwise you were spot on. Government and/or the constitution grants us nothing, though it does guarantee observance of prohibitions of things government cannot do. The constitution and we the people, do grant certain "powers" to the government. [cont]
[cont] Government has no rights and only those "powers" we grant it.
Until we get that correct in our speech and writings we are doomed to be harnessed to people who believes our rights are at the sufferance of the state and therefore can be rescinded by the state. That simply isn't true. As a practical matter we have allowed the pretense of such to exist so long that most Americans do not know it is false and without any legitimacy.
Pywyll said,"Bashing black leaders, name calling, etc., hardens resistance. Especially when it comes across as garden variety racism. Why are Jesse, Obama, and Sonia the examples? Learn some facts!"
Here is a fact for you. They are not being singled out because of the color of their skin, but for the lack of their characters.
As to comments about certain cultures being more prone to violent crime, I find it emotionally/morally immature to pretend it isn't so because someone will throw the race card. The large city urban black community in our country accounts for approximately 85% of violent crime, while comprising about 12% of our population. And sadly, most of that crime is committed on members of that community. How is it unacceptable to note that and to try to stop it because black people might be offended by the truth? Perhaps some other truths would be valuable to them. Truths that might free them from the predations of the gangs, etc. [cont]
[cont] Do they not have the same right to the peaceful enjoyment and pursuits of their lives as anybody else?
To de facto deny them that because we are afraid to speak the truth is criminal, even if it is politically correct.
We are on the defensive about it because we allow them to make us forget that GUN CONTROL IS TREASON!! NOTHING THEY SAY TO PROMOTE IT, THEREFORE, IS VALID, AND FOR PROMOTING IT, THEY ARE TRAITORS, CRIMINALS AND NEED TO BE TREATED AS SUCH. How about the sleeping giant that is us, WAKE UP! Gun Control is murder by proxy!
I would urge anyone that is even slightly inclined to believe this drivel by the gun grabbers to think for themselves and do their own research. Go to www.txdps.state.tx.us/administration/crime_records/chl/convrates.htm and scan through the crime reports for a few years and you will see that Concealed Handgun License holders are extremely less likely to commit a crime than the average person. Bear in mind that a few of the laws can ONLY be broken by CHL holders; therefore they will make up the majority of the convictions.
It is only necessary to keep in mind and refer to the gun grabbers as the most murderous people on the planet over the last 100 years. Lenin, Berea, Stalin, Hitler, Pol Pot, Idi Amin, mao, Ho Chi Min, Castro, Che and the list goes on, have all used gun control to gain the uupper hand before or while they were slaughtering their enemies. If you add in The Earl Warren Court, (certainly little fetuses have no gun rights with which to defend themselves)if ideology was the deciding criteria, this group has slaughtered well over 200 million. The gun grabbers have absolutly no high ground. None. With no exceptions, they were all leftists. 200 Plus million poeple murdered by the gun grabbers. 200 hundred million, murdered. Who is in charge of our government in Washington? Leftists. Guess who loves to have their enmemies unarmed so they can institute Mass Murder? Leftists.
Gun Grabbers and Leftists go hand in hand. what do leftists do? They mass murder.
So by all means give up your guns.
Oh Yes, Don't forget the Soviet east block countries
like East Germany
and the little twerps from North Korea, The Kims.
Father and son ans soon the grand son. How many millions in North Korea that died because they couldn't feed themselves and could't leave? 5-10 million? Leftists.
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!