Guns

[LFC]

Nov 12, 2021 1:28:38 GMT pnwguy said:

From a former firearms executive who had a front seat to the crazy parade.

www.thebulwark.com/prepare-for-the-shock-troops/

Wow. That should be required reading for all real patriots.

[LFC]

The judge in the Kyle Rittenhouse dismissed a firearms charge for possessing a dangerous weapon when under the age of 18. Huh? This seems like the single most undisputed fact of the entire incident. What am I missing?

[pnwguy]

Nov 15, 2021 16:17:47 GMT LFC said:

What am I missing?

A brain pickled in RW Media sauce until incapable of rational thought?

[goldenvalley]

Nov 15, 2021 16:17:47 GMT LFC said:

The judge in the Kyle Rittenhouse dismissed a firearms charge for possessing a dangerous weapon when under the age of 18. Huh? This seems like the single most undisputed fact of the entire incident. What am I missing?

This is screwy but this is what happened:

Wisconsin is an “open carry” state where it is legal for adults to openly carry firearms, but state law prohibits minors from “possession of a dangerous weapon” except in limited circumstances.

But Rittenhouse’s attorneys seized on the murky wording of the statute. They pointed to a provision that said the law could only be applied if the minor was carrying “a short-barreled shotgun or short-barreled rifle.” The statute defines a short-barreled rifle as having a barrel length of less than 16 inches or an overall length of less than 26 inches.

Prosecutors have repeatedly argued that the defense was misinterpreting the statute, arguing that the exception that the defense cited only applies to minors who are hunting or in possession of a hunter’s education certificate. On Monday, prosecutors argued that the jury should be the ones to interpret the statute.

But Schroeder, who had previously rejected defense motions to dismiss the misdemeanor weapon charge, ultimately dismissed the count ahead of closing statements. The judge said he had “big problems with this statute” and ruled that prosecutors had not offered evidence that Rittenhouse’s AR-15 rifle had an illegally short barrel.

Like an AR 15 of any length is not a "dangerous weapon"??

[goldenvalley]

David French in The Atlantic has this to say about Rittenhouse:

But that brings us to the danger of Kyle Rittenhouse as a folk hero. It is one thing to argue that the law is on Rittenhouse’s side—and there is abundant evidence supporting his defense—but it is quite another to hail him as a model for civic resistance.

As seen in Kenosha, in anti-lockdown protests in Washington State, and in the riot in Charlottesville, one of the symbols of the American hard right is the “patriot” openly carrying an AR-15 or similar weapon. The “gun picture” is a common pose for populist politicians. Mark and Patricia McCloskey leveraged their clumsy and dangerous brandishing of weapons at Black Lives Matter protesters into an appearance at the Republican National Convention.

Rittenhouse is the next step in that progression. He’s the “patriot” who didn’t just carry his rifle; he used it.

I am a longtime supporter of gun rights and believe that the Second Amendment’s guarantee of a right to “keep and bear arms” is grounded in an inherent right of self-defense, both inside and outside the home. As a person who’s been threatened more than once, I exercise those rights myself.

But there is also an immense difference between quiet concealed carry and vigilante open carry, including in ham-handed and amateurish attempts to accomplish one of the most difficult tasks in all of policing—imposing order in the face of civil unrest. And there is a dramatic difference between the use of weapons as a last resort, when your life or the lives of others are in immediate danger, and the open carrying of weapons as an intimidation tactic or as an intentionally disconcerting display of political identity and defiance.

Most of the right-wing leaders voicing their admiration for Rittenhouse are simply adopting a pose. On Twitter, talk radio, and Fox News, hosts and right-wing personalities express admiration for Rittenhouse but know he was being foolish. They would never hand a rifle to their own children and tell them to walk into a riot. They would never do it themselves.

But these public poses still matter. When you turn a foolish young man into a hero, you’ll see more foolish young men try to emulate his example. And although the state should not permit rioters to run rampant in America’s streets, random groups of armed Americans are utterly incapable of imposing order themselves, and any effort to do so can lead to greater death and carnage.

In fact, that’s exactly what happened in Rittenhouse’s case. He didn’t impose order. He didn’t stop a riot. He left a trail of bodies on the ground, and two of the people he shot were acting on the belief that Rittenhouse himself was an active shooter. He had, after all, just killed a man.

If the jury acquits Rittenhouse, it will not be a miscarriage of justice. The law gives even foolish men the right to defend their lives. But an acquittal does not make a foolish man a hero. A political movement that turns a deadly and ineffective vigilante into a role model is a movement that is courting more violence and encouraging more young men to recklessly brandish weapons in dangerous places, and that will spill more blood in America’s streets.

That hero stuff is what led Rittenhouse to be there in the first place.  

[LFC]

Trae Crowder on Rittenhouse and the gun nuts.

[LFC]

I guess it's no surprise that the NRA has known about the large radical element in their ranks for a long, long time. Video of NRA brass meeting to figure out how to respond to the Columbine massacre was recently leaked. The words "hillbillies" and "fruitcakes" were used.

Hammer and LaPierre are also among the NRA officials who can be heard disparaging some of the group's membership. In the aftermath of the shooting, McQueen reasons that "normal" members would stay away from the site of the tragedy — leaving only the group's most extreme members as attendees. "The hair on the back of my neck stood up" when this thought occurred to her, Hammer says.

It's a recurrent internal problem with the NRA — often its most radical members are also the most passionate, dedicated and outspoken. The NRA exists in part to advocate for legislation and, often, to make compromises to see bills pass into law. But a hard-line faction in the NRA is uninterested in those compromises — or any position other than the most expansive view of the Second Amendment.

"You know, the other problem is holding a member meeting without an exhibit hall. The people you are most likely to get in that member meeting without an exhibit hall are the nuts," says LaPierre.

"Made that point earlier. I agree," says Makris. "The fruitcakes are going to show up."

Says Hammer: "If you pull down the exhibit hall, that's not going to leave anything for the media except the members meeting, and you're going to have the wackos ... with all kinds of crazy resolutions, with all kinds of, of dressing like a bunch of hillbillies and idiots. And, and it's gonna, it's gonna be the worst thing you can imagine."

[pnwguy]

That perfect Christmas gift for your MAGAt relatives?



No wonder Washington defeated the British forces, with that M-4

[goldenvalley]

JFK is in that picture? How did he enter the pantheon?

I wonder how many of this painter's paintings are hanging in Trump's various houses.

[pnwguy]

Nov 17, 2021 16:48:38 GMT goldenvalley said:

JFK is in that picture? How did he enter the pantheon?

Well, he and Junior are going to re-appear to usher in Trump's return in Dallas.

[goldenvalley]

Nov 17, 2021 16:59:52 GMT pnwguy said:

Nov 17, 2021 16:48:38 GMT goldenvalley said:

JFK is in that picture? How did he enter the pantheon?

Well, he and Junior are going to re-appear to usher in Trump's return in Dallas.

Ha Ha.  When I heard about that I thought why would JFK ever want to return to Dallas?  And what about Elvis?  Isn't he off living with JFK somewhere?  I think Marilyn Monroe is there too.  Maybe they too can go to Dallas.

[pnwguy]

Nov 17, 2021 17:22:53 GMT goldenvalley said:

Nov 17, 2021 16:59:52 GMT pnwguy said:

Well, he and Junior are going to re-appear to usher in Trump's return in Dallas.

Ha Ha.  When I heard about that I thought why would JFK ever want to return to Dallas?  And what about Elvis?  Isn't he off living with JFK somewhere?  I think Marilyn Monroe is there too.  Maybe they too can go to Dallas.

Don't forget that Thomas Jefferson was a Democrat too, in that pic.  But as a slave owner, he gets a pass.

No doubt that if Trump was born in the antebellum south, he'd be one of the largest slave owners around and would have knocked up quite a few of them.  "If you don't pick that cotton faster, I'll give you the Mushroom again..."

[LFC]

Nov 17, 2021 16:33:38 GMT pnwguy said:

That perfect Christmas gift for your MAGAt relatives?

Ooooooo, does it come in black velvet?

a) Interesting that they are standing in a burned out wasteland.

b) Trump is killing an innocent snake. That about sums up his environmental policy or would if there was a way for big companies and donors to profit from that act.

[pnwguy]

Nov 17, 2021 21:16:18 GMT LFC said:

Nov 17, 2021 16:33:38 GMT pnwguy said:

That perfect Christmas gift for your MAGAt relatives?

Ooooooo, does it come in black velvet?

a) Interesting that they are standing in a burned out wasteland.

b) Trump is killing an innocent snake. That about sums up his environmental policy or would if there was a way for big companies and donors to profit from that act.

The black velvet edition will also include Elvis with an RPG.

a) "American Carnage"

b) "You knew I was a snake when you voted took me in"

[goldenvalley]

Rittenhouse not guilty on all counts. Self appointed protectors of other people's property are cheering all over the country.  Walking into civil unrest with a firearm is A-OK not matter what.  

[LFC]

Nov 19, 2021 18:16:19 GMT goldenvalley said:

Rittenhouse not guilty on all counts. Self appointed protectors of other people's property are cheering all over the country.  Walking into civil unrest with a firearm is A-OK not matter what. 

"Right-wing murder safaris" is what we can expect. Wade into a tense situation brandishing a firearm, cause a defense reaction, murder the person, and then claim self-defense because of what happened the instant before the gun was fired. It's the George Zimmerman scenario all over again.

It may well end up as a case of "be careful what you wish for", though. If protests get more and more dangerous because of would-be murderers I suspect there will be more protesters carrying their own firearms. A Proud Boy raising a bat over his head in a threatening manner may find themselves gunned downed by superior firepower.

[pnwguy]

Wait until the SCOTUS says everyone is entitled to carry guns anywhere. Then we can truly begin American Carnage. Forget that Hollywood Western idea where you had to turn in your guns to the sheriff when you ride into town. Let's get it started...

[goldenvalley]

Nov 19, 2021 20:13:51 GMT LFC said:

Nov 19, 2021 18:16:19 GMT goldenvalley said:

Rittenhouse not guilty on all counts. Self appointed protectors of other people's property are cheering all over the country.  Walking into civil unrest with a firearm is A-OK not matter what. 

"Right-wing murder safaris" is what we can expect. Wade into a tense situation brandishing a firearm, cause a defense reaction, murder the person, and then claim self-defense because of what happened the instant before the gun was fired. It's the George Zimmerman scenario all over again.

It may well end up as a case of "be careful what you wish for", though. If protests get more and more dangerous because of would-be murderers I suspect there will be more protesters carrying their own firearms. A Proud Boy raising a bat over his head in a threatening manner may find themselves gunned downed by superior firepower.

Yeah escalation of violence overall will result.  Everyone is busy "standing their ground" and firing away.  

My husband brought up Bernie Goetz shooting young black men he decided were going to rob him in the subway in NYC long ago.  He became a hero standing against crime in NYC but firearms were much less prevalent back then...compared to today.

[andydp]

Nov 19, 2021 18:16:19 GMT goldenvalley said:

Rittenhouse not guilty on all counts. Self appointed protectors of other people's property are cheering all over the country.  Walking into civil unrest with a firearm is A-OK not matter what.  

Lost in all the talking, despite being delared innocent of all charges, the families pf the victims can still sue "Kyley" in civil court for damages.   (Think OJ trial.)

[goldenvalley]

Nov 20, 2021 17:05:55 GMT andydp said:

Nov 19, 2021 18:16:19 GMT goldenvalley said:

Rittenhouse not guilty on all counts. Self appointed protectors of other people's property are cheering all over the country.  Walking into civil unrest with a firearm is A-OK not matter what.  

Lost in all the talking, despite being delared innocent of all charges, the families pf the victims can still sue "Kyley" in civil court for damages.   (Think OJ trial.)

The dear boy doesn't have any money.  I assume his family has crowd funded his defense.  How long are people going to contribute to him now that the trial is over.  A civil suite would be pointless.  At least OJ still had some money somewhere.

[andydp]

Nov 20, 2021 17:41:53 GMT goldenvalley said:

Nov 20, 2021 17:05:55 GMT andydp said:

Lost in all the talking, despite being delared innocent of all charges, the families pf the victims can still sue "Kyley" in civil court for damages.   (Think OJ trial.)

The dear boy doesn't have any money.  I assume his family has crowd funded his defense.  How long are people going to contribute to him now that the trial is over.  A civil suite would be pointless.  At least OJ still had some money somewhere.

Last I heard, Kyley's Go Fund Me was in the $200K range if not more. A good civil defence lawyer will help burn that down to zero pretty quickly. If they do three separate trials it could be VERY expensive for Kyley's family. Bottom line is he shouldn't profit from this tragedy.

[andydp]

Backstory: A staunchly anti abortion friend just posted this on her FB page.  I haven't responded because I'm at  loss for words.

Reporter Releases Book on Riots: ‘I Was There’


CV NEWS FEED // Julio Rosas, a reporter who has been on the scene at numerous Left-wing riots, wrote a book documenting the mayhem.

Some observers are calling the jury’s verdict in the Rittenhouse case “a win for white supremacy,” Rosas noted. But “the only evidence we have of someone being racist that night was Joseph Rosenbaum,” whom the then-17-year-old Rittenhouse gunned down after the 36-year-old charged him and threw an object at him. Rosenbaum “was slinging the N-word around like he was some wannabe Soundcloud rapper,” Rosas said, “and I should know that because I filmed him doing that while telling other white people to shoot him.”

(In the article Julio is ID as a cotributor to Tucker Carlson's show...)

catholicvote.org/reporter-releases-book-on-riots-i-was-there/?fbclid=IwAR2ZGpH4agwSFn8COi_JuUPz8wacztfp4HKJe9pKrTAm4iKdCWAnNBlPphU

[goldenvalley]

Nov 20, 2021 21:42:04 GMT andydp said:

Backstory: A staunchly anti abortion friend just posted this on her FB page.  I haven't responded because I'm at  loss for words.

Reporter Releases Book o. n Riots: ‘I Was There’


CV NEWS FEED // Julio Rosas, a reporter who has been on the scene at numerous Left-wing riots, wrote a book documenting the mayhem.

Some observers are calling the jury’s verdict in the Rittenhouse case “a win for white supremacy,” Rosas noted. But “the only evidence we have of someone being racist that night was Joseph Rosenbaum,” whom the then-17-year-old Rittenhouse gunned down after the 36-year-old charged him and threw an object at him. Rosenbaum “was slinging the N-word around like he was some wannabe Soundcloud rapper,” Rosas said, “and I should know that because I filmed him doing that while telling other white people to shoot him.”

(In the article Julio is ID as a cotributor to Tucker Carlson's show...)

catholicvote.org/reporter-releases-book-on-riots-i-was-there/?fbclid=IwAR2ZGpH4agwSFn8COi_JuUPz8wacztfp4HKJe9pKrTAm4iKdCWAnNBlPphU

Wouldn't that mean Rosenbaum and Rittenhouse were on the same side?  After all, Rittenhouse was photographed in a bar after pleading not guilty throwing a white supremacist sign and standing next to a Proud Boy.

[LFC]

Another mass shooting at a school.

Investigators were reviewing video and reading the writings of a 15-year-old boy on Wednesday as they sought clues to what drove him to go on a deadly shooting spree at his high school north of Detroit, where he killed four fellow students.

The suspect, whose name was withheld by officials because he is a minor, opened fire on Tuesday with a handgun his father had purchased four days earlier, killing three students in Oxford, Michigan, about 40 miles (65 km) from Detroit.

Tate Myre, 16, died in a patrol car en route to a hospital. Hanna St. Julian, 14 and Madisyn Baldwin, 17, also died on Tuesday. A fourth student, 17-year-old Justin Shilling, died on Wednesday, the Detroit News reported.

A teacher and six other students were wounded, some critically, authorities said.

The suspect was armed with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun his father had purchased on Nov. 26, along with three 15-round magazines. Seven live rounds remained in the gun when the youth was arrested, the sheriff said late on Tuesday.

If gun laws were written as I'd have them the father would be investigated and if found to have not properly secured the firearm with a minor in the house should be prosecuted. If found guilty of negligence penalties could include being barred from ever owning or operating a firearm again (a definite), possible fine, and possible jail time. And he should be open to civil suits from all of the victims, something that may already be true.

[goldenvalley]

Dec 1, 2021 18:24:02 GMT LFC said:

Another mass shooting at a school.

Investigators were reviewing video and reading the writings of a 15-year-old boy on Wednesday as they sought clues to what drove him to go on a deadly shooting spree at his high school north of Detroit, where he killed four fellow students.

The suspect, whose name was withheld by officials because he is a minor, opened fire on Tuesday with a handgun his father had purchased four days earlier, killing three students in Oxford, Michigan, about 40 miles (65 km) from Detroit.

Tate Myre, 16, died in a patrol car en route to a hospital. Hanna St. Julian, 14 and Madisyn Baldwin, 17, also died on Tuesday. A fourth student, 17-year-old Justin Shilling, died on Wednesday, the Detroit News reported.

A teacher and six other students were wounded, some critically, authorities said.

The suspect was armed with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun his father had purchased on Nov. 26, along with three 15-round magazines. Seven live rounds remained in the gun when the youth was arrested, the sheriff said late on Tuesday.

If gun laws were written as I'd have them the father would be investigated and if found to have not properly secured the firearm with a minor in the house should be prosecuted. If found guilty of negligence penalties could include being barred from ever owning or operating a firearm again (a definite), possible fine, and possible jail time. And he should be open to civil suits from all of the victims, something that may already be true.

Again this search for motive in mass shootings...what's the point?  There are never any steps taken to prevent this sort of thing from happening. And the 2nd A absolutists just say "oh the kid is mentally ill, whadda ya gonna do?"  Teaching kids to duck and cover and teachers to lock classroom doors is as far as prevention measures are ever taken.