Tennessee Gun Report

Seems like it’s been a while since I’ve done one of these:

 May 14, 2013:

• Kids today:

KNOXVILLE — A Bearden Middle School student arrested Monday for having an unloaded .357 magnum gun at school got the weapon from a family member, a police spokesman said.

“It’s a family member’s gun,” Knoxville Police Department spokesman Darrell DeBusk said Tuesday. He declined to say that meant the boy brought the weapon from home.

DeBusk said the student brought the gun to school “just to show it to friends.” The seventh-grade student showed the handgun to friends before authorities found the pistol.

• Kids today 2.0:

An East Tennessee State University student was arrested Sunday after campus police responded to a call about possible drug use and found a loaded handgun, according to court and school records.

Jahmar D. Adams, 19, 260 Riverview Road, Johnson City, is charged with carrying weapons on school property.

ETSU Public Safety Officer Waymond Babb responded to the 6th floor of Centennial Hall and was directed to the east side stairwell, according to university records on the incident.

According to Babb’s report, he smelled a strong odor of marijuana and then a “blunt” fell from above him. A blunt is a hollowed-out cigar with the tobacco replaced with marijuana.

This is how grandma and grandpa learn what a “blunt” is.

• And closer to home … Hey look! Watch this! Erm ….

Police said the Tullahoma man accused of shooting his 1-year-old son in the chest while field stripping two handguns was acting recklessly.

Witnesses said Kevin Sayre, 26, was showing how parts of one gun were interchangeable with the other one when he fired, according to Lieutenant Jason Ferrell. Sayre was charged with aggravated assault.

“You’ve got to ask yourself if a reasonable person would consider those actions reckless,” Ferrell said. “It’s our contention that it was reckless that he was even performing those steps with the child present.”

May 12, 2013:

• Call It Nutbush City Limits:

(Memphis) – A man is dead and another is on the run after an argument leads to a shooting in the Nutbush Community.

Police say they have a good idea of who the shooter is because this all started over a family argument, but people in the neighborhood are saddened that a man lost his life on Mother’s Day.

Family Members were overwhelmed with grief Sunday evening after finding out their loved one was shot to death.

Nutbush sure has changed since Tina Turner wrote a song about the West Tennessee town.

May 11, 2013:

• Don’t get drunk and try to load your Springfield XD .45 at 4 a.m.:

BRISTOL — A bullet traveled through several walls of an apartment complex on Volunteer Parkway without injuring anyone early Saturday morning.

Jarred B. Horton, 25, 1270 Volunteer Parkway, was loading his Springfield XD .45-caliber handgun while intoxicated when it accidentally discharged at about 4 a.m., according to Bristol police.

[...]

Horton was charged with reckless endangerment because he was inebriated, his wife was also in the apartment and residents were in the apartment the bullet traveled through, police said.

• Just as the Founders intended, no doubt:

Police are looking for an individual who discharged a gun next to another man’s head early Saturday morning during an apparent argument, injuring the man’s ear.

[...]

“He put the gun up next to his head and fired off to the side of him, more or less to scare him, I think,” McGill said. “And it was the gas or recoil or something which caught his ear and cut his ear.”

May 7, 2013:

• In my fantasy moonbat world, unhinged crazies don’t have guns:

According to an incident report, officers met with the victim at a Moreland Drive business. She allegedly said her estranged husband had left several threatening voicemail messages on her phone — including one that sounded as if there was a gunshot, followed by Blevins boasting that one of her dog’s was, “suffering.”

Being afraid to go to the South Creek Court residence to retrieve the animals alone, police accompanied the woman to the home. An arrest report states Blevins met police in the driveway, with deputies “immediately” noticing that he emitted a strong odor of alcohol.

When asked where the victim’s large poodles were located Blevins allegedly stated, “running around the house somewhere.” Police say he then became belligerent and unruly, ignoring officers’ commands and attempting to walk away.

When his estranged wife began making her way towards the residence, Blevins allegedly attempted to “take off after” her. He was then taken into custody and charged with disorderly conduct and public intoxication.

When the victim and an officer opened the home’s door one dog was spotted walking around, but trailing blood and suffering a gunshot wound to the neck. The woman’s second poodle was reportedly located dead on the floor of a bedroom, a bullet hole in its back.

Police say a pair of loaded handguns were found on a kitchen table, along with two bullet holes in a kitchen wall. Furniture was also allegedly flipped upside down throughout the home.

May 6, 2013:

• Hey, it’s not all bad news:

Shelby County Commissioners voted down a resolution Monday, May 6, that would have backed the idea of state legislators and county sheriffs across the state “nullifying” federal gun control laws they consider unconstitutional.

The debate about Commissioner Terry Roland’s “Second Amendment Preservation Resolution” dominated a short commission agenda that also included a resolution honoring Commissioner Steve Mulroy for donating a kidney last week to the Methodist Healthcare transplant program.

Roland said he sponsored the Second Amendment resolution because his constituents wanted it. And he insisted the resolution was simply to state the commission’s general support of the right to bear arms.

“I’m not going to change any minds here,” Roland added as the debate continued.

Mulroy, a law professor at The University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law, questioned why the commission would want to do that. He also questioned the wording in the resolution which called on the Tennessee Legislature to “reject and nullify the enforcement of any federal acts, laws, executive orders, rules or regulations in violation of the Second Amendment of the Constitution of the United States and of the Constitution of the State of Tennessee.”

He termed the resolution “an extreme right-wing position.”

Gee, ya think?

May 2, 2013:

• Always amazes me that all of these responsible gun owners are constantly forgetting about their guns. Seems like the first sign of a responsible gun owner is knowing where your guns are at all times:

(Memphis) A passenger at Memphis International Airport was stopped at a TSA security checkpoint Thursday morning after a .38 revolver was found in a carry-on bag.

TSA Federal Security Director Kevin McCarthy said this is the 9th gun found in a carry-on at Memphis International in 2013.

Nine guns total were found in all of 2012.

“People are not aware of what they have in their bags. The most common excuse we hear is I forgot about it or I didn’t pack my bag, but that’s not good enough,” said McCarthy.

Thursday’s passenger received a misdemeanor citation.

May 1, 2013:

• Coffee County Commissioner doesn’t think this is intolerant at all:

A Coffee County commissioner’s Facebook post suggesting Muslims are best greeted from behind a rifle barrel is prompting demands for an apology.

Commissioner Barry West’s post follows a string of anti-Muslim acts throughout Middle Tennessee in recent years, including at least four incidents of mosque vandalism. Opposition to a new mosque in Rutherford County was so strong it took federal Justice Department intervention to open it last year.

West played no active role in any of those incidents. He just put an image on his Facebook page, which shows a man aiming a shotgun under the phrase “How to wink at a Muslim.” But even that put a chill through Muslims in Middle Tennessee.

Dumbass.

April 28, 2013: 

• Art that makes a statement about gun culture comes to Chattanooga:

[...] visitors to the Main Gallery at the Association for Visual Arts weave their way through a sea of 1,000 black pingpong balls he installed and then see what awaits them on the other side — an assault rifle.

“Guns are fetishized in the U.S.,” says Murphy, an artist and assistant professor of art and technology at Georgia College. “Many, many Americans love guns. I’m creating a giant gun. Gun enthusiasts should love the piece.

“I just want people to keep talking about guns [and] why we should have guns,” he says. “Communication is necessary because I don’t see any sort of solution being proposed.”

Stay safe, y’all.

The “Routine Maintenance” Bad PR Dodge

[UPDATE]:

Via the Political Carnival is this ad from Crickett for “My First Rifle.” So much for that “safety promoting design”; this is one tradition I’ll take a pass on, thanks.

——————————————-

Interesting. If you Google “Crickett youth guns,” makers of the “My First Rifle” weapon used in this week’s tragic shooting in Kentucky, you get this:

But if you click on the link, you get this:

Cowards.

Most Responsible Ever, etc.

Saw this buried in a local news story out of Oklahoma, but this shit happens ALL THE DANG TIME, everywhere, including here, here, here, here… well, you get the picture:

Thefts From Unlocked Trucks In Durant Neighborhood

DURANT, OK — Vehicle burglaries in one neighborhood have residents there on alert tonight, after they say thousands of dollars in valuables were stolen.

Police say these thefts were all reported early Monday in the same area. It is a place where many people have felt secure enough to leave their cars unlocked, until now.

[...]

Other neighbors lost a pistol, a laptop, a purse, and tools. Nothing was taken from Smith’s car, but whoever was breaking in may have left something. “Went through the glove box and scattered all the insurance forms there and that sort of thing, actually left their flashlight in the front seat of the pickup, so we found that the next day and called the authorities and let them know what was going on,” says Smith.

A pistol? It’s bad enough that people are dumb enough to leave laptops, cameras, purses, cash, etc. in an unlocked vehicle. But hey, when that stuff gets stolen, the owner is the only one who suffers the consequences. But when you leave a damn gun in your unlocked truck and it gets stolen? That’s negligence that can cause some real harm to someone else down the road.

Meanwhile:

According to a police report, an officer checked with two pawn shops, but none of the items turned up there.

Where’s this person’s pistol? Who knows. Will this person have to pay any fine or suffer any consequences for being so negligent with their weapon? Something to perhaps deter them from behaving so irresponsibly in the future? Hell, no! How about an increase in their liability insurance rates? Oh wait, we don’t require gun owners to carry liability insurance the same way we do with cars, boats, and motorcycles. That would be wrong!

If there are no penalties for irresponsible behavior, then how can we encourage responsible behavior? This used to be a concept conservatives understood. Hell, wasn’t that the premise behind Stacey Campfield’s “starve the children” bill? Because Campfield and the rest of the meanies in the GOP equate poverty with being irresponsible? Indeed, that’s a core belief of modern conservatism: if you’re poor and need assistance, you’re lazy and irresponsible. Those of us who don’t lack that crucial empathy gene which makes human society possible know better, of course. That doesn’t mean we don’t understand the concept of encouraging responsible behavior, however. It just means we know that concept needs to be applied in its proper context. Poverty is not that context. Gun negligence is.

Conservatives seem to think true irresponsible behavior of the kind that endangers public safety has to be protected because FREEDOM and SHUT UP. I just don’t get it.

Arkansas State Rep. Nate Bell: Asshole of the Day

Nate Bell, Republican from Arkansas:

Can’t imagine why people think Republicans are mean-spirited, can you?

Bell has been summarily spanked on Twitter for this douchey Tweet, prompting him to Tweet about praying for families and re-Tweeting a “love your enemies” Bible verse. That’s right, hide behind religion when your fat yap opens and the stupid falls out, you sanctimonious shit.

(h/t, ThinkProgress)

We’ve Only Just Begun

[UPDATE] 2:

Reid has tabled the gun bill. It will be back, you can count on it.

———————————————-
[UPDATE]:

Heh. Here’s an interesting spin on the gun bill from none other than the Marine Corps. Times:

The Senate failed Wednesday to pass legislation preventing veterans from losing gun ownership rights simply for being incapable of handling their financial affairs.

[...]

The amendment sought allow the VA to only report to the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System if a judge, magistrate or other judicial authority determines a veteran is a danger to himself or others.

Wednesday’s vote came on an amendment to S 649, the Safe Communities, Safe Schools Act, after the Senate also defeated attempts to expand background checks for gun purchases and to ban the sale of military-style assault weapons

Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., who sponsored the Senate amendment, said current policy has led 129,000 veterans to be “deprived of their Second Amendment Rights to own firearms” without due process because they were declared financially “incompetent,” the term used by the VA for those appointed a fiduciary to handle their financial affairs.

Why does Mitch McConnell hate the troops?

———————————————————-

Mitch McConnell has tipped his hand with his ridiculous happy dance over the gun bill’s defeat. Because this tells me he’s clearly remembering his own biggest failure as minority leader: his vow to make Obama a one-term president at all costs. How’d that work for you, Mitch? Not so good.

As Buzzfeed reminds us, after the Columbine shooting a similar piece of legislation was put forth. And it had the support of eight Republicans still serving in the Senate today, including …. wait for it … Mitch McConnell. This would be the same piece of legislation which gave us that infamous video of Wayne LaPierre saying,

“We think it’s reasonable to provide mandatory instant criminal background checks for every sale at every gun show. No loopholes anywhere for anyone,” he said. “That means closing the Hinckley loophole so the records of those adjudicated mentally ill are in the system. This isn’t new, or a change of position, or a concession. I’ve been on record on this point consistently, from our national meeting in Denver, to paid national ads and position papers, to news interviews and press appearances.”

That effort went down in defeat in the Republican-controlled House, unfortunately. Still, it’s helpful to remember that Wayne LaPierre, Mitch McConnell and five other Republicans were for universal background checks before they were against them. What changed? Just the burning desire to punch a hippie, give President Obama the middle finger, and obstruct anything that a person with a “D” after their name supports.

It’s not surprising. Because while McConnell might enjoy spiking the football over this piece of legislation, we’ve got our eyes on the big picture. We know that when Republicans and four Republican-lite Democrats say no to something supported by 90% of the American people, they are the picture of irrelevancy. Remember, Lisa Murkowski, that time you voted for the Blunt Amendment and then immediately regretted it? You said,

“I have never had a vote I’ve taken where I have felt that I let down more people that believed in me,” she said.

Yeah, this is what happens when you base your votes on special interests. And I think a lot of Senators will be getting a taste of that in coming weeks. Because it’s not over. It’s over when we say it’s over, and as long as shootings and gun accidents and gun violence remain at epidemic proportions in this country, we aren’t stopping.

Gabrielle Giffords has an op-ed in today’s New York Times, which is a must-read. She writes:

Speaking is physically difficult for me. But my feelings are clear: I’m furious. I will not rest until we have righted the wrong these senators have done, and until we have changed our laws so we can look parents in the face and say: We are trying to keep your children safe. We cannot allow the status quo — desperately protected by the gun lobby so that they can make more money by spreading fear and misinformation — to go on.

I am asking every reasonable American to help me tell the truth about the cowardice these senators demonstrated. I am asking for mothers to stop these lawmakers at the grocery store and tell them: You’ve lost my vote. I am asking activists to unsubscribe from these senators’ e-mail lists and to stop giving them money. I’m asking citizens to go to their offices and say: You’ve disappointed me, and there will be consequences.

Yes, yes, and more yes. Also: four Democrats voted against universal background checks: Mark Pryor of Arkansas, Max Baucus of Montana, Mark Begich of Alaska and Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota. Their votes wouldn’t have mattered — we’d still have been two votes shy of the 60 required — but I’ll remember their names anyway. I’ll need them when I refuse those DSCC fundraising calls and letters I always get.

Journanimalism: The Passive Voice Gun Dodge

Ah, the liberal media. Have you noticed, as I have, that whenever there’s an accidental shooting, the media immediately switches to the passive voice?

In the active voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action. For example, He shot himself while cleaning his gun. In the passive voice, the subject of the sentence is acted upon, for example, The gun accidentally fired while he was cleaning it. Passive v active voice is a neat trick used by spinmeisters and obfuscators, and it’s one which savvy cynics such as myself have learned to recognize. For those who have forgotten their English 101:

We find an overabundance of the passive voice in sentences created by self-protective business interests, magniloquent educators, and bombastic military writers (who must get weary of this accusation), who use the passive voice to avoid responsibility for actions taken. Thus “Cigarette ads were designed to appeal especially to children” places the burden on the ads — as opposed to “We designed the cigarette ads to appeal especially to children,” in which “we” accepts responsibility.

I don’t know if it’s intentional, but when writing about accidental shootings the media’s use of the passive voice is so pervasive and common, it’s hard not to wonder what the hell is going on. Here are just a few examples I’ve assembled from recent reports.

In Kansas:

Investigators said the man was removing a .45 caliber handgun from the console of his car, when the weapon accidentally fired. The victim was taken to a nearby hospital then later transported to a Wichita facility for treatment

Amazing how these things “just happen,” isn’t it? The weapon “just accidentally fired,” all by its own self.

Right here in Tennessee:

It appears that Cooper was removing a hunting rifle from the vehicle and that it accidentally fired, the bullet tearing through the case in which the gun was located and hitting Cooper in the chest, Honeycutt said.

In West Virginia:

According to a Tuesday release, the gun discharged while in the child’s possession.

In North Carolina:

LUMBERTON – A Fairmont boy was accidentally shot to death Sunday when the shotgun his father was cleaning discharged, authorities said.

In Texas:

A police trainee with Dallas Area Rapid Transit was wounded around 6:15 a.m. Wednesday morning after his service weapon accidentally discharged. The bullet struck the trainee in the leg. Dallas Fire-Rescue sent an ambulance to the scene, which was located in the 2100 block of South Corinth Street, just north of Illinois Avenue.

A spokesman for DART said that the trainee was putting his weapon in its holster when it accidentally fired. Another spokesman confirmed that the trainee shot himself in the thigh and was taken to Methodist Hospital in Dallas.

Which one was it? Did the gun just accidentally fire, or did the trainee shoot himself in the thigh?

In Ohio:

Police say a man went to the park to take a walk. He was putting the gun away when it accidentally fired, striking him in the leg.

WTF is this about, reporters? Why does the media give people a pass for shooting their kids, their neighbors, innocent bystanders, and themselves? It’s very curious. Is this “political correctness,” or just bad journalism?

But my favorite is this headline from Dayton, Ohio. It isn’t an example of passive voice use, as the story gets it right (before getting it wrong). But the headline is an egregious contortion deflecting responsibility for gun negligence by a CCW holder. It was so good I had to get a screen shot. I bring you this profile in courage:

And from the story:

MORAINE – A male driving in a store parking lot accidentally shot himself in the leg with his .45 Caliber Colt Commander.

On a routine shopping trip, the subject said it was uncomfortable wearing the weapon – for which he had legitimate papers – in his holster while driving, so he put it in the center console of his vehicle. When he reached for the weapon, it went off.

Yes, Dayton News. Give that man a medal for “saving himself.” /sarcasm.

Here’s the deal: we’ve either got a bunch of weapons just firing all by their ownselves, in which case gun manufacturers maybe need to rethink their product, OR we have a bunch of gun owners showing extreme negligence while cleaning, holstering, and stowing their weapons. Either way, we’ve got a problem and the news media seems to be giving everyone a pass.

Guns In Parking Lots FAIL, Florida Edition

Just another law-abiding CCW holder:

MARCH 4–Angered that a Walmart employee refused to honor a “dollar-off” coupon, a Florida woman allegedly retrieved a handgun from her car and waved the weapon at several store employees, police allege.

The confrontation at the Crawfordville store began Friday afternoon when Mary Frances Alday, 61, sought to use an Internet coupon. Alday became “extremely upset” when a Walmart assistant manager, Tracy Stockslager, told her of the retailer’s policy not to accept such online coupons, according to a Wakulla County Sheriff’s Office report.

[...]

As several Walmart employees watched from the store’s entrance, Alday appeared outside her car “waving the gun in the holster,” reported investigators. Alday then removed the weapon–a loaded Smith & Wesson .38 Special–from the holster and pointed it “at all the store employees and stated ‘I have something for Y’all.’” The Walmart workers “retreated back inside the building due to being in fear for their lives.”

Alday, who fled the Walmart parking lot in a 2011 Ford Escape, was subsequently pulled over by a sheriff’s deputy who asked if there was a firearm in the SUV. “Yes, I have a concealed weapons permit, and you are not taking my gun.” Asked about the gun’s location, Alday replied, “You’re not taking my gun.”

Well, thank goodness she stood her ground over that dollar off coupon! Repeat after me: CCW holders are the most responsible gun owners ever. Say it often enough, maybe it will be true …some day.

Look, as long as I’m reading multiple stories daily about gun loons behaving irresponsibly versus the very rare, occasional story about a gun owner saving the day, you will never convince me that liberalizing gun laws is a good idea. But, the firearms manufacturers must be appeased … the firearms manufacturers must be appeased … the firearms manufacturers must be appeased … amiright, TNGOP?

Also, this is reason number 5,708 why I’m still boycotting Florida. If you can’t go to a damn Walmart or buy some Skittles and iced tea without someone flinging a gun around, then forget it.

[UPDATE]:

I’d forgotten about this one, but it’s worth adding here: different Florida Walmart, same massive gun loooonacy FAIL:

ORANGE CITY, Fla. – A man arrested for opening fire in a busy Walmart parking lot said he was trying to stop a shoplifter and is now defending his actions.

Orange City police arrested Jose Martinez, 35, after they said he unleashed at least five bullets in the parking lot of the Walmart on Veterans Memorial Parkway.

Martinez told Local 6, he was defending himself from a shoplifter who nearly ran him over and injured him.

“The guy put me in danger and other people,” said Martinez as police hauled him off to jail Wednesday evening. “He tried to run me over.”

But police said Martinez only was bumped by the shoplifter’s getaway car because he was chasing after the car and even tried to open the door to the moving vehicle before he opened fire.

Standing his ground against some poor sap shoplifting groceries, way to go, Florida! Let me say, the whole “he tried to run me over” stuff is utter bullshit, because a) there’s video of the incident, and b) when I first read this story, he said he,

[...] started opening fire because he said he wanted to mark the suspect’s car as he fled from the scene.

That’s a real genius move right there. You know what? Scratch boycotting Florida. I’m staying out of Walmart, too.

Creepy Gun Loon Message Du Jour

This pants-wetting PSA from Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. is so over the top, I thought it was a parody. But according to the Los Angeles Times, it’s not. Give it a listen:

Here’s the transcript:

I’m Sheriff David Clarke, and I want to talk to you about something personal: your safety. It’s no longer a spectator sport; I need you in the game. But are you ready?

With officers laid off and furloughed, simply calling 911 and waiting is no longer your best option.

You can beg for mercy from a violent criminal, hide under the bed, or you can fight back, but are you prepared?

Consider taking a certified safety course in handling a firearm so you can defend yourself until we get there.

You have a duty to protect yourself and your family.

We’re partners now, can I count on you?

This safely message brought to you by The Milwaukee County Sheriff’s office.

Jesus. Enough with the fearmongering, already. I’m so over this “oooh the bogeyman is coming for your flat-screen TV” BS. As the Times notes, for context:

Crime is relatively rare in Clarke’s jurisdiction: In 2010, the Sheriff’s Department reported two burglaries, nine robberies and zero murders. (Preliminary data from 2012 were not available, and it’s not clear if the department submitted its crime statistics to the FBI for 2011.)

Also rare are justifiable homicides in the U.S.: About 260 private citizens lawfully killed someone committing a felony in 2011, or less than one case per every 1 million people in the nation.

Yes, but Sheriff Clarke needs you in the game! Are ya ready, Wolverines? Don’t let this patriot down!

/sarcasm

What is the deal with Milwaukee County, btw? I’m remembering that this is the part of Wisconsin which gave us Scott Walker.

(h/t, Blogging Blue)

[UPDATE]:

Spied this excellent point about the whole “I need you in the game, are you ready” nonsense:

“A society that is relying on guys with guns to stop violence is a sign of a society where institutions have broken down,” said Rebecca Peters, former director of the International Action Network on Small Arms. “It’s shocking to hear anyone in the United States considering a solution that would make it seem more like Colombia.”

Not so shocking, really. There’s a reason we call them “Banana Republicans” (though Clarke is reportedly to be, at least nominally, a Democrat — at least, the gun loons all refer to him as a “Democrat sheriff,” though I don’t know the source of that information). Increasingly it appears the conservative wet dream for America is one reminiscent of a Hollywood vision of Bolivia or Central America: banditos lurking behind every shrub, and everyone is in it for themselves.

Speaking Of Guns & The Mentally Ill

Maybe taking a guy with PTSD to the shooting range wasn’t such a good idea.

Just a thought.

Sorry, I’m not trying to be insensitive here, but this is absolutely what is wrong with American gun culture. You have people who think guns are benign instruments, even “a kind of therapy” for “troubled veterans,” or a way to help their autistic son “fit in.” They are not. Guns are for killing. Period.

I mean, Jesus. The lack of common sense among self-professed “gun enthusiasts” is astonishing. I’d like to know why we need to have a fucking registry for the mentally ill when gun people are putting weapons in the hands of people they already know are mentally troubled? Don’t take a guy with PTSD to a fucking shooting range, okay? Don’t take your disturbed kid to a shooting range, either. When your boss orders a mental health day, maybe the shooting range isn’t what he had in mind. Aren’t these the people we’re saying need to be put on a national registry to make sure they can’t get their hands on guns? Then why are gun loons taking them for target practice?

God I’m sick of this shit.

[UPDATE]:

Guns-in-parking-lots bill sponsor Jeremy Faison admits he illegally keeps a gun in his car, nor does he have a concealed-carry permit. I agree with the NRA that we need to start enforcing the gun laws we have, and let’s start with this asshole.

I sure hope someone doesn’t break into Faison’s car, steal his gun, and use it in a crime.

And this is reason number 1,432 why we need mandatory liability insurance required of all gun owners. Because dude, your insurance premium just went through the roof with you flaunting not one but two laws. I mean, I’m pretty sure you’ve lost your right to call yourself “law-abiding” when you admitted to this.

idiot.

Just Another Responsible Gun Owner Defending His Property

This is the predictable result of the NRA’s fearmongering, folks:

(CNN) — Neighbors of Jimmy Lee Dykes say he was supposed to have been in court on Wednesday, facing charges that he’d shot at them during a December argument over the dirt road that separated their properties.

Instead, he was holed up in an underground bunker dug into his yard in Midland City, Alabama, surrounded by sheriff’s deputies, state troopers and police.

Also inside the bunker, authorities say, is a 6-year-old boy seized from a school bus at gunpoint Tuesday afternoon. The bus driver, 66-year-old Charles Poland Jr., was shot and killed, but school officials said Wednesday he saved 21 other children on board.

Jesus. TPM identified the man as another one of those anti-government “survivalists.” Other reports list the child as autistic.

This is what happens when you have NRA loons like Wayne LaPierre fearmongering about the loss of freedoms since Obama was elected.

Oh, and in case you missed it, here’s another “responsible” gun owner protecting his property:

Sailors and his wife, Brenda, were at their home on Hillcrest Road when they heard a “ruckus” in the driveway, said attorney Mike Puglise. A neighbor had recently been robbed and Sailors was wary when he spotted two people in his driveway getting into their car.

According to Puglise, Sailors grabbed his gun as he headed outside, firing a warning shot into the air. He said he fired at Diaz only after Diaz accelerated his car toward him.

“He thought he was going to get run down,” the lawyer said.

But the police report indicates that the vehicle was leaving Sailors’ property when Diaz was shot. Lilburn police said they found his red Mitsubishi at the end of the driveway. Diaz was slumped over the steering wheel, blood covering his face and, the incident report states, struggling to breathe.

The Colombia native who attended Gwinnett Tech and worked at his brother’s cargo shipping business was pronounced dead the following morning from a single bullet that entered the left side of his head and fragmented, causing severe brain damage.

The young people had pulled into the Sailors’ driveway by mistake; their GPS had directed them to the wrong house. They were looking for a friends’ house, and the group was going to go ice skating. Instead, tragedy.

This is the problem with a gun. It ends the conversation. Sailors may have felt threatened by seeing a car full of Hispanics in his driveway. His neighbors may have been robbed recently. But that gun empowered Sailors to shoot first and ask questions later. Now his ass is in jail, where I hope it stays for a long, long time.

By the way, a shockingly large number of these cases come from the South. I wonder why.