On the wings of fearmongers - Updated
I'm not one to jump to hasty conclusions, but the nexus here is easy to trace. Dave Neiwart collects the quotes on the Pittsburgh shooter.
Free speech is important and must be protected, even when we're uncomfortable with the speech, but at some point it has to be weighed against public safety. I think we're reaching that point with hatemongering media that use the false memes to create unneccessary outrage and fear, purely for personal profit.
Update: The Pittsburgh newspaper is reporting Poplawski was "convinced the nation was secretly controlled by a cabal that would eradicate freedom of speech, take away his guns and use the military to enslave the citizenry." Gosh. I wonder where he got that idea?
[More posts daily at The Detroit News]
Poplawski feared "the Obama gun ban that's on the way" and "didn't like our rights being infringed upon," said Edward Perkovic, his best friend.Of course, Obama has no intention of pursuing a gun ban but thanks to the concerted efforts of the wingnut early false alarm system, many are convinced that there is such an evil plot in the making. A point well proven by the rise in guns and ammo sales being driven by panic buying. TBogg andThink Progress have more connections.
Perkovic, 22, said he got a call at work from him in which he said, "Eddie, I am going to die today. ... Tell your family I love them and I love you." [...]
He was also convinced that the government wanted to take away his guns and his freedom.
Free speech is important and must be protected, even when we're uncomfortable with the speech, but at some point it has to be weighed against public safety. I think we're reaching that point with hatemongering media that use the false memes to create unneccessary outrage and fear, purely for personal profit.
Update: The Pittsburgh newspaper is reporting Poplawski was "convinced the nation was secretly controlled by a cabal that would eradicate freedom of speech, take away his guns and use the military to enslave the citizenry." Gosh. I wonder where he got that idea?
[More posts daily at The Detroit News]
Labels: crime, First Amendment, Media, Wingnuts
posted by Libby Spencer at 11:37 AM
10 Comments:
I would like to know where all you people get this idea that our Goverment is going to take away all your gun's? The only gun's they are talking about are assault weapon's. If you have one, I hope they get it. I have gun's but mine are hunting gun's.
They get it from Limbaugh, Glen Beck, and BillO and Michelle Bachman and a thousand viral emails anon. That's why I think it's time to hold them accountable. As I said at the DetNews post, if the shooter just hashed this around with his paranoid friends, he might not have done anything. But once he sees high profile people say this shit on teevee, it seems real to him.
"The only gun's they are talking about are assault weapon's. If you have one, I hope they get it. I have gun's but mine are hunting gun's."
You do understand that the only difference between the banned "assault weapons" and hunting arms is the shape of the stock, don't you? If you add a pistol grip forearm to the stock of your old Ruger 10/22, it's an "assault weapon" even though it's the same gun firing the same ammo at the same rate.
This is as deceitful as calling some old Buick a race far because it has a racing stripe painted on it.
No military in the world uses these semi-automatic rifles and automatic rifles have been restricted since the 1930's and still are.
Even so, the famous "ban" didn't actually ban the look-alike replicas: only those made offshore and after a certain date. The shelves in gun stores remained full of them throughout this fake ban.
I have a hard time believing anyone actually fell for the hoax, but apparently they did. But of course the bottom line is that this ban had no effect on crime levels when it was in place or when it expired and despite the lurid reportage, violent crime continues to decline except in areas run by drug gangs. It's all just fraud based on hoax.
For the record, I have still not yet found anyone other than a left-winger use the phrase "Obama will ban all guns".
And anon - look closely at the VPC position sometime... every so often they slip and mention that one of the types of guns to ban is "medium caliber sniper rifles'. Might want to think about exactly what that means.
Sorry I missed the "assault" gun reference. Far as I know nobody is talking about banning anything, any more then they ever have. There's always been a lobby that wants to ban all guns. And they always get worked up whenever there's a shooting. But it's not going to happen.
Ironically, all this paranoia does is provide fuel for the anti-gun lobby because it makes gun owners look crazy.
"Ironically, all this paranoia does is provide fuel for the anti-gun lobby because it makes gun owners look crazy."
Exactly and that's my major beef with the NRA. I sometimes think they play into the hands of the anti-gun people on purpose because they thrive on the hysteria of both sides.
Small caliber sniper rifles. Hoo boy, that's some farm boy's .22 with a $25 telescopic sight, isn't it? I haven't seen evidence for this, but it wouldn't surprise me since so much gun legislation depends on scary definitions tagged onto ordinary things. Remember "Saturday night specials?"
I do object to the "left-winger" jab though. In some respects I am, but mostly in the sense that I believe the second amendment is the most liberal clause in our constitution. For what it's worth, the phrase I hear most at my local gun shop is "gun grabbers" which is pretty broad.
I'm encouraged though that the O administration has visibly slapped down at least two attempts to bring back the AWB. I have a feeling that the majority of voters don't back it, or at least enough to put re-election out of the picture -- and I have a feeling that they know it.
That's my feeling Fogg. Too volatile an issue for any politician to get serious about a ban. Not that it could NEVER happen. Just not happening now or for the foreseeable future.
I've been a life member of the NRA since 1984 because I don't want any more guns laws, period. There are more than 30,000 on the books now. Placing more restrictions on law-abiding gun owners does absolutely nothing to reduce crime. The last time I checked, criminals, by definition, break the law. So in my view, the NRA is doing exactly what I want them to do.
Like all simplistic positions, that leaves you open to more criticism than I have time for, but when the NRA, as they did not long ago, insisted that I vote for a known felon because she was "pro-gun" they lost all my remaining respect. I can't support anyone who talks to me as though I were stupid and just assumes I'm foaming at the mouth in anger.
Yes, I agree that the patchwork of gun laws is so complex that you can't know whether you're breaking one or not -- and that many are counterproductive and most are pointless and some are based on things that aren't true. Yes, I know that the anti-gun people use the same kind of hysteria and misrepresentation, but I don't want any part of hysteria. I would like more cohesive gun laws if it means we could get rid of some of what's on the books and I agree with the NRA that banning things doesn't make them go away or make crime disappear. If they would talk to me honestly and stop trying to stir up ignorant people and inventing things to fear, I might support them more.
Thank you Fogg. I have nothing to add to that.
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