--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Michael Jackson <mjackson74@...> wrote: > > Its just part of life for a lot of people here. My old > man used to keep a loaded .357 Magnum on his bureau. > We never shot nobody with it though.
It's an incredible blind spot for many people. Their whole "American mythos" keeps them from noticing it and how insane it is. Unless you live in "bear country" (the only North American animal that would require a .357 magnum to take it down), the *only* reason to own a gun like that is to *kill people*. I think I've mentioned here a friend from Santa Fe who is a classic example of this "blind spot." In person he's just the nicest guy in the world -- a talented guitarist and folk singer, loving father and husband, etc. He *does* have a tendency to get monotopical about Libertarianism, which is why I have had to block his posts on some forums we share. He was also a Divinity student in his youth, and almost became a preacher. But he owns over forty (40) guns. Some of them have been converted to full auto. In fact, he has over half of them wrapped in oilcloth and buried in a trunk some- where secret, in preparation for the day when "The guvmint will come to get my other guns." Go figure. > ________________________________ > From: salyavin808 <fintlewoodlewix@...> > To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com > Sent: Wednesday, July 17, 2013 6:02 AM > Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: Trayvon Martin was a Homophobic bigot > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, turquoiseb <no_reply@> wrote: > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "salyavin808" wrote: > > > > > > Has *anyone* in America stopped to ponder whether the problem > > > here is easy availability of guns rather than race or whatever > > problems? > > > > > > Seems likely that if you couldn't get hold of 9mm pistols at the > > > corner shop this situation might have amounted to a bit of arguing > > > and not much more. When everyone is scared that everyone else is > > > armed people are bound to be be a bit spikier. > > > > > > I hear they have armed guards at primary schools now. What the > > > fuck is wrong with your country? > > > > It's a kind of collective "me first" insanity, bred of seeing too > > many cowboy/cop movies, believing in too many of America's > > myths, and never having been exposed to other, more civilized > > countries and societies. > > > > The Bureau of Consular Affairs now *brags* that a "record > > number of Americans now hold passports." That "record number" > > is slightly over 33%. Admittedly, that is WAY up from only a few > > years ago, when only 8% of Americans held passports (and thus > > were even *able* to see what life was like in other countries), > > but now you need a passport to even go to Canada or Mexico, > > so that accounts for much of the increase. (You don't need a > > US passport to get *into* either Canada or Mexico, BTW...you > > need one to get back into your own country...that's the kind of > > insular mentality that America lives with these days.) > > > > Americans -- for the most part -- have never had the experience > > of being able to walk safely after dark almost *anywhere*, as I > > have done in France, in Spain, in the Netherlands, and in many > > other countries in the years since I kissed America goodbye. They > > don't know what it *feels* like to live in a society in which random > > violence is not an ever-present possibility. > > > > And they actually *believe* that totin' a gun will make them safer. > > The facts are somewhat different. The states with the highest gun > > ownership have a gun murder rate 114% higher than those with > > the lowest gun ownership. The number of mass shootings stopped > > by gun-toting civilians in the last thirty years is ZERO. For every > > time a gun is used in self-defense in the home, there are 7 assaults > > or murders, 11 suicide attempts, and 4 accidents involving guns > > in or around the home. 43% of homes with guns and kids leave > > their guns unlocked, and in one experiment, 1/3 of 8-12-year-old > > kids who found a handgun pulled the trigger. > > Very interesting. > > I saw a shocking documentary about the youngest kid in jail in > the US for life without parole (12) after he helped a friend kill > his stepdad. What a waste of lives but amidst all the handwringing from > police, neighbours and family, *not one* person stopped to > wonder whether keeping two loaded pistols in an unlocked kitchen drawer was a > bad idea. It's like some weird blind spot that was > so taken for granted it wasn't even considered. It's just what > they all do. > > I wonder how England would be if guns were freely available? > We like to import everything else from the US: TV, shit food, > unfair business practises etc. So why not a liberal attitude > to weapons of mass destruction, how long would it take before > we're popping caps like it's some sort of solution? > > Or would we be like Canada which, as I understand it, has > as many guns per person as the US but a much lower murder > rate? > > > In 2011, nearly 10 times more people were shot and killed in argu- > > ments than by civilians trying to stop a crime. One study found > > that the odds of an assault victim being shot were 4.5X greater > > if he carried a gun, and his odds of being killed were 4.2X greater. > > > > http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/01/pro-gun-myths-fact-check > > <http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/01/pro-gun-myths-fact-check> > > > > The last time I was in America (back in Santa Fe to renew > > documents), out of curiosity I dropped in to a local gun show. > > I was offered handguns, rifles, shotguns, and in four cases > > semi-automatic rifles that had been converted to full automatic > > (e.g., machine guns) *over the counter*. I would have had to > > show no ID, and no "background checks" would have been > > performed. If I had bought them, I would have walked out of > > the show fully equipped to become a mass murderer, requiring > > only a short stop at Walmart to stock up on ammo first. > > Unbelievable. To me. > > > America is not only an insane asylum, its inmates are armed. > > I blame this constitution thing... > > > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Mike Dixon mdixon.6569@ wrote: > > > > > > > > Looks like a new version of the Trayvon/Zimmerman encounter is > > developing, see Drudge Report. Seems that on the Pierce Morgan Show last > > night that Rachel Jeantel reported that race had nothing to do with the > > encounter . She said that she and Trayvon thought Zimmerman might be a > > *rapist*, a homosexual rapist at that and that's why Trayvon was > > Creeped-out by Zimmerman following him. He didn't want Zimmerman > > following him to his home because his little brother was there and > > might... It's looking more like Trayvon intended to give Zimmerman the > > Mathew Shepherd treatment. Martin intended to beat the snot out of the > > *fagot* that was stalking him. Zimmerman took a pounding for 45 seconds > > and then fired in self defense. In short, Trayvon's homophobia killed > > him. > > > > > > > > > >
