Seen in today’s online edition of The Lantern:
POLAND, OHIO – Ohio State freshman Marissa Plakosh was shot and killed in her Youngstown-area home when she was on holiday break at about 5:50 a.m. Saturday, December 15.
The victim, her brother and a family friend were seated in the same room when the friend was handling a loaded firearm. It discharged once and struck her in the neck, according to Poland Township Police.
This kind of tragedy is exactly the kind of thing sensible gun regulation could help eradicate. Thankfully, accidental gun deaths are already quite low – about 1500 per year across the entire country. Additionally, the number of gun deaths has dropped dramatically in the last 10-15 years. Certainly, your odds of dying in a car crash or falling are higher than your odds of dying from an accidental firearms discharge; however, unlike a car, a firearm is a weapon, designed to kill. Accidental deaths involving firearms could nearly be eliminated with some common-sense regulation.
For example, requiring training in safe handling of a gun before allowing purchase. While we don’t have all the details of Ms. Plakosh’s death (what are college kids doing handling a loaded gun at 5:50 in the morning on a Saturday?), we can be reasonably confident that they been observing a few basic safety rules not only would that negligent discharge have been unlikely, even if it had happened Ms. Plakosh likely would have not been hit. Always treat a gun as if it were loaded (and unless intending/expecting to use it, keep it unloaded). Never point a gun at something you aren’t willing to put a hole in (including people!). And only have your finger on the trigger when you have the gun aimed at a target and are intending to shoot.
I’m currently taking a basic handgun safety course that meets (and exceeds) the requirements for Ohio’s concealed-carry licensing requirement. It is my opinion that successful completion of such a course should be required for firearms ownership (in addition to background checks for felonious behavior and mental illness), and that such a requirement would result in better safety awareness from gun owners.
In fact, evidence for this can be found when looking at Switzerland. Often cited by “pro-gun” people for their relatively low gun crime rate and virtually universal ownership, what is not mentioned is the fact that gun laws there are actually more restrictive than they are in most of the United States. For example, carry permits in Switzerland require successful completion of an examination of both weapon handling skills and legal knowledge, a plausible need (“may issue”, but liberally applied), and meeting the general requirements for firearms purchase (18+, no known psychological problems, security issues, or criminal history). In addition, male Swiss citizens are required to serve in the military, where they receive firearms training (for women it is optional, but all professions in the military are open to them, including combat roles), tho “opting out” to civil service is permitted. Ammunition purchases are registered with the government. Additionally, the military-owned firearms stored at home have been factory modified to remove their full-auto capabilities after the term of militia service has been completed.
Because of the regulation of legal guns, it is unsurprising that guns used in crime in Switzerland – the intentional gun deaths that the above discussion ignores – are almost exclusively stolen or otherwise illegally acquired, much like in the US. However, Switzerland’s regulations and widespread training seem to do a much better job of keeping firearms off of the black market.
Ironically, due to their widespread ownership, guns are used in domestic violence in Switzerland far more frequently than in the United States.
I think there are lessons to be learned from the Swiss example, and it’s not “universal ownership”. It’s that training (and training and more training) and regulation lead to more responsible gun ownership. And that’s something we should all be in favor of.
Off to the range for tonight’s class!
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Tony Perkins, head of the Family Research Council, had this to say about the shootings at two Colorado churches on Sunday (transcribed from Countdown):
It is hard not to draw a line between the hostility that is being fomented in our culture from some in the secular media towards Christians and Evangelicals in particular, and the acts of violence that took place in Colorado Sunday. But I will say no more for now other than that our friends at New Life Church and YWAM are in our thoughts and prayers.
So… a kid gets kicked out of a missionary program, holds a grudge, shoots up the church, and it’s the fault of the “secular media”? Boy, that makes perfect sense. It’s absolutely astounding how a group that makes up 81% of the population can cry so much about how they only make up 81% and that the other 19% has the temerity to stand up for their own right to freedom of religion.
Tony – nobody cares that you are Christian. If you want your kids to believe in Creationism, God, whatever – that’s fine. That’s your right. Just quit claiming anti-Christian “hostility” when we decline to allow you to use tax dollars to push your religious beliefs on other people. Gah.
As for the kid and the shootings – like all cases when someone who realistically shouldn’t have access to firearms manages to procure one and then proceeds to use it in a violent manner towards others – it’s tragic. Regardless of who his victims were.
Aside – apparently there is a widely underreported rash of anti-Christian arsons out there. Note to wingnuts; just because a gay man is beat up, that doesn’t make it a hate crime. Just because a church is set fire, that doesn’t make it a hate crime. You have to show that the church was chosen specifically because it’s a church, because the perp hates that particular religion – not because it happens to be an easy target for a fire-obsessed person. You may also wish to note that some of the more prominent church arsons in the last decade or so were perpetrated by the KKK – nominally white Christians – against black Christians; a racially motivated hate crime. Finally, you need to take into account the fact that 100 churches a year, even if they actually are “hate crime” arsons, add up to a minuscule fraction of the number of churches out there. I suspect that the percentage of mosques subject to arson is substantially higher, tho admittedly the numbers of religious structures of any faith subject to arson are difficult to find.
We must all work for an America where violence has no place and people are not targeted for acts of hate because of their skin color, religious beliefs or gender. However, we must begin to recognize that the most serious problem regarding violent hate crimes America concerns churches and Christians.
Agree wholeheartedly with the first statement. Find the 2nd a little outrageous. The rate of violence perpetrated against homosexuals dramatically outstrips the rate of violence against Christians. The hate crime rate against Jewish people is thru the roof.
To people like Patrick Mahoney and Tony Perkins, I have only this to say: stop being such a girl and hike up your skirts. (No offense to the female readers of this blog, or anyone else who wears a skirt: I’ve had my eye on a dashing kilt for quite a while now.)
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Down Tennessee way…
Police have lost red-light cameras to traffic accidents but never to gun play. “This is the first one that’s been shot,” Capt. Gordon Catlett said of the wounded camera at the intersection of Broadway Avenue and Interstate 640 — one of 15 camera-equipped intersections in the city.
Clifford E. Clark, 47, was charged with felony vandalism and reckless endangerment for allegedly firing at least three rounds from a .30-06 hunting rifle at the camera, knocking it out of action.
Anger management issues, dude? At any rate, not the most appropriate use of a firearm. Red light cameras kinda suck, but I’m not sure this qualifies as something that rises to the level of requiring armed insurrection.
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One of the common memes I read on pro-gun websites is the overwhelming need to protect one’s self and family from violent home invaders intent on killing you and your family.
Well, in New York City – population 8 million – they are on track to have fewer than 500 homicides, and if trends hold just seventy homicides perpetrated by those unknown to the victim. That’s a measly 14% of all homicides that would qualify as “random acts of violence”, and it means that 0.000875% of NYC citizens were murdered by a random attack this year. What’s more, you can reduce your odds of being a victim of a “random” crime by avoiding risky situations and behavior, including protecting your home from being selected for invasion.
You are actually more likely to be killed by a fire than by a stranger. Even if your home is invaded by an armed thief, it’s unlikely to result in murder. So test your smoke alarms! (And lock your windows and doors too, just in case.)
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Last night over at BSB, bryan had a nice post about how the proposed changes in the concealed carry law (as pointed out by Jill) would make it easier to carry a concealed weapon than to vote.
Ignoring the irony that the wingnuts work like hell to restrict people’s right to vote while working to allow unfettered access to firearms, there is a legitimate public safety issue here. [click to continue…]
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Yesterday I indicated that I’m against concealed-carry in a post about a Cleveland man defending himself from an armed attacker. The article indicated that the incident may have been the first instance of a concealed-carry self-defense shooting.
The Buckeye Firearms Association contends otherwise. [click to continue…]
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Hurley over at WMD (my eyes! my eyes!) attempts to make a point about Iraq but falls pretty short – of course. He compares recent outbreaks of crime in Philly with Iraq, sarcastically calling the city a “quagmire” and urging us to “get out of there”. I won’t bother to argue that Philadelphia has struggled with crime for years and that we didn’t cause such instability by overthrowing it’s mayor and creating a power vacuum that led to violence among different Philly neighborhoods, or that Philadelphia is located in Pennsylvania – part of the United States. Don’t need to make those arguments.
What is interesting to note is that Pennsylvania is a concealed carry state. Apparently the criminals are not the least bit deterred at the prospect of law-abiding citizens carrying weapons. Must be the heat.
“Certainly, we’re seeing more guns out there than ever before,” said Dambach, a 30-year veteran.
“If you go down almost any street, the chances are good that you’ll find a person who has a gun on them, or has easy access to one.”
The triggermen are often teens and young adults who are loyal only to themselves, Dambach said. Homicides are often the results of arguments over such trifles as bicycles and girls, not hotly contested drug turfs.
“The things that normally people would have had an argument over now escalate into shootings at the drop of a hat. It’s disconcerting,” Dambach said.
Solutions? Real policing and NOT citizen armament – sound familiar?
“When we start employing that type of New York, [William] Bratton-styled policing, it makes an impact,” Dambach said.
Since its inception, SITE has been well-received in many of the city’s tougher neighborhoods, Dambach said. The visual presence of so many cops reassured many residents, and the improvements in the quality of life were appreciated. That the unit has excelled at getting guns off the street – since Jan. 1, SITE has confiscated 95 firearms citywide – hasn’t hurt, either.
Philly has fuck-all to do with Baghdad, but it is relevant to the gun debate. Instead of apples-oranges, maybe we stick with apples-apples and oranges-oranges. Works out better that way.
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Matty over a RABid continues to intentionally misrepresent gun control efforts in what can really only be termed celebrating a 25 year old man using a concealed weapon to defend himself – and kill – a 15 year old would-be criminal.
The PD’s blog post said, “Opponents said [Well's gun] took Buford’s [life] – that the 15-year-old might be alive if a citizen had not been armed.” And that statement is true- But if Toby Hoover and other anti-2nd Amendment types had their way, Damon Wells might be dead.
No – if Toby Hoover had his way, Buford wouldn’t have had a gun, and thus would still be alive. Right there, at the Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence website, they state their #1 goal is to keep guns out of the hands of criminals.
Ohio must stop gun sales to criminals
- Close loopholes that allow 40% of guns purchased in Ohio to be from unlicensed dealers, without the instant background checks required by the Brady Law.
- Pass a one-gun-a-month law to prevent the illegal practice of secondary gun sales to criminals.
- Mandate the registration of all handguns: handguns are used in 3/4 of firearm deaths and the public overwhelmingly supports handgun licensing and registration. See the results of this independent poll.
Funny – I don’t read anything there about being against the 2nd Amendment, or wanting guns outlawed, or really anything that justifies the “gun grabber” label.
Frankly, that’s a giant scare tactic by wingnuts who for some reason don’t mind criminals having easy access to firearms.
So, in the end in the three years the concealed-carry law has been in effect in Ohio, it’s been used for it’s stated purpose exactly once. And it wasn’t some hardened criminal, with priors for rape and armed robbery who ended up dead – it was a kid. It’s true we don’t know what the outcome would have been had Wells not been carrying, but I suspect his wallet would have just been a little lighter. So while the outcome could have been worse, it’s hard to say that this outcome was a good one.
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I have an admission to make: I like guns. They are fun to fire. They have useful purposes, ranging from hunting to fighting threats. While I do not own one, I do plan on purchasing one and making range visits regularly for the entertainment value and for the potential SHTF (shit hits the fan) moment. (See the previous post – or post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans – for why being prepared for the undesirable and unlikely might be a decent idea. If Boy Scouts taught me one thing, it’s “Be Prepared”. BTW – owning a gun is not properly securing your home.)
That said, I also strongly believe in gun control. While that may seem contradictory to our right-wing readers, I must point out that “control” does not equal “elimination”. I’m loathe to discuss this after last Monday’s tragedy, as I don’t want to demean the loss suffered by the friends and families of both the victims and the shooter, and I don’t want to be seen as being an opportunistic vulture looking to gain political advantage after such a tragedy, but one glaring question jumps out at me.
How does a young man who a court labeled as a danger to himself and others go purchase two handguns after that fact? [click to continue…]
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My journey into firearm ownership
by Brian on December 31, 2007 · Comments
The good:
What I didn’t like about the process:
Supreme Court cases reviewing laws pertaining to firearms have held that the “a well regulated militia” phrase of the 2nd Amendment means that reasonable regulation of firearms ownership is constitutional. Given the consequences of irresponsible gun ownership, a certain minimum standard of training in proper safe handling and use of firearms as a prerequisite to ownership is entirely reasonable. Based on my experiences, I think the training I received has been very useful towards teaching and beginning to ingrain safe handling practices, and every gun owner should undergo similar training at a minimum. Firearm ownership is constitutionally protected, and there are many legitimate reasons for firearm ownership from sporting to defense to hunting to an unorganized militia to a safeguard against governmental tyranny. An educated and capable citizenry is in everyone’s best interest.
(Photo of my Smith & Wesson Military & Police model 9mm sidearm, personal defense rounds, and my concealed carry license.)
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