Ready the Flag (and the Dead Horse)
From the Boston Herald:
That's strange (read: bullshit), because the facts say otherwise. Despite what Mayor Menino would have you believe, The rate of violent crime - including firearms-related incidents - in this country is on its way down, and has been for quite some time now. This rhetoric is nothing more than the continuing spread of lies and misinformation (and the passing of the buck) we've come to know so well from this administration and its co-conspirators in the gun control movement.
So, we've got violent crime on its way up in the City of Boston, land of "the most effective gun laws in the nation", yet decreasing nationwide. We've got Massachusetts boasting far and away the highest violent crime rate of the six New England states. Yet, Menino's "solution" is to get the rest of the country to become "just like us".
Ask not for whom the cuckoo clock tolls...
Now, if Menino were to say that gun violence is an epidemic sweeping across the larger metropolitan areas in the country with large CRIMINAL populations, and that tougher laws calling for harsher punishment of CRIMINALS are needed to stem the violence, then he might be onto something. But, that would involve the acceptance of reality, and the admission that your core philosophy of "guns cause crime" is flawed.
Of course, there will be the usual "tough on crime" lip service paid to the idea of locking up criminals at this "summit", but they've had decades to get that plan implemented. If you're looking for radical changes in the way CRIMINALS are treated to come out of this meeting of the "minds", then the standard breath-holding warning remains in effect.
I'll close with this relevant Quote of the Day, via (The Other Side of) Kim du Toit:
Yep.
UPDATE: And, speaking of lies and misinformation coming from the anti-gun rights brigade, check this editorial from The MinnesotaFrisbee Pilot Daily (via Jeff at Alphecca):
Fewer guns, fewer dead people
TSTF. Move along.
Yikes.
As Mayor Thomas M. Menino prepares to attend a gun summit alongside mayors from across the country in New York City this morning, he said the federal government has paid more attention to combating bird flu than battling bullets.
"Gun violence is an epidemic sweeping across our country," Menino told the Herald in an interview yesterday.
That's strange (read: bullshit), because the facts say otherwise. Despite what Mayor Menino would have you believe, The rate of violent crime - including firearms-related incidents - in this country is on its way down, and has been for quite some time now. This rhetoric is nothing more than the continuing spread of lies and misinformation (and the passing of the buck) we've come to know so well from this administration and its co-conspirators in the gun control movement.
Last year, Boston marked its highest body count in a decade, with 75 murders and 341 shootings. This year, the number of victims hit by gunfire by April 20 was a staggering 110, nearly double the victims in 2005 when 65 people were shot, according to BPD statistics released this week.
So, we've got violent crime on its way up in the City of Boston, land of "the most effective gun laws in the nation", yet decreasing nationwide. We've got Massachusetts boasting far and away the highest violent crime rate of the six New England states. Yet, Menino's "solution" is to get the rest of the country to become "just like us".
Ask not for whom the cuckoo clock tolls...
Now, if Menino were to say that gun violence is an epidemic sweeping across the larger metropolitan areas in the country with large CRIMINAL populations, and that tougher laws calling for harsher punishment of CRIMINALS are needed to stem the violence, then he might be onto something. But, that would involve the acceptance of reality, and the admission that your core philosophy of "guns cause crime" is flawed.
Of course, there will be the usual "tough on crime" lip service paid to the idea of locking up criminals at this "summit", but they've had decades to get that plan implemented. If you're looking for radical changes in the way CRIMINALS are treated to come out of this meeting of the "minds", then the standard breath-holding warning remains in effect.
I'll close with this relevant Quote of the Day, via (The Other Side of) Kim du Toit:
"How a politician stands on the Second Amendment tells you how he or she views you as an individual... as a trustworthy and productive citizen, or as part of an unruly crowd that needs to be lorded over, controlled, supervised, and taken care of."
- Texas State Rep. Suzanna Gratia-Hupp
Yep.
UPDATE: And, speaking of lies and misinformation coming from the anti-gun rights brigade, check this editorial from The Minnesota
Fewer guns, fewer dead people
$$$$$ Money quote $$$$$
What do people even need handguns for? Protection, right? However, if no one could buy or carry a handgun legally, no one would need a handgun to protect themselves.
TSTF. Move along.
People who buy handguns likely are people who will use them in ways that affect others' safety.
Minnesota’s Personal Protection Act, also known as the conceal-carry law, is very controversial legislation that allows people to carry a handgun in public with a permit. This permit is given to anyone who has not been convicted of certain violent crimes or those who have finished a prison sentence 10 years prior to applying for a permit.
This means that someone who killed someone and served time potentially could be given a gun to carry in public legally 10 years later and that the state says this is perfectly fine.
Yikes.
