SK on Twitter Re: Church Shooting
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On Thursday, King made the case for gun control once more, arguing on Twitter: “Until responsible gun owners support responsible gun control laws, innocent blood will continue to flow. How many times must we see this?”
There are “too many closed minds on gun control. Worse, far too many PROUDLY closed minds”, he added, and that “meanwhile, the American shooting gallery remains open”.
“According to Bloomberg Business, gun deaths will exceed traffic fatalities in America this year. Can’t put a seatbelt on a semi-automatic,”
...as long as they are not Draconian, I have no problem with REASONABLE gun control....
There are “too many closed minds on gun control. Worse, far too many PROUDLY closed minds”, he added, and that “meanwhile, the American shooting gallery remains open”.
“According to Bloomberg Business, gun deaths will exceed traffic fatalities in America this year. Can’t put a seatbelt on a semi-automatic,”
...as long as they are not Draconian, I have no problem with REASONABLE gun control....
I saw a bumper sticker the other day. It said, "Don't worry about controlling our guns. Worry about controlling your children."
Or something along those lines. Great thought. Sure, it takes effort to teach your kids proper gun safety and proper respect for weapons in general. But the benefits last a lifetime. Also, here's a thought; if you're not willing to be a responsible gun owner and dedicated gun safety "teacher", don't own a gun in the first place. Last thought; take every gun in the world away. Destroy them, melt them down, whatever. And sit back and watch humanity continue to slaughter itself. Cause that's what we do, folks. Humans will never be content with peace. They like chaos and destruction too much. Why do you think the Hippies got shut down so fast?
Or something along those lines. Great thought. Sure, it takes effort to teach your kids proper gun safety and proper respect for weapons in general. But the benefits last a lifetime. Also, here's a thought; if you're not willing to be a responsible gun owner and dedicated gun safety "teacher", don't own a gun in the first place. Last thought; take every gun in the world away. Destroy them, melt them down, whatever. And sit back and watch humanity continue to slaughter itself. Cause that's what we do, folks. Humans will never be content with peace. They like chaos and destruction too much. Why do you think the Hippies got shut down so fast?
I rarely weigh in on this side of the boards, and this will likely be a unicorn. But I gotta tell you, from outside the US, you guys seem to have turned guns into some sort of fetish. We have tons of guns in Canada. But our gun death rate is a FIFTH of yours. I don't know how to articulate it beyond that. It just feels as if you ascribe some gigantic symbolic value to guns that I just don't get. And thousands and thousands of people die, at their own hand or someone else's.
I really wish people would stop politicizing these tragedies. This horrible church shooting is about an evil person who did an evil thing. I don't care about gun control laws after something like this or whether stringent regulations would have prevented it or whether he would have found another mode of slaughter. These arguments are tired, played out and inappropriate at a time like this. Our thoughts ought to be turned towards the grieving families. Scapegoating "close-minded" gun owners for the wicked actions of another does nothing to further dialogue or promote cooperation.
We also have a fetish about vehicles and driving while intoxicated. Drunk driving statistics
Drinking and Driving in Canada Killed 1,162 in 2008 - Narconon Trois-Rivieres
The first link contains numbers in the U.S.A. and the second was one of the few places on-line I could find that tells about the same kind of death by drunk driving in Canada. The second link suggests Canada had 1,168 +/- deaths related to drunk driving. During the same year, three states in the U.S.A. alone had that many numbers. The numbers are mind-boggling but they also suggest that MADD and their actions have resulted in a lessening of the numbers. From this link: MADD - Drunk Driving Statistics
And the statistics provided at the second link suggest that there is some truth to the quoted sentence from MADD.
Just as mind-boggling is the total number of deaths in the U.S.A. from drunk driving. I hazard that everyone on the SKMB has been affected by someone who drove while intoxicated. I don't know what all has gone into reducing the total number of deaths each year from drunk driving, but a reduction from 26,000 deaths in 1982 to 14,000 deaths in 2008, while still WAY more than Canada's total, do suggest there is a method and a manner of going about reducing those numbers. Perhaps a clue could be taken from MADD to reduce the number of firearm-related deaths. What has MADD been doing? I recall the "Friends don't let friends drive drunk"...don't know if MADD was behind that, but possibly.
Seems like honey would attract many more flies than slamming the innocent, name-calling, and the like...that happens all too frequently when there is a firearm-related tragedy in the U.S.A. or anywhere in the world.
from the MADD link above.
I'll hazard, too, that these deaths are an acceptable way of life for us here in the States. Why are Canadian numbers so much lower than the U.S.?
But after an overwhelming series of mourning mass school deaths, mass theater deaths, mass church deaths, one certainly can't blame people who want to do something about it rather than holding their reaction to continual and neverending sorrow.
True...but belittling those who hold a difference of opinion while shifting blame (unintentional as it may have been) away from the person who actually committed the act is not the way to go about bringing change.
If SK is really interested in curtailing the problem, why not try respect? Why not try NOT resorting to name calling or childish insults? This is a solemn event that is cheapened when we use it to attack our political opponents and I believe it was inappropriate.
Could be the frustration that proponents on the gun control side are rarely given any respect and are constantly belittled for their "attempts to repeal the 2nd amendment" even when that isn't even on the table, the arguments that nothing can be done so don't do anything--which is a convenient excuse for those who don't WANT to do anything about it because it might mean they would have to give up the free-for all current attitude about gun ownership, and the fact that this is happening AGAIN and AGAIN and AGAIN and all that happens is people wring their hands and say "oh, isn't it horrible that this happened?" and do nothing about it.
Where was he in any way political?
Verbatim:"Until responsible gun owners support responsible gun control laws, innocent blood will continue to flow. How many times must we see this?"
Unless 'Irresponsible Gun Owners' is now a political party, I see no politicizing except by those that recognize themselves in the mirror. I also see no 'name calling or childish insults' here. It was a statement of opinion, and deeply felt sorrow for those who suffer.
Feeling 'sorry for' people is peachy, but stops meaning a whole lot without action.
Could be. I'm hoping his twitter messages were more 'spur of the moment' frustration more than anything else. I get that. I also get that respect should run both ways. I reject the notion, however, that being treated with disrespect somehow makes it okay for us to do likewise.
Gun control is a political issue, usually breaking down party lines. King favors gun control and used this incident to voice his own political opinions while making sweeping generalization of his opponents.
More than anything, I took exception to this, "There are “too many closed minds on gun control. Worse, far too many PROUDLY closed minds”, “meanwhile, the American shooting gallery remains open”.
Whether he meant to or not, it gives the impression that he is misplacing blame for the shooting.
And perhaps one can also see a response to solutions of, "Just mourn. Don't make it political," can be incredibly frustrating to those who want to reduce the carnage and not just wring hands and clean up afterwards, time and again.
I would echo skimom's comments. Further, he did not say that ALL people have that attitude but whether you want to accept it or not, there ARE too many proudly closed minds on gun control which is one of the major stumbling blocks to doing anything about it. Continuing to merely blame the mentally ill or those with societal issues is not doing anything about stopping them from repeating these acts of violence as long as access to guns is as cavalier a process as it is in this country.
Please don't misunderstand what I'm trying to say. I don't disagree that something must be done. What that is, I don't know. I don't object to logical gun control measures. I don't own a gun and am vehemently opposed to owning one. It's not like I have a cavalier attitude towards these issues. My biggest complaint I guess, is in King's tactics. Calling out his opponents as 'irrisponsible' and 'proudly close minded' may not be the best way to broach such a sensitive topic.
I agree for the most part. But I guess what I'm trying to figure out is what King was hoping to gain by sharing these messages other than to solidify his own personal beliefs. Did he think that calling the ones who stand in the way of gun laws irresponsible and close minded would somehow make them more receptive to his point of view?
Tweets are pretty much by their nature expressions of what is on the person sending the tweet's mind at any given moment and this came across to me as an expression of frustration. Only my opinion as I have not discussed his tweet with him, but I think he realizes it probably doesn't make much difference one way or the other as their minds are made up so I doubt very much that he was attempting to reach out to that base. And quite frankly, given the responses he's received in the past no matter what the level of "respect," it's been past experience that offense is going to be taken no matter what because those who are "offended" have their own reasons for not wanting to be reminded that they could be doing something but choose not to.
Fair enough. Please forgive my being contrary. Not my intent. I was merely sharing my own frustration on how divisive politics...everything, is becoming. I'm angered by the shooting, too, and I can commend King on his passion for seeing innocent lives saved. It's a notion that ought to unite us as one, and hopefully, it will.
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What I think is sad is the scare tactics that have bread into our minds for instance my mom who does not own a gun said "Well if even one of those church goers were carrying a gun then maybe only 3 would be dead instead of 9." So the belief is not less guns but more. Tragically I doubt she is the only one that feels that way. Which is probably how we have gone from owning muskets to AK47's. I do not own a gun but I do have this fear. If they ask people to hand over there powerful rifle do you think those living within the law and outside of it will respond alike. I think the country has gotten to far gone in their gun worlds to take it back. So the question remains do we say yes it is absolutely ignorant to think anyone needs an AK47 sure I absolutely agree with that. But the time has came and pass to prevent that. They made their bed now we lay in it. I just don't believe there is anyway to go back. Maybe I am wrong or a glass half empty opinion on this subject. But I just think what is the answer? We can make it where people have to have special license to own automatics but no matter what street gangs will have them. We have outlawed drugs but they are still here. Maybe there can be a pay to return policy that would spark people both inside and outside the law to return there guns. It would be like getting a tax return for your gun. But in all reality the NRA is a powerful thing. The way some people are raised, messing with their guns is an equal or greater offense then messing with their religion. It bothers me to think about these things. I don't know the answer I can't even begin to grasp that there may be a solution. I am completely overwhelmed by the subject because I understand points on both sides. I just don't know that I will live to see the day that this issue is resolved. I remember columbine as a child I remember 9/11 as a child. So people in one aspect could think "WHY DO WE HAVE THESE GUNS!" and in the next think "THANK GOD WE HAVE THESE GUNS!" I just feel like its a lose lose no matter which side you take. But I am not close minded on the subject and in fact would love some resolution to sign off on. Present it to me and I will sign it. But I am probably 1 of a few.
Truth just is, nothing more, nothing less...trueisms are funny that way, go figure.
Mr. King spoke the truth, not necessarily just his own truth, The Truth, and as they say, nothing but The Truth.
(been my experience, peoples, they freakin' hate that)
Mr. King spoke the truth, not necessarily just his own truth, The Truth, and as they say, nothing but The Truth.
(been my experience, peoples, they freakin' hate that)
When I make this statement I make it seriously. This stuff makes not only my brain but my soul hurt. I am an overly empathetic person by nature. So it bothers me....possibly to much, to have tragic things happen with no cause. Preventable problems with no resolution. Greater action and lesser reaction seems to be a trend in america. People can lose their lives. Families can be permanently devastated without any great consequence on the rest of us. We can get upset and angry and fired up and have nothing to do about it. It takes a lot of people for the same cause to enact a change. We have seen from the past horrendously tragic things can happen and everyone chooses different sides instead of coming together to make a reasonable change. What do we do when someone hold the opposite belief of us as strongly as we hold our own. Exspecially in a country where we all have that right to choose our beliefs. I want to have an answer. My mind strains for one. But I just can't find one I just cant. Does the NRA have any charities for people whose lives are devastated by gun violence? Do we just accept the statement that guns don't kill people, people kill people. Do we blame mental health care or upbringing or poor laws. Or do we take away the one common denomenator in all of the above and say there you go problem solved. I just don't know. And that alone is upsetting.
Well one thing is for sure, if there were no guns, it'd be just as easy for a "lone nut" (term reserved for white shooters) to go take out a whole room full of people with a sword, right?
And how dare Stephen King upset his fans that are for no gun control?!!!?!? Who the hell does he think he is, dammit? And I swear, if he puts another scene of gun violence on his writing, I am going to be very angry about his hypocrisy!!!!
And how dare Stephen King upset his fans that are for no gun control?!!!?!? Who the hell does he think he is, dammit? And I swear, if he puts another scene of gun violence on his writing, I am going to be very angry about his hypocrisy!!!!