The Horrible Irony
April 5th, 2009 by Syd
Three Pittsburgh police officers killed by gun-loving maniac; afraid Obama would limit gun rights
Source: Daily News
If this pathetic maniac did actually care about gun rights (which I doubt seriously, but I can only take the story at face value as reported by his friend), he did the exact thing that will drive the government to institute far more restrictive gun laws than what we have now – an insane, pointless multiple murder of three peace officers who were just trying to do their jobs, just like the four who died in Oakland two weeks ago. And he did his crime with the number one item on the gun banners list: the AK-47. Talk about self-fulfilling prophecies!
This has been a particularly bad weekend for mass shootings. In Binghamton, NY, another failed personality walked into his immigrant assistance center and killed 13 innocent people before ending his own life. In Graham, Washington, a father killed his five children and then himself. A week ago we witnessed a massacre at a nursing home in North Carolina. Three weeks ago a kid in Germany killed fifteen people at a high school. At about the same time, another failed personality murdered a dozen innocent people in Alabama… and the hits just keep on coming.
The horrible irony is that these events make the case for both sides of the gun rights debate. They make a compelling case for why guns should simply be banned: “If they didn’t have those AK-47’s, they couldn’t do these things.” I argue against that logic, but it gets harder every day. On the other hand, these tragic incidents are solid proof that more law-abiding citizens should be armed, trained and prepared to defend the innocent against these chaotic psycho-terrorists. They prove once again that “gun free zones” make the best targets.
The horrible irony is that Obama himself seems to be working pretty hard to stay off of gun control, given his background and political orientation. That may change, but so far, he hasn’t actually done anything toward instituting gun control. Yet, these kinds of events will push Obama and the rest of the government to try to do something to put a stop to the mayhem, and the easiest political vector is gun control. In the political world, it pays to be seen as doing something.
The horrible irony is that freedom is a form of slavery, as George Orwell so famously put it. Freedom is slavery to personal responsibility and rational decision-making. Freedom is a slavish commitment to independent living and legal democracy. And, when freedom is abused badly enough, it vanishes. As Texas Fred is fond of saying, “Freedom is not free.”
The horrible irony is that eighty million Americans used their guns responsibly today, but nobody noticed because they didn’t make the news. That won’t matter, though. People won’t stand for this level of mayhem. We’ll be lucky if we get through this with snubbies and double-barrels.
These shootings are becoming a topic of discussion at my workplace, an emergency department in west-central Illinois. Administration purports to believe that “that sort of thing can’t happen here”, and point to our unarmed but diligent security officers, then offer us a “panic button” that rings not to the police, but to the hospital operator–a position that has a turnover rate similar to McDonald’s hamburgers, and a physical location near the very entrance a BG would enter. Nurses in general are given very little training in how to deal with this type of situation, and are told to leave it to the police. Again, the law enforcement community is diligent and committed, but not THERE when the feces hits the ventilator. While Illinois forbids concealed carry in public, private facilities can, I believe, allow armed staff, but again we have the heads in the sand. I suppose when our administration has one of its members accosted in the parking lot there may be a different viewpoint…maybe. Meanwhile, a our dear President reminds us so often, we have Hope. Yeah, right…
This asshat did more to HURT the regular gun owner than he ever dreamed of, and he lives… THAT in itself really pisses me off… At least the Oakland cops killed their attacker…
Unlawful use of a firearm is just as wrong as an illegal gun.
That killer disregarded human life, his own life and disregarded law enforcement. For those three reasons, he distanced himself from the vast majority of gun owners, no doubt there.
Fear of the Obama planet is the most absurd excuse there is. It’s not an excuse. And like it was said, it will serve to justify more gun control, not less.
This is the kind of “news” item that makes my heart sink.
You may chose to arm yourself and not wait for law enforcment to protect you, that’s one thing. But shooting at law enforcement officers goes against all logic. Madness.
And you can’t protect against insanity.
My heart sinks more with every one of these shootings.
At first I am hoping that someone with a gun stop them like the guy in the Miami Burgerking.
Then I am just sorry that anyone had to lose their lives at all.
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The other thing is that I doubt the gun he carried was an AK47. AK47s are automatic weapons that you would either need a class three license or a friend with connections. Since most people do not have a class three BAFT weapons license, I would assume that either A) the gun is illegal, or B) it is a knockoff such as a WASR.
A) if the gun is illegal, we should not hurt the liberties of regular citizens just to try to weed out more of them. Sure, I’d agree with sting operations on illegal weapons dealers, but the only way you’d make sure you’d get rid of all the illegal guns in the US is to seal off every border and coast then create a human line that slowly searched every square inch of land and homes. This would be ridiculous.
B) It was more likely an AK knockoff. These legal to own weapons are really no different than many guns we can own today. You can buy a Mini 30 and a few high capacity magaines and you’d have the exact weapon. I think the media’s ignorance just simply wanted to associate the AK47 with terrorism to promote their damned agenda of banning the guns.