Paul Revere by Cyrus Dallin, North End, Boston

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Thursday, June 5, 2014

Gun Nutz in the First Degree by (O)CT(O)PUS of The Swash Zone




Are there are no laws to prevent people like Doug Varrieur from menacing a neighborhood?  Bullshit!  If you want to stop an obnoxious Rambo wannabe, check your local or state laws on "menacing;" then call law enforcement and press charges:
Menacing Law; A Legal Definition  
Menacing is a crime governed by state laws, which vary by state, but typically involves displaying a weapon or a course of conduct that intentionally places another person in reasonable fear of physical injury or death. The following is an example of a state law that deals with menacing: 
S 120.13 Menacing in the first degree 
A person is guilty of menacing in the first degree when he or she commits the crime of menacing in the second degree and has been previously convicted of the crime of menacing in the second degree within the preceding ten years.  Menacing in the first degree is a class E felony. 
S 120.14 Menacing in the second degree 
A person is guilty of menacing in the second degree when he or she intentionally places or attempts to place another person in reasonable fear of physical injury, serious physical injury or death by displaying a deadly weapon, dangerous instrument or what appears to be a pistol, revolver, rifle, shotgun, machine gun or other firearm; or he or she repeatedly follows a person or engages in a course of conduct or repeatedly commits acts over a period of time intentionally placing or attempting to place another person in reasonable fear of physical injury, serious physical injury or death.
Let’s get something straight here: ALL RIGHTS HAVE LIMITS!  Free speech does not give anyone a right to broadcast messages over a PA system at 1,000 decibels in the middle of the night.  There are laws that prevent “disturbing the peace.”

Property rights do not mean owning and operating a porn palace or a strip joint in residential neighborhoods, or in proximity to schools or houses of worship.  There are zoning laws that prevent rogue business operators from despoiling your neighborhood.

Freedom without responsibility is not freedom.  Rights without reasonable restrictions are no longer rights when people turn themselves  into a public menace.  Shame on legislators - in thrall to the NRA - for turning decent and peaceful neighborhoods into lawless wastelands. When the NRA pushes gun rights to this extreme, what recourse to you have?  Lawsuits?  Vigilante justice?  This is no longer funny.  


Follow-up post:  Transient Sanity Events by Capt. Fogg of The Swash Zone

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=HsSQtxrw7uU

okjimm said...

//Freedom without responsibility is not freedom. //

nope. it's a Tea party, and as nutty a one as possible.

It is not safe on the streets...I keep feeling that if I as much as disagree with someone in a bar, they may pull a gun a shoot me for infringing on their stupidity.

skudrunner said...

If you remove Chicago, Detroit, DC and New Orleans from murder rates with firearms, the US is toward the bottom of murder rates.

I can't see how this is possible since those four cities have very tough gun laws and have democrat mayors who are against concealed carry which would make these cities safer, right?

Shaw Kenawe said...

skudrunner: "I can't see how this is possible since those four cities have very tough gun laws and have democrat mayors who are against concealed carry which would make these cities safer, right?"

Wrong. You conveniently leave out the fact that the cities you've mentioned are not islands and that the surrounding cities and states that have more relaxed gun control supply criminals with all the guns they want.

Although Chicago has historically had strict gun laws, laws in the surrounding parts of Illinois were much laxer — enabling middlemen to supply the criminals in Chicago with guns they purchased elsewhere. Forty three percent of the guns seized by law enforcement in Chicago were originally purchased in other parts of Illinois. And even if the state had stricter gun laws, Illinois is not an island either. The remaining fifty seven percent of Chicago guns all came from out of state, most significantly from nearby Indiana and distant Mississippi — neither of which are known for their strict gun laws.

Also, New Orleans does not have "strict gun laws."

Louisiana is the second-worst state in the nation in terms of laws to prevent gun violence. In an April 2013 report, The Center for American Progress (CAP) linked Louisiana's weak gun-control laws to its gun violence, which statistically tops all other states in the CAP ranking.

The top 20 states with the most gun deaths whether by accident, homicide, or self-inflicted are all traditionally conservative red states with lax gun control laws.

U.S. states with most gun laws have far fewer gun deaths, study shows

(O)CT(O)PUS said...

Scud: “If you remove Chicago, Detroit, DC and New Orleans from murder rates with firearms, the US is toward the bottom of murder rates.

There you go again … making bogus claims without research, without citing numbers, and without links to reputable sources. YOU FLUNKED THE COURSE … AGAIN! Here are composite data:

Chicago (confirmed homicides, 2012) – 444 (16.4 homicides per 100K)
Detroit (confirmed homicides, 2012) – 333 (47.5 homicides per 100K)
New Orleans (confirmed homicides, 2012) – 107 (27.7 homicides per 100K)
U.S.A. (total deaths by firearm) – 30,000 (10,000 confirmed homicides)

For Chicago, Detroit and New Orleans, the combined homicide rate of 884 represents 2.9% of the national total for all gun-related deaths (Centers for Disease Control, National Institute of Justice, Police Foundation, BATF). When you strip out these three cities from the national total, the picture remains virtually unchanged. Now, compare the U.S. rate versus other nations:

Confirmed homicides (source: IANSA)
Japan – less than 50
France, Germany, Italy– 150 (per country)
Canada - 200

SCUD: STOP MAKING UP SHIT. IT OFFENDS HONEST PEOPLE!

(O)CT(O)PUS said...

Scud,
There is one more statistic that can mean the difference between life or death for you.

The University of Illinois and Arizona State University examined 6 decades of hurricane deaths by gender name spanning 1950 through 2012.

Historically, female named storms have killed far more people than male named storms because people such as you do not pay attention to female named storm warnings. The ratio is almost 2:1. Thus, you are far likely to die from Hurricane Shaw than from Hurricane (O)CT(O)PUS. Next time, pay attention! Your life may depend on it.

skudrunner said...

Your example just proves that the laws do not work because there are to many ways to circumvent them.

I support background checks for everyone who wants to purchase a firearm but it needs to be a meaningful background check, like you have to go through to get a CCP.
Open carry makes no sense but, as your statistics show, neither does banning them.

Guns are not so much a left or right issue because there are as many democrats who support all gun ownership as there are republicans.

Shaw Kenawe said...

skud, nothing in this discussion is about banning guns. But there is no such thing as rights without responsibilities, and THAT is what this discussion is about.

(O)CT(O)PUS said...

Scud,
If you think politicians – from both parties - are OUT OF STEP with American public opinion, consider these public opinion data:

77% of NRA members favor a waiting period for purchase of a handgun

82% of American support limiting the sales of military-style assault weapons

94% of police chiefs favor requiring a background check for all handgun sales.

Support for background checks on private gun sales, including gun shows:
• 87% of American
• 83% of gun owners
• 69% of NRA gun-owners

Support for limiting handgun sales to one per person per month:
• 65% of Americans
• 59% of gun owners

Support for registration of handguns:
• 79% of all Americans
• 69% of police chiefs
• 61% of gun owners
• 59% of NRA members

Sources: CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll ; Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research ); National Opinion research Center ); American Journal of Preventative Medicine ); among others.

Conclusion: The legislative process is no longer representative of the American people. The NRA has corrupted legislatures through blackmail, graft, intimidation, and outright deception. Meanwhile, the AMERICAN SHEEPLE – of which you are a demonstrative example – cower in the face of anarchists, armed thugs, madmen, and self-appointed militias.

skudrunner said...

Legs,

Not sure why you are so combative against someone who actually agrees with you on registration of guns.

The legislative process is no longer representative of the American people, think obamacare.

(O)CT(O)PUS said...

Scud,
This post is about GUN NUTZ, not Obamacare!!! When you relish in annoying people with off-topic jabs, you will get a lot more than a COMBATIVE ATTITUDE THROWN IN YOUR FACE. Do we understand each other!

Dave Miller said...

Skud... I venture to say that a proposal to have a real registration system, that will deny some people gun ownership, is DOA in most GOP congressional offices.

Are people who oppose even that weak measure far right? You tell me, but I am guessing your support of registration will find on support on the more conservative blogs where some of us are not allowed to even comment anymore.

just sayin...

Dave Miller said...

Shaw, we've seen for years when the poll numbers were against some Obama policies that conservatives argued that he was illegally standing against the will of the American people.

I wonder why they are so silent on this issue?

Could it be because it would expose their hypocrisy or inconsistency?