another anti-gun liberal changes his mind..

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/...ct04,0,5876555.
column

Gun control doesn't protect us -- guns do
Mike Thomas | COMMENTARY
October 4, 2007
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view Reprints Reader feedback Text size: Tiffany Barwick and Michael
Ruschak asked the cops to protect them from Barwick's former boyfriend.

She told them he had harassed her, threatened to kill her, bought a gun and
sent an image of her riddled with bullet holes.

A Seminole deputy advised her to get a protective court order. We all know
how effective they are against the criminally obsessed.



The deputy also would send her complaint to the State Attorney's Office,
which is akin to tossing it into the Grand Canyon.

There is a lesson in all this.

The cops can't protect you.

The cops could not protect Erin Belanger and her five friends who were
beaten to death by Troy Victorino and his band of thugs in Deltona.

She begged police for help in the days leading up to the assault.

"Can I ask you a question?" she said to a 911 dispatcher. "What can I do?"

Or better yet, what could they do?

Nothing.

I am not knocking the cops, just acknowledging reality. There are a thousand
threats in the Big City. Picking out the real ones from the bluster is an
impossible task.

Given this reality, given that Central Florida is turning into a bad Mad Max
sequel, my liberal belief in gun control is getting wobbly.

I'm not advocating selling machine guns and cop-killer bullets at Wal-Mart.
But if somebody faces an immediate threat, I have a hard time understanding
why they need to wait three days or longer to buy a handgun for
self-protection.

Shouldn't we be allowed to go to a reputable gun store, get a lesson in how
to use a specific weapon and buy it after the background check?

The stated reason against this is that some ill-tempered lout will blow a
fuse, run off to Guns R Us, buy a Glock and open fire on his spouse,
neighbor, boss or co-worker.

One might assume someone this prone to venting with a volley already has a
gun, locked and loaded.

A 2000 report in the Journal of the American Medical Association, hardly
part of the gun lobby, showed cooling-off periods did not reduce homicide
rates or overall suicide rates.

After examining 51 studies on various gun-control laws, including mandatory
waiting periods, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention concluded in
2003 that there was "insufficient evidence" to say they reduced gun
violence.

It seems we pass laws that feel good without a lot of proof they are doing
any good.

Maybe I need a good slap from Ted Kennedy, but I almost buy the National
Rifle Association argument that the primary target of gun-control laws would
be the people who shoot them at ranges, then lovingly oil and ogle them
before safely locking them up.

As far as keeping guns away from bad guys, gun-control laws work as well as
crack cocaine-control laws. My footnoted reference on this would be our
crime blog.

We even have high school kids in Orange County firing guns in the air at
high school athletic events.

If there were no guns, I would say allow no guns. But since all the wrong
people already have them, and the cops can't do much about it except match
their firepower, then it may well be time to arm thyself, citizen.

When Florida liberalized permits for concealed weapons in the 1980s, critics
predicted a Wild West bloodbath. It never happened.

Responsible gun owners don't use guns irresponsibly. Go figure.

Until the cops get better at enforcing gun control on those who shouldn't
have guns, a better alternative for the rest of us is gun education, gun
classes and secure gun storage.

Mike Thomas can be reached at 407-420-5525 or .
His blog is OrlandoSentinel.com/mikethomas.

more in /news/columnists

On Thu, 11 Oct 2007 09:17:56 -0400, "trippin-2-8-trak"
wrote:

http://www.orlandosentinelsnip

This, right after he states the "group charter" which says nothing
about gun nut issues.

Charlie Nudo must've had yet another psychotic break!

Guns don't kill people. Guns operated by psychotics like Charlie Nudo
kill people. Ask Chief Altmiller of the Butler (PA) Twp Police...he
has "issues!"

Guns don't kill people. Guns operated by psychotics like Charlie Nudo
kill people. Ask Chief Altmiller of the Butler (PA) Twp Police...he
has "issues!"
Trip, why not drop by Altmiller's office, share a coffee and
doughnuts, and attempt to get his opinion of you straightened out? Maybe he
would even invite you to use the precinct range.

Hey, here is a rifle that is a hoot to shoot:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KW-S3MSthWU

On Oct 11, 7:50 pm, "William W Western" wrote:
Guns don't kill people. Guns operated by psychotics like Charlie Nudo
kill people. Ask Chief Altmiller of the Butler (PA) Twp Police...he
has "issues!"

Trip, why not drop by Altmiller's office, share a coffee and
doughnuts, and attempt to get his opinion of you straightened out? Maybe he
would even invite you to use the precinct range.

The only thing Chuckie shoots off is his mouth.

On Thu, 11 Oct 2007 23:50:49 GMT, "William W Western"
wrote:

Trip, why not drop by Altmiller's office, share a coffee and
doughnuts snip

No Tim Horton's down there, eh.

, and attempt to get his opinion of you straightened out? Maybe he
would even invite you to use the precinct range. snip

....or have him locked up for 72 hour psychiatric evaluation. Could go
either way, and Noodles, knowing he's "got issues," probably won't
take the chance of that!

...or have him locked up for 72 hour psychiatric evaluation. Could go
either way, and Noodles, knowing he's "got issues," probably won't
take the chance of that!
C'mon now, no cop is gonna bust a guy who brings in a sack
of crullers. None in Manitoba anyway.

On Fri, 12 Oct 2007 15:00:28 GMT, "William W Western"
wrote:

...or have him locked up for 72 hour psychiatric evaluation. Could go
either way, and Noodles, knowing he's "got issues," probably won't
take the chance of that!
C'mon now, no cop is gonna bust a guy who brings in a sack
of crullers. None in Manitoba anyway. snip

Here, maybe. A new regulation after the Virginia Tech massacre allows
local law enforcement to use mental illness issues to both deny
permits and detain "applicants" for 72 psychiatric holds.