Yesterday I got an email from our friends at Everytown asking for some dough. Which is fine. They do an excellent job and I’m happy to support them as well as their sister group, Shannon’s MOMS. But they might want to rethink yesterday’s messaging just a bit, because to tell you the truth, it didn’t make sense. At least, it didn’t make sense to me.
Their email starts off by saying that the Supreme Court will shortly rule on a case which challenges concealed-carry in New York State. If the plaintiffs get their way in this case, it opens the door for individuals with concealed-carry (CCW) status to take their guns with them no matter where they go. And now that many states allow residents to carry guns as long as they have the legal right to own a gun, what this means is that America will be turned into even more of an armed camp.
To quote the email from Everytown: “If the court strikes down New York’s critical gun safety law, that could mean more people with more guns in high density places like the subway.”
Note the reference to ‘New York’s critical gun safety law.’ This law, which was passed in 1911 and has been on the books for over one hundred years, has been about as critical and valuable for protecting New Yorkers from gun violence as the man in the moon. In November 2020 there were 115 shootings in the Big Apple, the year before, November 2019, the number of shootings was 51.
Fine. 2020 was the Pandemic and violence increased in just about every big city. But an increase of 112%? And by the way, for the year as a whole, New York City shootings basically doubled, while overall crime was more or less flat. So much for the ‘critical’ value of the Sullivan law,
Know what would happen if the Supreme Court ruled that law-abiding folks could carry a gun from state to state? I guarantee you that New York State or New York City or both would pass a law which would prohibit someone from bringing a gun into New York City unless they possessed a carry license issued by the NYPD.
I still am waiting for someone – anyone – to do a definitive study which shows a connection between the number of people walking around in any community with legal guns and the number of individuals in that community who end up getting injured because someone shoots them with a gun.
For that matter, the argument made by Gun-nut Nation about how gun violence and crime in general go down when more people are walking around with legal guns is just as much based on bunko as the argument about more legal guns result in more crime, an argument made all the time by my Gun-control Nation friends, i.e., what Everytown said in their email to me.
When it comes to the violence caused by guns, we have a very simple problem in this country which goes like this. Ready? Gun violence is overwhelmingly caused by the fact that we are the only country in the entire world which lets its residents purchase, own and carry guns that are designed for the sole purpose of being used in violent ways.
Do you think that Gaston Glock designed his pistols to be used to shoot a bird out of a tree? Do you think that John Browning designed his Hi-Power pistol to pop one into Bambi’s rear end? I happen to own both of these guns and believe me, there’s nothing ‘sporting’ about them at all.
Now you can refer to gun violence as being used to commit an assault or as being used to protect someone from an assault. I really don’t care. Violence is violence and we should be trying to reduce or eliminate violence any way we can.
The idea that we can reduce or eliminate violence by giving people access to products designed only for the purpose of committing violence is so far-fetched and so removed from reality that I’m amazed our gun-violence numbers aren’t a lot worse.
Apr 19, 2022 @ 11:48:26
Yep. I keep seeing those charts of shootings in the Big Apple for the last 100 years. Goes up and down just as nothing changed with the Sullivan Act.Man in the Moon indeed.
As it is, I don’t think NYS has reciprocity with anyone and for that matter, NYC doesn’t even have reciprocity with the rest of the state. I know, from the times I was traveling between Suffolk Co. and Western NY with an Upstate registered handgun in the car and prayed the car would not break down on the NYC Expressways–it would be a tossup as to who to fear more, the thugs or the NYPD.
What no one wants to do is have a single, nationwide reciprocity standard. Half the states want Constitutional Carry and some want NYC’s draconian version of the Sullivan Act. Whatever. As far as Everytown and Moms? Their propaganda is as bad as anyone else’s.
Apr 19, 2022 @ 14:38:51
“What no one wants to do is have a single, nationwide reciprocity standard.”
Never say “no one.”
My home state was cursed by alleged pro-gun-rights activists who gave public lip-service to “constitutional carry” but privately admitted they opposed it. The problem was they had a state legislator front man who personally didn’t know or care a thing about guns, but let them give him direction on the issue.
He (or they?) cobbled up legislation that would have given the authority to the state police to issue carry permits, rather than county sheriffs. The idea was that a state data base of permit holders, accessible to cops everywhere, would facilitate “reciprocity” with more states. Fortunately the legislation went nowhere.
The correlation with this crappy idea that no one would guess was, the people who advised the author of that legislation were competitors in a handgun sport heavily populated with cops. The cops were their buddies, and uniformly opposed to citizens carrying guns without permission. We can’t be offending our “friends.”
Apr 19, 2022 @ 15:00:30
Question: Were these “cops” or police administrators? You know there is a difference…those who can do and those who can’t administrate.
Apr 19, 2022 @ 20:29:20
“Were these “cops” or police administrators?”
Cops. Are police administrators bigtime handgun competitors?
I know there’s nothing stopping paper pushers from getting off on playing cops-and-robbers with handguns, but I think you’ll find more cops role playing.
You’re not buying the BS that rank and file cops are on the gun owners’ side, are you? If they were, permits would be irrelevant.
Apr 20, 2022 @ 10:37:13
Yes, I am buying into the BS that rank and file of cop’s support gun rights — most of whom actually work the street.
All 49 superintendents/commissioners of Highway Patrol’s/State Police are appointed by their governors, most to all police chiefs are appointed by their mayors and if they want to keep their paycheck coming in, they will do as the boss says. For the most part these law enforcement administrators are nothing but puppets to those who appointed them. I have never seen a credible survey taken of police officers (not police administrators) that doesn’t show support for private ownership of firearms. A pew survey shows police support gun rights, Police1 took a survey that showed support for private ownership.
I would say the exception would be elected county sheriffs. These people are truly independent and work for the people.
Even Mike’s friend, John Lott, agrees.
Apr 20, 2022 @ 15:42:26
“I have never seen a credible survey taken of police officers (not police administrators) that doesn’t show support for private ownership of firearms.”
Spare me your “polls”. I think we’ve all seen what paragons of truth cops have been over the past several years. “Credible?”
Cops enjoy our political support, and will lie to keep it. We’re easy – talking shit is enough. We never look to see if anything has been delivered.
Apr 20, 2022 @ 17:25:40
Ok, I respect your “expert” opinion. I believe you are in good company with numerous groups i.e. BLM.
Good luck with that.
Apr 19, 2022 @ 13:38:52
Over the past 30 years Jim Crow laws, laws that immediately followed the ratification of the 13th Amendment, have been changing dramatically, contrary to the work and desires of Evertown, and other grassroot organizations like ‘Moms Demand Action’ (what a silly name). Unfortunately, too many of these laws still exist today, but with notable legislation and court action we have seen and will continue to see these “Black Codes” in our rearview mirror.
With more than 43 states that do not require a specific reason for concealed-carry (CCW) and over 15 of those states which are known as ‘Constitutional carry’ states, it doesn’t amaze me that the violence with the use of a gun isn’t a lot worse. Very little violence with the use of a gun is actually committed by people who have legal access to guns.
It doesn’t matter which way the Supreme Court decides on the case which challenges concealed-carry in New York State, it really won’t change the issue that Evertown and MOMs are b*t*hing about. For those who continue to send money to organizations like these, keep sending your money.
However, if you want to address killing and mayhem by using a gun…start looking at the gang problem and the most basic origin of how one interacts with others, the family unit.
Apr 19, 2022 @ 16:04:37
I just took my written exam (20 question quiz) to get my refresher done for my New Mexico CCW. The state is “shall issue”. The value I see in the licensing requirement is that first, there is a section on lethal force law and specific NM lethal force law. Second, a longer section on de-escalation and conflict resolution. Seems to me a good middle ground. There is no begging for a cop to agree you have “good cause” and in return, there is, on paper, that the citizen read the rule book in return for packing in public.
What we really need is more organizations like the 100 Black Men of America program and other role models such as parents (gasp). We need to address reducing the demand side for violence, not play whack a mole with the tool box..
Apr 19, 2022 @ 17:59:34
I agree with you on more organizations, but ‘100 Black Men of America?’ Organizations need to be 100% accountable and transparent, ‘100 Black Men of America’ is 86%.
Before I donate to ANY organization I look for transparency and accountability. Don’t want to contribute to organizations like Black Live Matter with close to 0%. You know there is trouble when BLM is told by California to stop accepting donations due to lack of transparency.
Check out St. Jude, 100% on both transparency and accountability.
I wont mention the transparency and accountability of Everytown or MOMS (what a stupid name), you can look those up yourself.