I’m not sure how many of you have been following the story of the recent spa shooting in Wisconsin, in which an (angry, controlling, abusive) estranged husband murdered his wife and two others at a spa where she worked, before turning the gun on himself.
Unfortunately, stories like this are far from uncommon – domestic violence often escalates when female victims break off relationships with abusive men. (While dumped women often stalk male exes, they are far less likely to resort to violence.) All those studies that MRAs like to cite about how domestic violence between men and women is somehow equal don’t take into account violence that happens after the relationship is brought to an end.
I was reading this article, about the heroic efforts of Zina Haughton, the murdered wife in the spa shootings, to convince her ex to spare the lives of others in the spa at the time, when I made the mistake of reading the comments, which had degenerated into a bizarre “debate” over gun control. The, er, highlight of the discussion was this bizarre conspiracy theory:
Apparently gun enthusiasts can be as paranoid, delusional and self-absorbed as any entitled asshole in the manosphere.
Because the important thing about yet another mass shooting incident is blaming the gummint for trying to take your guns.
I am going to deploy the emergency cookie protocol now. It’s that or start throwing things. Anyone else need some thing while I’m up?
As a Canadian, who fully supports gun control, that conspiracy is utterly ridiculous, sure Harper’s an asshole, but he’s not an *bzzt*OBEY STEPHEN HARPER*bzzt* oppressive tyrant. I mean sure he spends billions on jets that we can’t afford, *bzzt*THE HARPER GOVERNMENT IS ETERNAL*bzzt* but he’s far from brainwashing us into slavery.*bzzt*RE-ELECT STEPHEN HARPER 2017*bzzt*
In all seriousness though, what is it with Americans and guns? We really haven’t had a problem with it here, I mean sure there’s the whole second amendment thing, but seriously, what’s so great about guns? All they do is enable more violent crime with the fact that it’s easier to pull a trigger than it is to stab someone or strangle them or some other horrendously impersonal way that most sane people wouldn’t resort to.
Well, since our government was founded by a violent revolution, they decided that the threat of violent revolution was the only way to keep a government honest (which is sort of logical). Unfortunately, the net result is that crazies get access to all sorts of mass killing devices in the name of freedom.
By “they” I mean founding fathers.
Ditto to all of the above, aworld. The whole GUNSGUNSGUNS thing is just beyond me.
I’m sad now, it’s sad that people think that the threat of a violent revolution is the only way to keep a government honest. I mean, there are a bunch of countries all over the world that are essentially proving every single day that this isn’t true in a modern context. *sigh* What can you do, eh?
It amuses me that these people think they can defend themselves against government tyranny with their precious guns. Ever heard of the word “drone”, friend? Have you got any? What about “F-16”? No? Thought so.
I can just see it. Bravely marching against the US military. Good god.
The Second Amendment has its roots in The English Bill Of Rights.
We gotta start telling these guys that tinfoil hats actually make mind-control waves resonate better.
“…but seriously, what’s so great about guns? All they do is enable more violent crime with the fact that it’s easier to pull a trigger than it is to stab someone or strangle them or some other horrendously impersonal way that most sane people wouldn’t resort to.”
Marianne Kirby (who writes about fat acceptance) has some interesting thoughts about food, class, and guns: http://www.xojane.com/issues/i-have-seen-bourgeois-and-it-me
Also her take on going to a gun show: http://www.xojane.com/sports/two-tickets-gun-show
Usually, the people I know who have guns are more into 1. survivalist stuff, 2. self-protection, or 3. hunting, than overthrowing the government.
In more rural areas, an interest in guns is also seen as grooming for the military (which is one of the few lucrative careers you can take on in some places; I come from a poor state which is also seriously known as the state that gives the Army the most snipers).
Finally, my mom used to carry a gun when she lived in a city where she was afraid of being raped; her house was actually broken into twice.
@Molly
Are you from Georgia?
jose: Ever heard of Afghanistan (1980, or the present) or Iraq? What about Somalia? How about Vietnam?
The thing is, the cartridge loading rifle, means a popular force can derail the most powerful of armies. Because at the individual level, rifles are cheap,and people are the currency. Tanks, planes, artillery, etc. are expensive; and vulnerable to all sorts of things.
I’m really familiar with guns. I’ve been shooting them since 1972. I spent a career in the Army. Rifles are the ultimate destabilsing element. They make gaining access to all the rest possible. If you have a populace which supports the people fighting the army in question, winning require oppression; to the level of extermination.
I wish guns didn’t exist, but since they do, I believe in the 2nd. amendment. Bad people will always be able to get guns no matter what the laws are so I think it’s a good thing for law abiding citizens to be able to arm themselves.
It doesn’t seem to be working.
My dad owned a gun for a while, then one day we were burglarized, they stole the gun…
@ Aworld, your brainwashed message is excellent. I’m jealous that I didn’t write it.
In other news, I once surfed past Politically Incorrect, when they were talking about gun laws. The panel that time, all urbanites, came to the consensus that everybody should have a handgun for safety, but nobody needs a rifle. I’m in a rural-ish, hunting-centric city in Canada, and was flabbergasted. The opposite is true. Rifles are useful. Handguns are masturbatory.
People kill people, but they do it more often and more efficiently with guns than with a brick of Velveeta.
This story makes me so sad. She did everything she could to save her own life, and then when he showed up with a gun she tried to save everyone else.
Fuck the NRA.
And Ruby, have you any idea how rare gun crime is here in Australia? It is possible to have good gun control without leaving regular people vulnerable.
Yeah, guns don’t kill people…except for the several hundred children killed by accidental gun discharge every year.
Ah, the ‘bad guys will get guns anyway’ argument.
I… do believe people should be allowed to have guns if they want them? I know a lot of people who are into guns as a hobby, and I don’t think that’s a necessarily bad hobby. But on the other hand I do support evidence-based gun control.
I’m pretty sure that most agents, if told that they’d have to kill a bunch of innocent people and then die for the sake of gun control, would instead tell the news media. I mean, they couldn’t even keep drones secret.
@ozy: Plus, if they’re really so corrupt that they’d publicly kill people to get paid by the Government, why wouldn’t they just make a lot more money by telling the news media about it afterwards? Same thing with just about every other conspiracy theory.
Cthulhu’s Intern: Well, that’s why they kill them, duh. 😛