# Stupid Gun news of the day (Part 1) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 29, 2013, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729 "2013-01-29T19:01:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 22
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/421 "2013-02-14T03:44:53Z")
Oh, well, maybe I misunderstood your sense of reassurance with your armament. If so, I apologize, and am curious to know which cartel you are associated with. See, presenting that without qualifiers is a bit misleading, it implies that this is a threat for the everyday, ordinary American citizen in Phoenix. Which isn’t so. Stands to reason, since most middle class and above Americans own quite a bit, they have a goodly net worth, but they can’t turn that into actual cash readily. And, of course, kidnappers don’t take plastic. And what it says to me is quite different than what it says to you. What it says to me is that illegal aliens have little if any police protection. Ironically reflecting Dylan’s line in _Tom Thumb Blues_: “Because the cops don’t need you and man, they expect the same.” ---
**Author:** ![Kable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed655f/32.png) [@Kable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kable)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/422 "2013-02-14T03:53:47Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Oh, well, maybe I misunderstood your sense of reassurance with your armament. If so, I apologize, and am curious to know which cartel you are associated with. > > See, presenting that without qualifiers is a bit misleading, it implies that this is a threat for the everyday, ordinary American citizen in Phoenix. Which isn’t so. Stands to reason, since most middle class and above Americans own quite a bit, they have a goodly net worth, but they can’t turn that into actual cash readily. And, of course, kidnappers don’t take plastic. > > And what it says to me is quite different than what it says to you. What it says to me is that illegal aliens have little if any police protection. Ironically reflecting Dylan’s line in _Tom Thumb Blues_: > > “Because the cops don’t need you and man, they expect the same.” Bla bla bla. Phoenix is the kidnapping capital of the US. Yes or no? ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/423 "2013-02-14T09:18:32Z")
[ > [@](#): > > Olympic sprinter Oscar Pistorius was arrested Thursday after a 30-year-old woman was shot dead at his home in South Africa. > [@](#): > > Several South African media outlets reported that the woman was Pistorius’ girlfriend and that he may have mistaken her for a burglar and shot her, but police did not clarify the woman’s relationship to Pistorius. ]([http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/OLY\_PISTORIUS\_SHOOTING?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-02-14-03-38-52](http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/OLY_PISTORIUS_SHOOTING?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-02-14-03-38-52)) I guess this just shows that it’s not only Floridians, nor even just Americans, who know this particular type of [del]stupid[/del] tragic gun news. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/424 "2013-02-14T10:57:10Z")
> [@Kable](#): > > Bla bla bla. Phoenix is the kidnapping capital of the US. Yes or no? “Yes”, but you were a bit coy with the facts as presented in your cite. The two primary sets of victims are Mexican cartel gangsters and illegal aliens. The first group has enough weaponry on hand to make your adorable little collection of AR-15s suffer erectile dysfunction. For the second group, my humanity aches. Many if not all of them have risked their lives in the Sonoran Desert in order to feed their families, and they suffer the indifference if not outright hostility of the local police. However lax gun regulation may be, they cannot afford one. And God help them if they get caught with one. These are pertinent facts, that you were either aware of, or not. Pertinent facts that, for whatever reason, you did not offer. So, I helped you out. No need to thank me. ---
**Author:** ![Kable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed655f/32.png) [@Kable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kable)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/425 "2013-02-14T12:33:23Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > I guess this just shows that it’s not only Floridians, nor even just Americans, who know this particular type of [del]stupid[/del] tragic gun news. That’s why for home defense I highly recommend one of these: [http://www.surefire.com/illumination/weaponlights.html](http://www.surefire.com/illumination/weaponlights.html) ---
**Author:** ![Kable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed655f/32.png) [@Kable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kable)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/426 "2013-02-14T12:42:39Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > “Yes”… Great! > [@](#): > > …, but you were a bit coy with the facts as presented in your cite. You’re quoting from the facts I presented, dipshit. > [@](#): > > The first group has enough weaponry on hand to make your adorable little collection of AR-15s suffer erectile dysfunction. No they don’t.😃 ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/427 "2013-02-14T12:44:25Z")
> [@Kable](#): > > That’s why for home defense I highly recommend one of these: > > [http://www.surefire.com/illumination/weaponlights.html](http://www.surefire.com/illumination/weaponlights.html) Well, it seems that Pistorious is being charged with murder now, so your little “helpful hint” would have simply aided him in shooting her more effectively. Thanks for playing though. ---
**Author:** ![Kable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed655f/32.png) [@Kable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kable)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/428 "2013-02-14T12:48:59Z")
Here’s one just for you elucidator: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/DuhKCiY-lu0/hqdefault.jpg "Armed Homeowner Shoots Robbers During Daytime Invasion (AZ)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuhKCiY-lu0) ---
**Author:** ![Kable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed655f/32.png) [@Kable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kable)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/429 "2013-02-14T12:50:36Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > Well, it seems that Pistorious is being charged with murder now, so your little “helpful hint” would have simply aided him in shooting her more effectively. Thanks for playing though. OK, so you think weapon lights for home defense are a bad idea? ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/430 "2013-02-14T13:27:47Z")
OK, you think shooting your girlfriend while in a rage is a good idea? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/431 "2013-02-14T13:32:24Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > OK, you think shooting your girlfriend while in a rage is a good idea? If the voice in his head says so, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Kable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed655f/32.png) [@Kable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kable)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/432 "2013-02-14T13:35:49Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > OK, you think shooting your girlfriend while in a rage is a good idea? Of course not. But accidentally shooting a loved one is bad too. A weapon light would help prevent the latter by allowing one to more quickly and more accurately identify if it is a friend or foe in you home at night. So I think it is good to mount a weapon lights on guns used for home defense. So I ask you again, do you think they are a bad idea? Or do you agree with me that they are a good idea? ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/433 "2013-02-14T13:57:16Z")
Another phenomenon. Not only will, “nothing ever happen with \*my \*gun,” but all gun owners are calm, collected, paragon’s of stability and clear thinking. Why, if only Pastorius had a flashlight on his gun, that would have made it possible for him to calm his heartbeat through a form of tantric meditation, take stock of the situation while scanning the room for exits and a defilade position, all while stretching the ligaments on his shootin’ finger to avoid any nasty cramping, thereby heroically avoiding a tragic accident. But, shit, with no flashlight he pisses his pants, screeches like a little girl and empties his clip in the general direction of something scary. ---
**Author:** ![Kable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed655f/32.png) [@Kable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kable)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/434 "2013-02-14T14:09:35Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > Another phenomenon. Not only will, “nothing ever happen with \*my \*gun,” but all gun owners are calm, collected, paragon’s of stability and clear thinking. Why, if only Pastorius had a flashlight on his gun, that would have made it possible for him to calm his heartbeat through a form of tantric meditation, take stock of the situation while scanning the room for exits and a defilade position, all while stretching the ligaments on his shootin’ finger to avoid any nasty cramping, thereby heroically avoiding a tragic accident. > > But, shit, with no flashlight he pisses his pants, screeches like a little girl and empties his clip in the general direction of something scary. If it was a murder, then he murdered her. If it was an accident then the weapon light would have helped to prevent it. Disagree? ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/435 "2013-02-14T14:21:13Z")
Disagree. A flashlight doesn’t turn a pants-pissing moron into Jason Bourne. ---
**Author:** ![Kable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed655f/32.png) [@Kable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kable)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/436 "2013-02-14T14:25:57Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > Disagree. A flashlight doesn’t turn a pants-pissing moron into Jason Bourne. I didn’t say anything about pants pissing morons or Jason Bourne. You really don’t think a weapon light would help an armed home owner identify friend or foe and possibly prevent accidents? ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/437 "2013-02-14T14:34:11Z")
I think a weapon light would and an after thought to … “AHHHHH, they’re coming to get me …” bang - bang - bang … “sorry, grandma.” If it were a situation that wasn’t fraught with tension, nerves, panic, and everything that comes with being scared of something, sure being able to see helps, but panic is panic no matter how well lit a room is. You show me somebody who shoots someone they love because they thought they were a burglar and I’ll show you someone who’s panicked. ---
**Author:** ![Kable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed655f/32.png) [@Kable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kable)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/438 "2013-02-14T14:40:44Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > I think a weapon light would and an after thought to … “AHHHHH, they’re coming to get me …” bang - bang - bang … “sorry, grandma.” > > If it were a situation that wasn’t fraught with tension, nerves, panic, and everything that comes with being scared of something, sure being able to see helps, but panic is panic no matter how well lit a room is. > > You show me somebody who shoots someone they love because they thought they were a burglar and I’ll show you someone who’s panicked. In the dark a light would help let you know you do or don’t need to panic wouldn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/439 "2013-02-14T14:57:28Z")
I’m not sure you realize how panic works. Grandma could be walking into a room lit by a kleig light while shouting, “Don’t shoot! It’s me, Nana!” and she’s still getting plugged if there’s a panicked guy with a gun nearby. ---
**Author:** ![Kable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed655f/32.png) [@Kable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kable)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/440 "2013-02-14T15:18:10Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > I’m not sure you realize how panic works. > > Grandma could be walking into a room lit by a kleig light while shouting, “Don’t shoot! It’s me, Nana!” and she’s still getting plugged if there’s a panicked guy with a gun nearby. That sounds made up. Cite for accidental shootings going down like that? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729.md?page=21) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729.md?page=23)