# 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:** 320
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/6381 "2015-11-03T12:25:57Z")
> **[Colorado's open carry law may have just kept police from stopping a mass shooter](https://www.motherjones.com/criminal-justice/2015/11/open-carry-mass-shooting-colorado-springs/)** > > Troubling details emerge about Saturday's gun rampage in Colorado Springs. > [@](#): > > Did Colorado’s Open Carry Law Delay Police Response to a Mass Shooter? > > Bettis said she recognized the gunman as her neighbor—whom she didn’t know by name—and that before the initial slaying she saw him roaming outside with a rifle. She called 911 to report the man, but a dispatcher explained that Colorado has an open carry law that allows public handling of firearms. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/6382 "2015-11-03T12:44:21Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > TL;DR: Obama isn’t coming to take your guns personally. He’ll send American citizens to do his bidding. The assumption that those citizens would be “evil” and would confiscate arms from the “good” seems to derive mainly from irrational and inchoate hatred of government. And an even more irrational and inchoate need to think of oneself as “good” and anybody who insists there are limits as “bad”, regardless of mere fact. A corollary is the need to think of these “bad guys” as not human at all, but “thugs” instead of African-Americans, or “jackboots” instead of cops, or “tyranny” instead of democratic majorities. That in turn comes from having a binary, fear-driven mentality that simply cannot be overcome with mere reason. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/6383 "2015-11-03T13:26:42Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > [Did Colorado’s Open Carry Law Delay Police Response to a Mass Shooter? – Mother Jones](http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2015/11/open-carry-mass-shooting-colorado-springs) He was just engaging in some “exposure therapy”, right, **Damuri**? :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/6384 "2015-11-03T14:13:32Z")
I think the problem there could be solved by labelling everyone with a gun as either a “good guy” or a “bad guy”, possibly by means of a forehead tattoo. That way we would know who is okay to shoot and who is just a proud patriotic American exercising his or her Constitutional rights. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/6385 "2015-11-03T14:14:55Z")
White hats and black hats would be easier to see, and would better fit the fictional narrative they try to apply to the world. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/6386 "2015-11-03T15:15:11Z")
Back to stupid news… [Prosecutor suspended after pulling gun, threatening to shoot fake Halloween spiders.](http://www.usnews.com/news/offbeat/articles/2015/10/30/prosecutor-suspended-after-pulling-gun-on-fake-spiders) Everyone knows that flame throwers are the appropriate weapon for spiders. ---
**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/6387 "2015-11-03T17:30:38Z")
> [@Projammer](#): > > Back to stupid news… > > [Prosecutor suspended after pulling gun, threatening to shoot fake Halloween spiders.](http://www.usnews.com/news/offbeat/articles/2015/10/30/prosecutor-suspended-after-pulling-gun-on-fake-spiders) > > Everyone knows that flame throwers are the appropriate weapon for spiders. [Same prosecutor who tried to place a gag order](http://www.wowktv.com/story/22674521/prosecution-attempts-to-silence-jared-marcum-with-gag-order-reporter-covering-story-threatened-with-arrest) on Jared Marcum after he was detained, arrested, and suspended for wearing an NRA Tshirt to school. The [school is being sued](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/student-press-law-center/first-amendment-lawsuit-student-was-punished-for-wearing-a-t-shirt-advocating-gun-rights_b_7295046.html)and I hope they lose, big. ---
**Author:** ![JXJohns](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jxjohns/32/469_2.png) [@JXJohns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JXJohns)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/6388 "2015-11-03T17:51:11Z")
> [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](#): > > We learned from a prior incident that modern guns just can’t fire when dropped. So, someone is lying. Probably pulled the trigger trying to catch it. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/6389 "2015-11-03T17:55:43Z")
You’ll be fine sweetie… “just shoot any bad guys”. [Says](http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/nov/03/shoot-any-bad-guys-grandfather-tells-girl-five-leaving-her-in-desert-with-gun) grandpa to five year old granddaughter left alone in the desert with a loaded 45. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/6390 "2015-11-03T18:34:12Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > [Did Colorado’s Open Carry Law Delay Police Response to a Mass Shooter? – Mother Jones](http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2015/11/open-carry-mass-shooting-colorado-springs) This seems to point to a flaw in the interpretation of open carry. My feeling is that when a person is out in public, the law allows them to have a gun on their person, e.g., in a holster or slung over their shoulder; as soon as the gun is in their hands, I would think that the open carry law should no longer be applicable, as holding a gun in one’s hands reflects actual immediate intent to use it. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/6391 "2015-11-03T19:17:33Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > I’m going to quote from a novel called “Unintended Consequences” by John Ross. Dear Og, you’re serious, aren’t you? You’re quoting _a gun-porn novel_ instead of making an actual argument. > [@](#): > > So the best answer I can give you is “when I’m convinced we’re standing at the back of the van and the handcuffs are out”. At which time you and your self-styled militia will be too late, won’t you? Now what does any of that have to do with reality? ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/6392 "2015-11-03T20:04:19Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > or, like **Damuri** , feeling threatened by the idea of black people having guns, just like the Founding Fathers were. Where the fuck do get this notion from? Or are you just making veiled accusations of racism because this is the pit and you can? ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/6393 "2015-11-03T20:06:58Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Other than that, what else can you claim as a _net_ benefit? See LA riots. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/6394 "2015-11-03T20:07:38Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Ho hum, this is happening so often these days, it hardly rises to the level of stupidity any more: > > Man accidentally shot when [customer’s gun falls to floor](http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2015/11/02/florida_cracker_barrel_site_of_accidental_gun_discharge.html?wpsrc=sh_all_mob_tw_top) while at Sanford, Florida Cracker Barrel > [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](#): > > We learned from a prior incident that modern guns just can’t fire when dropped. So, someone is lying. > [@JXJohns](#): > > Probably pulled the trigger trying to catch it. So they can’t fire if dropped properly. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/6395 "2015-11-03T20:12:43Z")
> [@JXJohns](#): > > Probably pulled the trigger trying to catch it. More likely a liberal hoplophobe gun grabber saw the opportunity to injure himself in order to make guns look dangerous. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/6396 "2015-11-03T20:14:31Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > Congrats to \*\*Lumpy \*\*who attempted to answer a difficult question (though I find his answer too imprecise to offer useful prescription). Will others take a try? I’ll take a stab myself… > > The power of the State is normally exercised via armed soldiers and armed police. As long as there is a perception that our soldiers and police are in community with citizens, the citizens may feel confident that private armed rebellion won’t be necessary. States that become too authoritarian typically have thuggish security forces, or, like America in 1776, foreign soldiers. > > Are America’s soldiers or police becoming thuggish and isolated from the community enough to present worry? Certainly police act like thuggish foreigners in some communities. Ironically, the ubiquity of privatley owned guns is a major cause of police misbehavior. Even more ironically, if you accept my argument that private guns serve as a counterweight to police and military that become divorced from the community, is that the right-wing rednecks who favor gun rights are typically the very same people that adulate the military and thuggish cops. > > TL;DR: Obama isn’t coming to take your guns personally. He’ll send American citizens to do his bidding. The assumption that those citizens would be “evil” and would confiscate arms from the “good” seems to derive mainly from irrational and inchoate hatred of government. I agree that the threat to an armed citizenry is largely illusory as long as we have our current form of democracy. OTOH, its not stopping the gun control side from trying. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/6397 "2015-11-03T20:21:35Z")
> [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#): > > See LA riots. Your fear of black people with guns, that is? That’s convincing, yes, but not of something you’d like. Surely you can be a little more comprehensive with your answer, can’t you? ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/6398 "2015-11-03T20:26:54Z")
> [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](#): > > We learned from a prior incident that modern guns just can’t fire when dropped. So, someone is lying. Unless they are defective, this is generally true. The most likely scenario for a discharge from a dropped gun is someone trying to catch it and grabbing the trigger. If a gun drops, then generally speaking, let it drop. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/6399 "2015-11-03T20:30:12Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Your fear of black people with guns, that is? That’s convincing, yes, but not of something you’d like. > > Surely you can be a little more comprehensive with your answer, can’t you? Wait. So being against rioting and looting is racist now? :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2015, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/6400 "2015-11-03T20:37:28Z")
It’s all you can bring up in response to a question about _net_ benefits of gun ownership. When come back, bring honesty. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729.md?page=319) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729.md?page=321)