Saturday, December 15, 2012

Is It Still Too Soon?

After the horrible event in Newton, Connecticut on Friday, radio propagandist John Mercure at WGOP-AM, went off on State Representative Jon Richards for issuing a press release calling for just one reasonable change to Wisconsin's gun laws:
The school shooting in Connecticut broke all of our hearts today. As a father, I can’t even imagine the pain these parents are suffering. As we learn more about the mass murderer in Connecticut and how he obtained his weapons, Democrats and Republicans need to work together to do all we can to ensure that what happened there can’t happen here. It can be done. Three years ago, Democrats and Republicans cooperated to pass the Wisconsin law that keeps guns out of the hands of people who have been involuntarily committed for mental illness. In the meantime, all of us in Wisconsin are keeping the families touched by this horrific tragedy in our thoughts and prayers.”
Mercure then went after me when I confronted him on Twitter for his obscene diatribe.

Apparently 20 dead school children wasn't enough for him.

I wonder if Mercure still thinks it too soon now that there was another gunman going around shooting up a hospital in Alabama.

It's not too soon to make reasonable changes in gun laws, as well as making mental health services more available.

If anything, every day shows us we're too late for too many people.

10 comments:

  1. Because there are 20 dead children, it's too late rather than too soon. We can only hope that something happens before the next one, and there will be another one, and it doesn't become too late for that one also.

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  2. Did you know the day before, which would have been a perfectly fine day to discuss gun violence, he had on some PETA dolt to argue about, of all gun trivialities, whether hunting was bad. Just some more rightwing strawman bullshit because that's his level. Now his clown shoes are showing so he's a little touchy. Leave him alone a couple days so he has time to grieve... then he'll change the topic.

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  3. If you want to discuss this, I'm willing to. Exactly what law(s) here in Wisconsin do you think needs to be changed that would prevent what occurred in CT?

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    1. I am just a mom, but, I feel strongly that we need laws and mental healthcare. We need to make it easy to get health care for adults with mental illnesses. The JS ran a series on how families who have people with mental illnesses really don't have many options for getting them treatment. Our prisons are full of people who need mental health services. Yet, these services are often cut and it seems that instead of health care, we wait until a crime is committed, then lock the person up. We need to be proactive. We don't have to have to wait until there is a tragedy.

      Gun laws are important too. Had this man not had access to guns, there would have been a less tragic situation.

      I don't know about the exact laws. I agree with Wonderwoman that this has been a problem for awhile and that due to segregation and our own prejudices, we look the other way. I also don't think it has anything to do with hunting.

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  4. As a person living in Milwaukee's gun riddled inner city, watching our brothers and sisters suffer and die in Chicago's gun haven every weekend at alarming rates, we have begged for this conversation and it has fallen on def ears of those on the left and right. Why, well I will not speculate but I will hope the calvary is now on the way. Sadly this tragedy will bring us all help. Damn shame it had to come to this when the problem was on TV everyday right in front of you all. But? Well I will shut my mouth because no one wants the truth. Again I will just say thank God help may be in the way but blood is on everyone's hands. John is not the only ignorant person among us. This country is guilty for ignoring the urban areas of each city. Now it seems to be spreading aling with guns. Yes the conversation needs to happen. Blacks, you have our attention. You can find us marching in front of the mayor's house looking for justice by the way.
    Peace Family,
    Wonder Woman out!
    By the way
    When will we expect some of you at our memorials, rallies, and events about gun violence?
    I know my brother writes about it here on the site, now we need to you all help us take action!
    See you at the next event!

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  5. The "PETA dolt" the other "Anonymous" referred to was on the right track. Look at the cruelty we are surrounded by every day and everywhere, poverty, our healthcare system and philosophy, the mental health system we have in our country, and we are surprised at some of these crazy horrible acts? Too bad so many people are leaping to the obvious conclusion that it is ablity to get guns that is the problem. I personally am opposed to any type of guns, but the answer to mass shooting is gun control?Really? Gun control would have prevented this? We will not know how to prevent these tragedies until we understand why they happened. Unless we are content to accept that they just "happened" and that we will never understand why...and we just need better gun control. The principal of Columbine HS had the most thoughtful and constructive perspective when he stated that we need to figure out how the "evil" gets into these killers and how we can stop that from happending in the first place. I suspect that will be a challenge for us.

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  6. Since I'm a gun owner--though politically a liberal--I'm just considered a fringe thinker.
    The gun I own is a rifle, bought solely for going deer hunting. I look at ads in the newspaper selling semi-automatic rifles, they look like war weaponry, and wonder why that's made available for hunting deer. Of course, that semi-automatic assault weapon could be used for something other than deer hunting, too.
    The way the gun laws have changed has turned our economically-depressed areas into war zones.
    The old NRA saying "When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns" assumes that only the supposedly law-abiding people should be given all these freedoms, freedoms that the less well-off should not be allowed to have.
    The gun laws clearly need changing into something more sensible, something that does not promote violence.
    Consealed carry? Personally I don't want to get popped by some gun nut who can say at any time they felt "threatened."
    Same goes for this "castle doctrine," basically a law that allows killers to make up a story after they've shot someone, saying they felt "threatened."
    These are strange times, and the sooner we get out of them, the better.

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    1. I don't like that "feels threatened" reasoning either.

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  7. Guns, guns and more bigger guns...I recently had a conversation with someone describing their arsenal of legal weaponry,these people are physically disabled, and I asked why all the guns? The person said, "for when they come".

    I asked who? but interrupted that, and said,"THEY can have more bigger guns, then what"?

    All this money spent on guns and ammo, death and the emotional damage. It could be spent on poverty, education, and the living.

    The fact is the faster we snap out of this "conquer and divide" within our communities and families, the faster we can demand better for our families and communities.

    Gun regulation isn't going to take your guns, but it will slow down the flood of guns to our communities and therefore make it harder for guns to end up in the wrong hands.

    This school's shooting has made clear to everyone, you can have an arsenal of guns in your home, and it still will not save you, the guns were registered to the killer's mother.

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  8. I am a proponent of gun control measures. I also have what is considered a "serious mental illness" and am a steadfast advocate for the rights of the mentally ill.
    When counties in Wisconsin commit individuals as dangerous (under statute)it is as a significant threat to themselves or others. At this time they are supposed to be placed on a list prevents obtaining a license or purchase of a gun from a licensed dealer indefinitely. After a mental health commitment ends, I believe a mentally ill person can petition to be removed from the list. I do not know how difficult it is to remove oneself from the federal list. While I am in favor gun control,I do not like the idea committed mentally individuals are placed on some "danger" list and not given information about specific rights unless they ask.
    While I am certain the individuals who committed the Newton, CT crime was tragically disturbed, I am fearful about linking dangerous and criminal behavior with mental illness. If we look at statistics, mentally ill people are far more likely to be the victims of crime than to perpetuate one. Just as possessing a gun in your home makes you and the other home residents the most likely victims.
    Counties are reluctant to petition for mental health commitments because of the potential harm to the individual and the substantial cost. We do not want to commit individuals unnecessarily, we just do not want to price the safety of the person who is ill nor the community. Resources are so limited that we constant deal with the after effects rather than preventing and treating problems. This includes strong community mental health programs, better funded lower-cost options, treatment courts, better crisis options, and investing in options to reduce the stigma of mental illness and in receiving help.

    Treatment and counseling are investments. Lives are priceless.

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