Comments on: A Sad New Normal http://www.chrisweigant.com/2017/10/02/a-sad-new-normal/ Reality-based political commentary Sun, 10 May 2026 13:21:36 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Chris Weigant http://www.chrisweigant.com/2017/10/02/a-sad-new-normal/#comment-109608 Chris Weigant Tue, 10 Oct 2017 05:02:19 +0000 http://www.chrisweigant.com/?p=14552#comment-109608 neilm [1] - I agree. I don't understand why Dems don't push the insurance angle. Drivers must be insured, so should gun owners. If you can't afford the insurance, you take on the financial risk yourself for owning a gun (legally or not). Just like a car. C. R. Stucki [2] - Too soon... TheStig [4] - Sadly, you might be right. Balthasar [5] - PBS Newshour. They generally avoid wall-to-wall coverage of the sensational, and also report other important news of the day. Or there's always the BBC... -CW neilm [1] -

I agree. I don't understand why Dems don't push the insurance angle. Drivers must be insured, so should gun owners. If you can't afford the insurance, you take on the financial risk yourself for owning a gun (legally or not). Just like a car.

C. R. Stucki [2] -

Too soon...

TheStig [4] -

Sadly, you might be right.

Balthasar [5] -

PBS Newshour. They generally avoid wall-to-wall coverage of the sensational, and also report other important news of the day. Or there's always the BBC...

-CW

]]> By: ListenWhenYouHear http://www.chrisweigant.com/2017/10/02/a-sad-new-normal/#comment-109528 ListenWhenYouHear Wed, 04 Oct 2017 02:37:41 +0000 http://www.chrisweigant.com/?p=14552#comment-109528 I read yesterday that Australia has made possession of an unregistered gun punishable by fines up to $260,000 and up to 14 years in prison. That’s a start! I read yesterday that Australia has made possession of an unregistered gun punishable by fines up to $260,000 and up to 14 years in prison. That’s a start!

]]> By: dsws http://www.chrisweigant.com/2017/10/02/a-sad-new-normal/#comment-109525 dsws Tue, 03 Oct 2017 19:16:00 +0000 http://www.chrisweigant.com/?p=14552#comment-109525 What probably will change is that next time the perp will have easy access to silencers and specialized "cop-killer" ammunition designed to go through ballistic vests. What could start to change for the better is the culture. That doesn't need a law. Guns aren't primarily for hunting. Guns aren't primarily for killing people. They're for threatening people. They're a form of power that doesn't require any legitimacy in the eyes of the people being coerced. That's why radical authoritarians (aka "conservatives") love them so. Anything that shifts our culture away from traditional power and toward rights, justice, and freedom (aka "leftward") will help undermine gun culture. What probably will change is that next time the perp will have easy access to silencers and specialized "cop-killer" ammunition designed to go through ballistic vests.

What could start to change for the better is the culture. That doesn't need a law.

Guns aren't primarily for hunting. Guns aren't primarily for killing people. They're for threatening people. They're a form of power that doesn't require any legitimacy in the eyes of the people being coerced. That's why radical authoritarians (aka "conservatives") love them so. Anything that shifts our culture away from traditional power and toward rights, justice, and freedom (aka "leftward") will help undermine gun culture.

]]> By: nypoet22 http://www.chrisweigant.com/2017/10/02/a-sad-new-normal/#comment-109524 nypoet22 Tue, 03 Oct 2017 16:59:52 +0000 http://www.chrisweigant.com/?p=14552#comment-109524 the obvious solution is to ban all country music. only then will all those darned kids get off my lawn. JL the obvious solution is to ban all country music. only then will all those darned kids get off my lawn.

JL

]]> By: Balthasar http://www.chrisweigant.com/2017/10/02/a-sad-new-normal/#comment-109523 Balthasar Tue, 03 Oct 2017 14:45:33 +0000 http://www.chrisweigant.com/?p=14552#comment-109523 CW excepted, of course, because he covers all these points in the article above. Have to point that out. CW excepted, of course, because he covers all these points in the article above. Have to point that out.

]]> By: Balthasar http://www.chrisweigant.com/2017/10/02/a-sad-new-normal/#comment-109522 Balthasar Tue, 03 Oct 2017 14:35:58 +0000 http://www.chrisweigant.com/?p=14552#comment-109522 <a href="http://www.theonion.com/" rel="nofollow"><i>the Onion</i>'s</a> latest takes on the subject: <b>NRA Says Mass Shootings Just The Unfortunate Price Of Protecting People’s Freedom To Commit Mass Shootings</b> <b>Americans Hopeful This Will Be Last Mass Shooting Before They Stop On Their Own For No Reason</b> Sign of the times: parody news and comedians are nailing it better than the mainstream outlets. the Onion's latest takes on the subject:

NRA Says Mass Shootings Just The Unfortunate Price Of Protecting People’s Freedom To Commit Mass Shootings

Americans Hopeful This Will Be Last Mass Shooting Before They Stop On Their Own For No Reason

Sign of the times: parody news and comedians are nailing it better than the mainstream outlets.

]]> By: Balthasar http://www.chrisweigant.com/2017/10/02/a-sad-new-normal/#comment-109520 Balthasar Tue, 03 Oct 2017 14:19:16 +0000 http://www.chrisweigant.com/?p=14552#comment-109520 Just want to bring attention to a little article on Huffpo about the way <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/google-facebook-las-vegas-shooting-conspiracy-theories_us_59d25a80e4b06791bb120937?section=us_politics" rel="nofollow">Google and Facebook helped spread fake news</a> in the wake of the shooting. The saddest part is that I'm pretty sure I heard all of it repeated at some point during the marathon coverage on the networks yesterday. Hey, I have an idea: perhaps the news networks should scale back on the wall-to-wall speculation-fests that follow every disaster/mass shooting/celeb death and/or scandal. We'd be far better served if the networks stuck to their regular regimes and stopped treating misinformation as breaking news. Fox excepted of course, because you can't fix stupid. Just want to bring attention to a little article on Huffpo about the way Google and Facebook helped spread fake news in the wake of the shooting. The saddest part is that I'm pretty sure I heard all of it repeated at some point during the marathon coverage on the networks yesterday.

Hey, I have an idea: perhaps the news networks should scale back on the wall-to-wall speculation-fests that follow every disaster/mass shooting/celeb death and/or scandal. We'd be far better served if the networks stuck to their regular regimes and stopped treating misinformation as breaking news.

Fox excepted of course, because you can't fix stupid.

]]> By: TheStig http://www.chrisweigant.com/2017/10/02/a-sad-new-normal/#comment-109518 TheStig Tue, 03 Oct 2017 12:12:48 +0000 http://www.chrisweigant.com/?p=14552#comment-109518 CW - A Sad Old Normal might have been a better title. CW - A Sad Old Normal might have been a better title.

]]> By: TheStig http://www.chrisweigant.com/2017/10/02/a-sad-new-normal/#comment-109517 TheStig Tue, 03 Oct 2017 12:09:44 +0000 http://www.chrisweigant.com/?p=14552#comment-109517 Neilm- Arguments against gun registry revert to dishonest interpretations of the Constitution that ignore the "well regulated militia" part of the 2nd Amendment, original intentent and subsequent legal precedents up until about the '80s. Your affordability fix would be viewed as an illegal workaround. Open music venues with a clear line of sight to high rise buildings are a really bad idea. There is no 2nd Amendment requirement to serve up soft targets. Keep that in mind music lovers. This madness will happen again...and again...and again. Mass insanity. Neilm-

Arguments against gun registry revert to dishonest interpretations of the Constitution that ignore the "well regulated militia" part of the 2nd Amendment, original intentent and subsequent legal precedents up until about the '80s. Your affordability fix would be viewed as an illegal workaround.

Open music venues with a clear line of sight to high rise buildings are a really bad idea.
There is no 2nd Amendment requirement to serve up soft targets. Keep that in mind music lovers.

This madness will happen again...and again...and again. Mass insanity.

]]> By: C. R. Stucki http://www.chrisweigant.com/2017/10/02/a-sad-new-normal/#comment-109515 C. R. Stucki Tue, 03 Oct 2017 02:49:05 +0000 http://www.chrisweigant.com/?p=14552#comment-109515 Nobody can figure out what would motivate a 64 yr-old man to perpetrate such a horrendous act, but maybe we're overlooking the obvious. After all, perhaps those people were making so much noise below the guys bedroom window that he just couldn't sleep!! (OK, so not appropriate time for a joke, but just couldn't resist.) Nobody can figure out what would motivate a 64 yr-old man to perpetrate such a horrendous act, but maybe we're overlooking the obvious. After all, perhaps those people were making so much noise below the guys bedroom window that he just couldn't sleep!!

(OK, so not appropriate time for a joke, but just couldn't resist.)

]]> By: neilm http://www.chrisweigant.com/2017/10/02/a-sad-new-normal/#comment-109512 neilm Tue, 03 Oct 2017 00:06:28 +0000 http://www.chrisweigant.com/?p=14552#comment-109512 The solution is simple. Gun registry plus mandatory insurance to cover third party costs. This will stop most of these attacks and alert the police if somebody is suddenly arming up. Sure there will be some long term plans, but the "suddenly snapped" brigade will be mostly thwarted. You can have all the guns you want, if you can afford the insurance. Free market solution, perfectly within the bounds of the 2nd Amendment (you are expected to pay for your firearms and ammo after all, so placing a cost on ownership can't be unconstitutional, and if it is, then gun manufacturers should be forced to give away guns and ammo for free). Arguments against gun registry quickly revert to paranoid nonsense about our military acting unconstitutionally on a massive scale. The solution is simple. Gun registry plus mandatory insurance to cover third party costs. This will stop most of these attacks and alert the police if somebody is suddenly arming up. Sure there will be some long term plans, but the "suddenly snapped" brigade will be mostly thwarted.

You can have all the guns you want, if you can afford the insurance.

Free market solution, perfectly within the bounds of the 2nd Amendment (you are expected to pay for your firearms and ammo after all, so placing a cost on ownership can't be unconstitutional, and if it is, then gun manufacturers should be forced to give away guns and ammo for free).

Arguments against gun registry quickly revert to paranoid nonsense about our military acting unconstitutionally on a massive scale.

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