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Nazareth, Pa., United States

Monday, December 17, 2012

Is It Time For Pa. to Tighten LTC Requirements?

Two mentally disturbed men. Two different countries. Two different kinds of weapon. Completely different outcomes.

Here in America, Adam Lanza used three different semi-automatic weapons to brutally murder 20 children and 6 adults before turning a gun on himself. In China, another monster burst into an elementary school and went after 22 children. But nobody was killed. Unlike Lanza, he was using a knife.

I get the Second Amendment. I respect and admire sportsmen, who are true conservationists. But isn't it time to make it more difficult for people who are mentally disturbed to have access to firearms?

What happened in Connecticut could easily happen here, in a "shall issue" state, where a person who makes death threats and death wishes can still be issued a license to carry.

94 comments:

Anonymous said...

The second amnedment has no connection to sportsmen, other than they like any citizen, have a constitutional right ot bear and keep arms. Stop making every event in life about your ex-girlfriend. You are both crazy!

Bernie O'Hare said...

Excuse me, but this is about issuing LTCs to mentally disturbed people, i.e. people who make death threats. If the shoe fits ...

Anonymous said...

If someone says, I plan to get my gun and shoot you, that is a threat. If in the midst of an argument were two people are yelling at each other one says I ought to throw you in the river, not quite sure if that is reason to deny a LTC, you think it is but you are neither unbiased nor all that stable yourself.

Point is, not one LTC law in the world was going to stop what happened and it is both sad and disturbing that you use such a soul numbing tragedy to again take a shot at your old girlfriend.

Bernie O'Hare said...

I have never threatened anyone's life. I have never wished for anyne's death. I don't carry nor do I want to carry. I think a person who makes a death threat against a public official while inside a public building should be denied a right to carry. I think a person who is convicted of disorderly conduct after such a death threat, and who them brags about going to Cabella's, should be denied a LTC. A person who is both mentally unstable and who harbors fantasies about gun violence, should not be permitted to carry a firearm. And although mezzacappa is illustrative of my point, the point of this post is the 20 children who were gunned down by an emotionally disturbed man. It follows fast on the heels of the biggest incident of gun violence ever in Bethlehem. It comes with 5 murders this year in Easton. It comes after another school shooting, which involved yet another emotionally disturbed person.

It's not the guns. I don't care if people have bazookas and know someone who actually owns a tank. It might be about some gun, as logger MM contends in one of his posts. My concern, however, is the people. We should not issue LTCs to people who make death threats and post videos about gun violence. That's just nutz. How many children have to die before we do something?

Incidentally, in the case of Mezzacappa, she told someone she was going to kill Kelly Gross. then she drove to boro hall and told a secretary to get her down there bc she was going to take Gross to the river and drown her. She did not say she ought to throw her in the river. She said she was going to kill her, several times. The fact that she made this threats while in an angry state demonstrates why people like her should not be allowed near firearms.

Anonymous said...

You sir are an insane former boyfriend and you both need counseling.

This is about the savage destrucitoin of innocent children. Not politcal arguments or screwed up adult realtionships. This time you trumped even the goofs at Fox News who within minutes of the President's speech went off on their own crazy political agenda of attcking the President. The rest of us had tears in our eyes and grieved with the families.

We will never come close to solving any of this, when people like you and FOX act the way you do.

Bernie O'Hare said...

It is indeed about the savage destruction of innocent children, and not about a relationship that never existed. People who are emotionally unstable, and who make death threats or wishes, should not be allowed to carry guns. It is precisely those kinds of people who are doing the killing of the innocent children you claim to care about. If you really do, you should not want a gun put into the hands of someone who publishes videos about gun violence, promoting some punk who takes his father's gun to shoot up a school. You should want authorities to deny LTCs to people who wish others are dead, and who superimpose skulls and crossbones over their picture.

Anonymous said...

Dude, get some help. I am serious. You don't even realize how crazy you sound.

Bernie O'Hare said...

I sound crazy for suggesting that emotionally disturbed people who make death threats should not be allowed to carry weapons? I see.

Then I am crazy, and I hope there's a lot more crazy people like me who have had enough of this nonsense.

Haiku Harry said...

Late night trolls wander,
seeking refuge in refuse,
to hide from the sun.

Bill said...

The other part of this equation is to increase access to Mental Health Services. A few months ago, in Northampton County a mother was killed and his father seriously injured by their son who beat them while he was psychotic. These things are happening more frequently and we have eliminated services over the last few decades.

Anonymous said...

Perhaps if CT was a Shall Issue state someone may have been able to stop this nut. This incident and others are starting to make me wonder if I should get my LTC. The economy stinks and people seem to be getting more crazy.

Anonymous said...

Adam Lanza did not have a LTCF. That has been confirmed. Mentally ill and those under 21 are prohibited in PA from having a LTCF. Lanza would not qualify. Perhaps your discussion should be framed by the notion of limiting/prohibiting access to minors and mentally ill people in a home where firearms exist?

Anonymous said...

The 2nd amendment has nothing to do with hunting or sport shorting. It was inserted in the constitution as a check against the potential of an over reaching government.

The problem is not the guns, the problem is society breakdown we have now where by and large, our youth are desensitized to violence, in many cases come from 1 parent family units w/o a strong male role model, and a society that does not place any value on mental health services and continues to cut this area first in the balancing of any budget.

As a lawful gun owner, there are things i could accept control wise (although i do not think they are necessary). Stronger penalties for gun related crimes, a waiting period for purchase, stronger background checks. I cannot accept limitations on the type of gun, the amount of ammo, the capacity of the mags etc

Anonymous said...

Bill said...

The other part of this equation is to increase access to Mental Health Services. A few months ago, in Northampton County a mother was killed and his father seriously injured by their son who beat them while he was psychotic. These things are happening more frequently and we have eliminated services over the last few decades.

5:22 AM

Bill's comments echo Sunday morning TV interviewed psychologist review of big cuts in mental health coverage by insurance companies across the country. If this is true maybe a local public forum will shed light on the situation.

Dave Houser said...

Talk is cheap..as usual. The time for action is here. Everything is on the table when the body count includes children and their teachers. We have reached critical mass. The country is crying out for help. Lead..follow..or get out of the way. The President has sounded the call for meaningful reform. Who will answer that call? We must not falter or fail now. We now must fight for the lives of our countries children. Do whatever you can to make amends for our common sins.

Anonymous said...

Bernie you are way off base here. It is totally selfish of you to take this tragedy and try to make a point about some loon in Easton. We don't have an epidemic of people with LTC committing violent crimes and the issue is certainly irrelevant in newtown

Anonymous said...

5:22,

no more money for mental health services. eliminate the mentally ill and you eliminate the problem

Anonymous said...

Neighbors interviewed state he was difficult even as a child. People knew he was troubled.

Anonymous said...

Lots of people are troubled..he had an arsenal at his disposal! That is the crime...

Anonymous said...

Eliminate the mentally ill. How do you plan to accomplish that?

Anonymous said...

Longer waiting period is a good idea.

Anonymous said...

This boy's mother's neighbors knew she had guns. They also knew she had a mentally ill son. Did they ever contact the police or voice any warnings of concern.

Anonymous said...

No one is born a killer..they are built..brick by brick.

donmiles said...


We can't identify all the crazies likely to do this:
“We’re not even good at predicting minor violence. When you’re talking about preventing a mass shooting, that’s a needle in a haystack,” said Jeffrey Swanson, a professor in psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke University School of Medicine. “You can’t just go out and lock up all the socially awkward young men in the world.” -- today's Washington Post.
We have to get rid of the large-clip guns and large-capacity clips. No civilian has any legitimate need for them. No other nation allows civilians to have them. No real hunter uses them. Enough.

Anonymous said...

A no brainer Don. I get it and you get it..now..when will the country get it?

Anonymous said...

LTC laws are also in play here as Bernie stated. It is all part and parcel of the problem along with culture and mental health cut backs.

Anonymous said...

This is not a challenge to the 2nd amendment to the US Constitution. It's about common sense ideas and initiatives..we can do this!

Anonymous said...

WAEB's Gunther radio show early this morning interviewed a doctor who discussed the prescribed medications often used for treatment of such disorders as this young man had and how their intensity may alter and perhaps even damage the patient in the long run.

Anonymous said...

Better that..than have an arsenal at the ready to alleviate the pain and commit mass murder.

Anonymous said...

Any press releases from the gun makers yet? How do they feel now..do they feel anything at all?

Anonymous said...

Just got back from the range where I had a personal best 5 shot grouping of 6 inches at 50 yards with my Mosin-Nagant M44. Proud to be a life long member of the NRA and I'll be damned if any bottom feeding blogger challenges my second amendment rights.

Anonymous said...

What a friggin' idiot.

Anonymous said...

We can learn from events and policies in Israel to protect our schools and children.

May 15, 1974, in Maalot:

Three PLO gunmen, after making their way through the border fence, first shot up a van load full of workers returning from a tobacco factory (incidentally these people happened to be Galilee Arabs, not Jews), then they entered the school compound of Maalot.

First they murdered the housekeeper, his wife and one of their kids, then they took a whole group of nearly 100 kids and their teachers hostage.

These at the school. In the end, the deadline ran out, and the army's special unit assaulted the building.

During the rescue attempt, the gunmen blew their explosive charges and sprayed the kids with machine-gun fire with 19 children died and another, 66 wounded.

Israel at the time had some strict gun laws, left over from the days of British colonialism, when the British rulers tried to prevent the Jews from owning guns.

After vigorous debate over the months, the government began allowing army reservists to keep their weapons with them.

This was followed by Handgun carry permits over the years given to any Israeli with a clean record who lived in the most dangerous areas: Judea, Samaria, and Gaza.

Soon, all over Israel, guns became pervasive in the schools.

Teachers and kindergarten nurses now started to carry guns, schools were protected by parents (and often grandpas) guarding them in voluntary shifts.

No school group went on a hike or trip without armed guards. The Police involved the citizens in a voluntary civil guard project "Mishmar Esrachi," which even had its own sniper teams.

The Army's Youth Group program, "Gadna", trained 15 to 16-year-old kids in gun safety and guard procedures and the older high-school boys got involved with the Mishmar Esrachi. During one noted incident, the "Herzliyah Bus massacre" (March '78, hijacking of a bus, 37 dead, 76 wounded), these youngsters were involved in the overall security measures in which the whole area between North Tel Aviv and the resort town of Herzlyiah was blocked off, manning roadblocks with the police, guarding schools kindergartens, etc.

After a while, "When the message got around to the PLO groups and a couple infiltration attempts failed, the attacks against schools ceased."

This is not to say that Palestinian suicide terrorists never target schools.

But, in late May 2002, an Israeli teacher shot a suicide terrorist before he could harm anyone.

Clearly, no one knows if civilized nations will ever eliminate the root causes of terrorism or mental illness that led to mass killing of children in Gun Free Zones.

But we do know that attacks on schools and school children could be almost completely eliminated in a very short time, if every nation at risk of such attacks on schools began following the lead of Israel.

Anonymous said...

Another friggin' genius weighs in..geez!

Anonymous said...

@8:04 peace through strength my friend. Shalom.

Anonymous said...

What peace? What price?

Anonymous said...

ADT Security official interviewed today says mantraps are a smart way to go. Do our schools use them? Local banks did more than 20 years ago. why not our public schools?

Anonymous said...

Why doesn't every area school district right away hire security review experts to walk their properties and make the report public by publishing online.

Anonymous said...

@8:08 the price will continue to climb if we as a society don't take up arms and mow down these attackers before they can do too much damage. All school teachers should be trained in close combat tactics in addition to carrying concealed handguns.

Bill said...

"5:22,

no more money for mental health services. eliminate the mentally ill and you eliminate the problem

7:20 AM"

Are you calling for the extermination of the mentally ill? I am close to violating Godwin's law, but the connection is clear. Who all should we get rid of?

Carol said...

There is no one point answer to this tragedy, it has many facets, mental health, home situations, violent computer games, gun access within the home, cuts in mental health services, and the list goes on. Does the publicity and notoriety play a part in this with someone of a like mind? I come from a family of hunters with guns, but certainly no assault guns. I also feel very strongly with removing God from a large part of our lives, political correctness has gone overboard.

Sal Panto, Jr. said...

As an active member of Mayors Against ILLEGAL Guns (MAIG) I get upset that every time we discuss “gun law reform” NRA members claim we are after their Second Amendment Rights. No one in MAIG is talking about the Second Amendment. We aren’t talking about gun control – we are talking about reforming the way individuals get guns and the consequences associated with that ownership. I too own guns but they don’t include large capacity clips or assault rifles. We are talking about common sense reforms. And every time we do discuss this issue we get letters, emails and phone calls from NRA members charging us with being un-American and threatening us politically. Here is our position.

First is a simple Lost and Stolen Gun law that requires owners to report their weapons lost or stolen when they become aware of it. What does that do? It stops the person who gives a weapon to someone who shouldn’t have it from saying “oh, that was (lost or stolen) months ago.” And the law cannot do anything about it even though the evidence indicates that they gave it to the individual who used it in a crime.

This leads to our second law that we have been lobbying for several years – a Straw Purchase law which would make it illegal for an individual to buy a gun for another person who can’t pass the background check. They now become liable for any crime committed with that gun. Most recently there was a case in our area where this exact scenario played out and resulted in the death of a state trooper. The “straw purchaser” goes free with no consequences. I thought for sure this would bring our state legislators to action, but nothing.

Third, we have been asking that all states increase their efforts in their background checks. The wait and extent of the background varies from state to state and all states need to do a better job, regardless of how long it takes.

These are common sense “reforms” and do not limit the ownership of guns – nor will they stop the type of horrific incidents like the one in Connecticut. This incident was the result, at least in the initial reports, of not securing the weapons in the home properly. But these reforms will help in reducing violence in America.

It is time for the legislatures in states and Washington to do something proactive. It is hypocritical for these lawmakers to show up at a funeral of these victims when they have bowed to political pressure and not acted.

Lastly, it is time for the NRA to take a leadership role encouraging reform. To do nothing is simply wrong. To do nothing does nothing to enhance the quality of life in our country. President Obama should challenge them to take a leadership role in this important issue.

Anonymous said...

People who kill defenceless animals from a safe distence are not sportsmen.
The Second Amendment talks about the right to bear arms and a well regulated militia. In a time when citizens were the standing army, this may well have made sense. It makes no sense now. Get the guns out of our society and we'll take the risk that we might end up a police state, like Britain or Germany, Sweden or Switzerland.

Anonymous said...

distance.....

Bernie O'Hare said...

"Perhaps if CT was a Shall Issue state someone may have been able to stop this nut."

Connecticut is a "shall issue" state.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_laws_in_Connecticut

Bernie O'Hare said...

"Perhaps your discussion should be framed by the notion of limiting/prohibiting access to minors and mentally ill people in a home where firearms exist?"

I believe there are two issues. One of them involves access. Unfortunately, I think we've reached the point where there is a greater need for security at school, shopping centers, etc. The second is mental health. As Bill points out, mentally disturbed people are no longer hospitalized bc the state waved a magic wand to save a few dollars. It is extremely difficult to have someone committed. I think anyone who makes a death threat should be committed for 48 hours. Anybody who makes a death threat should be barred from getting a LTC.

Bernie O'Hare said...

" It is totally selfish of you to take this tragedy and try to make a point about some loon in Easton."

Sorry, but I see it quite differently. The people committing these heinous acts are mentally disturbed people with easy access to firearms. It has to stop.

Bernie O'Hare said...

"We have to get rid of the large-clip guns and large-capacity clips."

Agreed.

Anonymous said...

"We have to get rid of the large-clip guns and large-capacity clips."

My bolt action Barrett .50 CAL is fine, good up to 2000 yards and plenty of stopping power.

Anonymous said...

Sorry Panto.....You're way off base on this one. Your organization is for the elimination of all handguns and the right to carry. Your position to punish someone who has a gun stolen from them is wrong. Tell me this....Why are democrats anti-gun and republicans pro-gun? Why are most hunters who hunt with guns republicans not democrats? How many republican mayors want what you want. Democrats are traditionally on the wrong side of gun issues. I am a democrat and a life member of the NRA. You want to punish legal gun owners. I can go anywhere on the "internet" and learn how to make a bomb. Kids do it with water bottles, tin foil, and------, shake it up, throw it and it explodes. Let's ban the internet. That makes as much sense as you wanting to punish me because someone steals my gun.

Bernie O'Hare said...

The "West Easton Foot Print" who posted here is an impersonator.

Bernie O'Hare said...

"Are you calling for the extermination of the mentally ill?"

That commenter agrees with your viewpoint wand was being sarcastic. At least that's how I read it.

Anonymous said...

Lessee here, The nut job in Ct stole those guns from his mothers house and killed her. By arresting his mother because she didn't report the guns stolen all of this carnage would have been eliminated. Panto wants to address one very small segment of a very large problem and it is the wrong segment. But, doing nothing in this case is as good as doing something which in the case of the mayor is as good as doing nothing but punishing the innocent victims of crime.

Anonymous said...

I don't think 100 new gun laws would stop a guy from doing what that guy did. Prohibitions usually achieve the opposite result of what was intended. Look at Chicago and DC and Detroit and Philly, were they have very strict laws and unbridled mayhem. We seem to get upset when 20 white suburban kids are slain, but are inured to 20 minority deaths in Chicago. Perhaps it's because we know gun control failed in the latter case. Maybe it will work better on whites. I don't pretend to know. I own a gun, don't understand why anyone needs an M-16, but don't think banning things works, either.

Bernie O'Hare said...

It's not the race, but the sheer youth of these children, that broke people's hearts. It is time to do something. I'd agree that preferably, it is something that will be effective. I am not a gun control nut, just a nut. I am more than willing to listen to reasonable suggestions, either way.

Anonymous said...

Thanks Sal. More people needed at the negotiation table. Let us reason together..too much at stake.

Mlovinsky's Goon Squadron said...

I'm sure most criminals will just hand over their guns(welcome to fantasy island)

Bernie O'Hare said...

I see that Somebody would rather attack Molovinsky than address the issues. Quelle surprise!

Anonymous said...

Give me laws that give death penalties and life sentences for people who break guns laws. Try this before you take my gun.

Anonymous said...

12:05, good point; enforcement of current gun laws has led to a steady decline in gun violence in the last 20 years. The spectacular nature of this crime, and the dreaded "continuing coverage" of it lead many to believe things are getting worse, when, in fact, they are getting better.

Anonymous said...

Did you notice how many times the quotes "nut jobs" "loonies" "mentally ill" have been used to describe this incident in Ct? People have a short memory. It was Ronald Reagan who cut the funding for mental institutions and put these people back on the street. Remember how they wound up in the jails and prisons. They became street peole, public nuisances, wards of the courts. Laws were passed to protect there rights to be loonies and not take their medications if they so desire. Stop blaming law abiding gun owners for this tragic happening in Ct. It wasn't the law abiding citizen who did this. It was a nut job who killed his own mother and then stole her guns.

Anonymous said...

Bernie, out of all these incidents pertaining to shootings in schools, shooting on college campuses, and shootings in Malls, how many of them were sane. Go after the right people here. It isnot the law abiding citizen who has done these dastardly deeds.

Anonymous said...

Bernie

I'm curious about your recent posts on gun control, particularly yor references to someone threatening a person's life and having their LTC revoked.

I would think that there are already laws on the books about threatening someone's life, and that the police and courts are the proper venue to pursue a remedy. I would also think that if someone is found guilty of threatening someone, the court might be able to deal with the issue of someone's ability to possess or carry a firearm (depending on the degree of the charge and if the person is found guilty).

Correct?

Anonymous said...

Nobody wants your friggin' gun! We want to keep them out of the hands of unstable people..especially the high octane, military application, rapid fire variety. We want to stop straw purchases and make you and everyone else prove who they are and look at their mental history and medical issues. Is that too much to stinkin ask?

Anonymous said...

We also want you to report when your gun goes missing and tell us if and when you sell it and to whom. You getting it now?

Anonymous said...

Bernie..I am amazed at the sheer number of nut cases I've seen post here today. It is truly scary. Where did all this hate and fear come from? I must have grown up somewhere else..this is not the America I thought I knew and loved.

Anonymous said...

It is rea;ly sad that O'Hare uses this horrid tragedy to go after his ex-girlfriend. You really come off as the dangerous stalker O'Hare.

Maybe you both should be evaluated together.

Anonymous said...

We have a government that kills those who don't follow our rules, kills those that are our enemies, kills those who threaten us and kills those who speak against us. Why are we at all surprised when our children grow up to think it is OK to kill others?

Mickey Grollman said...

Bernie,

Not that this has anything to do with the topic, but ... On the witch's latest posting, she calls Jack Ruby a hero. I never realized how far gone she was and is until now. She is way past LaLa Land.

Jerry Kott said...

Bernie, what I find ironic is you expressing concern about safety with the issue of Fire Arms. I remember years ago when I use to comment on your blog and we had many e-mail exchanges. I shared with you our concerns about safety in our circumstances in which we believe that neighbors were using stalking gunfire to harass and intimidate us. At first you seemed concerned but then I believe your tune changed and I believe I was getting the impression that I was being led down the Garden Path. I beleive your concern morphed into veiled mockery. We now have a bullet hole in our dusk to dawn security light shade that appears to come form the region of the home/drive of one of the stalking neighbors and no one has been charged.

Here is the blog I created that documents events and exhibits evidence of our never ending slow dance with madness.

http://str8jacquet.blogspot.com/

Strange Universe

Jerry Kott

Anonymous said...

Hey Mickey, so is O'Hare.

Mickey Grollman said...

Anon 4:28 PM,

You really think you are Somebody, don't you? But you are nothing but a ...

Sal Panto, Jr. said...

10:05 AM there you go again, twisting the very words I have written and not man enough to state your name. Just this afternoon I was on a conference call with 88 other Mayors from across this country and yes many were Republican. You see, Mayors govern where the rubber meets the road and we don't look at issues based on a political party affiliation.

As for your twiting of words -- where in my paragraphs do you see the elimination of hand guns and where have you ever seen an Ordinance that punished people for losing their gun or not reporting it stolen.

The reporting is another tool that the police can use to arrest an individual who they know was the girlfriend, wife or gang member who purchases a gun for a known criminal. These are not laws that affect law-abiding citizens. We have many such laws. It is against the law to kill someone. It is agfains the law to shoplift. It is against the law to speed in your car. And the list goes on and on. Why? To protect law-abiding citizens from the criminals who want top do them harm.

I AM NOT OPPOSED TO THE OWNERSHIP OF GUNS BY LAW ABIDING CITIZENS AND I AM NOT AGAINST THE RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS. I OWN SEVERAL MYSELF.

Anonymous said...




Some should have the facts before they make a statement...the ACLU won a Supreme Court decision that caused the release of Mentally ill persons into the Community, early 80's. The Fed's and States found that it was less expensive to pay SSI and medicate these individuals. Most ended up in County and State prisons.

Peter J. Cochran said...

I have held a permit since 1977 and have never had one incident. Having trained troops in the military as a marksmanship training unit member,and competitive shooter ,I have seen a lot of military folks over the years who could not qualify on a ARMY range ,much less qualify on a Marine Corps range. These assaults in school building are cowards,and non-combatants ,that want to be--they are actors .These people are not a cross section of firearms owners in this country,they are sick and may have used GASOLINE otherwise .

Bernie O'Hare said...

"On the witch's latest posting, she calls Jack Ruby a hero"

Amazing.

Anonymous said...

You can have all the gun control that can possibly be written . . .

and then you'll decide what to do about small canisters filled with lethal gas.

Where can it ever end?

Hans said...

Ruby saved us a trial, you spend enough time in the courthouse to know most trials are window dressing for remorseless convicts looking to buy or luck their way out of guilty verdict.
We need more Jack Rubys in America, hopefully one at Heaney's sentencing in 2013.

Anonymous said...

This person did not have a legal gun. He killed his mother by shooting her in her bed, in her face--another sign. Then stole the guns. Your predicate that we need to tighten up the gun process for mentally challenged folks needs a different poster child. I agree we need to examine this tragedy and try to put a workable plan to try and minimize these terrible situations in the future but the lefts emotional response will not improve our ability to save our kids lives. This is a far more complex issue than just banning certain guns. For God sakes Chicago which has the most restrictive gun laws in the land leads the nation in gun violence.
Lets get real and try to come together and fix the problem not the politcal gamesmanship on both sides.
An NRA life member who is willing to have a serious discussion on a real solution

Anonymous said...

SAl, you own several firearms. Then you should know the difference between a magazine and a clip. yeah it doesn't appear that you do, makes me a little skeptical.
Well I give you credit for trying Sal frankly I'm not convinced you know what you're talking about

Anonymous said...

Has anybody wondered why these mass shootings seem to occur at places where guns aren't allowed?

Bernie O'Hare said...

"Ruby saved us a trial, you spend enough time in the courthouse to know most trials are window dressing for remorseless convicts looking to buy or luck their way out of guilty verdict."

I see. A supposed Second Amendment advocate is perfectly happy to see a citizen deprived of his Sixth Amendment rights.

Bernie O'Hare said...

"Bernie I'm curious about your recent posts on gun control, particularly yor references to someone threatening a person's life and having their LTC revoked. I would think that there are already laws on the books about threatening someone's life, and that the police and courts are the proper venue to pursue a remedy. I would also think that if someone is found guilty of threatening someone, the court might be able to deal with the issue of someone's ability to possess or carry a firearm (depending on the degree of the charge and if the person is found guilty). Correct?"

Not really. Because Pa. is a "shall issue" state, it is extremely difficult to revoke a LTC.

Anonymous said...

This is a nental health issue not a gun issue.

Anonymous said...

The issue is GUNS. Not mental health. If there were no guns, no kids would have been shot. That simple. The Second Amendment was written when there were flint locks and threat of country take over by Britain and others soon after the formation of our Country. The Second Amendment is archaic and needs to be repealed. Period. No reason why we can not move in that direction. Laws similiar to Canada and Great Britain are reasonable. An all out banning of weapons with reimbursement to the owners is what is needed.

Anonymous said...

"The Second Amendment is archaic and needs to be repealed. Period. No reason why we can not move in that direction. Laws similiar to Canada and Great Britain are reasonable. An all out banning of weapons with reimbursement to the owners is what is needed."

Reminds me of a ban on alcohol 90 years back. How'd that "ban" work out?

The problem is assault weapons in the hands of the deranged. A speeding car is a weapon of mass destruction in the hands of the irresponsible, or a madman. So's a knife, a baseball bat, a tree branch. We ignore the serious issues like single-parent families, bullying, undiagnosed or under treated mental illness, illegal drug use...and then try to enact more laws on top of existing laws to "fix things".
Here's a start:

1- Control assault-style weapons for sure.
2- Make parents resonsible for their kids' actions.
3- Fund mental health issues. reopen state hospitals. Stop thinking that a prescription and a pat on the head is enough for these poor folks.
4- try to address the fact that we glorify violence in the media. Don't show a naked woman's breast on TV, but allow violence and carnage to be depicted constantly.


VOR

Sal Panto, Jr. said...

Anon 7:13 you are right I mis-typed as I was writing quickly and used clip instead of magazine. I was wrong but you are stilla coward hiding behind "ANON."

Anonymous said...

The old Sal Panto "hot headed" temper rises again. Though you had worked through it this time around. You really need to work on that.

Jack

Jerry Kott said...

Bernie

Guns are often used as chest pounding. In our circumstance, we believe that the ordinances are no being reinforced objectively and it is not unreasonable to expect that,what we believe are prime suspect, to be interviewed in a Police Report.

It should be made clear that Scott and I were born and grew up in and went to college in Pennsylvania. We move to NYC after college. Our situation has often been portrayed as those City Slickers kicking sand in the face of those sweet Country Folk. One reason we chose Pennsylvania is because it is pretty but we didn't realize the underbelly was so dark. We moved here also to some degree to be close to my partners aging parents who have since passed away.

I do get the impressions that you are not very comfortable being caught in the cross hairs. Guns are used much like making a fist. You just hope that it doesn't connect.


Jerry Kott

Bernie O'Hare said...

You are correct. I don't like the implied threats.

Anonymous said...

What the Hell is 2:41 talking about? Translation please, in human speak.

Jerry Kott said...

Bernie 5:33

Who does like implied threats? It has been my experience that only cowards act that way. We invited our neighbor to sit down with a Mediator we were going to pay for to discuss his peeves. He refused to sit down. His father was asked at 2 different time to sit down and he refused both times. So cowardice must run in the family.

Jerry Kott said...

5:50
I know the game. Why don't grow a pair of balls and when you do come back as a real person. We can then saddle up and go to the Rodeo.

Anonymous said...

Again? What the Hell is 9:32 talking about? I thought this was about LTC, not "saddling up" and whatever else he is going on about.