US Senate Candidate Proposes Arming Homeless People With Shotguns

[Different Drummer]

Source: The Guardian


A Michigan candidate for US Senate has proposed arming homeless people with pump-action shotguns in an effort to reduce crime.

Brian Ellison, who is running against Democratic incumbent Debbie Stabenow, says homeless people are “constantly victims of violent crime” and providing them with firearms would provide a deterrent.

Ellison, a Libertarian who is expected to be the party’s candidate in the November midterm election, said he had settled on pump-action shotguns for practicality purposes.

“Frankly I think the ideal weapon would be a pistol,” he told the Guardian, “but due to the licensing requirements in the state we’re going to have a hard enough time getting homeless people shotguns as it is."


More at: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/mar/15/us-senate-candidate-proposes-arming-homeless-people-with-shotguns

[rurallib]

1. Wonder if he even considered that the guns might get stolen or lost rather easily

or would each gun come with a safe for the homeless person to lock it in?
Better yet, maybe a place to live?

Are their brains ever connected?

[Renew Deal]

2. Shouldnt they pull themselves up by their bootstraps and purchase their own guns?

Why should they mooch off the govt to get their guns?

[backtoblue]

3. They've lost their freaking minds

Really?! Hey genius, how about access to food, shelter, and healthcare? You know, things that actually help people to LIVE .

[njhoneybadger]

4. Cmon this can't be true

[Ferrets are Cool]

5. Just when you think that our "representatives" can't get any more stupid...

THIS.

[jberryhill]

6. Finally someone figured out what homeless people need most

[Blue_true]

7. Republican solution.

Guns solve every imaginable social ill and some ills that they have not imagined yet.

But building housing, providing skills training and providing health care and food security solves nothing in their minds.

[MagickMuffin]

8. Who's providing the weapons???

In the article he never mentions who will provide the weapons. Certainly it can't be the government, since libertarians don't believe in government handouts.

[petronius]

9. I saw that movie! Excellent source of public policy ideas...

[BobTheSubgenius]

10. He apparently feels he has no chance to win, anyway.

This MUST be a performance art piece.

[skypilot]

11. This HAS to be a new form of trolling.

It just has to be. To what end? I don't know but there is no way this guy is serious.

[lame54]

12. It worked for Rutger Hauer

[TheBlackAdder]

13. Then, relocate the homeless to the neighborhoods of their state and federal legislators :-D

[jmowreader]

14. Do I have this right?

The Republicans are always up in arms about crimes committed by the homeless, so this moron's grand idea is to give them the tools they need to go out and commit even worse crimes?

[krispos42]

15. That's a special kind of stupid right there.

Are we sure this isn't The Onion???