Reply #108: It's not really about Larry [View All]

[marions ghost]

It's not quite right to place all the blame and focus for this situation on Larry. But my reasons are not the same as those who defend the widespread ownership of guns.

Larry's Last Stand (and Made For TV Mid-Life Crisis) is merely yet another example of ineffectual gun laws and a legal system which makes it very difficult for law enforcement to do its job (look at what happened to the automatic weapons legislation).

The gun laws of the US (esp in rural areas) are just are not tight enough, and are not enforced.

LAWS that SHOULD be in effect:

ANY PERSON THREATENING OTHERS with a gun (and this IS a case of that) should have his guns IMMEDIATELY confiscated by the sheriff, and his permits revoked. A process of reinstatement could then follow. This would make the Larrys of the world a lot less inclined to brandish a gun just to make a point about property rights. Larry did not choose to leave it in the truck. That should be prosecuted.

ANY PERSON INCITING VIOLENCE such as Larry publicly calling for supporters to come onto his land with guns to threaten people -- should be prosecuted for it. (In this situation there is so much surveillance I don't that will happen, but you never know). Larry should have ALREADY clearly broken the law on this.
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BUT since those laws are not in effect, the creative solutions people have offered to try to make Larry feel better about this "invasion of his homeland" make sense to me. I like the idea to take him some food, maybe steaks (not beer) with a conciliatory card signed by some of the Peace activists. Yes, it's a practical compromise with the reality of the situation. Doesn't hurt to try.

While you may not agree with DA's strong rhetoric about Larry and his guns--the fact is that DA is expressing what all too many people keep hidden -- WE HAVE LOST OUR RIGHTS to live without fear of gun violence in public places. We have a RIGHT to go to a place like Crawford, without fearing that we might get blown away by some idiot with a gun. Too many people are willing to just accept the current situation and mourn the victims of gun violence, without realizing how it infringes on them. DA is absolutely right that we must take a strong stand on this. Just when you think one of these crackpots is harmless, they prove you WRONG. DA has every right to be worried as he plans to be going there.

This "hunter" thing is nothing but a smokescreen. One day the brutal "sport" of killing animals and birds with guns will die out. Trying to defend this kind of hunting to me is useless. I have had to chase a hunter in camo out of my driveway who was aiming at an owl. I have had a bullet from a high-powered rifle hit the shed outside my house. I know someone who had to dodge a bullet being fired at a cardinal, while he was hanging laundry. I have many more stories about living in areas where there are no enforceable laws.
It's out of control.

Can't do anything about that right now. But there SHOULD have been laws that would ALREADY have controlled Larry's behavior!