Having A Second Amendment Right To Carry Doesn't Mean You Should

Recently, while en route to Gallup, New Mexico for our weekly Saturday morning group breakfast, two friends and I got to talking about the Alex Pretti killing by ICE in Minneapolis.

We all agreed that while we may have the right to bear arms, even at protests, under the Second Amendment, it is not a good idea to do so. This is especially so if law enforcement will be present. 

The San Luis Obispo Tribune came to that same conclusion in an opinion piece they posted.

They start it with:

In recent weeks, the conversation around protests and immigration enforcement has taken a sharp turn.

Some voices on the left are no longer just criticizing ICE or calling for policy changes. They are openly asking why “Second Amendment people” aren’t showing up at protests and, by implication, why they aren’t armed. That framing turns a constitutional right into a political challenge and ignores how these situations actually play out in the real world.

I believe in the Second Amendment, and I will defend it without hesitation. The right to keep and bear arms isn’t a slogan you pull out when it’s convenient. It’s a serious constitutional protection that comes with responsibility and judgment. Having the right doesn’t mean you should use it in every situation. Defending that right doesn’t mean pretending every use of it makes sense or leads to a good outcome.

Read more at: https://www.sanluisobispo.com/opinion/readers-opinion/article314692906.html#storylink=cpy

Liberals Taking More Interest In Gun Training

"Politics makes strange bedfellows," it has been said over the years.

Right now, another example of strange bedfellows is that liberals are now taking firearms training in higher numbers, according to gun trainers.

Recent ICE incidents have dawned on liberals that the Second Amendment civil right belongs to them too. 

NBC News reported:

The federal government’s recent messaging around gun holders has created a deluge of unlikely Second Amendment advocates — including those previously opposed to or disinterested in gun ownership.

Gun groups across the country are seeing skyrocketing requests for firearm training from women, people of color and liberals, according to national gun coalitions and local trainers who spoke with NBC News in recent weeks.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement has shot 13 people during immigration enforcement operations since September. But January’s high-profile killings of Minneapolis residents Alex Pretti and Renee Good, both U.S. citizens, have stoked renewed fears nationwide about federal violations of constitutional rights.

 To read more, go here.

2nd Amendment Is Meaningless If the Government Can Kill You For Exercising It

The fatal shooting of Minneapolis protestor Alex Pretti by ICE has divided (to a large degree) Second Amendment rights groups and the DOJ/ICE/Trump Administration. 

The shooting of Pretti seems at first glance to be unjustified as videos of the shooting indicate he did not make any threatening moves with his pistol. Videos show that he was taken to the ground, had his pistol removed from his person and then was shot to death. The item in his right hand in the above video was a phone.

Final judgement of the incident is pending an investigation that is now underway.

The Cato Institute has posted an article on the shooting. 

It starts off with:

What a difference four days can make. Last Tuesday, a top DOJ lawyer argued in the Supreme Court that people have a right to carry guns in public. By Saturday, another DOJ official warned: “If you approach law enforcement with a gun, there is a high likelihood they will be legally justified in shooting you.” The government went from championing gun rights to defending ICE agents’ fatal shooting of Alex Pretti. Only restraints on the use of force can stop officials from turning the Second Amendment into an excuse to kill civilians.

Facts are still emerging about the Minneapolis shooting of Mr. Pretti by immigration agents, but videos show that they took him to the ground and appear to have removed a pistol from his waistband, then shot him to death. Mr. Pretti had a gun-carry permit.

Government officials rushed to defend the shooting. High-ranking DOJ prosecutor Bill Essayli wrote, “If you approach law enforcement with a gun, there is a high likelihood they will be legally justified in shooting you.” FBI Director Kash Patel declared, “You cannot bring a firearm, loaded, with multiple magazines to any sort of protest that you want. It’s that simple.”

Second Amendment advocates responded quickly. The NRA condemned Mr. Essayli for “making generalizations and demonizing law-abiding citizens.” Gun Owners of America demanded respect for “Americans’ right to bear arms while protesting.” Former NRA representative Dana Loesch asked Mr. Essayli, “Do you believe that mere legal possession within the vicinity of [an officer]…merits use of force as a response?” Congressman Thomas Massie (R‑KY) wrote, “Carrying a firearm is not a death sentence.”

To read the full article, go here. 

Minneapolis Shooting and Mental Health

Above, the shooter, Robin Westman.

The following was posted by Jamie Fraser-Page, the administrator of the Facebook page, Gun Owners of New Mexico:

It was impossible to avoid hearing about the shooting at a Catholic Church in Minneapolis, a parish church with a school attached not unlike the one in my neighborhood in Queens where several of my friends went. Some deranged individual, armed with a rifle, shotgun and pistol fired all of them into the church where grade school kids were at prayer on the second day of the school year. 

The coward took her own life. Or his life. The shooter was a transgender person, which will no doubt become part of the narrative from one side, just like the three firearms will become the main point from the other side. Neither fact is the reason this happened. It happened because people who knew this person and saw their descent into madness did nothing to stop it.

There were a lot of indicators. Detached, isolated, creating a YouTube manifesto to explain the inexplicable - why anyone would shoot into a church filled with kids from the ages of 6 and 14, killing two, 8 and 10 and wounding 14 others as well as three parishioners in their 80s.  The shooter entered the church only after their deadly fusillade of gunfire ceased to end their life with a self-inflicted gunshot would.

We need to ask why no one saw this coming. Friends, parents, followers on YouTube and other social media must have known. And, assuming they could see it coming, why - why - did they do nothing to intervene and stop it before it started? 

I wonder if this person's change from Robert to Robin was influenced by the increased normalization of transgenderism and by the incessant progressive's preaching abut "toxic masculinity. Perhaps for some M->F transgenders among the young their decision to identify as female is driven or exacerbated by a feeling of being treated as "toxic" by some. 

While transgendered individuals according to several studies are only 0.6% of the population the number of young people ages 13 to 24,  is twice the average across all ages. I am not saying that there is a direct connection between a person identifying as non-binary or transgender means that they will become mass shooters, just that among those who seem driven to this aberration it might be a contributing factor. Food for thought, at least. 

We do a terrible job of identifying and treating the mentally ill. It is still an affliction viewed with a great deal of ignorance and fear - needlessly, since most people with mental health issues pose no threat to others and even little threat to themselves. But those who harbor suicidal and/or homicidal ideation - two sides of the same coin according to some - do pose such a threat. Few mass shooters are taken alive. After inflicting carnage on others they either take their own lives or force suicide by cop by taking precipitous action to trigger a lethal response.

We need to stop using these tragedies to further the agendas of the left or the right and actually *do* something to identify and fix the problem.  So many mass shooters give a lot of notice that they are going to do something horrific. We need to listen, watch and get them the help they need, intervene to prevent them from carrying out these acts. 

And, yes, when identified, they should be prevented from legally acquiring firearms. For nearly 60 years I have advocated for stripping from our laws the infringements to exercising our right to keep and bear arms protected by the 2nd Amendment . But I also feel that if a person is adjudicated a danger to self or others they need to be barred from access to firearms and explosives. And, if evidence is presented to a court of a credible threat, while a person's mental health is evaluated to rule out it posing a threat to self or others, they should not have access to firearms. This does not mean I support so-called Red Flag laws, since those lack due process. No right should be infringed upn nor abridged but by due process.

In the end, we as a society need to actually care - give a damn - about the incidents like this, which, though relatively rare compared to other types of killings happen far too frequently and are often preventable if due care is exercised. We need to push our elected representatives to create and fund programs to identify and get treatment for the millions of people with mental health issues and not turn a cold shoulder and a blind eye to their affliction. Out schools need to be especially observant of the signs and precursors of such acts and move to thwart them early by getting the individuals help. And, we need to consider having trained armed individuals in our schools and other places which have been targets in the past. And we need t avoid situations of command paralysis such as the one in Uvalde, TX. There is a lot we can do but we, the people need to push to make it happen. And it begins with giving a damn.

Lunatic Lujan Grisham On The Riots

A great example on how out of touch Gov. "Malevolent Michelle" Lujan Grisham is (on the Minneapolis riots):

The best response is this one (I couldn't have said it better):

She can't tell the difference between protests and riots. Jeez.

To read more, go here.

Noel Neill Turns 95

Above, Noel Neill and Armand at the Los Angeles County Hall of Administration in 2001.

Actress Noel Neill, who originated the screen role of Lois Lane in two Columbia Pictures Sam Katzman serials, was born November 25, 1920 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

She later reclaimed the Lois Lane role in television's Adventures of Superman in 1953 when Phyllis Coates opted to do a different television show.

Over the years, before advancing age and health problems forced her quit, Noel made many convention appearances around the country. She began by giving presentations at college and universities, often having audience members come up on stage to re-enact scenes from Adventures of Superman from the show's scripts.

Above, Noel Neill and George Reeves.

I first met her in July 2001 at the Superman Week celebration at the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

She will be receiving a big surprise today, as fans contributed almost $600 for flowers for her birthday and they will be delivered to her assisted living home in Arizona.

Happy Birthday, Noel!

Japan's Tourism Boom Lifts Economy and Causes Headaches

Above, the Wako department store in Ginza. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The current boom in Japan tourism has greatly boosted the Japanese economy. But the influx in foreigners have caused some problems that the Japanese government needs to address.

For example, much of the influx originates from China. There are not enough workers in the retail sector who can speak Chinese. There's also scarce numbers of ATMs that will accept foreign debit or credit cards. And, investments in new restaurants and hotels have lagged and not kept up with the growth of foreign tourists.

The Minneapolis StarTribune has an article on the boom and the headaches it brings.

It starts off with:

TOKYO — From the slopes of Mount Fuji to the temple streets of Kyoto, tourists are cramming Japan's prime sightseeing spots, puzzling their way through Tokyo subways, and splashing out cash on cosmetics, sushi and high-tech toilet seats. 

The cheap yen, easier visas and other initiatives are luring foreign travelers eager to stretch their budgets and see some UNESCO World Heritage sites, bringing in welcome cash as well as myriad complications. 

Tourism was among many Japanese industries that limped through more than 20 years of sluggish economic growth as locals tightened their belts and most foreigners stayed away, scared off by tales of $200 melons and other scandalous prices. 

But Japan has become a hot destination as the exchange rate weakened from about 80 yen to the U.S. dollar in late 2012 to its current level of about 123 yen. Foreign visitors exceeded 10 million for the first time in 2013 and rose to 13.4 million last year. The aim is to have 20 million by 2020, when Tokyo will host the Olympic Games.

To read more, go here.