Hoplophobes, Alarmists, and Fools, oh My!

Examples!

This letter was recently submitted to the Arizona Republic:

I hope our lawmakers saw the video of a shootout in an Ohio bar last week involving "law-abiding citizens."

The graphic video should send chills down the spine of any intelligent individual and should get our leaders to rethink their policy of allowing concealed arms in bars.

- Stuart Epstein,Scottsdale

See it here at http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/articles/2009/10/17/20091017satlets176.html

Now read a related News story involving the quoted incident.

http://www.wtol.com/Global/story.asp?S=11328067

Hmmmm, notice any discrepancies? Oh, wait, yes, the fact that their actions were not only illegal, but were also possibly related to additional felony activities in the parking lot! In addition, Police in Toledo have charged two of the men involved with felonious assault, discharging a firearm, and possessing a weapon in a liquor permit premise. Ohio state law, it turns out, does NOT allow the carry of weapons in bars. Far from getting 'our leaders to rethink their policy,' this video is an eloquent example of the sort of violence present in the world, which is why we “law-abiding citizens” maintain our constant vigilance. Mr Epstein got one thing correct, however. The video does send chills down ones spine. For one thing, after all those shots were fired, there were no casualties. Thank God for gangbangers that can't shoot straight.

Streets and Bars not yet running with blood...

Many of the Uninitiated are actively misconstruing Arizona's new Concealed Carry clarifications. It seems the word on the street is that all sorts of miscreants are now allowed full permission to engage in public shootouts over the price of beer in our local establishments. Thus far I have, thankfully, not been witness to this occurrence. The spirit of this legislation, as I am aware of it, is that legal carry is now open to us at a table with our friends and family at many a nice eatery, without the need to leave our valuables and our protection in the parking lot, available to looting by aforesaid miscreants. On the other hand, anyone who is ready and willing to let slip the dogs of war when pressed on payment of a bar tab is probably not interested in legal concealed carry, possibly not able to pass a background check for the purchase of said firearm, and in any event still guilty of Murder. I have found no language in Arizona State Law which legitimizes gunfire as means negotiating payment. Possibly these alarmists are the same people who would blame a car manufacturer for the transgressions of a drunk driver, a gun manufacturer for the transgressions of a drug dealer, and a logger for the transgressions of an arsonist. Society is the product of the uses of tools, not the product of the tools themselves.