Correspondence: Guns, cajones, & other disturbances

NRA-recommended weapons
for mass assault

Edited by Moristotle

[Items of correspondence are not attributed; they remain anonymous. They have been chosen for their inherent interest as journalism, story, or provocative opinion, which may or may not be shared by the editor or other members of the staff of Moristotle & Co.]

The Loneliest Liberal:We need to rebrand

By James Knudsen

The United States of America’s system of government allows for periodic modifications. The process of amending the Constitution is well known and has been used 27 times, including for one amendment, the 21st, that repealed a previous amendment, the 18th. However, getting an amendment passed, first through Congress and then through the required three-quarters of the state legislatures, is a lengthy process and, unless it’s something really important – like the right to get blind drunk without running afoul of the local constabulary – you’re probably not going to be very successful. Did you know that over 11,000 amendments to the Constitution have been introduced in the U.S. Congress since 1789? I didn’t.

Correspondence: Tools of violence

Edited by Moristotle

[Items of correspondence are not attributed; they remain anonymous. They have been chosen for their inherent interest as journalism, story, or provocative opinion, which may or may not be shared by the editor or other members of the staff of Moristotle & Co.]

Shots in the night

My friend Harvey’s Costa Rica tale


By Ed Rogers

Living in Costa Rica from the United States and having friends among Costa Ricans is not a common thing. The Costa Rican people are very friendly and most would bend over backwards to help you. However, they know that one day you will be going back to the States (and you know it too). So in some ways their (and our) minds protects us from the hurt of losing a close friend by not allowing us to get past a certain line toward closeness.

Gunned down

An excerpt from a novel in progress

By Michael Hanson

[Editor’s Note: Raymond, age 40, recalls an event from his 27^th year – the death of his best friend, Lauren, who was shot to death while on her morning jog. Our previous excerpt from this novel appeared on September 29.
    The rise of gun violence in America makes today’s piece eminently current, as incidents of gun violence are reported virtually every day, more people than ever must deal with the loss of family and friends, and politicians fervently debate what to do, or likely not.]

Tuesday Voice: The gun debate

Not that there’s a real conversation

By Tom Lowe

I’ve pretty much stayed out of the debate on guns that has taken place over the last year or so, suspecting that little impact on people’s reasoning was likely. Basically, I disagreed with the reasoning of all the positions articulated, that their frames of reference assumed a rationality I doubted existed; but I wasn’t clear why. The language of the Second Amendment seems clear [A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed], yet somehow the current dispute ignores the first half.

Mississippi's “open carry” gun law: Two perspectives

motomynd

Rogers

[The first perspective is that of Contributing Editor Paul Clark, aka motomynd, the second that of Columnist Ed Rogers.]

A bold experiment in biology and sociology

By motomynd

The new “open carry” Mississippi gun law (mentioned in the correspondence in “Fish for Friday” on June 28), which seems designed to actively encourage Mississippians to carry guns with them at all times, has the potential to be a most interesting scientific experiment. “Guns don’t kill people, people kill people” is a popular pro-gun talking point, so putting guns on as many hips as possible, where everyone can see them—and quickly reach them—seems a great way to find out if gun violence is indeed spurred by mindset, or by a proliferation of guns.

Sunday Review: Gun Guys (a book)

By James Knudsen

Frequent visitors to Moristotle & Co. know that my handle is “The Loneliest Liberal.” I came up with the moniker a while back, not in the hope of gaining sympathy, I just found that my social views didn’t fly with the people I encountered at gun ranges and with being a gun enthusiast in a blue state...well, you get the picture. So when I heard about a new book titled Gun Guys, A Road Trip, by Dan Baum, and that the author was a liberal who grew up in New Jersey, I had a feeling that I had finally found a kindred spirit. I introduced the book in my column yesterday.

Fourth Saturday's Loneliest Liberal: How the NRA has changed

The new gun guys

By James Knudsen

There’s an old saying, “Be careful what you wish for, you might get it.” Put that to the side for a moment.
    I began my career at Moristotle & Co. with a piece about guns following the Sandy Hook shooting. The focus of that article was to make gun owners aware of their culpability in that tragedy. Dan Baum’s new book, Gun Guys (which I review in tomorrow's column), points out that that sort of finger-pointing makes the gun community, of which Mr. Baum and I are members, feel put upon for something that wasn’t really our fault. Well, fear not, fellow gun guys, this month I’m picking on the liberal anti-gun crowd of which Mr. Baum and I are members—at least, of its liberal part.

New Pew Research Center survey on guns

Talk the talk,
or walk the walk?

By motomynd

Moristotle & Co. recently hosted a spirited discussion about gun rights following the tragic shooting of school children in Newtown, Connecticut. Even among the blog's editors strong opinions seemed to range from "ban all guns" to "people will basically forget about this over the holidays."

Fish for Friday

When you hear Fox, or the Repugs (there's a difference?), blathering about "European style socialism," this is one of the many things they're trying to distract us from: "Why Do Americans Have Less Vacation Time than Anyone Else?," by Steven Mazie, bigthink.com, December 23. [personal communication; excerpt:]

Enough is enough!

By Ken Marks

Moristotle readers, my ear is close to my computer. Please take a breath and say in a loud, clear voice, "Enough is enough!" Louder, please! Or would you prefer to continue turning on your TV once a month and hearing the breaking news of another school shooting, movie theater shooting, shopping mall shooting, fast-food store shooting, or political assassination? No, I thought not.