He Flew 4,000 Miles to Surprise His Father-in-Law for His Birthday. His Father-in-Law Shot Him Dead

That’s what guns are being used for. Not to protect property. They are used to destroy innocent life.

In an incident on Oct. 1, 61-year-old Richard Dennis, of Gulf Breeze, Fla. mistakenly shot his son-in-law dead after the latter had flown from Norway and decided to surprise him for his birthday. Christopher Bergan, 37, was the husband of Dennis’ daughter, who also lives in Norway — it is not believed she was present at the time of the shooting.

At a Thursday press conference, Santa Rosa County Sheriff Bob Johnson said the event was a “horrible accident,” and that the Sheriff’s department is not pursuing charges.

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Las Vegas massacre anniversary sparks debate on gun control

Once again the gun control debate has pushed onto the backburner. Until the next mass shooting when the rallying cry begins all over again. Unless the press is covering a shooting the talk about gun control, especially among the politicians, disappears. And the media/press will cover a mass shooting for no more than one week. Politicians only care about the cameras. No cameras, no debate on gun control. And media only cares about the ratings. Saving lives means very little. We’ve seen it over and over again. Some people ask, what will it take. Obviously it will take a government that puts human life above profit and votes. And that won’t happen while Democrats and Republicans control the government:

In the two years since the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, the federal government and states have tightened some gun regulations.

But advocates say they’re frustrated that more hasn’t been done since 58 people died at a concert on the Las Vegas Strip, and that mass shootings keep happening nationwide.

“People are genuinely afraid of going places,” Nevada Assemblywoman Sandra Jauregui said.

New FBI Data Shows Active Shooters Caused Nearly 750 Casualties in 2017

Mass gun violence continues to worsen. The facts are clear. At it’s because the NRA has overwhelming control of the U.S. Congress. America is a war zone. And you could be next. Is that good with you?

More Americans were killed or wounded by active shooters in 2017 than in any year since the Federal Bureau of Investigation began keeping track.

All told, nearly 750 people were shot in 30 incidents, according to a newly released FBI report. The shooters were of different ages, from different places, and motivated by different grievances. But all were men, and all acted alone.

Casualties jumped dramatically from 2016 to 2017, though the entirety of that increase can be attributed to the Las Vegas strip massacre, which alone had more than 500 victims. Even subtracting the toll of that one event, 2017 was among the deadliest years on record.

Between 2010 and 2016, an average of 127 Americans were shot in active shootings each year, setting the United States apart from the rest of the world.

Sturm Ruger Will Track Gun Violence, After Shareholders Back ‘Activist Resolution’

Another victory against the gun industry:

Sturm Ruger, one of the largest gun-makers in the U.S., will track and report on gun violence involving its products, after its shareholders backed a proposal that the company’s board had recommended not adopting.

Ruger says that while it must now produce the gun violence report, the proposal — which it called a “shareholder’s activist resolution” — cannot “force us to change our business.”

Dick’s Sporting Goods plans to destroy all the assault rifles it pulled off its shelves

Heroic:

Right after the mass shooting at a Florida high school earlier this year, Dick’s Sporting Goods decided to stop selling assault-style weapons at its stores.

Now the nation’s largest sporting goods retailer is going to destroy those guns.
“We are in the process of destroying all firearms and accessories that are no longer for sale as a result of our February 28th policy change,” the company told CNN.
“We are destroying the firearms in accordance with federal guidelines and regulations.”

Continue reading “Dick’s Sporting Goods plans to destroy all the assault rifles it pulled off its shelves”

NRA is Stepping up their Attacks on Teen Anti-Gun Violence Activists

The NRA feels threatened by the incredible success of Teen Parkland school shooting survivors. Now they’ve stepped up their attacks. And they playing dirty. The NRA, and their surrogates, do not have logic on their side. So they turn to smearing and name calling. The American people have to step up their support for these teens. They are our children. The “March for our lives” was part of how we send a message. But we need more. In order to defeat evil we must fight on many different levels. That’s what the civil rights movement did. They are the blueprint for what we must do to defeat the gun lobby’s hold on Washington.

One of those NRA thugs is Rick Santorum. He had some fatuous comments to make after MFOL Saturday:

“How about kids instead of looking to someone else to solve their problem, do something about maybe taking CPR classes or trying to deal with situations that when there is a violent shooter that you can actually respond to that,” Santorum said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

It turns out that Santorum, while he was in the Senate was the 3rd highest on the list of “top 5 politicians in the pocket of the NRA.” That tells you everything you need know.

And now FOX News is stepping up the attacks. That was predictable. Here’s what a patronizing Tucker Carlson had to say:

This is the problem with letting children write news stories. The articles tend to be dumb, and intentionally or not, they tend to be inaccurate and dishonest. Worst of all, they tend to reinforce the fantasy that complex problems have simple solutions, because that’s what most children believe. In real life, nothing is simple.

…The self-righteous kids screaming at you on television over the weekend aren’t helping at all.

The Parkland students have become enemy number one:

And as of this weekend, this group of idealistic young people have officially become the right’s leading hate figures.

The first and most repugnant strategy was to directly attack high-profile campaigners, especially students David Hogg and Emma Gonzalez.

Running short of reasoned arguments, many attempted to push conservative buttons with high impact visuals. Alt-right social media company Gab was one of many that disseminated a doctored animation of Gonzalez in which she falsely appeared to be tearing up the US constitution. Cartoonist and Trump sycophant Ben Garrison depicted Hogg as an assault rifle, wielded by CNN, and loaded with Marxism. Breitbart re-published a round of tweets accusing Hogg of throwing a Nazi salute.

The right has even turned to hoaxes in a pathetic attempt to try and discredit the Parkland students:

Far-right trolls created a fake image and GIF of survivor Emma González tearing up the Constitution. Along with appearing on Squawker, the fake image and GIF subsequently spread on Twitter, where those pushing the bogus graphics included Gab, a social media platform for white nationalists, and actor Adam Baldwin. 4chan /pol/ (4chan’s “politically incorrect” message board) users subsequently celebrated the news that the fake image had been shared on Twitter. The hoax was based on a video from Teen Vogue of Gonzalez tearing up a target.

 

FedEx won’t drop the NRA so these companies are dropping FedEx

Despite a massive online campaign and an exodus by other major companies that had previously partnered with the National Rifle Association in various ways, FedEx has stood firm that it will not cut ties with the group. So other companies are cutting ties with the shipping giant.

FedEx put out a statement last week insisting that it would continue to offer a 26 percent shipping discount to members of the National Rifle Association’s Business Alliance, even in the aftermath of the tragic Parkland, Florida mass school shooting. Moreover, it defended the special price for those who align themselves with the NRA, suggesting that it would be discrimination to make them pay full price.

…On Tuesday, ThinkProgress exclusively reported that FedEx also has a secret deal with the NRA and the gun industry to bend its own rules on gun shipments. “Some customers have been approved for an exception to ship firearms with a 2-day (AM or PM) service,” a confidential internal document revealed. Those customers included 86 firearms manufacturers and dealers, including Smith & Wesson, Colt, Glock, SIG Sauer, and the National Rifle Association itself.

Source: FedEx won’t drop the NRA so these companies are dropping FedEx – ThinkProgress

Organizers expect 500,000 to attend “March For Our Lives” Rally in Washington

Very impressive. Remember it’s March 24th. Register now to join this historic event:

Organizers of a rally to curb gun violence and prevent school shootings are expecting up to 500,000 attendees at the event in Washington, D.C., next month.

The planners behind “March For Our Lives” listed their attendance expectations on an application filed this week with the National Park Service, The Washington Post reported Thursday.