Pro-Gun Activist on Trayvon Shooting Range Targets: "GOOD! MAYBE MORE PEOPLE WON'T MISS!"

Ever since Trayvon Martin was shot and killed by concealed handgun permit holder George Zimmerman in Sanford, Florida, the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence (CSGV) has been deluged with emails from pro-gun activists celebrating the teen's death. We have previously posted these comments here, here, here, here and here. Here's the latest batch...

When CSGV posted an article at our Facebook page about Trayvon Martin shooting range targets being sold online, pro-gun activist Jeff Robinson commented, "LOL.. GOOD! MAYBE MORE PEOPLE WON'T MISS!"

Despite the fact that the Sanford Police Department made it clear that "There is no indication that Trayvon Martin was involved in any criminal activity at the time of the encounter [with Zimmerman]," pro-gun activist Ken Soderstrom of Greenville, North Carolina Tweeted at us, "who went 2 the store to buy Skittles & iced tea and case the neighborhood?"

And Soderstorm wasn't done. He later Tweeted at us, "How much damage would have been done if Trayvon hadn't been killed? We shouldn't expect ANYONE to find out."

Ryan Webman of Aventura, Florida was another pro-gunner who checked into our Facebook page to celebrate Trayvon's death. "Who cares" that Florida's concealed handgun permitting system didn't know that George Zimmerman was on anti-anxiety medication, he wrote, "he took another criminal off the streets!!! Good for him."

Pro-gun activist Eric Sharples of Daytona Beach, Florida was equally blunt, writing on our Facebook page, "How is it gun violence when the man was attacked by the gangster wankster, he wasn't some small young boy that was just skipping down the ghetto streets singing and laughing with his skittles that he probably stole anyways. If you see any recent pictures of him, hes tall, hes built, he flips off the camera to look like a hardass. He clearly wants people to think hes a tough guy, well... Look where that tough guy shit gets you. The more tough guys, the more gun violence. May you should start another useless coalition called, The Coalition to Stop Tough Guys. Fuggin idiots. If anything, YOU are keeping this issue alive. YOU are keeping racism alive and well. Dont put up this innocent front to spread your hate. Dont martyr this kid, how fucked up is that. Youre using, I repeat, YOU are USING this kids death to gain attention and popularity for your useless cause that will never go into affect. Guns don't cause these problems, people do. What if we had swords instead of guns, would you try to outlaw spears and guns. How would you defend yourself, how would you hunt? Your ideas are pointless and will solve nothing. If people want to kill other people, theyre going to regardless of what weapon they are allowed to have. Dumb people are holding back the process of evolution, so either evolve of shut the fuck up. Outlaws spears and swords**, not guns. Now I sound like you guys lol." As it turns out, Sharples speaks from experience. His criminal record suggests he has some "gangster wankster" issues himself.

When subtle racism doesn't work, pro-gunners go with something a bit more hardcore. Pro-gunner "Sabine" took this route when he Tweeted the following at us: "Dat tall dk boy not b yelling skeered. But dat lite dude under? He b crying lika baaaby cuz he gone die 2nite iffn he don't shoot now!"

Pro-gun activists also continued to impersonate African-Americans on Facebook. One pro-gunner created the personae of Zeke Fulton, whose employer is listed as "y wrk wen u can steel stuff" and whose interests include "Hot Gay Sex," "Lil Wayne" and "Basketball." "Zeke" visited our Facebook page to comment on the District of Columbia's tough gun laws: "wow DC is keeping gunsaway frm peole is good. makin it safe for me."

Then there were a series of anonymous comments left by pro-gunners on our blogs. One commenter made it clear to us that the entire gun violence problem in the United States is the fault of African-Americans, writing, "Most perpetrators of firearms crimes ARE dis-proportionally black. The fact that this group seems to lump in 'suicide' under the auspice of 'gun violence' shows the despicable anti-constitutional rhetoric we in the firearms community have come to expect. I think perhaps you should look under the USDOJ which has shown that the Black Community is six to seven times higher in their rate of violent crime, yet groups like yours would wish the good people who need to live in those same areas to be left defenseless. You should be ashamed."

"Sporko" made a crude joke that we're still struggling to understand: "What?! That's DISGUSTING. Why would someone even SUGGEST they NOT raise their son to be a THUG? That's so fcuking racist. IT'S PART OF THE BLACK CULTURE. What's next? Asking a Chinese restaurant to start serving cheeseburgers? When will it end?! THINK OF THE CHILDREN."

In a blog we wrote about another unarmed African-American teenager who was killed by a concealed handgun permit holder in Florida, a pro-gunner commented, "Yea, kids roving around robbing people need protection. We need to stop this whole "every life is precious" bit, because not all are. If you think otherwise you're blind."

Finally, when CSGV's Ladd Everitt blogged at the website Waging Nonviolence to discuss Trayvon Martin and the NRA's "Stand Your Ground" law, a pro-gunner called "vaccuum" made his feelings about the dead young man clear: "Let's ask someone who has been killed in a fistfight what exactly 'deadly force' is. I'll be damned if my family is left without a provider because some jerk's parents didn't raise their kid right and has ALWAYS minimized his behavior as victim of some sinister plot designed BY idiots, FOR idiots."

Pro-Gun Activist Warns of "Zionist Instigators"

The linkage between pro-gun extremism and Anti-Semitism has been well documented over the decades, but it is still jarring to find modern-day examples of such bigotry. The pro-gun movement has long tried to have it both ways when it comes to this element in their ranks, on the one hand showing remarkable tolerance for the Nazi "paraphernalia" and "literature" that is a common staple at gun shows across America, while on the other disparaging proponents of gun violence prevention as Nazis and wannabe Hitlers. Two comments recently received by the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence (CSGV) highlight this dynamic in its barest hypocrisy.

The first comment was left on a post at the CSGV Facebook Wall. A young pro-gun activist, Albert Erdmenger, had posted there to tell us that our page is "Anti-Constitutional." "I smell rebellion pretty damn soon," he warned. When we questioned Erdmenger to inquire as to whether he believes he has an individual right under the Second Amendment to shoot and kill elected officials when he senses "tyranny," another pro-gun activist, Terri Angel Fogler of Tallahassee, Florida, jumped in and left the following comment:

Albert: He's baiting you; trying to get you to say something you CLEARLY never suggested or said. That's what zionist instigators do, they're pathetically ignorant that way. The FACT that OUR Constitution gives us inalienable RIGHTS goes against the grain of his obvious agenda (i.e. Agenda 21). We have Rights and we do not have to justify nor should we have to explain it to anyone... besides, guns don't kill people; people kill people.

Fogler's comment was Liked both by Erdmenger and another pro-gun activist, Mike McCausley of North Carolina. It is unclear why Fogler believes CSGV is connected to Agenda 21, a nonbinding resolution enacted by the UN in 1992 that encouraged nations to conserve energy and protect pristine lands by steering development to areas that are already populated. But Agenda 21 has increasingly become the source of "One World Order" conspiracy theories promoted by Tea Party groups.

The second comment was Tweeted at us by Keith Milligan, an Election Volunteer Coordinator with the NRA-ILA, author of the pro-gun blog "Shall Not Be Questioned," and fixture here at Things Pro-Gun Activists Say.

When we responded to pro-gun activists on Twitter who claimed that the ownership and carrying of firearms was a "nonviolent" activity, Milligan (who goes by the pseudonym "Sebastian") reacted angrily and directed the following Tweet at us (which was also re-Tweeted by a New Jersey pro-gun activist):

The thing you should realize about @CSGV...they believe all violence is bad. They would have let Hitler finish his final solution.

CSGV is a coalition of 48 national organizations. Among our member organizations are the American Jewish Committee, the American Jewish Congress, the Central Conference of American Rabbis, the Jewish Community Center Association, Jewish Women International, the National Council of Jewish Women, the Union for Reform Judaism, the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, and the Women's League for Conservative Judaism.

When Milligan was informed of this fact, he offered no apology, but backed up somewhat, saying, "If that is the case, I would not say they supported it, certainly, but it's a naive position. Only armed force would defeat the Nazis."

What "position" was Milligan referring to? He couldn't say, at least not by documenting any statements that CSGV or its member organizations have made, either recently or in the past. He just appeared generally enraged that some Americans would support efforts to find peaceful, nonviolent resolutions to conflicts that can lead to gun violence.

Pro-Gun Activist to African-Americans: "[Guns] for life. Fuck you monkeys."

In the wake of the slaying of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin by concealed handgun permit holder George Zimmerman in Sanford, Florida, the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence (CSGV) has been bombarded with a series of racist messages from pro-gun activists. You can read some of these comments here, here, here, and here.

And the comments are still coming...

Responding to our previous blog on this topic, in which a pro-gun activist described the slaying of Trayvon Martin as "population control," a pro-gun activist left the following comment: "It's good that these apes can't learn how to legally register guns themselves. they just shoot each other down with unregistered guns. /k/ for life, fuck you monkeys." '/k/' is a symbol that is used by pro-gun extremists to refer to weapons, and firearms in particular, on online message boards.

When we posted a photo at the CSGV Facebook page of a pregnant African-American woman with the words "AM I NEXT?" on her stomach, we got this response from pro-gunner "Tango Down" of Boynton Beach, Florida: "If her and her husband raise the child right and raises it to be a good kid and NOT A THUG, if the raise it to respect the law and respect others as it would want to be respected. If the kid is thought right from wrong and doesnt't attempt to kill someone else then it should have no problems!"

Pro-gun activist Terry Barcus of Cheshire, Ohio was more blunt, leaving the message "zimmeman is my hero!!!!!!!!" on our Wall.

That thought was echoed by pro-gunner "LOU1011" at the U.S. News & World Report website. "LOU1011" was responding to a blog posted by CSGV executive director Josh Horwitz about NRA/ALEC "Stand Your Ground" laws entitled "Carrying a Firearm Puts the Community at Risk." "Nothing's changed here," LOU1011 wrote. "A Black thug assaulted a guy on the streets, who defended himself.One less Black thug in this world..thank you Zimmerman!"

Timothy Archetko, a pro-gun activist from Canton, New York, emailed us to tell us how happy he was that Trayvon Martin was dead. "I believe in the 2nd amendment take me off this fuckin [CSGV email] list," he wrote. "I am a concealed carry holder, my license plate is the model of my favorite assault rifle, I bought 5 guns in the past year and just bought 1000 rounds of m16 ammo, I shot hundreds of birds last season. I am glad the unarmed teen was shot he obviously shouldn't have provoked it. You hippies think you can say what you want with no consequences."

The 'N' word also remained popular with pro-gun activists. When the CSGV staff posted a cover photo on Facebook with hoods up to pay tribute to Trayvon Martin, pro-gunner Donald Attis of Halifax, Nova Scotia left two comments. The first was a threat: "BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG." The second was, "Fuck yo coalition nigga! Fuck yo coalition!"

Finally, white pro-gun activists never waste an opportunity to blame the entire gun violence problem in America on African-Americans. Pro-gunner Brandon Ashby Smith of St. Petersburg, Florida wandered by our Facebook Wall to leave the following comment: "By the way, right after Trayvon Martin was killed-- there was like 6 black people who were killed by other black people because they are too stupid to take advantage of free things from the state and they'd rather sell drugs than work."

Pro-gunner Michael Liechty was pointing the finger, too, and wrote the following on CSGV's Facebook Wall: "maybe you should talk to the black communities where most of the gun violence is taking place." The fact that this claim is patently false? Well, being off on that "truth" thing never really bothered the gun guys...

Pro-Gun Activist Calls Murder of Trayvon Martin "Population Control"

We have already published several blogs here at "Things Pro-Gun Activists Say" cataloging the disturbing comments that pro-gunners have made about Trayvon Martin since the 17-year-old was gunned down by concealed handgun permit holder George Zimmerman on February 26, 2012. Sadly, more than a month after the murder of this young man, pro-gun activists continue to direct these angry and offensive comments at the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence (CSGV).

One of the pro-gun blogs we heard from is "Guns for Everyone." They made their feelings patently clear to us on Twitter, stating, "#zimmerman = population control...... #dealwithit." Guns For Everyone was created by pro-gun activist Joshua Chase of Atlanta, Georgia.

That was just the warm-up, however. They later directed another Tweet at CSGV and former Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence president Paul Helmke from Oklahoma pro-gun activist Dustin "guns get shit done" Gerhart, where Gerhart bragged about buying a gun through a private sale in a parking lot. Private sellers are not required to conduct background checks nor maintain records of sale under Oklahoma law—these transactions are totally unregulated by government and law enforcement. "whatchu think bout that nigga!" Guns for Everyone asked us.

Then there was pro-gunner Donald David Dalby III, who posted the following "joke" on the CSGV Facebook page: "I was going to kill some defenseless children. since, despite the 2nd amendment, guns are bad, what should I use? I have a 14" machete, a led pipe, and a LugerP08 semi-automatic pistol. I'll be sure to use one of the former two, since guns are bad and all.. suggestions?"

To pro-gun activist "Calvin Raven Eagle" from Atlanta, Georgia, the slaying of an unarmed Trayvon Martin came down to an issue of parenting. "PROSECUTE HIS PARENTS FOR NEGLIGENCE," he wrote on the CSGV Facebook Wall.

Then there was Florida pro-gun activist and conservative businessman "Subnetted," who wanted us to know he was getting drunk and thought Trayvon deserved to die. In the word of his Tweet to us: "Drunk at the bar with sexy girlfriend, life is good. P.S. #OWS are dirty. #Trayon deserved it. What else? @CSGV are retarded. And yes #tcot." Needless to say, for the parents and family of Trayvon Martin, life is anything but good today.

But the most offensive contribution came from a pro-gun activist going by the pseudonynm, "Gi Vemeaclip," who we have discussed on this blog before. He posted a "Trayvon Tribute" video to our Wall that he created under the YouTube account 1BoredKidProductions.It speaks for itself, and is nothing short of disgusting.

Lowering the Boom on the Martin Family

Here at "Things Pro-Gun Activists Say," we have spent a lot of time recently compiling disturbing comments that pro-gunners have made about Trayvon Martin, the unarmed 17 year-old who was shot to death by concealed handgun permit holder George Zimmerman in Sanford, Florida on the evening of February 26, 2012. Martin's crime? He went to the local convenience store to get a bag of Skittles and a can of iced tea. Zimmerman, who looked none the worse for wear after his "altercation" with Martin, has still not been arrested.

Recently, a new group emerged to raise money for George Zimmerman's legal team. Called "Legal Boom," this not-for-profit organization was founded by Christopher Kossmann and three other concealed handgun permit holders in the state of Florida. At its website, the group writes, "For all those wondering. Why? Because we want justice just as bad as you. But justice is a fair trial. Not bounties or death threats."

But a little more digging reveals the rationale for Legal Boom goes far beyond that. On its website, the group expresses an absolutist vision of gun ownership, stating, "The right to defend yourself and the people around you as a fundamental principle has no beginning and no end regardless of where you live." Kossmann almost made it clear to CNN that the group strongly supports the National Rifle Association's "Stand Your Ground" law, which is at the center of the Zimmerman case. The law removes an individual's duty to retreat from a confrontation if he can safely do so and allows him to meet force (i.e., a punch) with lethal force (gunfire). Speaking about the law, Kossmann told CNN, "The 'Stand Your Ground' law is there to defend people and their right to defend themselves and so this law really doesn't need to be changed because of one isolated incident. It's a good law ... The 'Stand Your Ground' law has been used for hundreds [of] justifiable homicides in the state of Florida and it should be continued to be used."

Asked by CNN anchor Carol Costello if it bothered him that Zimmerman might have killed Martin without engaging in a legitimate act of self-defense, Kossmann said, "It doesn't bother really bother me and the reason it doesn't it because we don't know." Kossmann then made the stunning admission that the "Stand Your Ground" law allows an aggressor to kill, stating, "There's a specific part under the justifiable use of force, under the use of force by an aggressor, that would allow somebody, even if they provoked the fight, to use deadly force against somebody provided they used every reasonable means to escape the danger and were still being assaulted and were in fear of imminent death or great bodily harm." Legal Boom expands on this on their website, writing, "If Martin assaulted Zimmerman after any pursuit was made Zimmerman could still use deadly force to end any assault that made him 'Reasonably believe that he was in imminent danger of death or great bodily harm.' Right wrong or indifferent this is the law and its intent was to protect everyone legally so that just because you’re a hot head you wouldn’t have to die for it in fear of what would legally happen to you if you defended yourself."

One of the group's founders even posted a blog at their website describing an incident in which he leveled his loaded handgun at a man's chest and nearly killed him. Why? Because he got into a verbal confrontation with a group of people on his block who felt he was speeding through the neighborhood. "I can say to you with the utmost confidence that this man was a hair pin away from being killed," the writer says, but then confesses, "the situation could have been easily avoided in the first place by not initiating a verbal exchange with the group."

Finally, despite Kossmann's assertion to CNN that Legal Boom does not condone personal attacks on Trayvon Martin, the group made a pretty searing attack on Travyon's grieving family on Twitter. Asked by a Twitter user how they would feel if someone raised money for a shooter that had killed their unarmed child, Legal Boom responded, "If someone shot one of our members children we would be just as blinded as others, our judgement would be clouded."



This is actually a common smear in the pro-gun community, this notion that people who care about gun violence (and particularly those who have been victims of it) are overly "emotional" and incapable of thinking about the gun issue rationally.

Overly emotional? Irrational? Ignorant of the facts about gun violence in America? Hmmmm...sounds like there might be more than a bit of projection going on there.

Pro-Gun Activists on Trayvon Martin: "Nigs gonna nig."

Two weeks ago, we posted a blog that compiled a series of offensive comments made by pro-gun activists in the wake of the murder of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin by 28-year-old concealed handgun permit holder George Zimmerman in Sanford, Florida. With controversy over the shooting still raging across the nation, pro-gun activists have yet to temper their remarks. Last week, several flocked to the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence's Facebook page to leave a series of racist postings.

Pro-gun activist Eric Preisser of Fort Worth, Texas—the creator of the People Against the Brady Campaign [to Prevent Gun Violence] Facebook page—responded to the shooting of Trayvon Martin by stating, "nigs gona nig."

Preisser was echoed by pro-gunner Alexander Rocha of Oceanside, California, who replied, "damn that so sick, nigs gunna nig I guess." In the next breath, Rocha was telling us we should give more guns to "law abiding civilians" like him so the "criminals will be on an equal playing field."

Patrick Green, was outraged over the reaction to the murder. "Black kids like that get killed everyday," he wrote, "but as soon as one bad apple shoots him it's OMG WE NEED TO GET RID OF ALL FIREARMS OMGEE! to be honest you sound like teenage girls I mean cmon guys its the second amendment if you dont like it dont buy a gun its incredibly easy."

Pro-gun activist Thomas O'Neill found the topic of shootings involving children hilarious and commented, "Did you guys know that there is a new kind of bullet that is actually built with technology that can pin-point the trajectory to people's heads?! 1 to 4 year old specifically!"

McKenzy Mallon had a good laugh, too, writing, "NO! Guns are evil devices made by evil people! If Zimmerman was not allowed to carry an assault machine gun Trayvon would still be ALIVE!"

"FAMAS [a French assault rifle] assault clips killed mah baby jamal," said pro-gun activist James Butterscotch, mocking the loss of African American children to gun violence. On his Facebook profile, Butterscotch lists his high school as "FUCK SCHOOL NIGGA IMA BE A DOPE DEALER."

Then pro-gun activists began to impersonate African-Americans on the CSGV Facebook page. Posting as "Edward J. Bleachwood," one pro-gunner commented, "if it wasnt 4 guns that yung nigga be still alive." Another pro-gun activist(s) posting under another fake identity, Flight-Cpl Izmash Assaultclip, loved it, replying, "Which young nigger? There are alot of young niggers. People only care if guns kill them. If they are stabbed it won't even make a sidebar." On his Facebook page, "Izmash" then wrote, "1 black kid gets shot(Pretty good way to go) = OMG RACISM HORRIBLE WHITE PEOPLE (Hispanic, Actually) ARE HORRIBLE RACISTS THEY ARE ALL BABY KILLERS. (typed more like: dat racist yo. ma nigga got popped cuz he be BLACK, he aint do notin' wrong. )."

Then there is the fake identity created by a pro-gun activist, named "Gi Vemeaclip." The profile's "Favorite Quotation" is "Nigga you gay." The college is listed as Virginia Tech. The high school is listed as Columbine High School. In pro-gun circles, this qualifies as humor.

Writing to the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, "Gi Vemeaclip" then made up a story about a dead brother, stating, "Hey people. While this tragedy about the 17 year old kid getting shot is horrific, this is our time to fight the gun nut's uppresor. My little brother was shot at a Detriot Pistons game by someone with a criminal record. He purchased these from a gun show. Unlike today's social media it didn't even get mentioned except a mention in a tiny article in the local newspaper. Detriot is like a Zone in that abandonment nuclear powerplant in ukraine. yet michigon allows open carry. Our governments should have the ablility to modify the constitution. Its what our forefathers would have wanted. If the people don't want the second amendment then it should be removed. If they don't want the first, then it should be removed as well. It should be 'for the people.'"

Finally, we end with a comment left by pro-gun activist Rooster Coburn, who lives just south of Sanford in Florida. On a Huffington Post blog about the NRA's "Stand Your Ground" law in that state, "Rooster" wrote, "Africa for the Africans. India for the Indians. Florida for the Floridians!"

Pro-Gun Activists Weigh in On Murder of Florida Teen

A recent shooting in Florida has generated national controversy about civilian gun-toters, race, and the National Rifle Association's dangerous "Shoot First" laws (now enacted in more than 25 states). On February 26th, concealed handgun permit holder George Zimmerman, 28, tailed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in his car as Martin walked back to his father's fiancee's home after buying snacks at a local 7-11. Zimmerman was the self-appointed "captain" of his neighborhood watch program and continued his pursuit of Martin even after a police dispatcher told him to leave the boy alone. When police eventually arrived on the scene, they found Martin laying in the grass dying. He had been shot in the chest by Zimmerman. Because of an NRA-written law that was enacted in Florida in 2005—which significantly liberalized the use of lethal force in public—Zimmerman has yet to be arrested.

Most Americans are outraged about the totally unnecessary taking of a young life and calling for justice to be done. Some pro-gun activists, however, have other, disturbing ideas about the murder of Trayvon Martin.

Commenting on a post at "Shall Not Be Questioned" (a blog authored by NRA Election Coordinator Keith Milligan of Langhorne, Pennsylvania), several pro-gun activists expressed thoughts which speak for themselves. First up was "mobo," who wrote, "OMFG, not that this has anything to do with anything really, but 'TREYVON' was this kid’s name? What on Earth is the matter with people? How is a kid supposed to get a respectable job when he grows up when the first thing the employers see is 'Treyvon' on the top of the resume?" He couldn't even be troubled to spell the deceased young man's name correctly. But "Heather from AK" didn't care. She replied, "That’s actually one of the more normal names, these days." Mobo added that no name "scream[s] 'ghetto' like Trayvon ... I guarantee you at least one juror will be inclined to aquit the shooter in part because of the victim’s name."

"dustydog" then suggested that Trayvon Martin got what he deserved, writing, "Kids, it is wrong to beat up armed people. As the unofficial motto of DS [Defensive Shooting] says, “The defenseless victim deserves what he gets.” Whether or not Martin "beat up" Zimmerman is unknown. Regardless, the notion that Martin deserved to be killed because he was not carrying a gun is grotesque.

Pro-gun activist "emdfl" was also quick to blame the killing on Martin, writing, "IIRC from the story, that poor, innocent, (17yo)chillin was visiting his stepmother/father(?). Probably from up north where it’s perfectly acceptable to smart mouth/attack older white people asking you what you are doing in their neighborhood. Unfortunately, Treyvon forgot he wasn’t in the disarmed-victim zone he is used to working in." Martin was actually from Miami, Florida and had no criminal record. Zimmerman, on the other hand, has been arrested for assaulting a police officer.

Next up was the following comment from "Moshe Gintel": "I think the young negro was stopped by Zimmerman, and the kid strong-armed Zimmerman. The kid probably took off on Zimmerman’s race and if he was alive, the kid should be charged with a ‘Hate Crime’ Horrid case of anti semetism. Jews should congratulate the Sanford police chief for not arresting Zimmerman." One of the many problems here is that George Zimmerman is not Jewish.

"Sage Thrasher" made it clear what his "gut reaction" was to the shooting: "You’re right about state of mind. If you’re walking in a strange neighborhood and a car starts shadowing you really slowly on the sidewalk is your first thought going to be 'neighborhood watch' or 'drive by'? Same if you see a teenage walking through your neighborhood: kid buying snacks or mugger? No matter how open minded you are, your reaction is going to depend partially on both your race and the race of the other person; much of that driven by statistics, probability and your own life experiences. (Personally, if I’m minding my own business walking back from a store and car starts following me, my first thought probably isn’t going to be 'somebody wants directions' unless it’s a very nice neighborhood.) In the same way, many of our (and I’ll admit, my) gut reactions to this story are based partially on the age and race of the two participants in trying to decide who the actual 'victim' was in this case."

Finally, Clayton Cramer, the author of a new report for the CATO Institute entitled, "Tough Targets: When Criminals Face Armed Resistance from Citizens," drew the following conclusion on his blog: "Zimmerman, the shooter, had a bloody nose and blood on the back of his head. Based on what the witness said, it sounds like he was getting hit pretty hard by the 17 year old. Regardless of how bad a decision Zimmerman made in confronting Trayvon Martin, once it reached this point, shooting was the right decision."

Really? It's the "right decision" to respond in a fistfight by shooting and killing the other guy? Is this what now passes for the "rule of law" in the pro-gun community? "Shoot First," indeed...

Wisconsin Gun-Toters Dabble in Misogyny, Homophobia

Back in May 2011, we examined some disturbing comments that were posted at a Facebook page called "Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort Lies." The page serves as a platform for pro-gun activists to attack the Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort (WAVE) and its executive director, Jeri Bonavia. WAVE "is Wisconsin's only statewide grassroots organization solely dedicated to reducing gun violence, injuries and deaths."

One would think that the folks at "WAVE Lies" would be in a slightly better mood these days. On July 6, 2012, Wisconsin's Republican Governor, Scott Walker, signed legislation into law (with National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action Executive Director Chris Cox immediately at his side) that allows the state's residents to carry loaded, concealed handguns in public.

But that apparently hasn't improved their spirits. On February 11, pro-gun activist Rob Luke of Barbaroo, Wisconsin posted a doctored photo of Jeri superimposed on a Playboy magazine cover at the "WAVE Lies" page. Pro-gunner Grant Guess of Racine Wisconsin—who fancies himself a "Defender of Truth, Justice and The American Way," jumped in and commented, "That cannot be Jeri...she is far fuglier than that in any pic I've seen of her. Brrrrrrrrrrr." John S. Whittemore, a member of the U.S. Army at Fort Sill, agreed, writing, "OMG, that is one fugly bitch!"

That derogatory term is apparently quite popular at "Wave Lies." It was also used by Navy enlisted man Max W. Schmidt when Jeri blocked him on Facebook (one can only wonder why).

More explicit language was also employed. A few days later, Grant Guess added the following comment:

Who in their right mind would lay the pipe to anyone as fkn butt-ugly as Jeri?? I would not hit that with a dead dog's dildo. I prefer my women to actually look like one.

Commenting on the "WAVE Lies" page on March 2, pro-gun activist Justin Mann said of those who support tougher laws to reduce gun violence:

They are ignorant and they will be victims. Just how things work.

Grant Guess liked what he heard, and commented:

We need sheep like the folks at WAVE so that the wolves have someone to bend over and brutalize. That's how most of them are conceived...

In the parlance of pro-gun activists, a "wolf" is a criminal and a "sheep" is a civilian who does not carry a loaded gun in public. The gun-toters are the "sheepdogs," who guard the sheep and herd all parties as necessary.

Guess' comment—with its reference to rape—was eerily similar to comments made about Jeri Bonavia and her college-age daughter in May at the "WAVE Lies" page.

When Guess found out that Jeri posted his comment on the Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort Facebook page, he was incensed, and adding the following comment at the "WAVE Lies" page:

We are never going to change their minds because they are truly fucking twisted, irrational victims of incest or other brain damage. Fuck 'em and feed 'em fish heads. We have the power, they don't and I take great comfort in that knowledge, LMFBO.

The next target on the "WAVE Lies" Facebook page was Coalition to Stop Gun Violence Director of Communications Ladd Everitt, and now the pro-gunners indulged their homophobia. First page moderator Sean Hobena, the owner of Bad Bones BBQ in Minocqua, Wisconsin, described Ladd as "an effeminate homosexual throwing a hissy fit." "After seeing his photo, there can be no doubt that he is a master of tuning meat whistles," added Grant Guess. "I thought he specialized in the Skin Flute?" asked Hobena, taking the distasteful, sophomoric joke about as far as it could possibly go.

Max W. Schmidt and his buddies at "WAVE Lies" like to describe Americans who care about gun violence as "hoplophobes," a made-up term invented years ago by virulent racist/misogynist/homophobic NRA board member Jeff Cooper. But what do you call a group of grown men who hang around a Facebook page all day making comments like the ones cited above?

In Wake of School Massacre, Ohio Gunrunner Seeks Profit Over Penance

On the morning of February 27, T.J. Lane, a 17-year-old sophomore, opened fire in the Chardon High School cafeteria with a Ruger .22-caliber Mark III target pistol, killing three students and wounding two others. It was a terrible tragedy—even in a country where mass shootings have become a daily occurrence—that stirred the nation and broke the hearts of residents of Geauga County, Ohio.

Not everyone was focused on mourning and paying their respects, however...

Scott Weber is one of the most profitable firearms dealers in Ohio and an outspoken pro-gun activist. He owns Gunrunner Online Auctions and a gun shop in Burton, Ohio. Before entering the gun dealing business in 2000, Weber taught at a high school and was employed by Beretta to showcase the company's products. He is scheduled to begin hosting a talk radio show this month on WNIR-FM and hopes to develop a TV show about his business that is similar to "Pawn Stars" or "American Pickers."

On the day of the massacre at Chardon High School, Weber recounted his immediate reaction to the shooting on his "Burton Blog":

I stopped my workout and went into the lockeroom and put my coat on. I went to the office desk and got onto a phone and called my gun stores. I got a hold of my manager who was there early. I said, "Make sure everyone has on handguns as usual and our riot guns and M4's are loaded and available. Run security up by 3." "Already done, boss," he said.

Beyond that spasm of paranoia, no grief was forthcoming. Weber used the rest of the blog as a "gotcha" moment:

OK, what have we been saying on this blog for YEARS now? Just because you're in Geauga County, does NOT mean you're safe! And what else have we been saying? Where ever there is a "No Gun" zone, rest assured this is WHERE THE SHOOTINGS WILL OCCUR because the shooter will not encounter any resistance ... As I've said before: ARM YOURSELF. Your life is in your own hands. DO NOT rely on law enforcement to protect you. They come way, way too late..."

It was a convenient (and always timely) message for a man who sells guns for a living...

A few days later, Christopher Evans of The Plain Dealer contacted Weber and asked him if T.J. Lane's access to guns was a factor in the shootings. Both Lane and his family have a long history of violence and criminal conduct. Despite this fact, reports indicate that "about two dozen weapons were discovered in FBI searches of Lane's relatives' homes." Ohio has no "Child Access Prevention" law to hold gun owners accountable if a child or teen gains unauthorized access to their firearms.

Nonetheless, Weber had this to tell Evans:

It has nothing to do with accessibility of guns. I'm not gonna enter that conversation. It's absurd.

But Weber was just getting warmed up. The day after Evans' editorial appeared in The Plain Dealer, he wrote a scathing blog attacking the newspaper and anyone who might agree with its conclusion that access to guns played a role in the tragedy at Chardon High School. Weber started his piece out with a homophobic rant:

I don't read the Plain Squealer ... From what I have heard, they are in big money trouble (no one else is reading them either!) and all they have left is a bunch of "B" and "C" grade "journalists" (I use that term very loosely) who are tremendously LIBERAL and ANTI-GUN. Most are queers from what I've heard, so they often write about promoting queers to marry in Ohio (it's not possible to have such a union, but I hear they are for it-they stick together, these queers).

Weber then began a name-calling tirade that would do a middle-schooler proud:

What I think is hilarious is that far left/communist/Obuma loving journalists-the PD's vast make-up-are FORCED to cover the GUN OWNING REVOLUTION that is taking place right now! ... So I say to all of the gun-hating, lily-livered, bed-wetting liberal "journalists" (read that as typists and hacks) who write anti-gun swill with their stupid terms that they trade back and forth like the empty heads that they are (examples: "Assault Weapons", "Cop-Killer Bullets", "Unlicensed gun dealers", "High Capacity Magazines", "Gun Show Loopholes", "Saturday Night Specials", "Rogue Gun Dealers", etc.) guess what? KEEP WRITING ALL THE SWILL YOU DO BECAUSE YOU ARE CAUSING HUGE RUSHES TO GUN STORES AND AUCTION SITES AND WE LOVE IT! ... Hey, these days you can barely get into the door of a Cleveland gun show, the gun stores are three and four deep on the counters waiting to buy and online sites like mine are BOOMING! Why? Because the gun buyers are saying: "Fuck you!" to the gun writers and the anti-gunner politicians! I get VAST entertainment out of these hack anti-gun "writers" ... I just laugh and then load up my best AR-15 and blast-off a few magazines off my back porch! Salute! And then I strap on my two concealed handguns and off I go!

Finally, Weber concluded with a threat of violence, making reference to a frequent commenter at his blog:

Larry Taylor-writer of [the] letter above is one of the nation's top trap shooters and was a former Navy SEAL. I have shot MANY competitive targets with him. The PD writers would do well NOT to mess with guy... Larry's on MY SIDE and he's one of the GOOD GUYS. I call tell you this: If any of the bed-wetters came around Larry and starting talking anti-gun, this Good American who fought for the Bill of Rights would put their dentist in the next highest tax bracket!

But the day wouldn't have been complete if Weber didn't call for the cash one more time, so he did:

Meanwhile, as Christopher Evans wrote in the wake of yet another shooting in the Cleveland area in which a 13-year-old accidentally killed his 10-year-old brother, "Another family devastated. Another child gone. Only the guns remain."