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."

Pro-Gun Activist on Reagan Shooting Survivor: "The Faggot Should Have Died"

March 30, 1981 was a dark day for America. On that day, a mentally ill man, John Hinckley, Jr., ambushed President Ronald Reagan and his entourage outside the Washington Hilton Hotel and fired six shots before being subdued. He injured four: President Reagan (a bullet lodged in the president's lung about an inch from his heart), D.C. police officer Thomas Delahanty, Secret Service agent Timothy McCarthy, and Reagan's press secretary, Jim Brady.

Brady was the most severely injured of the four. He was shot in the head and remains permanently disabled to this day. As he worked his way through a grueling rehabilitation process, Jim and his wife, Sarah, became passionate advocates for gun violence prevention. They were particularly disturbed by the fact that Hinckley was able to legally buy the revolver used in the shooting despite a history of mental illness. In those days, there were no background checks on gun buyers. Purchasers filled out a form that asked them about potential disqualifiers, but there was no process for law enforcement to check and authenticate their answers. It was an "honor system" of the most dangerous sort.

In the late 80s, Jim and Sarah pushed for the introduction of legislation to establish a background check system for gun buyers. President Reagan made his feelings clear about the legislation on the assassination attempt's ten-year anniversary:

March 30...marks an anniversary I would just as soon forget, but cannot ... Four lives were changed forever, and all by a Saturday-night special –a cheaply made .22 caliber pistol–purchased in a Dallas pawnshop by a young man with a history of mental disturbance. This nightmare might never have happened if legislation that is before Congress now–the Brady bill–had been law back in 1981.

The Brady bill became law on November 30, 1993. To date, the law has stopped nearly two million prohibited purchasers from buying guns through federally licensed firearms dealers (FFLs). There is no telling how many lives this has saved, but it is certainly many. Jim and Sarah Brady remain engaged in the battle for better gun laws to this day. During a trip to Capitol Hill last year to advocate for legislation to ban high-capacity ammunition magazines (like the ones used in the January 2011 massacre in Tucson), Jim encouraged gun violence prevention activists to "fight fiercely." "I wouldn’t be here in this damn wheelchair if we had common sense [gun] legislation," he noted.

Most Americans admire Jim Brady for his courage, determination and unflappable sense of humor—in the face of the worst personal tragedy imaginable. Some pro-gun activists, however, wish nothing for Jim Brady but death.

The Starbucks Facebook page has become a hotbed of pro-gun extremism as of late, and recently someone (crudely) impersonated Jim Brady there. When confronted by Coalition to Stop Gun Violence (CSGV) Director of Communications Ladd Everitt about it, the pro-gun activist in question responded as follows:

Personally I wish he would just let go of that last thread of life already. He's already undone a lifetimes worth of constitutional law. As far as I'm concerned he should die a traitors death.

Pro-gun activist Joe Adams of Colorado was equally blunt in commenting on a photo of Jim Brady at CSGV's Facebook page, writing:

lol the faggot should have died when he got shot!

It's impossible to understand why anyone would direct that type of cruelty at a man who has sacrificed so much for his country and fellow citizens.

"A Small Price to Pay"

During a day in which a horrific school shooting occurred at Chardon High School in Ohio—leaving three students dead and two injured—pro-gun activist John K. Haslach of Dunellen, New Jersey left the following comment on the National Gun Victims Action Council (NGAC) Facebook page:

A dead child is a small price to pay to protect our 2nd A rights to stop unjust laws and keep out forgeign invaders!

Haslach wasn't the only pro-gun activist on the attack following the shooting. Hank Fackovec of Woburn, Massachusetts left the following comment on the Facebook wall of Students for Gun Free Schools (SGFS):

People and organizations like SFGFS are responsible for these injured and dead children - If there was an armed teacher - the horror could have been prevented or minimized. Shame on you.

SGFS is an organization that was created to honor Reema Samaha, one of the victims of the 2007 mass shooting at Virginia Tech. "In order to keep her memory alive and try to prevent future tragedies, our mission opposes efforts to allow guns in our schools," SGFS states. The organization's founders include Omar and Randa Samaha, Reema's siblings; Lily Habtu, who was shot in the face and arm at Virginia Tech; and Colin Goddard, who was shot four times during the massacre. The notion that they are responsible for what happened at Chardon High School is beyond the pale. It is equally horrific to suggest that the answer to school shootings is to arm K-12 teachers and instruct them to gun down troubled teens rather than giving them the support and counseling they truly need.

Linda Gaither of the Episcopal Peace Fellowship in Ithaca, New York also became a target of pro-gun activists when she urged Starbucks to reconsider its policy allowing loaded guns in its stores following the Ohio tragedy. Pro-gun activist Devon Siefried of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania lashed into her, writing:

Dance in that blood, Linda. Dance in the blood. You're disgusting.

This horrifying "dance in the blood" rhetoric is, sadly, common among pro-gun activists. Frequently, it is directed at individuals who have lost their loved ones to gun violence. Yesterday, Andrew Johnston (AKA “Weer’d Beard”), who has been mentioned at this blog before, attacked Joan Peterson in a blog entitled, "Blood Dancing 101." Joan lost her sister Barbara in 1992 to gun homicide. In the blog, Johnston claims that Joan and others who advocate for stronger gun laws to prevent tragedies...

...talk about dead victims with zero concern for their situation. This is called “Blood Dancing” and they SHOULD be ashamed of it, but they are not. Are they insane? Yes, yes they are!

Finally, Joan received the following comment from a pro-gun activist Dan Roberts (AKA "Son of the Revolution") at her blog "Common Gunsense." Roberts was responding to a blog Joan posted reagarding the shooting at Chardon High School, in which she wrote, "We can pass more gun laws and we should. Making parents responsible for children getting their hands on guns would help. 28 states have some form of Child Access Prevention laws. Laws requiring mandatory reporting of lost and stolen guns may stop gun owners from being careless with their guns. Safely storing guns should be of utmost importance to keep guns away from the hands of children and teens as well as theft. Guns in the hands of children must first pass through the hands of an adult." Roberts saw this as an opportunity to boast about his six-year-old daughter's proficiency with a bow and gun.

He left a hyperlink that goes to his blog "That Every Man Be Armed" and a piece he wrote entitled, "The Next Top Shot." There he says of his daughter, "I started drilling her on gun safety when she was three. She then moved to trigger time on my lap with my 10/22 by age four, by five she could correctly name all the parts and almost completely reassemble my Ruger .45 by herself and she got her own pink Cricket Bolt Action .22 for her sixth birthday."

Meanwhile, the United States continues to lose more than 3,000 children and teens annually to gun violence.

President Obama Called a "Jugeared Wonder-Tard" by Pro-Gunner

As we've noted before at this blog, nothing enrages a pro-gun activist like a woman speaking out, publicly and confidently, for tougher laws to prevent gun violence. As result, women frequently bear the brunt of some of most vociferous and threatening attacks by pro-gun activists.

This blog features such an attack on Joan Peterson, a gun violence survivor from Minnesota and the author of the blog Common Gunsense. In 1992, Joan’s sister, Barbara, was three years into divorce proceedings with her husband. After he left bizarre messages on her answering machine, Barbara got a restraining order against him. One day, Barbara and a male friend went to her husband’s house to deliver some paperwork regarding the divorce. Her husband erupted in anger and shot both of them in cold blood, killing them. Prior to the shooting, he had no violent criminal history. He took his own life not long thereafter in a psychiatric ward.

On February 17, 2012, Joan authored a blog entitled, "It's a Guy Thing." She commented on a controversial House of Representatives hearing that occurred the day before, in which a panel consisting only of men offered testimony on why religious institutions shouldn't be compelled to offer certain types of health care to women (e.g., access to birth control bills and other forms of contraception) under the Affordable Care Act.

Joan began to think about a quote we hear often in the world of gun violence prevention: Wayne LaPierre's famous quip, "The guys with the guns makes the rules." In Joan's words:

The guys. With guns. Making the rules. Hmmmm. Let's think about that for a while. First of all, apparently there were no founding sisters or women involved in the beginnings of our democracy. Who made the rules back then? Who got to decide about the wording of our Constitution? ... Remember now, these guys (and a very small group of women) with guns make up about 2-3% of Americans eligible to own and carry guns. Should they get to make the rules for the rest of us? ... The guys with the guns and those they have intimidated into believing their world view, have passed laws in 49 states now allowing some form of carrying concealed weapons around in public. When the laws passed, these guys convinced legislators that we would all be safer if they were allowed to carry their guns into every nook and cranny of our communities. Some of them may have mentioned that this would also make they and their families safer, thinking there is danger lurking everywhere they go. I don't know why the 97% or so of Americans who don't carry concealed or openly displayed guns don't feel that same danger risk. So for those folks who feel unsafe wherever they go, we have passed laws that allow for loaded guns in Starbucks stores, in churches, in colleges (or so they hope) in grocery stores, malls, etc. Yes, shootings have happened in all of these places, mostly by crazed people who shouldn't have had guns in the first place. And even people with guns could likely not have stopped these shootings. Some commenters on this blog even wrote that they wouldn't try to protect the public in these cases. It would be every "man" for himself ... I'm very happy that the guys in my life are not like the guys I have described in this blog post. Change is coming. Women are speaking out and claiming their place in the important debates of our time.

Joan might as well have blown a dog whistle for the white male "Culture Warriors" in the pro-gun movement. Several commenters jumped in to claim that more women are involved in shooting activities than ever, a dubious claim given that gun ownership among American women has remained totally flat over the past three decades.

Joan then made the following comment about Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum's controversial statements about religion:



That was the last straw. Pro-gun activist "Thomas," a frequent commenter at Common Gunsense, jumped in and left the following comment:



The "bell-ringing" that Thomas is referring to takes place in a Memorial Garden in Lake Place Park in Duluth, Minnesota. Periodically, Joan gathers with members of the group Protect Minnesota (which formed when the Million Mom March Chapters of Minnesota merged with Citizens for a Safer Minnesota) and other organizations to remember victims of gun violence. Attendees are invited to ring the Memorial Bell for each loved one they have lost to gun violence.



As for the rest of Thomas' comment, well, it speaks for itself.

The Starbucks Militia

On Valentine's Day, the National Gun Victims Action Council (NGVAC) called for an ongoing boycott of the Starbucks coffee chain because of their company policy allowing individuals to bring loaded guns into their stores. The President and CEO of NGVAC is Elliot Fineman, whose son Michael was murdered in 2006 by a paranoid schizophrenic who legally obtained a gun. Fineman says that Starbucks is "[betraying] their claim to be a socially responsible company" by implementing a policy that follows state gun laws, even where they are weak and involve little or no screening of gun carriers. Currently, 28 states allow residents to Open Carry loaded guns in public without any permitting, screening or training requirement. There are also four states (Alaska, Vermont, Wyoming and Arizona) that allow residents to Concealed Carry loaded guns in public without any screening, training or permitting. All of these states also allow "private sales" of firearms, which do not require any background check. Individuals bringing loaded guns into Starbucks in these states could be felons, wife beaters, sex offenders, severely mentally ill, etc., and law enforcement would have no way of telling if they are dangerous until they pull the trigger.

Despite these problems, pro-gun activists were outraged when they heard about the NGVAC boycott and quickly announced a "buycott" of their own. Here is what the "buycott" called for, as described by the "Guns for Everyone" blog:

First, make sure to visit Starbucks on February 14th and carry proudly. Even if you don’t carry, or don’t OC [Open Carry], let them know that you appreciate their policy. But seriously, just man up and carry that heater like a BOSS. Stop being a pussy.

Pro-gun activists then began to flock to the Starbucks Facebook page to tell of their gun-carrying exploits, post photos of their handguns and assault rifles, and attack all those who disagree with the company's policy concerning firearms. This led to some truly ugly rhetoric, some of which is chronicled here:

There was pro-gun activist Joe Amber Barrett of Leesburg, Florida, who told one woman "FOAD [Fuck Off And Die] you dirty hippy" when she announced that she was boycotting Starbucks:

Pro-gun activist Josh Sumpter invoked the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre to justify Starbucks' current firearms policy. When CSGV Director of Communications Ladd Everitt pointed out that both the Virgina Tech Review Panel and the families of the victims and survivors of that tragedy are unanimous in their support for stronger gun laws, Sumpter said, "that just proves that the VT review panel and the families [of the 32 students/faculty killed and 25 wounded during the massacre] are okay with the tragedy happening again." Pro-gun activist Jonathan Kiviniemi of New Albany, Indiana thought this was wonderful and jumped in to echo Sumpter, adding, "they are essentially saying they want it to happen again."

There was a bizarre comment from insurrectionist gun blogger Kurt Hofmann, who thanked Starbucks for "refusing to be conscripted into the anti-gun jihadists' culture war."

Another woman, who posted a "No Guns in Starbucks" photo, was called a "twat" by pro-gun activist Andy Rau.

Pro-gun activist Shay Robertson thanked Starbucks for "having a backbone" and said, "Not everyone in America is a snivelling developmentally disabled functioning retard who is afraid of inanimate objects." Pro-gunner Jeff Adamson loved it and commented, "Please don't insult snivelling developmentally disabled functioning retards by comparing them to anti-gunners."

Other commenters were labelled "faggots" and "homos" by pro-gun activists Adler Smith and Eric Fanning of Oregon City, Oregon.

One pro-gun activist, James Sarah, had a warning for children. He told a commenter, "Keep your children out of Starbucks. I go in to enjoy a cup of coffee and read a paper. It is very disturbing to have some snot nosed little brats running around and making all sorts of noise. My hand gun has never made a peep in Starbucks."

Pro-gun activist Ray Brower of Loveland, Colorado posted a photo of his AR-15 assault weapon and wanted everyone to know it was his "anti-socialist freedom rifle. And he was certainly not the only pro-gun activist to share gun porn on the Starbucks Facebook page. Their photos wall is covered with it. Here are some examples:













You've got to give Starbucks executives some credit, though. Their store policy might be OK for us, but they personally want no part of these guys when they're armed. "They surely know the threat to safety people carrying guns pose," says Reverend Jackie Lynn, Executive Director of the Episcopal Peace Fellowship. "Why else would Starbucks ban guns from its corporate headquarters, Starbucks shareholder meetings and have a company policy forbidding employees (partners) from bringing guns to work?"

Great question.

Making Light of a Presidential Assassination

Pro-gun activists have a funny way of observing Presidents Day. Two days ago, the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence posted the following photo and status update to our Facebook page to wish everyone a wonderful Presidents Day weekend:
Alabama pro-gunner Willis Peacock was quick to respond with a reference to the tragic 1865 assassination of President Abraham Lincoln:

maybe one shoulda owned a helmet...

Lincoln, of course, was shot in the back of head by John Wilkes Booth as he sat watching a play in the Presidential Box at Ford's Theater.

Alabama residents can take great comfort in the knowledge that Peacock, like Booth before him, is walking the streets with a loaded handgun. Maybe you'll even see him at the local Starbucks!

Pro-Gun Activist on Kid Shootings: "In all honesty, I really don't care."

Most pro-gun activists will make a real effort to convince you that they really do care about gun violence, while simultaneously insisting that there is absolutely nothing that can be done to prevent it (thereby conveniently absolving themselves of any responsibility to have to do something about it). But recently we met two pro-gunners who just came out and told it like it is!

The conversation in question happened on February 20, 2012 on the Facebook page of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence. One of our fans had posted a link to a disturbing new blog, "Kid Shootings." The description of the blog is as follows:

Kid Shootings is a collaborative effort brought to you by authors from Ceasefire Oregon Education Foundation, Protect Minnesota, and States United Against Gun Violence. This blog highlights any and all timely cases of minors, ages 17 and under, who are involved in gun crimes or dangerous situations involving guns in the United States, which we can find reports of. Reported cases span the whole range of incidents: homicides and attempted homicides, accidents, suicides, stray bullet reports, defensive, law enforcement, robberies, kidnappings, “near misses,” and other categories. Some kids are shooters (including intentional and accidental), but most are victims.

Pro-gun activist Charles Cornett from Columbus, Texas jumped in first to comment on the blog posting. Cornett's Favorite Quotation as listed on his Facebook page is, "Anything worth shooting is worth shooting twice. Ammo is cheap, life is expensive." So it's no surprise that his thought on the matter was the following:

We lose 5,000 teens alone every year in car accidents, does that mean we should ban cars too?

It was a typical pro-gun feint—bring up the issue of automobile deaths to distract and change the subject; and hope that people don't realize that decades of extensive regulation of both automobiles and our roads have saved countless lives. Contrast this with the firearms industry, which remains the most unregulated industry in America.

Cornett was then challenged by the original poster in the thread, however, who replied:

You make the assumption I wish to ban guns, but I do not. What have you done, Charles, to reduce kid shootings, or teen driving accidents, for that matter?

With Cornett challenged to ante up on his mock concern regarding teen driving accidents, he found support from another pro-gun activist, Daniel Collien of Churchton, Maryland. Collien is a wonderfully candid pro-gunner who lists "Insurrection" as one of his "Activities and Interests" on Facebook. He wrote:

I hope he hasn't done anything. From a completely detached standpoint, there's too many damn people. 7 billion on a planet that can really only sustain 3 billion people. 3000 here or 5000 there, it is no matter.

But Cornett refused to let Collien upstage him in sheer cruelty. He added:

What have I done? Absolutely nothing, why? Because in all honesty, I really don't care.

Lost your child, your own flesh and blood, to senseless gun violence? Don't worry. The planet is overpopulated! And pro-gun activists? Well, they're doing everything they can to help us trim our numbers here in the United States.

Anti-Semitism Anyone?

The following remark was pasted to the Wall of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence (CSGV) Facebook page by pro-gun activist Christopher Carter on February 19, 2012:

Jews want your guns so they can treat you like Palestinians.

It is impossible to tell who Carter had in mind when he made his remark, but CSGV executive director Josh Horwitz is Jewish.

Pro-Gun "Humor"

The following image was left on the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence (CSGV) Facebook page by pro-gun activist Ryan Ashley on February 18, 2012. Many Fans of CSGV's Facebook page are victims and survivors of gun violence. Some of them have lost loved ones, including children, to gun suicide. In the modern pro-gun movement, this qualifies as "funny."