From the author of Lonesome Dove comes...

[alnitak]

...this piece of garbage! In an editorial in today's paper:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 05007.html

He says

"What can be blamed, however, is the foolish absence of reasonable firearms legislation, which Brewer refuses to seek."

How can this author, who captures the old west in most honest and realistic tones, write this drivel?!?

[Rusty]

I don't know he can't seem to get fact straight in his books either.

[Griff]

He does have the right to an opinion. Albeit, he's reached an obvious conclusion, he also misses the much more obvious. He's an excellent word-smith, and goes from his initial point to his final point in a rather straight line. His assumption of the perp's mental health is most damaging to his thesis. IF, we follow that sole assumption, which renders the perp's possession of a gun illegal... then he's really indicting the system he attempts to shore up with his support of the Pima County Sheriff.

The fact that we ALREADY have reasonable gun laws, as with most "anti's", is readily overlooked in provoking a reaction. Something that his op-ed does... yet criticizes others for doing. What we don't have is reasonable enforcement of those self-same laws. And when it comes to light that our enforcement community has let a fruit-loop slither thru undetected, it's far easier to point the finger of blame at an in-animate body of legislation than at the PEOPLE responsible for enforcement of said legislation.

As I've told acquaintances of mine that were rabid anti-gun types... I disagree with your opinion, but because I have the 2nd Amendment on my side, I will protect your right to spew your prejudicial, ignorant invective!

[alnitak]

...his support of the Pima County Sheriff...[/i]!

Yeah, that was probably the part that upset me most -- his adamant support of the Sheriff who used a tragedy to spew political invective without a shred of evidence.

However, I do agree with your statement about defending his right to an opinion. I just can't believe a law enforcement officer who should know better took the position he did.

[Griff]

...his support of the Pima County Sheriff...[/i]!

...I just can't believe a law enforcement officer who should know better took the position he did.

I haven't followed all the stuff since... but when I heard that the Sheriff knew of this guy beforehand, made a remark about his "off-balance" mental status and hadn't DONE anything, tells me the Sheriff was trying to deflect what could be construed as justified criticism for his not intervening on behalf of the rest of his constituency to render this nutcase harmless. Unfortunately, it often comes down to discussing the inanimate object of a nutcase's infatuation over guns and inappropriate use thereof, than the fact that the guy's a nutcase and was a danger to both himself and OTHERS! Upon his first being brought to the attention of authorities (college adminstration and college police), he probably should have been sent for a 72-hour evaluation by professional mental health types.

That where our national debate should be centered... not about his breaking of laws already on the books and how many more we can add... as though somehow redundancy will provide better protection to the rest of us! The only way more law will save us from a shooting is if we happen to be carrying our law books around with us and they stop the bullets!

[alnitak]

Well said, Griff.

[FWiedner]

The probem with celebrity is that it causes a mental-illness which leads those so elevated to believe that their personal opinion is of such relevance that it shoud be inflicted upon the rest of society using the force of law.

[pshort]

The probem with celebrity is that it causes a mental-illness which leads those so elevated to believe that their personal opinion is of such relevance that it shoud be inflicted upon the rest of society using the force of law.

I really like that one... Right on the mark....

Paul

[SJPrice]

He should stick to fiction. But then he has not even written any decent fiction in 15 or twenty years. Not since the Lonesome Dove series.

[JB]

He's no different than the anti-gun liberal actors in Hollywood that have no problems with making action movies or other movies showing violent uses of firearms. They'll make millions with guns, but don't want us having them.

[quietman]

If you want to be able to easily answer people who read that and think he actually knows what he's talking about, then you need to download this free ebook

Gun Facts v 5.1http://gunfacts.info/

[Ysabel Kid]

The mind going is such a terrible thing to witness...