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PrintCelizic: Burress should've packed his brain, not a gun
Mon Dec 1, 2008 8:55 PM EST
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I don’t know what the Giants are going to do to Plaxico Burress, but none of the options should involve writing him a regular paycheck. What the Giants do are the least of Burress’ problems. What the law does is what the receiver ought to be scared about.
I was about to write “scared senseless” in that last sentence. But then I realized that the man has no sense to be scared out of. He’s already made that abundantly clear with a series of moves that, if proved to be true, are a litany of stupidity.
The dumbest part of the story was not the part that is pretty well established — that Burress allegedly carried an unlicensed handgun into a state and city that have designated that action a serious felony. Yes, that’s just dumb, but had Burress followed even the simplest rules of gun safety, we’re not talking about this.
Where the stupidity really shines through is in how he managed to shoot himself. To do that, he had to make a whole series of mistakes.
The first one was stuffing the gun in his pants. Where’d he get that idea? From his buddies or watching too many bad movies? I have considerable experience with guns and their care and handling, and I don’t need to talk to a gun safety expert to say that your waistband is a very dumb place to put a gun. Think about where you have to put it and the things you can accidentally shoot. It’s not a good idea.
If you do feel the need to carry a gun in your pants, do yourself a favor and don’t chamber a round. That way if you do something stupid, it won’t go off. Better yet, ditch the automatic and get a revolver. Then you can keep the hammer on an empty cylinder, so if you pull the trigger by accident, the family jewels remain intact.
Finally, if you don’t want to do any of the above, at least make sure the safety’s on. When the safety’s on, a gun can’t fire. It’s that simple. Don't be dumber than asphalt.
Turns out Burress is that dumb.
He’s proved time and again during his career that he’s a world-class knucklehead to whom the ordinary rules of behavior do not apply. And no number of screw-ups have dissuaded him from his personal conviction that the rules do not apply to him.
Any doubts were laid to rest in the aftermath of the accidental shooting, when, according to police, Burress somehow involved teammate Antonio Pierce in an attempt to cover the incident up. He also got a lot of people at a New York hospital in serious trouble by convincing them not to report the shooting, as required by law.
That’s quite a lot of lives messed up just so Burress could be a real man and carry a Glock in his pants.
If this were an isolated case, I’d simply continue beating up Burress and be done with it. But what Burress is accused of doing is considered standard operating procedure for far too many athletes, not to mention countless ordinary citizens.
It’s the belief that he needs to carry a gun for a night on the town, or maybe when he goes out anywhere, all in the name of safety. It’s the idea that the gun not only makes him safe, but also makes him a man, a real bad expletive you better not mess with.
It’s a common belief in this country. America grew up with guns and believes in them. No matter how often guns get innocent people either dead or in more trouble than anyone ever wants to be in, people can always point to an incident where they can convince themselves having a gun would save a victim’s life.
In the NFL, players point to Sean Taylor, the Washington Redskin who was shot and killed by intruders in his Florida home last year. I heard a player talking about it on ESPN today: If Sean Taylor had a gun, he’d be alive today.
But that’s an argument that can’t be proved.
Five men were involved in the burglary and shooting. Apparently, the shooter fired when accosted by Taylor. If Taylor had a gun, there’s no guarantee things would have gone any differently. He still accosts the burglars and he still probably gets shot. Maybe he gets one of his assailants, maybe not. But he’s still dead.
This doesn't make much sense because guns aren’t about sense. They’re about fear and twisted concepts of manhood and being a real bad expletive.
We’ve read of dozens of athletes who have gotten into trouble because of guns. The old Nets and St. John’s star Jayson Williams was one of the best people I ever met. But he had this thing about guns, and when he got into his cups, he had to show off with them. Despite some occasional close calls, he started twirling a shotgun in his home one night, showing off to his buds and the limo driver who had taken them on an outing. The gun went off in the driver’s face, and two families were destroyed in that one awful moment. I still have no idea why Williams felt he needed to keep a loaded shotgun in his house. He’s probably wondered the same thing countless times since that tragic evening.
What should stand out to athletes is that you never read about a jock whose life or property are saved because he had a gun. I’m sure it’s happened, but I can’t find a reference or remember an incident.
But this is logic, and Burress and other players have never been overly fond of clear thinking. They’re driven by image and foolish notions of what it takes to be a man. One dumb belief is that a gun makes you tough.
I keep getting this mental picture of Plaxico Burress going through his mental checklist last Friday night as he left his palatial home in New Jersey and headed for the bright lights of Manhattan: aftershave, check; wallet, check; credit cards, check; wad of cash, check; Glock, check.
The item that never comes up on his checklist no matter how many times I replay the image is a license to carry the gun. “License?” he’d probably ask in amazement if anyone had suggested it. “I’m Plaxico Burress. I don’t need no stinking license.”
He’d be right, because even if he had the license, he’s still have a hole in his leg and he’d still be on his way out of New York. That’s because of the other thing he doesn’t think he needs — a brain.
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Published to:
- Mike Celizic's Column, All of Newsvine
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 | Opinion: Time for Giants to part ways with Burress | Associated Press | Mon Dec 1 | 18 |
 | Lawyer: Pierce to testify for grand jury if asked | Associated Press | Wed Dec 3 | 1 |
 | The Perils of Plaxico | New York Post | Tue Dec 2 | 2 |
| Mayor Bloomberg fuming over Plaxico shooting: Throw the book at him | NY Daily News | Mon Dec 1 | 22 |
| Plaxico Burress Has Awesome Judgment | With Leather | Mon Dec 1 | 16 |
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{"commentId":4256331,"authorDomain":"aimlesswhatever"}
Mike is a funny name for girl. Anyway she should stick to stories she knows something about and not post laughable stuff about how she knows about guns (maybe her boyfriend let her shoot a bb gun once?) and you should not carry with a round in the chamber.
{"commentId":4256331,"threadId":"432192","contentId":"2167363","authorDomain":"aimlesswhatever"}
#26 - Tue Dec 2, 2008 8:00 AM EST{"commentId":4256367,"authorDomain":"kmsafe"}
Can't understand why gun enthusiasts are so afraid of being cautious and aware of the potential danger of guns. How many brains does it take to figure out that sticking a gun in your pants is a stupid idea? Apparently a lot more than I thought.
{"commentId":4256367,"threadId":"432192","contentId":"2167363","authorDomain":"kmsafe"}
- 1 vote
#27 - Tue Dec 2, 2008 8:06 AM EST{"commentId":4256830,"authorDomain":"estcst"}
Just because you carry a gun doesn't make you a gun enthusiast. There are plenty of us out there who enjoy shooting sports and really appreciate the design and function of a firearm and then there are those who just want to have one just to have one.
Don't lump us all in the same group.
{"commentId":4256830,"threadId":"432192","contentId":"2167363","authorDomain":"estcst"}
{"commentId":4256732,"authorDomain":"yameezy"}
certain people do not come from where we come from…nor do they understand that 9 times out of 10….we do not report ATTEPMTED crimes….nor can they fathom the concept that there are people in the hood…that look at other people as food, as a commodity…as something that can be acquired to change status. Nobody talks abt Stephon Marbury getting caught at that redlight and jacked for 300,000 worht of jewelry, nobody talks about Chris Childs walking down the street in MANHATTAN…not Harlem…MANHATTAN…and being removed from 100,000+ worth of jewelry. Nobody talks abt Queen Latifah getting caught slippin uptown in New York….and these are just a few isolated incidents…my point is that most of the “newly” rich black people come from situations where they have not always had…they come from situations where they themselves or someone they know were the perpetuators of these type of events, or at the very ;east…they understand that these events not only take place, but that in some cities they are common place. I didn’t even get inot the kidnappings of Eddie Curry and Antoine Walker, because those things happened in Chicago. Should Plaxico have registered his weapon…ABSOLUTELY, but this reporter failed to mention that Plax is from VA BEACH…born in Norfolk…anybody who knows anything abt illegal guns knows that if you are on the east coast and you need some straps…you got VA….thats just how it is…on top of that…I know how crazy @!$%# is in the 7 cities area…so based on where he is from….how grimy he knows folks can be…am I mad at him for having his pistol…no….yes he should have had a pistol with a safety…that was plain stupid…now the reporter saying he should have had a revolver is dumb…..Im not coming to a gunfight with 6, or as the reporter would have you do…5 so that one chamber is empty…when somebody across the way has 9mm that has 16 in the clip and one in the chamber…that’s just bad math…LOL…so..it wasn’t that he was being too harsh…it’s the fundamental difference between him, the reporter and Plaxico….their realities are completely different
{"commentId":4256732,"threadId":"432192","contentId":"2167363","authorDomain":"yameezy"}
#28 - Tue Dec 2, 2008 8:59 AM EST{"commentId":4256734,"authorDomain":"4flashman"}
Years ago in Killeen Texas a woman went to lunch in A Shonees resturant. She took her legal gun out of her purse because Shonees did not alow them in their building. She had to hide under a table and watch her mother and sister killed by a wacko. Guns can save lives. It is the people that have 40 guns that scare every one. Rich people like Plex that have any brains hire body guards so they don't have to shoot some one (no matter how much of a scum bag) and get sued.
{"commentId":4256734,"threadId":"432192","contentId":"2167363","authorDomain":"4flashman"}
- 1 vote
#29 - Tue Dec 2, 2008 8:59 AM EST{"commentId":4256781,"authorDomain":"juliemahoney"}
This article put into eloquent words all of the conversations I've had with friends, including former pro football players, about the stupidity of Burress' actions. He should be banned from the NFL before he even faces what the legal system does. My son idolizes football players as do many kids and even adults, for that matter. Players who feel this need to be a gangster, who feel they're above the law, shouldn't be allowed to be in a position to be worshipped. It just sends a bad message.
And for pete's sake! You silly people who are getting all contentious with the author about some details about guns! Give me a break! His gun knowledge is not what this whole scene is about and you present yourself only as an overinflated jerk by getting all nit-picky about it. This article is about how athletes and other celebrities think they're above the law. They are paid ludicrous salaries and behave like arrogant idiots. As the paying public, we've got to stop supporting these types.
{"commentId":4256781,"threadId":"432192","contentId":"2167363","authorDomain":"juliemahoney"}
#30 - Tue Dec 2, 2008 9:03 AM EST{"commentId":4256972,"authorDomain":"escarenovictor"}
Guns are not the problem. They in themselves are not to blame for anything. They are necessary for protection of our individual freedoms and rights. Guns are not the issue here. The issue is about how people, be they athletes or ordinary citizens, make bad decisions.
{"commentId":4256972,"threadId":"432192","contentId":"2167363","authorDomain":"escarenovictor"}
- 1 vote
#31 - Tue Dec 2, 2008 9:24 AM EST{"commentId":4257146,"authorDomain":"otto-2"}
{"commentId":4257265,"authorDomain":"yankeefitness"}
The writer of this piece claims "I have considerable experience with guns and their care and handling" and then he advised; "Better yet, ditch the automatic and get a revolver. Then you can keep the hammer on an empty cylinder, so if you pull the trigger by accident, the family jewels remain intact."
Note: if the revolver has the hammer down on an empty cylinder, when you pull the trigger, the hammer travels back - the cylinder rotates to a new chamber - at the completion of the trigger pull, the hammer drops onto the NEXT chamber. For the writers' example to be valid for safety, the best bet would be to have an empty cylinder with the hammer down, followed by another empty cylinder. Or maybe the writer is assuming that Plaxi would have the hammer back in which case it would catch on all kinds of stuff when being stuck into a waistband. Which is, I agree, incredibly stupid.
{"commentId":4257265,"threadId":"432192","contentId":"2167363","authorDomain":"yankeefitness"}
#33 - Tue Dec 2, 2008 9:53 AM EST{"commentId":4257377,"authorDomain":"cheryl-smith07"}
Why does someone as big and stron as Burress need to carry a gun anywhere? He could probably squish your head with one hand.
Jocks - they were big and stupid and high school and they stay big and dumb as professionals. Maybe he could go be Vick's roommate. Together they could make perhaps a hundreth of a brain.
{"commentId":4257377,"threadId":"432192","contentId":"2167363","authorDomain":"cheryl-smith07"}
#34 - Tue Dec 2, 2008 10:04 AM EST{"commentId":4257415,"authorDomain":"google-gctech"}
Mike,
You're overall point about Burress is correct. It was a stupid thing to do. But I was surprised by something you said.
You claimed some knowledge of guns when you said "I have considerable experience with guns and their care and handling..." Yet you go on to say, "Better yet, ditch the automatic and get a revolver. Then you can keep the hammer on an empty cylinder, so if you pull the trigger by accident, the family jewels remain intact. "
Mike, anyone who knows the first thing about revolvers would know that when you pull the trigger on a double action revolver, the cylinder rotates. So the hammer would fall on a live round. If I gave you the benefit of a doubt I might assume you were thinking of a single action revolver, where the cylinder does not rotate when the trigger is pulled because the hammer has to be cocked manually. But only an ignorant journalist would suggest that somebody carry a single action revolver for self defense.
You also say that a waistband is a bad place to carry a gun. But there are holsters specifically designed for this type of placement and it's a common way to carry a concealed weapon. So there's really no reason to give you the benefit of a doubt. You are just ignorant and have no business commenting on the gun aspect of this story.
Burress was not stupid for carrying a gun. He was stupid for doing it illegally, and for putting his finger on the trigger when he had no intention of firing.
{"commentId":4257415,"threadId":"432192","contentId":"2167363","authorDomain":"google-gctech"}
#35 - Tue Dec 2, 2008 10:07 AM EST{"commentId":4257494,"authorDomain":"yankeefitness"}
I agree that waistband is good IF a holster is used. On my post, I was saying it was stupid because it sounds like he simply stuffed it in his pants without a holster. There's no control like that.
{"commentId":4257494,"threadId":"432192","contentId":"2167363","authorDomain":"yankeefitness"}
{"commentId":4257495,"authorDomain":"thepalehorse"}
It has already been said, but I am sick of writers running their mouth about things they don't understand. Listen; don't try to tell me how bad guns are when you clearly don't know anything about them. Glocks don't have a safety. Seems simple, but everyone who knows anything about modern handguns knows that. Some people probably think that is a small point but if I wrote an article about football and talked about the 12 men on the field, would anyone take me seriously? No, because it would be clear that I didn't know what I was talking about. And your little part about Taylor? Well, maybe he would have died, but the reality is that the thugs that broke in probably didn't have the heart to really fight the guy, and if Taylor had come out shooting they may have very well started running, which is the case in several home invasion attempts. Home owner fights back, bad guys leave. Now you are right, we cannot prove one way or the other, but I don't care. I will take the chance. Let's see, no gun, I am killed. I have a gun, maybe I am not killed. Not really a brain teaser there is it?
I dislike NYC gun law, and I dislike the mayor for running his mouth on TV before a trial attempting to influence the public opinion about an ongoing case. But if Plax is found guilty of this crime, and I don't know how he could not be, I hope they give him the maximum time. Because you see, us law abiding gun owners are actually willing to punish people who don't obey the law.
This anti gun talk from all you sports writers is annoying the crap out of me. I love football, but most of my friends don't like sports at all. Every time there is some story about a pro player being an idiot they bring it up and tell me how all pro sports players are immature and reckless. And I have to remind them that there are thousands of pro athletes and the actions of a few do not represent the whole. But now, here you are telling me that they do, and that because a very small number have hurt themselves or someone else with guns that all athletes should be held accountable and not be allowed to own guns.
So what is it champ? Should all athletes be judged by the actions of the few? Or should we pretend we still live in a free country and respect them as individuals?
{"commentId":4257495,"threadId":"432192","contentId":"2167363","authorDomain":"thepalehorse"}
- 1 vote
#36 - Tue Dec 2, 2008 10:14 AM EST{"commentId":4257557,"authorDomain":"dc4457"}
You know, if the guy had an undamaged brain cell left he might have thought of a few things:
1 = If the club I am going to has such shoddy security and dangerous clientele that I need a gun for self-defense, I probably shouldn't go there. There's a place with more class just across the street, and my name will easily get me in there.
2 = I earn a bazillion dollars a year. If I think I need that much protection, I can afford an armed guard who is licensed to carry and trained to keep me out of trouble.
3 = Damn, where's the safety on this thing? On the trigger? That's just asking for trouble. Better get a Beretta.
4 = You know, having a gun stuffed into my pants might give me a little more thug street credibility, but it's a good way to get my **** shot off.
{"commentId":4257557,"threadId":"432192","contentId":"2167363","authorDomain":"dc4457"}
#37 - Tue Dec 2, 2008 10:21 AM EST{"commentId":4257597,"authorDomain":"prospero1919"}
I think it is important to note a dangerous inaccuracy in Mike's article - carring a revolver with the hammer over an empty chamber will prevent an accidental discharge from the weapon being dropped or the hammer struck accidently - but it will not protect against "accidently" pulling the trigger and firing the next round in the cylinder. With the huge amount of responsibility that need be undertaken in owning or carring a firearm - please - please make sure all safety advice is accurate. It is this type of careless and cavalier attitute towards firearms that gets people into trouble.
{"commentId":4257597,"threadId":"432192","contentId":"2167363","authorDomain":"prospero1919"}
#38 - Tue Dec 2, 2008 10:24 AM EST{"commentId":4264149,"authorDomain":"boldt"}
any revolver made in the USA in the last 30 years has an internal safety to prevent the firearm from going off half-cocked as you describe.
{"commentId":4264149,"threadId":"432192","contentId":"2167363","authorDomain":"boldt"}
{"commentId":4257622,"authorDomain":"tamiburdell"}
There are 2 main problems with this article:
1. The writer was full of opinions and low on facts. (how many times do you have to say how stupid this guy is?) We'll draw our own conclusions about how stupid this guy is if you just write the facts.
2. The writer misrepresents us liberals, we don't all feel like this guy (we have guns at our house).
I'm a "liberal", but please don't lump me in with this guy, most of us just want a few common sense gun laws.
{"commentId":4257622,"threadId":"432192","contentId":"2167363","authorDomain":"tamiburdell"}
- 1 vote
#39 - Tue Dec 2, 2008 10:26 AM EST{"commentId":4257625,"authorDomain":"jamiesjunk"}
I have to laugh at the logic behind the Taylor example. Who can say whether he would have survived had he had a gun? One thing is for sure- without one, he didn't.
I think the point of the story should have been Stupidity Hurts. Even if you're rich.
{"commentId":4257625,"threadId":"432192","contentId":"2167363","authorDomain":"jamiesjunk"}
#40 - Tue Dec 2, 2008 10:26 AM EST{"commentId":4257631,"authorDomain":"pheible"}
Obviously not written by a gun expert. Keeping your gun unchambered?!? Are you serious? If you are ever in a situation where you need to carry a gun, and need to use it. You are dead before you can get that gun chambered.
The problems with Plaxi: You *Always* holster that gun. It seriously helps prevent accidental discharge. Also, you never drink and carry.... ever. That is stupid.
I have carried for years. I don't have a safety on my gun, and I *never* have an empty chamber. But guess what? I've never shot myself, and if you follow simple safety rules, you will not have that problem either.
Celizic: stick to what you know... that obviously isn't guns. And anymore I'm not even sure it's sports.
{"commentId":4257631,"threadId":"432192","contentId":"2167363","authorDomain":"pheible"}
- 2 votes
#41 - Tue Dec 2, 2008 10:26 AM EST{"commentId":4257685,"authorDomain":"donna98387"}
I Knew the NRA would be defending this idiots use of a firearm.
Speaking from a personal experience and loss of life due to a gun "Accident" If only getting a gun would require screening and a course of handling a firearm many lives would be saved. It's like drunk drivers with many arrests still hitting the highway just an accident waiting to happen. It doesn't make sense. Next time this idiot carries a gun in his pants I hope he shoots his family jewels. It would save mankind from breeding the next generation of stupid.
{"commentId":4257685,"threadId":"432192","contentId":"2167363","authorDomain":"donna98387"}
#42 - Tue Dec 2, 2008 10:32 AM EST{"commentId":4258050,"authorDomain":null}
The NRA didn't defend Burress' use of his gun at all. What Burress did was illegal in NYC, and there is no defending that.
What people are upset about is Celizic's claim that he has "considerable experience" with guns, but obviously doesn't know anything about them. It's misreporting at its worst, with someone claiming to be an expert on something they are not, and misleading the public with terrible advice. Advice, like in the revolver example about keeping the hammer on an empty cylinder, that could get someone hurt.
{"commentId":4258050,"threadId":"432192","contentId":"2167363"}
- 1 vote
{"commentId":4258121,"authorDomain":"anbro"}
You should cite your numbers as to how many lives would be saved and provide proof, because when you actually look up real stats instead of emotionally charged assumptions, you will quickly find that incidents such as this are extremely rare.
{"commentId":4258121,"threadId":"432192","contentId":"2167363","authorDomain":"anbro"}
{"commentId":4261208,"authorDomain":"jadej"}
Hi Andrew,
According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics report "Firearm deaths by Intent" (source: National Center for Health Statistics) unintentional (meaning not suicide, murder or other) death made up 3% of the total deaths by firearms, or about 802 deaths in 2001.
If you look at the stats divided up by age group, it gets a little more worrying as unintentional accounted for 17% (414) of firearm deaths in the 14 and under age group (2001).
{"commentId":4261208,"threadId":"432192","contentId":"2167363","authorDomain":"jadej"}
{"commentId":4257725,"authorDomain":"ispeedtoo"}
Sports is the SOMA of the workers. SO What.
{"commentId":4257725,"threadId":"432192","contentId":"2167363","authorDomain":"ispeedtoo"}
#43 - Tue Dec 2, 2008 10:36 AM EST{"commentId":4257802,"authorDomain":"rcrfwt"}
I wonder if in the job applications for major league players, you have the question, "have you ever been convicted of a felony", is so why?
Plaxico has two things going for him that will get him off, and I am not sure which one is the biggest; his is black and he can run with a football.
Heavens know we would not want to ruin this boys career.
And what about the Super Bowl? Besides if he is found guilty, he has a job witht he Cowboys.
{"commentId":4257802,"threadId":"432192","contentId":"2167363","authorDomain":"rcrfwt"}
#44 - Tue Dec 2, 2008 10:41 AM EST{"commentId":4257885,"authorDomain":"tmurphy4"}
You said, "What should stand out to athletes is that you never read about a jock whose life or property are saved because he had a gun. I’m sure it’s happened, but I can’t find a reference or remember an incident.".
The times where a gun has protected life or property happens many times across the country but the press will not report the facts of these incedents because it does not fit into their (and certian groups) agenda of disarming non-criminal American Citizens. The magazine "America's First Freedom" reports many of these stories happening every month from around the country. Based on these factual reports it can be guessed that the number could be much higher. I'm sure, that if all the times a criminal stopped and just ran away when faced with an armed citizen were reported, it would fill a newspaper page. With the economy in the tank it may get worse and be reported more often.
{"commentId":4257885,"threadId":"432192","contentId":"2167363","authorDomain":"tmurphy4"}
#45 - Tue Dec 2, 2008 10:47 AM EST{"commentId":4258067,"authorDomain":"rruhe"}
"Plaxico" Burress, what do you expect from someone with a name
like "Plaxico" ? he was suppose to be home tending his injured leg
yet he ends up in bar with a gun. Get rid of the jerk and yes, maximum
jail time...
Patroit
{"commentId":4258067,"threadId":"432192","contentId":"2167363","authorDomain":"rruhe"}
#46 - Tue Dec 2, 2008 10:59 AM EST{"commentId":4258094,"authorDomain":"rruhe"}
"Plaxico" Burress, what do you expect from someone with a name
like "Plaxico" ? he was suppose to be home tending his injured leg
yet he ends up in bar with a gun. Get rid of the jerk and yes, maximum
jail time...
Patroit
{"commentId":4258094,"threadId":"432192","contentId":"2167363","authorDomain":"rruhe"}
#47 - Tue Dec 2, 2008 11:01 AM EST{"commentId":4258106,"authorDomain":"anbro"}
Thousands of crimes are prevented by lawful carry of firearms in this country every year.
The author of this story needs to stick with sports commentary and leave his politics out of it.
{"commentId":4258106,"threadId":"432192","contentId":"2167363","authorDomain":"anbro"}
- 1 vote
#48 - Tue Dec 2, 2008 11:02 AM EST{"commentId":4258139,"authorDomain":"dltempler"}
It is a shame that the guy managed to shoot himself. I am a Glock owner. I carry. I have a license to do so. I am NOT an NRA member. Beware of the person who owns just one gun; he likely knows how to use it.
The gun does not keep me safe. It might not even keep me safer. I don't know. But in this screwed up society I carry. It does not make me feel "like a man" or "tough". In fact, my pistol is carried just like my wallet. It's there but I don't pay attention to it.
The author here writes very entertaining and inflammatory stuff. That is what he gets paid for. But he doesn't know much about guns.
Others have mentioned the first rule of gun safety: Keep your finger away from the trigger unless you intend to fire the weapon. Triggers do not accidentally get pulled.
Rule 2: The gun is always loaded. This rule is true even when you see me remove the magazine and rack the slide clean. It is always loaded. Always.
Rule 3: Never allow the barrel of the gun to point at someone that you want to live, or put another way, if you allow the barrel to point at someone it is presumed you intend to kill them.
My 10 year old little girl can recite these rules to you and I guarantee she would follow them. I also can guarantee that she will never have an "accident" because she knows the rules and follows them.
Now, as to him taking the gun someplace it was not permitted....crap happens. Even those with carry permits need to be vigilant about reminding themselves of the rules of where pistols and firearms are disallowed.
My Rabbi asked me why I carry a pistol. I asked him why he didn't. His response was that he didn't need one. My reply? "Rabbi, if you didn't feel like you were in danger then why is there a fence around the perimeter of his property and why is there a "security" guy standing at the entrance? Rabbi, at the moment you realize you need a gun it will be a moment too late."
I won't apologize for carrying.
{"commentId":4258139,"threadId":"432192","contentId":"2167363","authorDomain":"dltempler"}
- 2 votes
#49 - Tue Dec 2, 2008 11:05 AM EST{"commentId":4258189,"authorDomain":"haile-david"}
A confident, capable person doesn't need to hide behind a big gun when he's scared of the unknown. Only idiots carry guns in public.
{"commentId":4258189,"threadId":"432192","contentId":"2167363","authorDomain":"haile-david"}
#50 - Tue Dec 2, 2008 11:08 AM EST{"commentId":4258426,"authorDomain":"prospero1919"}
I think you need to make a change to your axiom Daddy Dave - Maybe it should be "Only Idiots and Terrorists carry guns in public" - so I guess it would be up to us "idiots" to defend you smart fellas if something like Mumbai happened here in the US.
{"commentId":4258426,"threadId":"432192","contentId":"2167363","authorDomain":"prospero1919"}
- 1 vote
{"commentId":4258318,"authorDomain":"jemoyer"}
wake up people ... this is just the kind of thing our kids look up to ... consider this man's origins ... this is the kind of person we've created ... it's no shock to me that stupidity reigns for athletes who have had everything done for them and never make decisions on their own ... it amazes me that more stupid things don't happen ... but this is expected when we are willing to pay athletes millions when teachers and other hard-working people get crap ... take a look at your own priorities, America ...
{"commentId":4258318,"threadId":"432192","contentId":"2167363","authorDomain":"jemoyer"}
#51 - Tue Dec 2, 2008 11:16 AM EST{"canLink":false,"threadId":"432192","isPrivate":false}
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