Celizic: Burress should've packed his brain, not a gun

C'mon---Athletes have  been getting away with this level of stupidity for far too long.

Can't read? Can't write? Troubled youth? Priors? That's okay because you're one helluva (insert sport here) player. We will pay you a gazillion if you'll play for our team.

And we'll charge people 1/2 a gazzillion to come watch you play. AND THEY'LL DO IT.

C'mon players have been doing this forever.

Can't read? Can't write? Priors? Troubled youth? No problem because you're one helluva (insert sport here) player. We'll pay you a gazillion dollars and make you feel like the everyone owes you something. Just  as long as you play for our team.

And we'll charge the public 1/2 a gazillion dollars to come see you play. AND THEY'LL DO IT! Just sign on the dotted line and you get more money than god. You don't have to worry about a thing.

"I have considerable experience with guns and their care and handling,..." 

Great, another psuedo journalist that makes obviously false claims.   If it was a Glock that he shot himself with, then no, it doesn't have a safety that you can click on or off.  If you have the hammer of a revolver resting on an empty cylinder, then when you put your booger hook on the boom switch it advances the cylinder to a live round.  That's how it works.  I don't care one bit what happens to Plaxico Burress, you live in a draconian state, you live by draconian laws, what I don't understand is how a piece with obvious factual errors made it into msnbc.

Well written.  I truly enjoyed reading this article. 

Burress is a thug, and thugs like guns. It makes them feel "manly". So does he feel manly nowthat he almost shot off his family jewels? I believe in the 2nd Amendment, especially the part about "well regulated militias' being the ones who should have the only access to guns. Remember, guns don't kill pople, people with access to guns kill people. Make guns illegal and enforce draconian laws to keep them out of peoples hands, and gun violence will drop like a stone. Get caught with a gun, life sentence, no parole, period. But I'm a hunter you say? I'm a sportsman entitled to shoot things you say? 1) Why do you need to hunt? Food is as close as the corner market, and 2) How the hell is hunting a sport? What chance does your prey really have against you, your high-powered rifle, scope, scent mask, sent markers, GPS, blind, calls, and other gizmos? None unless you are a lousy shot, in which case you shouldn't have a gun as you are a danger to anyone else in the woods.

So, crimminalize the ownership of a gun by anyone not in the military or police, make it a 1 strike and you're out law, and keep those who break the law no chance at freedom again, and you won't have idiots like Burress again. If states can nail you for a tiny amount of pot and send you away for 20+ years on the first offence, then something as dangerous as a gun should get at least that kind of punisment.

What an absolutely horrible piece of journalism. While I can agree that Burress is an obvious idiot, the absolute lack of understanding perpetuated by the writer in this piece is astounding.

First of all, a glock has only 1 safety on it, and that is a trigger safety. The author obviously has no understanding of guns as he calls a non-revolver weapon an 'automatic' which is far differant from an autoloader.

2nd, belt or appendix carry is in no way a stupid idea. What is stupid is misuse of a firearm. Train with your firearm, know how to use it, follow the laws of the state. Anything else is simply idiocy.

3rd, there are a lot of reasons to carry a weapon with a loaded chamber. I have a carried a Glock 19 for over 2 years with a loaded chamber. I have never had a negligent discharge and I have used the gun once to protect myself and two of my friends when we were assaulted with a deadly weapon.

This is crap reporting and a disgrace to MSNBC

What a terrible story, full of factual errors and flaming opinions.  Mike, I hope you someday find yourself in a situation where you are forced to realize that guns DO save lives.  That's the only thing that seems to get through to you liberals.  The police cannot be everywhere at all times to come to your rescue.  With all the violent criminals prowling America's streets, people need to take personal responsibility for their own protection.  

How such a horrible story ended up on MSNBC is beyond me.  Perhaps you're all in the tank together with the Brady Bunch.  You should be ashamed of yourselves.  You are doing your country a great disservice, and that's a fact.

Even the most expierenced gun owner can have an accident, did any of you read about the Sheriff who accidentally shot himself after teaching a gun safety class ? If you're going to a nightclub and you are so afraid that you need that kind of protection then don't go to the nightclub dumbass. Guns don't kill people thats true, stupid people with guns kill people and Burress falls into that category.

Guns are safe if handled correctly, even inside the waist band. Get a good IWB holster and some training if your going to carry. Oh and a license would help.

The author of this piece needs to get a brain as do you gun grabbers. There are too many guns out there to get them all and the bad guys are doing things like rape and murder. They don't care how tough the gun laws are.

Look at what happened in India. The terrorists didn't even have body armor. Any citizen with a decent handgun could have made a huge difference. But no, lets take all the guns away, that way the terrorists can kill hundreds of people all anyone can is run... lmao get a clue people.

An armed society is a polite society.

1 - Plaxico is an idiot.  Hire security or one them Jack Bauer Special Forces types instead of carrying a gun you clearly don't know how to operate anyway.  There is legitimate concern for safety and then there is an idiotic approach to dealing with it.  Plax falls into both categories.

2- This article is yet another example of a writer taking a clear incident, or pattern of behavior with young athletes, and attacking the overall purpose of licensed guns.  Plax carried an unlicensed gun and is going to pay the price as he should.  His concerns are justified, his actions are not.  But this idea that there is a lesson to be learned why athletes should not own guns in their homes, when properly trained/licensed, is absurd.  They are targets and we all tell them the solution is to just stay home, well if that's the solution they have the absolute right to defend that home and athletes should not be bound to gun restrictions that exceed what our constitutional rights which is what some are now calling for in the media. 

3 - I am not making an excuse for Burress but unless you come from the inner city and understand the despair and desperation of the "have-nots" to take what the 'haves" own, you cannot possibly appreciate how close a target these guys are and whether justified or not, many of them have seen, first hand, real violence that will leave them predisposed to a level of paranoi, if nothing else.  That said, again, Burress is a knucklehead but this incident should not be used as a launching pad to attack athletes who rightly own guns within the law.  I like what Brandon Jacobs said when he said he would not bring a gun out of his house but if you come through "that front door frame in his home, I am going to kill you...hands down".  There is nothing wrong with that, athlete or not.

Oh great, another "journalist" who knows about guns.  Yeah... you liberals with no understanding of self-defense and how to handle a firearm never cease to amaze me.  Typical know-it-all sports writer, using a stupid athlete as a case-in-point for gun control.  Hey pal, if you're afraid of how to properly handle a firearm, or if you believe in your heart that you'll never be in a position where you have to use one to defend your life, or if you truly believe that having a firearm won't make any difference in an altercation where you're about to die, then please refrain from carrying.

As for me, I shoot competitively and have a concealed carry permit, and I firmly believe that having a firearm may just mean the difference between dying as a victim or living for my wife and kids.  How pathetic that you elect to spout off about the "evils" of gun ownership and possession, merely because you're convinced that people who carry have a "manhood" problem.  In my experience, those who complain about this are the ones with the manhood problem.  Exactly what do you have against people who refuse to be a victim???  Good God man, if you were about to die at the hands of a remorseless criminal, wouldn't you want to at least go down fighting?  You seem to forget that people like me, and millions of other gun owners, are the GOOD GUYS, not the other way around.  Idiot.

Drivel such as this reminds me of a remark attributed to Joe Paterno: "If I ever need a brain transplant I'd want one from a sports writer, because then I could be sure it had never been used."

Apocryphal, perhaps, but on target in this case.

To Jamie R above,

Read the Armed Citizen in the front pages of the American Rifleman.  Oh wait, you're not an NRA member?  You don't read that magazine?  That's right, you watch MSNBC for all your news?  You'll NEVER hear about all the instances in which the possession and/or use of a firearm saved lives, but they are there if you're inclined to educate yourself.  You live in a fantasy world if you think that we can magically eradicate guns and violence.  Until that day when Obama waves his magic wand and changes the world, I choose to be wary of the craziness around me and carry a firearm.

C'mon, Mike;

Before we get to the real argument, let's talk about how much you know about guns...... advocating revolvers for the less technically-savvy is a pretty good argument but revolvers don't have safeties....

Plaxico Burress may well be as stupid as you say, but your bias against guns shows that you've been living in and around NYC way too long, and have gotten way too used to NYC's poisionous, toxic way of thinking regarding personal safety. 

I lived in the city all my life up until 1987 and know many people who were the victims of vicious crimes. My own father had installed steel bars on the windows of our apartment and I often asked him who was in jial, and was it the right people.

I had a buddy back in the '80's who was no trigger-happy macho man with an ego problem as your innuendo alleges.  As a teen and young adult he was mugged 5 times and viciously beaten and stripped naked by thugs during one of them.  He got fed up, pulled every string he could think of and finally started carrying a licensed pistol in NY.  During our travels together I never even knew when he did or didn't have the gun on him. I can't say exactly why, but he was never mugged again, and I suspect his different attitude whilst armed had a  lot to do with it. He told me he never even drew the gun, much less fired it, and few people ever even knew that he had it.....but just having it had the desired effect.

I can't say that's why Plaxico wanted  to carry his gun, but that's why most of the rest of do, or want to. It's not from any swagger or desire to prove manhood by shooting somebody, no matter how much they might deserve it.

We carry, or want to in NY's case, because people should never allow themselves to be victims. They should never allow any social scientist, safety statistician, public official (or sportswriter, for that matter) to tell them that they have to surrender responsibility for their own personal safety to some "highly trained" elite, who, trained or not, may not be around when the big event shows up at the door. 

Yiou are one of these, Mr. Celizic. Your remarks show that you buy into that urban, urbane culture of organized fear. You exude that contemptuous "I'm civilized and above all this. I know about guns, but I don't need them because the police will protect me" baloney that has led so many to so much horror.

You don't have to look any further than New Orleans after Katrina to see how false that premise is. Ultimately, the only person who can take responsibility for your safety is you. 

Guns are just the means.

Mike, you're old enough....do you remember that fabulous lie of the 60's and 70's: "Don't resist an attacker, and your chances of being harmed are less"?  

That was the city's advice to it's citizens...just lie down and don't resist.  Guess what? It's now known to be exactly the wrong thing to do and no knowledgeable security person ever trains anyone to be passive in the face of an attack -- but that doesn't keep the entire public safety establishment from continuing to peddle this non-resistance "trust us to do the job" philosophy to this very day.

What are they afraid of? They want us to trust them, eh? Don't they trust us?

In the last decade or so some 40 of the 50 states have revised their gun carrying laws and now allow citizens to carry. All of them have seen drops in crime, and none has seen the predicted bloodbath of trigger-happy macho men letting loose at one another over traffic incidents. It's a shame NY is not among them.

How many people are dead because they trusted in vain, and should better have trusted in themselves and their own good sense? (I'n not talking about Plaxico Burress here).

Trust is a funny thing. NY doesn't trust its citizens with guns (protect themselves) , or with the right to referendum (govern themselves) either. Hmmm? 

If you really knew anything about guns, Mike, you would know that the National Rifle Association's monthly magazine has a column titled "The Armed Citizen". This column details some number of events across America every month where citizens have used lawfully possessed weapons to defeat bad guys and often save their own lives. This column has been published every month for many decades now and there are thousands of events, all culled from newspapers and police blotters.

Much research by leading criminologists shows that criminal assailants fear running into an armed citized way more than they fear being arrested. Violent crime in Florida shifted dramatically from natives to foreign tourists in '94(?) when that state passed its' "shall-issue" pistol license law.

Never mind Burress and your other star athletes...they're no different and their lives no more worthy than any other Joe or Jane American's life.  Burress may be as dumb as you say, and he may be carrying his gun for all the wrong reasons. But in places like NYC, dumb or not, star athlete or not, no matter who you are, you can't protect your own life....the means are denied you.

Would Kitty Genovese be alive if she, or any one of several hundred others who heard her screaming, had had a gun and the recognized right to use it in defense of one's self or another?

It's apparent that what they did have, which was a gutload of nice, civilized fear and the attitude "it's none of my business, this is the police's job", didn't do the job for Kitty Genovese that evening in New York City. Would she be alive, and her assailant dead instead? Maybe.

Is my buddy alive because he didn't look enough like a victim? Maybe. As you say it can't be proven. Attack number 6, possibly the fatal one, never happened.

If you want to insist that Plaxico Burress is an idiot, fine. He may well be. But not because of the gun.

Not all gun owners and carriers are strutting macho idiots looking for trouble, Mike. The guys you are describing are a favorite gun-controller cartoon, brought up during every discussion about guns and self-defense to make their opponents look foolish. You have been around long enough that you ought to know better.

Go West or South, my friend. As you go, remember to pick up your your civil rights at the PA or OH borders. Those are the furthest-east places you still can have 'em.

best

js

All guns are banned in Kenya.  Yet any criminal who want's one can get it....if not they all have machetes.

http://www.lizmichael.com/kenya.htm

Yes you convinced me he is an idiot and yes you convinced me bad things will happen when idiots play with guns. But guns are not toys and I think you have it backward when you say toting a gun is about fear and twisted concepts of manhood. Good grief - real men may or may not choose to carry a gun and if they do you will probably never know it. Folks with twisted concepts of fear and manhood on the other hand may do many dumb things with guns, cars and anything else and may even write some articles for MSNBC...

This guy is a flat out felon.  If he's afraid to go out unarmed, then he needs to wait til he has the proper LEGAL permits to carry a firearm.  Let him hire a LEGAL body guard who is licensed to carry a firearm if need be.   PLAIN AND SIMPLE.    What kind of people does this guy associate with if he fears his life when in public?

These atheletes and hollywood celebs think they can do what they want.   Make them play by the same rules that 99% of the US public plays by.   Put him in jail like he belongs.   Friggin Crack Head Over Paid Piece of Trash Loser

Oh yeah...  who's the idiot reporter with the headline "mistake"?    Come on, if you don't have a permit to carry an illegal gun, is that a mistake?   If your married wife decides to sleep with me, is that a mistake? 

The media is so stupid that they try to bring in drama into every story..   Yes artilce writer, your wife said I was bigger than yours.    Grow up, bring common sense back into the world.

Disgusted with PR and celebs, joel

It would appear,given the parameters of the report,that old Plax is more stupid than a fence post.Just another boy with attitude who carrys a piece because it inflates his macho sense of self.Guns in the hands of ill disciplined individuals spell trouble and sometimes death.A gun is essentially a KILLING TOOL no more and no less.You may put any kind of spin on it,if you will,but in reality a gun in the hands of a dimwitted macho type will ultimately lead toward injury or premature death.The old B.S. that people kill people not guns is about as useful as used toilet paper because guns in the hands of psychopaths,sociopaths or demented bullies make killing just that much easier.It is time for people to STOP HIDING BEHIND A GUN and demonstrate some common sense.GUNS are a tool for COWARDS and are only justifiable in the hands of responsible law enforcement or the military.

Gun toting idiots should always have the right to shoot themselves.

Mike, please!  New York is a far cry from the rest of normal America when it comes to gun laws.  Explain to me please why Washington DC and Illinois (Chicago) have murder rates per-capita than most major cities in the United States, but both share the toughest gun laws in the country! Take away the law-abiding citizen's right to carry a firearm and what are you left with??? the same crooks that knowingly break the law, and the police who are outnumbered everyday!  I live in Ohio, you can post a sign that says "No Firearms" which prevents people like myself who have a permit issued by the Sheriff's office from carrying our weapons in those stores.  You know what we call those?? VICTIM ZONES  Put on your criminal hat for a moment and think about it.. if you were going to rob a house and you had to chose between a house with a big ADT alarm system sign in front of it, or one that didn't which would you pick?  It doesn't take an idiot to realize that a criminal will always pick the defenseless victim.  Plaxico is an idiot, any law abiding gun owner will attest to that, but don't play Northeast/West Coast liberal games and think that the gun is the problem and blame firearms and the 2nd amendment (which by the way was AFFIRMED by the supreme court as an INDIVIDUAL RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS) as the problem.  I always find it funny when people scream at the top of their lungs about their first amendment, why do those same people ignore the second amendment?  Plaxico is a criminal, just like all the other criminals who break the law, but I don't break the law and I respect the power and responsibility of being an armed citizen and will not shoot myself in the leg nor carry a firearm in a no-carry establishment (no matter how much I disagree with the law).  Pin the blame on the person not the firearm!

I came to comment about what happens when you pull the trigger on a revolver and the Glock safety. I'm happy to see others caught Celzic's glaring BS as well. Mr. Celzic is obviously quite full of himself, and in addition, he is quite full of something else as well.

Plaxico Burress made a mistake, but to say all the things about him that the author said was over the top....me thinks that Celzic doth protest too much. He used Burress' mistake as an opportunity to make himself look big.

Feel like a big man now Celzic? Or should I say a big man who's knowledgeable about guns?

A truly big man would apologize to all concerned.

Bet you feel real cool right now, dont you Plexiglass? Hopefully, Vick will give you some advice about how to avoid getting shot in the pokie. Pun intended.

As long as it's a B... dude with a Gun, You are Always a THUG. Why always the B-Athlete? Always getting HIMSELF in trouble.

Like it's new....give people a break.

He made a mistake? What a F******up reason. He is that damn if anyone understands. And NOT NEWS WORTHY. SCUM should be left alone...Mistake! Don't waste your breath.

This is exactly why I don't watch any professional sports anymore.  Professional athletes fall into two catagories.

The first is the overpaid, whining, crybaby, who, the instant every little thing doesn't go their way, proceeds to pull out a hanky and cry me a river.  If you look this up in the dictionary, you'll find a picture of Terrell Owens.

The second is the gun-toting, tatoo'd thug.  Who, if they couldn't play sports, would be in a penitentiary,  pimping out their cellmate for pack of cigarettes. 

Face it, there are no Cal Ripken's left in sports anymore.