So, you know that debate over gun control we’ve had lately, in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting? Yeah, the one where everybody is talking past each other and not making any sense at all, or hardly offering solutions to the problem of gun violence. Yep, that one. Well, given that we’re all concerned about the safety of kids in schools in “certain parts” of the nation. Do check out what happened in Trenton, New Jersey this week. Yeah, you read the headline right. Uh-huh, so how’s that for irony, right? Yep, it seems that Officer Sleepy McSleepy is back in hot water again. I suppose getting suspended for sleeping in his patrol car while on the clock wasn’t bad enough. Now, Officer Richard Takach has “misplaced” hid semi-automatic service-issued weapon. I don’t know about you, but at this point, this cop needs to be fired. But considering that he works in a state that allows blind people to own, have, and shoot guns… umm, don’t be surprised if he isn’t relieved of duty.

This from NBC10:

A New Jersey cop who was spotted sleeping in his patrol car last summer has now lost a loaded handgun, according to his lawyer.

Trenton Police Officer Richard Takach misplaced the Glock semi-automatic handgun in the city’s West Precinct parking lot around 3 a.m. on Monday, his attorney Stuart Alterman said.

“It’s not a sign of him being careless,” Alterman added. “It was an accident. Nobody intentionally loses a weapon. He was changing in and out of his duty uniform to his street clothes. He was transferring his weapon from his duty holster to an off-duty holster. And unfortunately he lost a weapon. He left it on the car or the truck. When he realized it was gone, he called, he drove back to Trenton, they looked for it, and he notified his superiors immediately.”

Takach, a 15-year veteran, remained on the job and was scheduled to report for duty Tuesday night.

Takach was suspended in July after a photo was posted online showing him asleep in his patrol car while in uniform.

Watch the video:

The post New Jersey Cop Caught Sleeping On Patrol Now Loses Gun appeared first on Madness & Reality.

As it has been presented, the Obama Administration has indicated that he is ready for serious gun reform. He has pledged to put his “full weight” behind a legislative package for containing gun violence offered by Senator Dianne Feinstein. The bill aims to “stop the sale, transfer, importation and manufacturing of military-style assault weapons and high capacity ammunition feeding devises.” It will ban 120 specifically named weapons, including handguns and shotguns, and strengthen the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban, which expired in 2004.

Now I am against violence of any form, but I don’t see why an assault rifle should be the focus of his political venom- guns do not kill people, people do. To focus on the tool misses the problem.

I have owned several SKS since 1990. If you don’t know what an SKS, see the image in this post of me on the book cover of my last book. No it is not a prop is real and one of several. I like it because it fires the 7.62 x 39 (AK47/SKS) slug. Now for most this is an assault rifle, for me it’s just a rifle.

Some ask why I want or need an assault rifle like an SKS? My answer is based on two things: the second amendment and prospects of Tyranny. The second amendment says “A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed” (keyword being regulated not maintained). There was no standing militia in the colonies. In fact they did not get together until 1774 (the Coercive Acts) when the British implemented gun control measures via an import ban on firearms and gunpowder;” the 1774-75 confiscations of firearms and gunpowder; and the use of violence to effectuate the confiscations. History is complete with examples of gun control and the results. Whether in Turkey where in 1911 when 1 .5 million Armenians, unable to defend themselves, were exterminated between 1915 and 1917, or even in modern times when in 1964,Guatemala established gun control allowing the government to kill 100,000 Mayan Indians between – From 1964 to 1981. I won’t even mention Nazi Germany, who killed 13 million weaponless Jews, gypsies, and homosexuals after established gun control in 1938.

The aforementioned represents Tyranny which refers to the arbitrary or unrestrained exercise of power and/or the despotic abuse of authority or oppressive or unjustly severe government on the part of any ruler. Fact is, according to the FBI homicide data, hammers, clubs and knives are responsible for more homicides than rifles In fact; the FBI concluded that rifles of all types are the least-used guns when crimes are committed. Not to mention that most firearm murders (about 11,400), are gang related, how many would you guess had legally purchased or registered weapons?

Now many would suggest that tyranny on behalf of the US government with it’s first black President is outrageous: maybe or maybe not but looking at the facts suggest that anything is possible. Take the National Weather Service, who like the Department of Homeland Security in securing large quantities of ammo. Back in March, Homeland Security purchased 450 million rounds of .40-caliber hollow point bullets that are designed to expand upon entry and cause maximum organ damage. The NWS ordered 46,000 rounds of hollow point bullets and I don’t think they are for predicting tornadoes. Then there was the solicitation posted by the Social Security Administration for contractors to supply 174,000 rounds of “.357 Sig 125 grain bonded jacketed hollow point pistol ammunition.”

The point is technology, if there is tyranny, then what good is a handgun against weaponized drones, Tanks and body armor? None. But I can rest assured that the 7.62 of the SKS can go through all and that makes me comfortable for I have 99 problems – owning an assault rifle isn’t one of them. For the fact of the matter is, when only the military and police have guns, it is called a police state.

Editor’s Note: This post was written by Dr. Torrance Stephens, and was originally published on his blog Raw Dawg Buffalo. A notable scientist and published author, and scholar you can follow Dr. Stephens on twitter: @rawdawgbyffalo.

The post Got 99 Problems – Owning an Assault Rifle Isn’t One appeared first on Madness & Reality.

So, are you having a Happy New Year thus far? Hopefully you are, because there are many who are not. Case in point, check out what happened to the Ramirez and Ortiz family of Phoenix, Arizona. Like many across America, their celebration of the new year involved guns. Now, I don’t know where you may live, but it’s very common to hear the occasional celebratory gunshot around here at midnight when the ball drops. Unfortunately for the Ramirez family, their moment of joy turned to tragedy, when the 19-year-old Savannah Ramirez accidentally shot her older brother while attempting to take photos for Facebook. Yep, yet another case that proves that alcohol and guns do not mix.

This from Gawker:

A 19-year-old woman in Phoenix who accidentally shot and killed her brother was posing with a gun for Facebook photos, according to local police.

Savannah Ramirez and her brother, 22-year-old Manuel Ortiz, were celebrating New Year’s Eve at Ortiz’s apartment along with three other people, when a Facebook photoshoot with a gun turned deadly.

Brother & Sister: Msnuel Ortiz & Savannah Ramirez

Police believe both Ramirez and Ortiz were drinking and the weapon was in Ramirez’s hand when it accidentally discharged. If blood tests confirm that alcohol was indeed involved, Phoenix police Sgt. Steve Martos said Ramirez would likely be charged with manslaughter.

“Every New Year’s Eve, this particular sister is going to be thinking about this for the rest of her life,” Martos said.

You know that silly argument that many refuse to accept that says guns don’t kill, but it is people with guns who do? I think in this case, at least, it can be said that this accidental shooting supports the aforementioned argument. But don’t tell that to the NRA president, Wayne La Pierre.

The post Sister Shoots and Kills Brother Posing with Gun for Facebook Photos appeared first on Madness & Reality.

Remember that iconic photo of Malcolm X peeking out the window while holding gun with what’s known on the streets as a banana clip? as I think of this week’s ongoing gun control debate, I’ve come to rest on that very picture probably being the biggest reason why I’m opposed o an assault weapon ban. I can provide numbers to support the argument that an assault weapon ban will do very little as a solution to America’s gun violence problem. But being a black man, that very photo says it all. Not that I’m paranoid or afraid of “the man” coming after me like they did Malcolm — nope, never that. You see, I’m reminded of the fact that at one point in this country’s history, it was against the law for anyone black to own a gun. And in so many ways, the existence of that law further enabled “certain people” when it came to terrorizing the lives of black folks in America.

Here’s a stupid conversation on gun control:

Any gun control we enact will have a limited effect. But this should not be cause for despair. Much of the recent hysteria over gun deaths is misplaced.

A lot of people have been citing a recent report, “American Gun Deaths to Exceed Traffic Fatalities by 2015.” The article shows that gun deaths in America are slowly rising, and now stand at 32,000 per year — a staggering toll. Now, 32,000 deaths per year is a lot of death, and I’d never minimize that. But what the article’s authors fail to mention is that gun murders comprise less than a third of that total — about 9,000 per year in recent years. With accidental gun deaths steady at around 500-600 per year, the bulk of those 32,000 “gun deaths” are suicides.

In fact, murder by gun has been falling steadily since the early 1990s. Some of that is due to improvements in emergency medicine, but most is a result of the overall decline in violent crime that America has enjoyed over the last two decades. The fact that overall gun deaths has risen since 2000, despite the fall in murders, suggests that increased gun suicide has accounted for more than 100% of the increase in gun deaths. Obviously, suicide is a tragedy, and I don’t want to minimize it. But people aren’t panicking over suicide, they’re panicking over murder, and gun-related murder is on the way down.

Of course, 9,000 gun deaths a year is still a lot. Still more than other rich countries, still a disgrace, still far too many! But people who have been watching the round-the-clock coverage of the Newtown massacre need to understand that “mass killings” of the Newtown type account for a very small percent of that 9,000. Most of those 9,000 gun murders are of the more mundane, but no less deadly variety — drive-by shootings, gang wars, personal quarrels, and other easily comprehensible crimes.

And if we really care about those 9,000 souls who are shot to death each year, there is an extremely effective policy that we could enact right now that would probably save many of them.

I’m talking about ending the drug war.

Now I can think of many reasons to end Americas 40-year-long failed War on Drugs; and, I’m sure we can have a debate on just that. However, since we’re all up in arms about guns since last month’s tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut. Given the many ill-formed opinions and positions posited by more than the NRA’s Wayne La Pierre. Again, in the interest of public safety, isn’t it time we treat drug use, abuse, as well as gun violence like a public health crisis much like we did with HIV/AIDS in America and abroad? No seriously, think about that for a second. Yes, think about how a necessary paradigm shift — that is, decriminalizing illicit drugs — as far as policy can produce the desired results for the greater good.

Reliable statistics on the number of drug-related murders in the United States are hard to come by. A 1994 Department of Justice report suggested that between a third and a half of U.S. homicides were drug-related, while a recent Center for Disease Control study found that the rate varied between 5% and 25% (a 2002 Bureau of Justice report splits the difference). Part of this variance is that “drug-related” murders are hard to define. There are murders committed by people on drugs, murders committed by addicts to get money for drugs, turf-war murders by drug suppliers, and murders committed by gangs whose principal source of income is drug sales.

But very few would argue that the illegal drug trade is a significant cause of murders. This is a straightforward result of America’s three-decade-long “drug war.” Legal bans on drug sales lead to a vacuum in legal regulation; instead of going to court, drug suppliers settle their disputes by shooting each other. Meanwhile, interdiction efforts raise the price of drugs by curbing supply, making local drug supply monopolies (i.e., gang turf) a rich prize to be fought over. And stuffing our overcrowded prisons full of harmless, hapless drug addicts forces us to give accelerated parole to hardened killers.

Ending the drug war would involve reducing all of these incentives to murder. Treating addicts in hospitals and rehab centers, instead of sticking them in prisons, would reduce demand for drugs, lowering the price and starving gangs of income while reducing their incentive to wage turf wars. Decriminalization would relieve pressure on our prison system, allowing us to focus on keeping violent people off the streets instead of pointlessly punishing drug users for destroying their own health. And full legalization of recreational marijuana — which is already proceeding quickly among the states, but is still foolishly opposed by the Obama administration — is an obvious first step.

In other words, yes, gun control is good. BUT don’t expect it to be a panacea for America’s gun violence problem. If we really want to save some of those 9,000 people, we need to end the self-destructive, failed drug policies that have turned us into a prison state and turned many of our cities into war zones. (source)

Now, does this sound crazy, or what? Of course to some of you it does; however, alcohol is considered a drug, yet I don’t see Mexican drug cartels murdering people by the thousands each year to be able to control the market for alcohol. Nope, you don’t hear about headless bodies being found in deserts along the southern border because of alcohol. Which is really funny because more people die annually because of alcohol than they do because of guns. So if we’re really serious about doing something about gun violence in America, why not start with drug legalization? After all, if that were to happen, what’s the worse that can happen other than a reduction in gun crimes in cities in Chicago? A city that had 506 homicides in 2012, with 80% of them being gun-related; with only 4% of the guns used being assault weapons. This makes sense in my head, but what about you?

After all, like “Nino Brown” said, “Ain’t no Uzis made up in Harlem,” which they might not be. But, it’s undeniable that more money is made by the presence of guns and drugs in our neighborhoods by the folks responsible for the task of keeping them out, than the ones engaged in the trade.

Although the overall U.S. prison population declined slightly in 2011, the federal prison population continued to rise, with rates of drug and immigration offenders that eclipse those held for violent crimes. While only 8 percent of federal prisoners were sentenced for violent crimes in 2011, almost half of federal inmates – 48 percent – were in prison for drug crimes, according to Department of Justice statistics. Another 11 percent were held for immigration offenses – one of the largest-growing segments of the prison population.

These numbers reflect the impact of the aggressive U.S. “War on Drugs,” a major contributor to the United States’ standing as the number one jailer in the world. Overall declines in U.S. prisons of 0.9 percent are attributable to state prisons, as some states have been moved by budget crises to adopt innovative reforms, and some jurisdictions have moved toward decriminalizing minor drug offenses.

But federal drug law remains draconian, with harsh mandatory minimum sentences for sometimes minor nonviolent roles in drug deals. What’s more, one of the major causes of the state prison population decrease was the 2011 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that California state prisons are cruel and unusual under the Eighth Amendment. A drastic decrease in California’s prison population has resulted from what is known as realignment, in which prisoners are moved from state prisons to county jails, where local sheriffs have greater discretion over how to deal with offenders – for better or for worse — and may send them to mental health treatment, home surveillance, or community service rather than hold them behind bars. The California shift accounts for more than half of the decrease in the U.S. prison population, and overall state spending on prisons continues to be the fastest-growing budgetary item after Medicaid. (source)

Now watch the following video and ask yourself: What would change if drugs were made legal in America?

The post Why Ending the Drug War is Good Gun Control Policy appeared first on Madness & Reality.

It has been almost a week since the Shady Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. Ironically, even as funerals are being held for the victims, assault weapons like the AR-15 Bushmaster used in the shooting are selling like hot cakes. Yep, amid the talk of a federal assault weapons ban and a tightening up of regulations, it would appear that said gun and weapons like it, have become the season’s new Tickle Me Elmo. As the debate continues over the necessity of owning such a weapon, one thing isd clear: There is still an obvious demand for them in the wake of this last week’s horrible tragedy that saw the death of twenty children and six adults in one swoop, even as the country still mourns. That said, I think it’s safe to say that Americans are not afraid of those shiny Red Rider BB Guns once feared for shooting out the eyes of children.

Anyone seeking to limit the sale of assault weapons must reckon with the fact that millions of Americans own guns that might be classified as one, and for many it is no more exotic than, say, a motorcycle or sports car, from which they derive a similar satisfaction.

“It’s very stress-relieving,” said Chad Knox, a paramedic who shoots targets and hunts small pests with a semiautomatic rifle on his 40 acres in Marietta, Ohio. “Some people crochet, some people shop, some people shoot guns.” .

Mr. Knox owns an AR-15 style rifle, a 55-year-old design based on a military weapon that has become notorious because it was used by gunmen in a series of mass shootings in recent years, including the attack in Newtown, Conn., last week.

Outlawed for a decade by the federal government, certain models of the AR-15 could again be forbidden if President Obama can persuade Congress to restore the federal assault weapons ban that expired in 2004, as he has indicated.

But to many owners of military-style semiautomatic rifles, who reject the term “assault weapon,” the AR-15 and its brethren do not evoke fearsome images of attacks on people. They use their guns for target practice and hunting small game like rabbits, squirrels and coyotes.

They also say that as a self-defense weapon, the AR-15, which is based on the military’s M-16 and M-4, has its limits: It cannot be carried in public, and in the home it is potentially less accurate than a shotgun. (read more)

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The horror at Sandy Hook Elementary is beyond comprehension. Our hearts are broken and our nightmares renewed at such senseless loss of precious life. We are sickened that this could happen. How can this tragedy and the other massacres that have taken place be prevented? How can we protect ourselves and the most innocent among us from the deranged and the murderous evil minds that prey upon the defenseless? Is gun control the answer?

In 1994, The Gun-Free Schools Act was passed and implemented in 1995. Since the Gun-Free School Zone Act there has been a 370% increase in the rate of school shooting deaths. Yet, the United States homicide rate has decreased by 14% since GFSZA was enacted. Why is the murder rate decreasing where conceal carry laws are in place, but those murdered on educational property has quadrupled where guns are banned? Areas where victims are disarmed attract violent predators. The data from the Gun-Free Schools Act bears this out.

Why is it that these mass murders occur in Gun Free Zones? Recent memory includes Columbine, Virginia Tech, the Aurora Theater, and now Sandy Hook. They are rural, unprotected, and Gun Free Zones. Ever wonder why the schools in the worst neighborhoods in our inner cities do not fall victim to mass murderers? They would be met with metal detectors and armed guards. They wouldn’t get very far. The evil minded and the deranged pick easy targets – the disarmed – to do the most damage. They do not obey Gun Free Zone signs. They do not obey gun control laws. They acquire guns illegally. There are current laws that prohibit the mentally unfit from owning a gun, yet those with the intent of causing mayhem, find a way. More gun control is not the answer. And, in case you have forgotten, you have a right to protect yourself, your property, and those in your care.

So, why are we, as a society, not having an honest conversation and a debate about the effectiveness of gun control? Why do we blame all gun owners for the act of one deranged person? Guns are how we avoid talking about the dark side of human nature that will never be eradicated. The best we as individuals can do is to protect ourselves and those we hold dear. (read more)

So as we await the NRA’s official press conference in anticipation of them supporting the tightening of regulations. May I suggest that we don’t hold our collective breaths. At the end of the day, it is quite clear that nobody in America is serious about gun control — and the more we talk about it, the more guns are swiftly flying off of store shelves. So what should we do? I say let them have their guns; yes, forget about an assault weapon ban. Yep, allow them to fulfil their sense of security so as to sleep better at night. I know, sounds crazy, right? Well, not so much if government mandates that gun owners insure their instruments of death or face a tax should they fail to, much like is deemed Constitutional by the Supreme Court with the Affordable Care Act under the commerce clause. Let them keep their guns, but make it more costly. After all, freedom ain’t free, right?

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So I’m wondering: Would we be mad at the NRA if Adam Lanza was shot by the police? Seriously, think about that one for a second before answering. Anyway, I just found out that the 12-year-old daughter of one of my wife’s former co-workers committed suicide yesterday — she hung herself. Yes, she was twelve years old; and, she was black.

Not that race matters when it comes to the frailty of the mind. But, I had to put that out there just in case someone reading this may have assumed that she was white. Why? Because, many within the black community are ignorant enough to believe that suicide is just one of those things that black folks don’t do. Yes, sadly some of us are misguided.

Bu,t see? Not everyone with mental health issues are quick to grab guns and murder innocent children — actually,only a small percentage of mental health patients are violent. That aside, I know, some of you are of the opinion that the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting has more to do with gun control and assault weapons than anything else. Yeah, never mind that the AR-15 used by Adam Lanza to murder twenty-six people was perfectly legal in a state that has an assault weapons ban. Uh-huh, also, let’s just conveniently forget that while we mourn the loss of lives in Newtown, CT. that innocent children are also being killed by U.S. military drones overseas.

Ain’t that right, Mr. President?

The post Would we be Mad at the NRA if Adam Lanza was Shot by the Newtown, CT. Police? appeared first on Madness & Reality.

Way back in the day, well before we were known as Niggers, Negroes, and subsequently African-Americans, we were known as Spearchuckers. It was meant as a derogatory term as did most other terms used to describe Blacks of African descent in America. But you know what? I do not think Spearchucker is a bad term. Actually, I wish we were Spearchuckers today, or rightfully called that in a literal sorta way.

Ok, bear with me as I explain. You see, way back when, when Africans lived on that other planet called Africa, we carried spears as a weapon, right? I was not there, but I suspect, that back in the day in Africa, a Black man without a spear was as worthless as a Black man without a job and unable to pay his child support today. Yup, possessing a spear was important, without it, there was no food, or means of defending the homies in your crew from some other crew that claimed to either be a Crips or Bloods, or whatever. Plus, I seriously doubt the chicks took a Black man without a spear seriously. I mean, why would she if he cannot even bring home a rhino or elephant periodically, right?

Some where along the line, some White guy decided to show up in his space ship on planet Africa. Being from another world, and not knowing what he would run into, he carried with him what was known as a gun. And you know what happened? The White guy being forever the forward thinker, decided to trade his guns for a few Africans (who were sitting in the county jail) to give them their freedom to come help said White guys tend to his flower garden. Was not that so nice of the White guy who landed on planet Africa? Of course the ever so curious African do-gooders accepted the guns as bail money. Yup, and the rest is history as they say.

This is why I always say that the gun, is worst invention known to man. Yup, Africans got guns in exchange for other Africans. Then, they put down their spears, (which made it even easier to be kidnapped) and now White people are using spears in an Olympic sport called the Javelin. Ain’t that a bitch? And now here we are centuries later, Black people here in America are killing one another in record numbers every year by using a guns.

If we Black people of African descent here in America had spears, there would more than likely be less murders or Black on Black crime. I mean lets face it, the Bloods & Crips in Africa never really ran around doing throw bye’s, and killing innocent bystanders like they used to do out in L.A. back in the 90′s did they? Seewhumsayin? I mean, just keeping it real, a spear is kinda hard to hide and tuck into the small of your back under a jacket.

Seriously, I think it would be quite uncomfortable to carry a concealed spear. Yeah, you just cannot expect to sneak a spear up in the club, and shit just like that. Are you crazy? And what would that mean for the Black community? Less Black on Black crime, or in particular murders. Not just that, but less cops harassing Blacks like they do looking for guns. Yup, no more racial profiling and all of that racial shit, and we would all be able to live in peace and harmony. Yes, life in America would be different for us folks of African descent if they had just left their guns at home. Now all we have to do is figure out how all these guns get onto our streets everyday.

Can you take a guess how they do?

The post Gun Control: If Only We Could Be Spearchuckers Again appeared first on Madness & Reality.

I’m not sure if I totally agree with Bob Costas on last night’s now “controversial” halftime commentary on the Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher’s murder-suicide. However, I would say that he has a point when speaking to the culture of violence fostered by gun ownership or gun possession. Unfortunately, there are many who disagree, and I see this as part of the problem. So much so that there’s no cry for gun control when the principal parties involved in any violent crime like Jovan Belcher and Kassandra Perkins are people of color.

Yes, guns don’t kill; and yes, it is people with guns who kill. However, the truth is, gun ownership or possession in some cases are in fact not used as a tool of last resort when it comes to conflict resolution. Like I said in a recent post: Gun violence is as American as hot dogs and apple pie.

The post Jason Belcher Murder-Suicide, Bob Costas, & Gun Control appeared first on Madness & Reality.

There is something sick and perverse about George Zimmerman selling autographs to raise money for the cost of his upcoming trial. What this says about Zimmerman or willing participants of such a sordid transaction, I’m not sure. But hopefully, it doesn’t reflect the insidiously pervasive direction of larger society. The last thing we need are twisted individuals receiving stars on Hollywood Boulevard for murders in spite of how justified they may be deemed in a court of law.

Speaking of which, by now, hopefully you’ve heard about yet another senseless murder of yet another 17-year-old black male at the hands of a “responsible” law-abiding white gun owner . I wrote about my initial feelings with regard to the lack of national outrage yesterday. But ironically, as I punch keystrokes, I can hear my man Rev. Al Sharpton speaking (very loudly as always on Politics Nation) about the incident itself. Ask any black person: When it goes down, you want Al on your side.

I take some comfort in knowing that if anybody is on the case to give it the national coverage it deserves — unlike the Daniel Adkins case — it is the good brother, Rev. Al Sharpton. Let’s just say that I can sleep a little better tonight knowing that the brother is watching this one very closely.

Having said that, check out what the shooter, 45-year-old Michael Dunn’s attorney is saying:

Now, for the first time, we’re hearing Dunn’s side of the story, from his attorney Robin Lemonidis. She said, “They were blasting some rap music. And he said he rolled down his window, pulled up on the passenger side, and rolled down his window and asked, would you mind turning that down? And said it very politely.”

The attorney says the teenager in the front seat turned down the radio. But then she says her client heard the teens cussing at him, making threats. She says Dunn rolled down his window and said, “He said excuse me, are you talking to me?”

At that point, she says one of the teenagers told Dunn he was dead. “And that’s when the guy in the back seat raised the barrel of a shotgun over the rim of the window,” said Lemonidis. “At that point, he just snapped into self protection mode.”

Dunn’s attorney claims that’s when her client reached for a gun he had in the glove compartment of his car, loaded it, and fired. “Firing at the car, because they’re showing him a gun, and he can’t see their hands,” she said. “And he doesn’t know. They’re about to blast him in the face with a shotgun, as far as he knows.”

Sounds reasonable, right? I mean, if someone gets a bit upset and refuses to acquiesce my request to turn down loud aggravating hippity hop music, and points a shotgun in my direction after exchanging pleasantries (remember this?). Yes, like me, you too would feel threatened and feel the need to protect your life by using the necessary deadly force it requires, right? Because of course, everybody knows how rap music if played loudly, gives black teens super human strength known to rival that of the Hulk. There’s only one problem, however, there was no guns recovered from the car.

How’s that for being a “responsible” legal gun owner?

So yeah, as Michael Dunn’s attorney says, this case is nothing like the Trayvon Martin case. You hear that? This guy isn’t the obvious racist many perceive George Zimmerman to be. Nope, according to his attorney, he is no “vigilante,” Unlike Zimmerman, he was fearful for his life, And listening to her in the video above, if I was a white man, I’d be afraid too. Again, forget the fact that there was no gun, the fact that there was more than one scary black teen in a car with tinted windows, clearly means there had to be a gun involved somewhere — after all, the music was loud.

As a matter of fact, supposedly Dunn’s attorney also stated that police didn’t find a gun because police didn’t look hard enough. Yep, no need to even plant a gun; nope, the kids were black and the windows were tinted;yep, there had to be a gun in that car. Hell, if the cops looked hard enough, I’m sure they’d also find empty KFC fried chicken boxes,empty malt liquor bottles, and a watermelon-chitlin juice mix on the upholstery. After all, the four occupants of the SUV were all black, no? Not that it should matter; but, I’m just sayin’.

“There are no comparisons to the Trayvon Martin situation,” said Robin Lemonidis, Dunn’s attorney. “He is devastated and horrified by the death of the teen.”

Yep, he was so devastated that he drove off, and slept knowing that a black kid was dead…

Listen, I could go on and on about how this is yet another example of how the negative stereotypes of black people in general, and black males in particular often lead to grave consequences. Yes, we’ve been down this road before on numerous occasions. Instead, I’ll close by saying that other than the obvious, what’s overlooked is how the culture of violence in America facilitates a mindset that’s foreign to the concept of proper conflict resolution. After all, America has taught us that if there’s a problem with someone or something the best way to deal with it, clearly, is to kill it.

Don’t blame the NRA, folks; nope, in American culture the bad guy always wears black.

The post Attorney: Jordan Davis Killer Michael Dunn is no George Zimmerman – But is He? appeared first on Madness & Reality.

So, apparently a mentally ill Black man was shot 46 times, and killed by Saginaw, Michigan police officers almost two months ago; and, we’re just now hearing about it because it was caught on tape. Thanks to CNN and the work of a concerned citizen armed with a video camera, we’re reminded of the disadvantage of being black when encountered by police.

People of color have a long history of being on the receiving end of police abuse. But then, someone got lucky 25 years ago, and captured the brutal beating of an unarmed motorists by several members of the Los Angeles police department. Luckily, that man survived his beating, and in an act of kindness after the officers were convicted, he was awarded a large sum of money for his pain. Convenient, don’t you think?

After that incident, the rapper Ice Cube wrote a song called “Who Got The Camera”, and ever since, black folks saw it fit to arm themselves with video cameras to collect evidence, just on the off-chance that they encounter the police and happen to trip and fall into a few batons, or foolishly decide to obstruct the path of bullets fired from a police officer’s firearm. You know, sorta like Oscar Grant did in Oakland back in late 2008, just before New Years Eve?

Yeah, remember the outrage that sparked, and the subsequent outcome?

Yes, if you’re black (or any other person of color) it’s always a good idea to keep a camera handy, just like my man Ice Cube said back in 1992. But who would have thought that in today’s post-racial society, that black men would still have to adhere to such a rule to avoid being shot multiple times like Milton Hall was in Saginaw, Michigan on July 1st, 2012. Oh, before I go on, allow me to mention that Hall was black, mentally ill, and homeless; pretty much on the lowest rung of society.

This from CNN.com:

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