A
fellow blogger shared
this article on his Facebook page, describing the author as "anti-gunner. Racist. Bigot." He is exactly right. The article, written by Tricia Bishop, the Balitmore Sun's deputy editorial page editor is titled "Do you know the gun owners in your circle?" She confirms her bigotry in the start to her article:
I'm less afraid of the criminals wielding guns in Baltimore, I declared as we discussed the issue, than I am by those permitted gun owners. I know how to stay out of the line of Baltimore's illegal gunfire; I have the luxury of being white and middle class in a largely segregated city that reserves most of its shootings for poor, black neighborhoods overtaken by "the game." The closest I typically get to the action is feeling the chest-thumping vibrations of the Foxtrot police helicopter flying overhead in pursuit of someone who might be a few streets over, but might as well be a world away.
You see, she can "self segregate" herself in a low crime neighborhood. Because she dislikes guns, she doesn't think about those folks who can do the same and may need a firearm for self-defense. Bishop worries about law abiding gun owners because there is no way for her to know who or where they are. Her answer to that is to create a database. That way, before someone moved into a neighborhood or allowed their children to go play at a neighbor's home, they could go online and see if there are guns in the home or neighborhood. Now, if someone were to suggest a database based on race or ethnicity so that you knew who lived in particular neighborhoods, they would rightly be called out for bigotry. But do that with gun owners, and you are some kind of champion to the gun ban crowd. Here is the choice part of the article:
And so, as President Barack Obama announced plans this week to tighten background checks for gun buyers and increase gun tracking and research, I thought, that's all well and good, but how about adding something immediately useful: a gun owner registry available to the public online — something like those for sex offenders. I'm not equating gun owners with predatory perverts, but the model is helpful here; I want a searchable database I can consult to find out whether my kid can have a play date at your house.
That's right, Bishop thinks gun owners are like "sex offenders." There is something wrong with us. She tries to ameliorate the charge by saying:
Before the 33 percent of U.S. households containing a gun (half of which don't secure them) gets too worked up, they should know that it would likely include many of my relatives and their friends. My parents grew up in small town Minnesota, and hunting was a regular part of their lives before they left for other states, and it still is for many they know. My folks were taught how to handle guns and use them safely. But that doesn't do much to allay my fears; it's the simple presence of the weapon in the home and the possibilities it presents that terrify me.
She goes on to repeat the often used myth about how guns in the home are far more likely to injure someone in the home, even though unintentional deaths by firearm are at all time lows. Maybe instead of worrying about law abiding gun owners, she should be more concerned with keeping some of those Baltimore criminals behind bars so they can't terrorize the less elite neighborhoods.
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