Q: Who do you think you are, telling a legal retailer what they can or cannot sell?
A: I'm a mom, a wife, a friend, a neighbor, an elected official. That's who I am. I have no authority to regulate the sale or purchase of legal items. I have every right to ask for voluntary measures that will make my community safer.
Q: Have you read the 2nd Amendment?
A: Yes. "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."
Q: The real problem is the liberal media, video games and movies. Did you write letters to stores that sell newspapers and video games?
A: No. But the topic is of interest and I am happy to discuss whether or not video games and movies contribute to gun violence. To begin the discussion, the 1st Amendment reads thusly: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."
Q: Are you stupid?
A: Does it matter?
Q: Why don't you do something about mental health?
A: I sadly agree that we, the collective we, are not adequately addressing the needs of children and adults with mental health issues. Yet another overdue conversation we are now tackling. Our NC Legislature will soon be in session. I encourage our elected leaders to better fund mental health services.
Q: Are you aware that you can purchase a firearm in North Carolina without any gun safety training?
A: I am now. And that needs to change. For those so inclined, you can contact your representatives to ask that they sponsor a bill to require gun safety training.
Q: Did you know that more murders are committed using hammers than guns? Where's your letter to Home Depot (or Lowes from my friends to the west) demanding they stop selling hammers?
A: Gotta love Snopes.
Q: I will do everything in my power to see that you are not re-elected.
A: That's not a question, so here's one: aren’t we fortunate, truly fortunate, to live in a country where this is an option?
Q: Are you allowed to use your office letterhead to write to law-abiding retailers?
A: Yes. And if it matters, I paid for the stamp. I always pay for the stamps I use to mail correspondence, regardless of the topic. I also pay for my paper, ink, printer, computer, cell phone and internet connection.
Q: Stay out of our lives. We don’t tell you what to do and what not to do.
A: Actually, I think you just did. Again, not a question, but interesting. And you are not the only one to make suggestions about what I should (ahem) “do.”
Q: I ask, are you from the South? This is the land of God and guns.
A: Yes, sweetie, I am from the south. That was a determination made by my parents and not one for which I can take credit. Thanks Mom and Dad.
Q: Why do you and other
A: I always consider factual information. I read statistics and point of view pieces and talk to people. I listen to the opinions of others. Sometimes their opinions are fact based, BTW, sometimes not. I also speak and act based on, yes, emotion. I have never known a mom who did not. I am not sure it is even possible.
Question: as Mayor of our town what can you do other than write a letter to Gander Mountain's CEO, as a town’s elected leaders can ban the discharge of guns and regulate firearms on town property, but they cannot ban the sale of weapons that are lawfully manufactured?
ReplyDeleteQuestion: Do you know it is political suicide to attack our Second Amendment rights and that the Democrats were swept solidly out of power in the next election after the 1994 Federal Assault Weapons Ban was enacted?
This is not a political issue. It is one of the public's safety.
DeleteThank you Mayor for taking a courageous stand, one that is indeed more popular than the comments posted to your blog indicate, despite the vitriol hurled your way, the potential political consequences because it is indeed the right thing. I am hopeful that what has begun as highly volatile remarks can evolve into meaningful discussion about how to reduce the senseless episodes of violence we see all to often.
ReplyDeleteHow does one construe facts as "highly volatile remarks?
DeleteThe FBI data on murder broken down by state and weapon type :
http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2011/crime-in-the-u.s.-2011/tables/table-20
According to these statistics, In North Carolina in 2011 we had a total of 489 murders. There were 26 murders by rifle as opposed to 235 by handgun, 60 by knife, 57 by other weapons, and 37 by hands fists and feet.
Across the board in ALL states according to the FBI data handgun murders vastly outnumber murders by rifles.
So again I ask, why are so called "assault rifles" obviously being singled out when the vast majority of murders across the board in all states are by handgun?
This is a simple question backed up by FBI statistics.
I still submit there is an agenda.
To see some of the "highly volatile" remarks, have a glance at the comments posted to the Mayor's Open Letter blog post or for even more fun, take a gander at the ones thrown her way in the comments to the News & Observer article here http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/01/07/2589465/morrisville-mayor-asks-retailer.html#disqus_thread
DeleteI for one think so called "assault rifles" are singled out because their basic purpose is not for sport hunting and by their nature they make it all to easy to repeat an event like Sandy Hook.
The agenda you believe exists seems to be to be quite simple: what can we do in a constructive way to reduce & eliminate senseless tragedy of mass murder in our country?
The 2nd Amendment has nothing to do with hunting. Do you see the word hunting in the text? The right must be protected to permit The People to defend themselves against enemies foreign and domestic.
DeleteGood point. It also says nothing about background checks, convicted felon restrictions, minimum age requirements or mental health. Yet I hope we can agree that it is reasonable to restrict the posession of firearms in some situations, no?
DeleteAgreed, so how about we start by restricting arms from the biggest killer of them all, from governments? According to University of Hawaii study http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/20TH.HTM Governments have murdered roughly 290 million people in the last century alone, not counting on the numbers so far in this century. I suggest you set an example of conviction and start advocating disarming of all Morrisville government employees including the police. What say you? What's good for the goose must be good for the gander, no?
DeletePlease try to avoid such poorly thought out, knee-jerk reactions in the future. There may still be a few people left that would look up to you as a community leader.
ReplyDeleteI realize that politicians think that every public tragedy requires them to do something in response. A reading of the history of gun control in this country clearly demonstrates that the community is neither safer, not better off for such efforts.
If only laws and policies could be judged, not on their intent, but rather on their outcome. A look at violent crime in places where the rights of the people to bear arms has been infringed, should clarify for you the outcome of such bad policy.
Irregardless of my position on guns, I stand up for an elected official who has the guts to speak from the heart. You rock, Jackie!
ReplyDeleteSo when you have a conversation, do you answer your mayor's email about the subject?
ReplyDelete