Things Go Better With Guns
by Primo Encarnación
A couple, two, t’ree weeks ago (as Uncle Jimmy Barstool might say) I completely innocently upset a pickup driver on the expressway, and he proceeded to chase daMrs and I in our little car. This is a very unusual occurrence for two reasons. First, I’m usually not innocent in upsetting other drivers. Second, I’ve never been chased before. Whatever. With my panicked wife frantically trying to remember the number for 911, I coolly led him along the right side of a semi, held him there as the three vehicles hit a two-lane off-ramp, then sped up and passed in front of the truck, trapping my pursuer on the exit.
Flash forward to this week, when a story hits that a woman in Nevada was involved in a road rage incident while teaching her daughter to drive, and was shot dead in her driveway at the end of a cul-de-sac. “See!” said daMrs, followed by much, much more, as she is also not a fan of my driving. She’s right, of course.
But today, much more of the story is emerging. The original incident between the woman, her daughter and the eventual killer was over and done with, and the women safe at home, when several fateful decisions were made. First, they woke up the 22-year-old brother. Did he tell his sister (who honked the horn that started the whole thing) not to be such an idiot? Did he tell his mother not to wake him for such nonsense? Of course not! Instead he got his….. wait for it…..
Gun. Yes, you guessed right. I knew you would. Well done.
Then, did they call the police? Did they cower behind drawn curtains, waiting like in the movies for the Apaches or the Zulus or the Nazis or the Viet Cong to attack? Of COURSE not: mom and son got in their car and went and LOOKED for the guy and his pals. With their gun. They found them, tracked them, then the tables turned and they were followed back home, where a gun battle ensued, and the mom ended up dead in the driveway, as the killer sped off.
Her death could have been avoided at any one of several points, clearly. Unrighteous indignation. A false sense of superiority. Testosterone. A feeling of invincibility. An inability to think beyond the moment. As in WWI, all of these things contributed to the escalation of this conflict. None of them were made better by the presence of guns. In fact, guns warped the power dynamic, supercharging the situation up to murder.
People are idiots. It’s a proven fact.
So why are we arming them?
Too bad the lady is dead because she prolly feels pretty stoopid about right now. Hard to feel much sympathy for any of these people.
1I really felt sorry for this family until I “heard the REST of the story”.
2There’s always the hope that it’s the stewpeedest of the stewpeed that are early retirees to the hereafter. That also is indicative of a stewpeed approach.
3I wonder if people think that owning a gun is like owning a bullet proof vest; as long as they have a gun nothing will hurt them. Never mind that any person they confront is probably an even bigger douchebag than themselves.
Yeah, I don’t feel any sympathy for people like the Meyers family who went looking for trouble nor do I have any sympathy for anyone who shoot themselves.
“So why are we arming them?”
4Because we are a nation of idiots with a big sense of entitlement and privilege.
There are tons of maxims and commentaries and such about surviving gunfights, most available on the internet. Here is my number 1, although I can not take credit for it..
5“Your number one option for personal security is a lifelong commitment to avoidance, deterrence, and de-escalation.”
All other maxims etc still apply, but the gunfight you avoid is a “win”.
Another moron self-culling from the herd. Sigh.
6This is a tragic situation for at least one family–the shooter may also have a family going through some pain–and it was not only avoidable, several people had to go far out of their way not to avoid it.
Too many people have some nutzoid John Wayne scenario going through their heads, unaware that John Wayne had scripts. I once discussed with a guy why he would choose to have a gunfight against home intruders even if his entire family could have safely sneaked away. He wanted the gunfight, even though his family would have been in the house with only house walls to protect them.
I don’t know if there is a cure for this.
7This is, of course, all going to court. The trial will totally use the aggressiveness of the mother and the son as contributing to their own deaths. I wouldn’t doubt that the defense attorney is going to claim self defense for his client. Won’t stretch that far, though. Absolutely no winners here. I am also betting that the NRA won’t say a thing about this muddle lest the last thing they hear is a sucking sound from beneath their feet.
8I’m a little confused. Who is the “good” guy with the gun vs. the “bad” guy with the gun???
Also, how does this effect the new driver?
9Yeah but…….the poor innocent little guns did not kill anyone. It was them nasty libruls who wouldn’t solve their problems diplomatically or call the cops. Obama puts them up to it. Obama made people buy all them guns and now they’re scared of all them guns and want to shoot everybody because Obama is Black and in the White House.
10NRA, tell us again how “An armed society is a polite society.” I don’t think these people heard you the first time.
Two families torn up because they both had guns and too much testosterone, regardless of sex. Lacking either or both, nobody dies.
11It turns out the mother knew one of the guys in the car. He lived about a block away and had a reputation for trouble. She made a terrible decision. Going out armed to try to intimidate a car full of ragers not only ended her life, but could have cost her son’s too. The gun insanity has cost our nation too much. It’s time for gun manufacturers to own up to their part in this travesty, just as tobacco companies were forced to years ago.
12NRA, tell us again how “An armed society is a polite society.” I don’t think these people heard you the first time.
You know, if that were true Deadwood and Tombstone would have been much, much more courteous places than they were.
13Tio Primo,do you teach evasive driving skills or is it a natural reflexive action?
14Oh Primo’s here! I love it when Primo shows up. You shoulda been at our supper table tonight. Remember my sacrifice for Lent was to NOT argue with the resident uh, er, Limbaugh enthusiast whom he swears is a very nice man? No no, just wait. No sooner than I’d sworn off getting into hair-blazing arguments about political views with house guests, lo, the meal nearly went up in smoke and flames about the 2nd amendment. Fortunately we’d all eaten already. All I know is I sure hope our guest doesn’t have a gun. We don’t. My husband can get us into enough hot water without a gun. Me, of course, I’m perfect.
15Darwin Award…no doubt about it.
16I had lunch the other day with what we call the Empty Nester Moms Club. As we live in Fort Bend County, I am probably the only librul in the bunch. One of the ladies is, however, that rare creature called a Thoughtful Republican. She apologized for bringing up politics during lunch, and then exhorted us all to call our elected officials to express opposition to this Open Carry nonsense. She & I agreed that, were our houses to be invaded, we would opt for a speedy escape rather than an armed confrontation. After all, it doesn’t say “Thou shalt not kill except in self defense”. Plus I don’t want blood all over my carpeting.
17Hurray for you, Jill Ann. One must be practical. In the unlikely event (I mean, really, how many of you have actually had to shoot someone when a beating with an 8 ft steel T post would have done the same thing and not made a mess?) that someone bleeds on your carpet, remember that hydrogen peroxide takes out blood. I always keep a big bottle of it next to my rocking chair.
18As Lynne says, Darwin Award for sure. Up to the time of the gunshot, though, no one knew quite who would be the winner.
19Marge Wood, I’m not sure if I’ve seen an 8 ft steel T post, but if it’s like what I’m picturing, beating somebody with one would tend to speckle the carpet at least a bit.
Annabelle Lee, Deadwood and Tombstone actually were pretty polite, because they were NOT armed. Most of those old west towns had a rule that you handed your gun over to the sheriff’s office when you came into town, and got it back as you were leaving. That’s what the gunfight at the OK corral was about: the Clanton brothers didn’t want to disarm when they came to town. One of them had been fined $25 over it.
20$25. must have been a lot of money back then.
21One of the reasons I stay in NYC, rather than move somewhere I can immerse myself in the beauty of nature, is that so many people are armed and dangerous. The main reason is that I don’t know how to drive, and don’t have to, living here.
22What’s scary-sad is that the family is still defending the decisions they made as being righteous and noble. Their wife/mother is dead because of those decisions. How is that not a bad thing?
23I was followed by a guy after yelling at him in a parking lot for going too fast, but my window was closed so I doubt he heard me. I was just venting. Anyway, he followed me for about a mile until I turned into a fire station parking lot. He drove past and decided not to continue the confrontation, given the possibility of dealing with a building full of bored firemen.
24We were followed- not long ago, by a big nasty moron in a big nasty truck, who evidently took exception to the fact that we were observing the speed limit. My husband was driving (thank heaven) and when the turd pulled in front of us and slammed on his brakes, jumping out of his truck- my husband (and hero) said, “Dude, are you OK?”
25The guy was spoiling for a fight. The fact that someone expressed concern completely deflated him. We asked if he was hurt, or on his way to the hospital, since he was clearly in such a hurry- and offered to provide help. He thanked us, got back in his truck and drove off. If we had been aggressive, or pulled a weapon, I can’t imagine the outcome. So…in my opinion-a good guy with a brain is far more valuable than an angry, scared guy with gun.
Dear Sir or Madam Guns do not make people stupid, people make themselves stupid. When faced with this situation, getting back in the car to follow or find these people is not the guns fault nor did the gun make them get in their car at gun point. This was completely the fault of the woman and her kids. Guns did not cause this stupidity. sincerely William lemaitre
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