Fun With Guns: Get The Hell Off My Lawn, Texas Style Edition
So, it’s in San Antonio.
Franklin Martinez is 77 years old, which the Fox News station in San Antonio refers to as “elderly.” Honey, my Momma will be 90 years old this month and would slap you upside the head for calling her “elderly.”
Martinez is obviously very proud of the front of his home. And you know that because …
According to information released by the San Antonio Police Department, 44-year-old Manuel Lopez parked in front of his neighbor’s home on Elvira Street on Sunday afternoon.
When Lopez said he would not move his car, police say Martinez shot Lopez in the head.
It’s San Antonio so it’s not like this was snow plow day or anything.
Lopez is expected to survive his injuries. Martinez is expected to have his elderly butt put in jail.
Thanks to Larry for the heads up.
Please tell me they took away his gun immediately.
1Either he had recently watched Grand Torino or he’s a faithful Faux Noise viewer.
Oh, lord, lord, lord. (What my little ol’ Okie Mama used to say when I was being totally idiotic. Most often accompanied by a shaking head.)
What part of “public street” doesn’t Martinez get??
2Well, speaking for old cranky guys, I kinda understand. Years ago I had a neighbor who decided to park his boat and RV in front of my house. He didn’t even live on our street and he had ample parking in front of his house. He just didn’t want to look at them. And when I say parked them in front of my house I mean parked them and just left them there for months and months. It was annoying as hell. Still, I didn’t shoot him. But — ahem — I might have wanted to.
3Once I had the audacity to park my motor car across the street, down from that homeowner’s walkway and mailbox. She almost immediately flitted down on her leathery wings to tell me how she never parked her car in front of her house etc etc. This is such a problem in the town in which I live the police actually say on their website under polite parking, “Avoid parking in front of your neighbor’s house.” This monumental problem in Dallas is apparently a life threatening offense in SA.
4Do we have a gun problem, or do we have a selfish idiots with no impulse control problem? Frankly I think we have a problem of letting selfish idiots with no impulse control have guns, because it’s the combination that kills and maims people.
51.) The shooter will get a lawyer who will plead him not guilty due to senile dementia. 2.) I am not clear as to whether this was on street parking next to a curb on on an easement between the street and house. Michigan had suburbs where paved streets went curbless in public and people, whether or not they were in any way related to the property, parked on the easement or lost their vehicles to hungry Peterbilts.
Seems to me in this case there was simply bad blood between the two.
6I only encountered this once. Someone had parked in front of my house, so I parked in the nearest available place. The neighbor there left me a note saying I shouldn’t do that.
I responded politely, that if anyone in their house was handicapped I would be happy to avoid that space. If not then they are as capable of walking a few extra feet as I am. People do not own the parking spaces in front of their house. They are public property, paid for by taxes.
Common courtesy would dictate not blocking a neighbor’s curbside nonstop when there are other spaces available, but sometimes people have an unreal sense of entitlement to stuff that’s not theirs.
7As always, *sigh* we tell each other these stories — and even for us it takes careful reading of a few blogs to keep up. But while we are convinced not to vote for Republicans or gun nuts, we never would have voted for them anyway.
8‘
We NEED someone to put together a YEAR IN GUNS (AND GUNFAIL): 2015 that collects all these stories in one place. is written so the snark of stories of simple stupidity doesn’t lessen the effect of the tragedies — and near-tragedies like the bullet that comes through the wall but just misses the baby — included. Then we need to get it into people’s hands even if it means finding someone to subsidize the publication so we can give them away.
‘
Too many people think the gun problem starts and ends with the mass shootings, but the bigger problem is the daily deaths, injuries and traumatizations that other people don’t see because the stories we pick up on barely make it out of the states where they happen.
‘
Hmmm, another possibility, if we could only get it out so it would actually be watched — a weekly tv show, maybe starting out on community access and the little known, or watched progressive stations that run shows like DEMOCRACY NOW and GAY USA but hopefully getting publicity from people like Rachel — on THE WEEK IN GUNS.
‘
(And btw, my mother-in-law is still alive and kicking (literally, she takes her walker to line dancing classes) at 95, so your Momma has a few years to go.)
Oh look, another mass shooting. When are enough people going to get sick and tired of this shit? Sorry, mama, but I’m tired of it happening day after day and nothing being done about it.
9Rhea: totally agree with your selfish idiots comment.
Prup: maybe talk to John Walsh (if I have his name right). A weekly roundup of the gun crazies would be hot reality show idea. Except this is real reality. I’m all for it!
10Getting into people’s heads is the easy part. Finding someone/anyone at home is the problem.
11Somebody does this on Daily Kos. It is so depressing I never make it through a month (they post it monthly, with datelines from news articles) I’ll try to find the link…
12@Prup, here it is: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/12/02/the-san-bernardino-mass-shooting-is-the-second-today-and-the-355th-this-year/?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-high_wonkblogshootings-1116pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory
13