Matt Coleman, AK 47+ domestic violence = murder

[tombogan03884]

Did any one else get a reply from him ?
My e mail,
Sir, apparently you are to wrapped up in the liberal media mindset to figure
out that domestic violence  plus ANY type of weapon (most commonly the closed
fist) equals murder.
The problem is violent behavior not the first inanimate object the violent
person happens to get his/ her hands on.
I can only imagine 2 reasons for this sort of misdirection, one would be that
you stand to gain in some manner; such as being paid by an anti gun group, the
other
 possibility is that you are in league with the robbers,rapists, and
murderers and wish to see potential victims dis armed.
As a historical note, the first recorded murder in history of Abel by Cain was
commited with a rock. Shall we ban rocks?

His reply,

Hi Thomas,
Thanks for reading.
I can assure you I have no ties to advocacy groups or criminals.
The article didn't speak to disarming
 "potential victims." The
law says the gun should be handed over — not me.
I could give you the contact info for local policy makers responsible for
interpreting and enforcing these laws if you'd like.
And I'd imagine banning rocks would be a little too time intensive.


My "rebuttal"

Sir,
You neglect entirely my point that the instrument is not to blame , but that individuals violent tendencies.
If that poor lady had a fire arm herself she would most likely still be alive today.
Nation wide there are about 4400 "gun deaths per year half are suicides, according to the Clinton era Justice Dept statistics guns are used to PREVENT crime between 2 and 3 MILLION times per year.

[Teresa Heilevang]

The article didn't speak to disarming "potential victims."   

How does anyone know..who the "potential victims" are going to be before hand..
That statement confuses  me..as so many of the liberals babblings do. 

[Ruger-55]

How right you are. how can you say the gun was to blame when if you lay it on a table it WILL DO NOTHING.........

[Fatman]

What gets me is all crime is banned by law, and we still have crime. And yet, our law makers think the next law passed will help end crime.  Seems to me the problem is not one politician is seriously trying to get the criminals attention.

[twyacht]

Anti-gun politicians don't want women to have a gun and to use that gun to protect themselves from an ex boyfriend or husband who beats the hell out of her. They say "An order of protection will protect you" That is the most asinine statement anyone could say to a bruised woman with black eyes, broken nose and teeth knocked out."
PackinMama

Don't know if the history is known that led up to the final act, BUT as usual it's not the instruments fault. Had the item been a Estwing Hammer, would the outcry carry so much weight?

[Sponsor]

[tt11758]

The article didn't speak to disarming "potential victims."   

How does anyone know..who the "potential victims" are going to be before hand..
That statement confuses  me..as so many of the liberals babblings do. 

You should only worry if the liberal babblings DON'T confuse you.

[tt11758]

What gets me is all crime is banned by law, and we still have crime. And yet, our law makers think the next law passed will help end crime.  Seems to me the problem is not one politician is seriously trying to get the criminals attention.

The problem is that the politicians, by supporting whatever dumbass gun control measure that comes down the pike, know that the kool-aid drinkers upon whom they depend to keep them employed will get warm fuzzies from said gun control measure because it will show them the the politician is "doing something" about crime.  Nevermind that the "something" they're doing will be about as successful in reducing crime as a circle-jerk.

Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public......afterall, they're the ones who elected a socialist to the office of POTUS.

Here endeth the rant.

Tom

[fullautovalmet76]

Well Tom, it looks like Mr. Coleman knows all about us now....

Here's my e-mail:
Mr. Coleman,

I read your article with astonishment and dismay on Saturday, November 11, 2008. I was truly saddened by the murder of the two victims and was dismayed how you presented and labeled the weapon used in the murder.

The placement of the picture of the AK 47 directly below the headline and above the fold was clearly meant to sensationalize the story and stigmatize this rifle. You also refer to this rifle as an "assault weapon". Can you tell me exactly what is an assault weapon? I know this term was invented and used by the media over the past 20 years to advance an agenda to take away one of our civil rights, but I am not sure why you chose such a term. I own an AK 47 and I take great offense to the suggestion that by that term I may be a perpetrator of violent crime in my community. That term is nothing more than a slur against law abiding gun owners.  The picture you showed is a semi-automatic rifle. The technology behind this rifle has been existence for over 100 years. And the ballistic performance of this particular rifle is surpassed by common HUNTING rifles.

I also find the timing of this article to be curious. The murder was first reported on the Jacksonville.com web site several weeks ago and was pulled down the day it was published. Could it be that after the election, with an Obama win, you are trying to stoke the flames of a semi-automatic weapons ban? You and your editors should be ashamed for publishing this screed.

Mr. Coleman's response:

George,
Thanks for reading.
Sorry to hear you were dismayed. Please let me address your note.

• I can't speak much to the placement of the picture as I only report the information. Page designers place the stories and images. But dominant images are typically placed above the fold. The picture was provided by the police as the murder weapon. If it was a rock, pointy stick or bazooka and we had a picture, it would probably run above the fold.

• You are correct that the original report on the crime was posted on jacksonville.com (link below). It was never pulled from the site, as you can tell. The follow-up story dealt with a different issue — the validity of injunctions. The timing is merely a matter of how long it took to speak with sources and report the details accurately. No conspiracies there.

• Since you read the previous report, you'd realize the person who called the gun an assault weapon was with the police. I don't know who coined the term, but I know who said it when I reported it. I'm confused as to where the article said anything about all AK-47 owners being "perpetrators of violent crimes."

I appreciate the input. Send my regards to Tom Bogan and the rest of the Down Range TV forum. (emphasis mine)

http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/102408/met_347738042.shtml


I put a little heat in mine to ensure I got a response.  It seems that completely rational discussion has largely been cast aside for full-scale verbal combat these days; but I digress.

I did understand that he was dealing with another issue entirely, but I have watched the issue of semi-automatic rifles evolve for over 20 years. Mr. Coleman knows full well that calling that rifle an "assault weapon" creates a powerful tie between the crime and the rifle. Before long, people begin to associate that type of rifle with crime. It's is similar to what has happened with the American Bull Terrier (a.k.a. Pit Bull).

We need to challenge these people anytime they misrepresent us. We have remained silent too long. It is now time to make our voices heard or we run the risk of having them silenced for a very long time.

[tombogan03884]

On MB's podcast this week, he again refers to a conversation he had with a "Gay Rights" activist who said," The secret is to get out of the closet and into the streets", he went on to say that if Gays had the kind of numbers that gun owners do the would rule the planet. The message being that we as members of the gun culture can let nothing slide, calling you a "gun nut" is the same sort of "hate crime" as calling Liberace a "faggot", or calling a black person anything that starts with the letter "N" (unless he is from Nigeria)
When media outlets mention Gun owners in ANY terms other than as "law abiding Citizens"we should picket that establishment, when towns consider gun laws we need to be there IN MASS accusing them of DISCRIMINATION, they are after all infringing our Civil rights. Take several pages from the Gay rights movement, Do NOT limit yourself to picketing establishments, media, and hearings, picket the HOMES of company and local officials. Button hole their relatives, walk up to an anti gun reporter or selectman's Wife in a public place and ask "How do you feel about your Husbands attempts to make the world safe for rapists  ? Is he doing it to protect himself ?"
These tactics may be distasteful to people like us, we prefer not to draw attention to our selves, but THEY WORK ! You may not approve of homosexuals, but I bet you are DAMNED careful where you say so nowadays. We have been writing letters to the Editor and to our representatives for 50 + years and it has not been enough, We MUST take the offensive. Would you rather feel like an ass chanting a slogan and carrying a sign outside city hall or the local newspaper, or wait until our only option is ambushing "Confiscation convoys" ?  Yeah , I know, but posters are a lot cheaper than ammo these days and you don't get the death penalty for being a pain in the ass.