Josh Sugarmann at it again

[Big45]

Honestly where does this guy come from?

Why the Redskins Should Bench the NRA
Sunday, October 7, 2007; Page B08


If it's October, then it's time again for the annual spectacle of the Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation cozying up to the organization leading the charge to overturn the District of Columbia's gun laws: the National Rifle Association. On Oct. 16, the Redskins' foundation will hold its third annual Redskins Sporting Clays Challenge sponsored by NRA Sports. Since 2005, the Redskins have held the event -- despite organized protests by D.C. youth, negative media coverage and the event's obvious conflict with the stated goal of the foundation to "make a positive and measurable impact on youth in the greater Washington, D.C. region," including their "health and wellness."
The NRA has never met a gun law that it can tolerate -- and repeal of the D.C. handgun ban has been the organization's Holy Grail. Never mind that the District's stringent laws have saved countless lives. Unlike homicides -- which are fueled by a steady flow of guns from jurisdictions with laws far more lenient than its own -- the District, with its low gun ownership rates, has a gun suicide and an overall suicide rate a fraction of the national average, the lowest in the country. With guns in only 5.2 percent of its homes, the District has a gun suicide rate of 0.9 per 100,000 residents, and an overall suicide rate of 6 per 100,000 residents. Compare these numbers with Alaska, which, with guns in more than 60 percent of all homes, leads the nation in both gun suicides (14.3 per 100,000 residents) and overall suicides (23.6 per 100,000 residents). As then-D.C. Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey testified before Congress in 2005: "What impact would the repeal of D.C.'s gun laws have on our city? From my perspective, the answer to that question is straightforward -- and it is scary. Repealing our gun laws would mean substantially more handguns in the District of Columbia. And more handguns would mean more gun crimes, more gun violence and more homicides, as well as more accidental shootings and suicides. More guns will also mean a greater threat to our police officers."

Right now the District is fighting the latest and most serious assault yet on its gun laws; Mayor Adrian M. Fenty has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse a lower court decision overturning the District's handgun ban. While D.C. officials fight to retain this decades-old law, the Redskins' Web site urges fans to join former Redskin (and current NRA board member and paid consultant) Dave Butz, as well as former and current Redskins players and coaches, at this event. The September issue of the NRA's America's First Freedom magazine declares that "the D.C. bans on handguns and armed self-defense are the products of extremism and bigotry that have been harming the good citizens of the District of Columbia for decades. . . . Today, bigots in the D.C. government despise the possession of arms and deny the right of survival."

For two years, the Redskins have disingenuously attempted to disassociate themselves from the NRA's pro-gun goals, arguing that it is possible to separate the NRA's political agenda from other components of the organization. In 2005, a Redskins spokesperson stated that the team did not support the NRA's agenda or its efforts to overturn D.C.'s gun laws. Indeed, the Redskins must recognize the link between handgun availability and violence: Fans are uniformly frisked for weapons as they enter FedEx Field.

If the Redskins really do care about the "health and wellness" of Washington area youth -- who will be at greater risk of being shot if the NRA gets its way and the District's handgun ban is struck down -- then the team should take the next logical step and disassociate itself from the NRA altogether. As Washington's hometown team, the Redskins should be expending their charitable energies to protect the District's children -- not giving aid and comfort to an organization with political goals that would place D.C. youth at greater risk.



-- Josh Sugarmann

Washington

The writer is executive director of the Violence Policy Center, a gun-control advocacy group based in Washington.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/05/AR2007100501692.html


I have a feeling this man would outlaw shooting clays tomorrow if he could?

 

[M_Olson]

If it's October, then it's time again for the annual spectacle of the Washington Redskins Charitable Foundation cozying up to the organization leading the charge to overturn the District of Columbia's gun laws:

the NRA is leading the charge on the case in DC? could have fooled me. actually, i could have sworn they tried to submarine it...i stopped reading there, as obviously this is not rooted in any sort of fact or reality.

 

[.cheese.]

both the NFA and the current HR 2640 prove this line false:

The NRA has never met a gun law that it can tolerate -- and repeal of the D.C. handgun ban has been the organization's Holy Grail.

not to mention that repeal of the D.C. handgun ban has not been the organization's Holy Grail. In fact, it's not been nearly as involved in it as I'd like to see as a member.

 

[Henry Bowman]

who will be at greater risk of being shot if the NRA gets its way and the District's handgun ban is struck down

Why, oh why does the NRA keep getting credit for this? I'm not anti-NRA at all, just pro-"get your facts straight, dummy."

 

[Standing Wolf]

As Washington's hometown team, the Redskins should be expending their charitable energies to protect the District's children -- not giving aid and comfort to an organization with political goals that would place D.C. youth at greater risk.

If every child in the District of Columbia were required to take a course in firearms safety, the murder rate would drop by at least half.

Leftism depends upon ignorance, fear, hatred, envy, racism, superstition, and much more ignorance.

 

[Big45]

Why, oh why does the NRA keep getting credit for this? I'm not anti-NRA at all, just pro-"get your facts straight, dummy."

My question to you is, does Josh Sugarmann deliberatley give the credit to the NRA, knowing it's a lie? Or is he genuinely ignorant of the situation?

 

[Regolith]

My question to you is, does Josh Sugarmann deliberatley give the credit to the NRA, knowing it's a lie? Or is he genuinely ignorant of the situation?

If I felt particularly cynical today, I'd say he damn well knows its a lie. But I'm only feeling a little cynical, so I'd say he knows its probably a lie, but doesn't know enough about the situation to know exactly how much of a lie it is, because he doesn't really WANT to know more.

 

[armoredman]

Sugarnmann is a deliberate liar.

 

[modifiedbrowning]

Unlike homicides -- which are fueled by a steady flow of guns from jurisdictions with laws far more lenient than its own

As then-D.C. Police Chief Charles H. Ramsey testified before Congress in 2005: "What impact would the repeal of D.C.'s gun laws have on our city? From my perspective, the answer to that question is straightforward -- and it is scary. Repealing our gun laws would mean substantially more handguns in the District of Columbia. And more handguns would mean more gun crimes, more gun violence and more homicides, as well as more accidental shootings and suicides. More guns will also mean a greater threat to our police officers."

Why should it matter if they repeal D.C. gun laws if the guns are easily available from jurisdictions with laws far more lenient?
Pure BS.

 

[average_shooter]

With guns in only 5.2 percent of its homes, the District has a gun suicide rate of 0.9 per 100,000 residents, and an overall suicide rate of 6 per 100,000 residents. Compare these numbers with Alaska, which, with guns in more than 60 percent of all homes, leads the nation in both gun suicides (14.3 per 100,000 residents) and overall suicides (23.6 per 100,000 residents).

Nevermind that Alaska has six months of darkness. No, that doesn't exacerbate depression, it must be the guns.

 

[macmuffy]

So the Redskin's sposer a clay shooting contest. Big hairy deal.
They also sponser other non shooting related events.
United way comes to mind, so we need to slam UW for the support that the 'Skins give it. (Is not the UW community/youth orientied?)

Now while we are slamming the 'Skins. let's slam Russell Ateletic for a 3 year sponsorship of their merchandise. http://blog.washingtonpost.com/washbizblog/2007/08/washington_redskins_ink_deal_w.html
This sponsership will allow the 'Skins to contue to support the UW and youth orientied activities in the future.

I think that that Sugerman needs to place his head further up his rectrm.

>rant off<






'

 

[ZeSpectre]

Nevermind that Alaska has six months of darkness. No, that doesn't exacerbate depression, it must be the guns

.

Plus, if my memory is correct, most suicide in Alaska is via overdose and not firearms.

 

[Big45]

Plus, if my memory is correct, most suicide in Alaska is via overdose and not firearms.

Not according to Josh Sugarmann's numbers:

Compare these numbers with Alaska, which, with guns in more than 60 percent of all homes, leads the nation in both gun suicides (14.3 per 100,000 residents) and overall suicides (23.6 per 100,000 residents).

"gun suicides" would make up about 60% of it's total.

Of course there is no mention anywhere in the article of where Josh Sugarmann gets these statistics?

 

[JohnBT]

"Why, oh why does the NRA keep getting credit for this?"

For the same reason that Washington gets credit for the Deadskins when they really play in Maryland. They're nearby.

John

 

[ZeSpectre]

Apparently I was incorrect. According to the AIPC suicide follow-back (warning, PDF document) the tool used in 63% of suicides in Alaska was a firearm.

The study covered three years from Sept 2003 to Aug 2006

However it is interesting to note that alcohol and/or drug use was indicated as being an element in 72% of ALL of the suicides. They also list that seasonal and/or monthly factors do NOT seem to be especially influential in the suicide patterns.

The 20-29 age group had the lowest incidence of using firearms, the 80+ group had the highest.

make of this what you will. I just wanted to post correct information when I had made a mistake earlier.

Oh an another thing. Why the comparison with DC and Alaska? Why not DC and Vermont?

 

[Regolith]

ZeSpectre: Or more appropriately, Alaska to Japan?

The answer is that it fits the author's biases. If any person who has even half serious about it studied suicide rates world wide, they'd quickly come to the conclusion that the availability of firearms has NOTHING to do with the suicide rate, since nations like Japan, who have no firearms, have a much higher suicide rate than that of the US.

There are several other non-firearm friendly nations who also have rates higher than that of the US.

What it CAN be linked to is culture and the living environment. Alaska's higher suicide rates likely has more to do with its unique situation (very low population = less chance of a person who is being suicidal will be able to seek help or that someone will intervene on their behalf, + a half dozen other factors ranging from higher male to female ratio than usual, harsher living conditions, etc). The Scandinavian nations in Europe have a fairly high incidence of suicides as well, over that of the rest of Europe, and probably for similar reasons.

The presence of firearms ain't got nothing to do with it.

 

[TexasRifleman]

In fact, it's not been nearly as involved in it as I'd like to see as a member.

They cannot be involved. The people that "own" the case have told NRA and the other organizations to stay the heck out.

That's just as well I think, the people leading the fight seem to be doing an excellent job.

 

[Art Eatman]

Good APS topic...