Stephen King on Guns

[hnk45acp]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...1/25/stephen-king-releases-gun-control-essay/

Maybe this should be in activism

Synopsis:
He calls for universal background check, 10 rounders and assault weapons bans.

There is an interesting part about a short story he wrote in which a kid brings a gun to school and holds his class hostage but he decided to pull the book because, although he doesn't think it would have caused a copycat crime it may have been an "accelerant".

I know lots of gun owners that are fans of the Dark Tower and his other work. Maybe we should start sending copies back to his publisher in protest

 

[Ryanxia]

Yet another anti-American in our midst. I would boycott him but never cared too much for his work to begin with (just not my interest).

 

[Neo-Luddite]

Yeh, check out his story 'Caine Rose Up' in the anthology Skeleton Crew. He should stick to writing and music ~ I do admire his work.

(the story deals with a sniper rampage by a college student from his dorm room - quite chilling actually.)

 

[hogshead]

Like his work not his ideals.

 

[PedalBiker]

Guys like King are just trying to appeal to the masses - they make money off of being popular.


Elway just pulled a similar stunt.

My guess is both of them used some kind of poll or adviser before presenting their opinion to the media. They are marketing their image.


If you give an arson $100 dollars and access to Walmart they can have your house nothing more than smoking rubble in under an hour. It's not like having some king of "dollar" limit on Walmart shopping would impact arson.

 

[HOOfan_1]

I know lots of gun owners that are fans of the Dark Tower and his other work. Maybe we should start sending copies back to his publisher in protest

When I was reading "The Stand", at times I almost thought he was a Libertarian. The fact that he government was making war on its own citizens...some other things as well. Although guns were not a huge part of the book, they did play a part and the main characters thought of them as essential....although some of the guns he described were completely inaccurate....never can judge anyone by the work the produce....just look at all the anti celebrities who make millions directing, producing and acting in films full of guns.

I wonder how J.R.R. Tolkein would feel....I just finished reading LOTR for the third or fourth time and I absolutely loved this line from Return of the King.

"those who have no swords can still die upon them"

 

[CookeMonster]

I read quite a bit of King, and from his books I can tell you, he knows NOTHING about guns. I have read several times when he writes things like (in Cell), half of his head was gone from the pistol in his lap containing illegal hollow point dum-dum bullets.

 

[valnar]

It upsets me when otherwise intelligent people are willfully ignorant. 'Been a lot of that going around.

 

[RockyMtnTactical]

Never cared for his work. I find it ironic that he probably would defend the 1st amendment tooth and nail, but he doesn't care for the 2nd... similar to the media.

 

[9MMare]

Some of you might be interested in a book called, "We have to talk about Kevin" which is about a family with a troubled teen that wont face facts and wont do anything about it. It is written after the incident and the teen survives and it's a look back at the years leading up to it.

It is indeed a mass school shooting....but not with a gun.

OTOH if you are looking for action you wont find it. They only describe it at the very end. However jailhouse 'interviews' with him throughout the book are interesting. It is fiction but discusses many of the real shootings and shooters that he wished to copycat and top.

 

[wojownik]

King said his objective was to contribute to the debate - while I don't agree with his views or conclusions, at least he's trying to reason through the issues. At least he's not knee-jerking about this. I am not a fan of his writing though (style or content).

I wonder how J.R.R. Tolkein would feel....I just finished reading LOTR for the third or fourth time and I absolutely loved this line from Return of the King.

"those who have no swords can still die upon them"

Draw your own conclusions, but Tolkien once noted "My political opinions lean more and more to Anarchy (philosophically understood, meaning abolition of control not whiskered men with bombs)—or to 'unconstitutional' Monarchy."

On the other hand, Tolkien pined for the simpler ways of life and detested the industrialization of the early 20th century. While his political views may have become more libertarian, I think he would have been challenged the idea of our contemporary firearms.

 

[JFrame]

I liked King's earlier works (e.g., Salem's Lot and The Shining). His works have become progressively more bloated and self-indulgent, and basically not fun to read -- which is just as well, because his decline as a writer has corresponded with his increasing activism as a leftist.

And, yes, King knows nothing about the guns on which he purports to spout his opinions and prejudices. I can't cite chapter and verse at the moment, but I recall people routinely sliding the safety on their revolvers.


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[Arbo]

Who cares what an author says... that he is popular means nothing in terms of the weight of his opinion.

 

[Strange Bob]

If King's sentiments are as he espoused then maybe someone needs to ask him about a ban on horror type literature for the damage done to young minds by it, no grandfather clause ... destroy it all and open the courts to litigation for damages.

Look, I am not serious but the principles are the same. Not a regulation of ALL literature just the "dangerous" kind.


I lived in Bangor, Maine (King's hometown) for a couple of years and this is not the common sentiment in northern Maine, although it is a lot more liberal than most of Texas (my native land). I don't care for his writings.

 

[Tinker]

The first book of his I read was The Stand.

Liked it so much I read Pet Cemetery. This one kind of soured me. Dead kid in it.

The next one I read was called IT. After starting on the first chapter I threw it in the trash....his description of a young'n being seduced/mutilated by that thing in the sewer halted my interest, then and there. Creepy-ass guy with his preoccupation with dead little ones. Haven't missed his work since.

I seem to recall he has always been fairly anti gun anyway. He earns none of my money.

 

[hq]

Stephen King's forte has been intriguingly sick and violent imagination and ability to transfer it to text.

Reading this text of his leads me to believe that's all he has going for him.

 

[Ky Larry]

He has enough money to be a leftwing elitist.

 

[9MMare]

Stephen King's forte has been intriguingly sick and violent imagination and ability to transfer it to text.

Reading this text of his leads me to believe that's all he has going for him.

Well he's a very rich man who got that way doing something he loved. And managed to maintain a decent family life as well.

I wouldnt mind having that 'going for me.'

 

[HOOfan_1]

Well he's a very rich man who got that way doing something he loved. And managed to maintain a decent family life as well.

I wouldnt mind having that 'going for me.'

He was pretty messed up in a car on pedestrian accident though.

 

[hAkron]

The story is called Rage, and maybe he just forgot that he actually DID publish it...or at least his pseudonym/nom de plume Richard Bachman. I read it on Jr. High. It's a really good story.

 

[skeeziks]

OK...free speech is protected under the 1st, but there has to be "reasonable" limitations.
You can only speak your mind in "approved locations" (speach-free zones.)
And public speaking must be limited to 10 words or less. Those speaches that contain 30 words; 50 words; 100 words, are just too dangerous and have no place in our society.

Now maybe Pierce Morgan can sit there at his desk, and while interviewing his guest, continually ask the question: Yes, but why would anyone Need a speach containing that many words?

 

[hq]

Well he's a very rich man who got that way doing something he loved. And managed to maintain a decent family life as well.

I wouldnt mind having that 'going for me.'

I ment intellectually. Being a talented storyteller doesn't automatically give one's legislative opinion any credibility, nor does it prove that the person has the slightest idea about how social and criminal problems can and can not be solved. An unfounded opinion is meaningless, totally devoid of any value, regardless of the social status of the person who expressed it.

All statements must be judged and evaluated by their factual content, not by who made them. That, unfortunately, doesn't always apply. Some people abuse their social and financial status as an excuse for lying through their teeth and expect people to believe them only because they're rich or famous. It really ticks me off that more often than not they're right, the majority of people don't question the lack of facts behind their statements at all.

 

[mljdeckard]

He's always been hyper-liberal. No news here.

 

[ApacheCoTodd]

I'll see your King and raise you a Mamet!

I hope you folk have the time to read this and other items by David Mamet.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2013/01/28/gun-laws-and-the-fools-of-chelm-by-david-mamet.html

For my money, while in a different direct genre of writing and not being nearly so prolific as the isolated Mr King, Mr Mamet hails from Massachusetts, is deeply rooted in the film entertainment industry and still holds his own mind. One can see from his editorial writings a keen respect for the individual and an awareness that we are each of us dependent upon ourselves rather than the STATE or society.

 

[JFrame]

I hope you folk have the time to read this and other items by David Mamet.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2013/01/28/gun-laws-and-the-fools-of-chelm-by-david-mamet.html

For my money, while in a different direct genre of writing and not being nearly so prolific as the isolated Mr King, Mr Mamet hails from Massachusetts, is deeply rooted in the film entertainment industry and still holds his own mind. One can see from his editorial writings a keen respect for the individual and an awareness that we are each of us dependent upon ourselves rather than the STATE or society.

I've seen that article elsewhere, but thank you for posting that here! We can't do enough to promote those few openly conservative folks working in the entertainment industry. Mr. Mamet used to be pretty liberal, but had an "awakening" in the past decade or so, and has converted to conservatism.

That was indeed an excellent article by him.

By the way -- if anyone wants to support that rare conservative in the industry, I would encourage you to get his film "The Spanish Prisoner," which is one of the finest films ever made that evidently no one has seen...


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