Gabrielle Giffords Town Hall: Gun Left Behind

[Are_grits_groceries]

Town hall disruptions around the country have led to some outbreaks of violence. Unions participating in town halls have received death threats. At an event held by Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) last week, the threat of violence led her aides to call the police after one attendee dropped a gun.

"Yelling and screaming is counterproductive," she told the Sierra Vista Herald at a Congress on Your Corner event last week. There, one visitor dropped a gun at the meet n' greet held in a Douglas Safeway, her staff says.

That has aides, who called police to the event, concerned for her safety.

"We have never felt the need before to notify law enforcement when we hold these events," said spokesman C.J. Karamargin.

One of the callers to the Service Employees International Union said, "I suggest you tell your people to calm down, act like American citizens, and stop trying to repress people's First Amendment rights... That, or you all are gonna come up against the Second Amendment.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/10/gabrielle-giffords-town-h_n_255656.html

They need to have the police at all the events!

[YOY]

1. He dropped it?

You have a concealed weapon permit fine...wonderful...but he dropped it???

[SIMPLYB1980]

4. He must have had it out of his holster and in his hand or

on his lap to be able to drop it.

[YOY]

6. What kind of an imbecile brings a fucking gun to a town hall, has it in the open, and drops it?

Yeah...I'm a gun owner too, but I'm not going to bring it to a fucking town hall meeting. What the hell would I need it there for? Self defense??? I'm not going to be hurt by anyone. If someone attacks me there's cops all over the place.

It. Just. Makes. No. Sense.

[lapfog_1]

10. There was a policeman at this event.

The event was in the fruit section (right next to the alcohol) of the Safeway. I felt like stealing a peach... they looked really good. I refrained.

It's not unusual to go to Safeway and see one or two people "packing". Why they feel the need to always wear a gun around, I have no idea... there isn't a large amount of crime here. They have to remember to remove their guns before entering the bank or picking up the kids from school. When they forget, there is always a bit of excitement. BTW, I don't think there would be much crime here if these guys WEREN'T carrying guns. The big crime around here is crystal meth, but that doesn't have much to do with wearing guns around.

[YOY]

12. If they want to and are responsible, it's their right. I won't deny them it.

And it's our right to shake our heads in amazement at their tough-guy/gal little show of force from the magical land of paranoia where a crazy tear-wrist can jump out from behind those Safeway peaches and spray all the good 'Murkins with 7.62 mm rounds and only Johnny/Jane McPackinheat can send those goons to their gawd!

Now a guy who brings a gun to someplace all about public dialog with political figures that has armed police there in case of criminal intent??? That's bug-fucking insane.

I'm not anti-2nd Amendment...I'm anti-dipshits who think it's the only Amendment.

[SIMPLYB1980]

11. Yep but these are crazy people we are talking about here.

Logic is not something that can be used to understand them. Gun owner here to and I would never take my gun to a public place. Now if I was going camping in the wilderness or going into the dangerous part of town I could understand, but a taking it to a town hall meeting would never cross my mind.

[KatyaR]

13. Believe me, I'm sure it wasn't an accident.

He probably thought doing that would "prove his point."

[YOY]

14. It crossed the mind.

But it looks him look like a boob as well in the big picture.

They might actually believe that "violent liberal" bullshit (any anyone left of Limpballs is "liberal") that was the right's screed for X years.

We're also talking about everyone who loves to be scared by the RW media into a state of constant paranoia that some mythical long-standing "American Way of Life" is threatened. Pathetic really.

[ccharles000]

2. k/r

[AndyA]

3. You know what's going to happen?

The right wing crazies are going to keep inciting this shit on their radio shows. The self-serving corporate media in this country is going to make sure everyone knows what the crazies on the radio said. And eventually, someone is going to get shot and/or killed at one of these town hall events.

There needs to be responsibility and accountability in what people say during their shows, be they radio, network television, or cable.

It's going to happen, because these people are too stupid to know any better. And they love a good shooting anyway, gives them something else to talk about.

I so hope it doesn't happen...but I fear it will if something doesn't change soon. :(

[KingFlorez]

5. This is getting very dangerous

If someone gets hurt because of this, the ones who helped instigate this mentality need to be called out and held responsible.

[tanyev]

7. Do we need to pass a No Gun Left Behind Act?

[lapfog_1]

8. I was at this "congress on your corner" event.

I didn't see anyone pull or drop a gun. But then I left after I got to talk with Congresswoman Giffords.

There were maybe 30 to 40 teabaggers there, a couple had guns holstered. However, it's not unusual at all to see people walking around the local Safeway with guns, or just about any other public place. This is Southeast Arizona. Tombstone, etc. Most of the idiots wearing guns look like they want to be in 1880s Tombstone.

I posted about my experience last week right after I got back home (I live about 90 miles from Douglas).

Anyway, there weren't any union people there at all. At least any that were wearing shirts, buttons, or carrying signs.

The teabaggers were real upset that it wasn't a real town hall meeting that they could disrupt by shouting. They still tried, but since she was meeting each constituent one on one (for about 3 minutes each). No one waiting in line could overhear what each person was saying or the congresswoman's response.

There was a "shoving match" right behind me in line. A couple of teabaggers were upset that a Mexican-American family (husband, wife, two adorable little girls) got in line. They started shouting at them to "go home to Mexico". The man replied that his family has lived here for more than 6 generations. This was in DOUGLAS, AZ. Right on the border. Hell, from the Safeway parking lot, someone with a good arm could throw a rock over the wall into Mexico. Douglas is probably 90 percent Mexican-American. They were all there when the US bought this land from Mexico (Gadsden purchase).

Anyway, that was the only incident I witnessed. A policeman came over and asked if there was a problem, the teabaggers (all white, 40+) wanted to call INS on the Mexican-Americans. He ignored them.

[Bosso 63]

9. A dropped gun demonstrates a clear lack of gun control.

[classysassy]

15. Here

in arizona,especially near the border,we have some of the most vile people in the world.

[Budgies Revenge]

16. I'm not sure about Arizona...

but I know as a concealed carry/carry permit holder here in GA, I wouldn't be allowed to bring a gun to any public event.