Well, I know I am a bit late to the show, but another weekend and another slew of mass casualty events. I saw a statistic the other day that stated there have been more mass shootings in the US in 2025 than days in the year. Sadly, that wasn't the worst part of the statistic. The part I left out is that this is the second year in a row that has held true.
Again, I don't know if it is a legitimate statistic or not. In my hopeful mind, it seems a bit inflated, but then when you consider the world today, it honestly isn't that unbelievable. You might have noticed in the opening sentence I used the term "mass casualty event" instead of "mass shooting". It's not that I am one of those it's a people problem not a gun problem guys. I mean, I kind of am, but the fact remains, people have managed to find all manner of ways to inflict harm on others through the years.
Aside from gun violence, we now have idiots running around with knives, and people ramming their vehicles into crowds of people. Like WTF!
I was getting ready for work this morning and in the area where we keep our keys and such, I noticed a bit of orange sticking out that I had completely forgotten about. This past Summer when my wife and I were camping just a little bit North of where we live in Michigan, I was heading into a local gas station/convenience store to pick up some worms for fishing.
(The fact that gas stations sell live bait is probably a whole different subject)
Anyway, there was this very nice old man sitting out at a table in front of the store, and he asked me if I wanted to buy a raffle ticket. I'm all about supporting charity, so I figured why not. The photo above is of the ticket. People outside the US, or North America to be specific might find it amusing (or abhorrent) that the first three prizes on the list are weapons.
In fact, gun raffles like this are pretty common in my neck of the woods. I used to sell tickets for an organization that does a ten gun raffle each year. Oddly enough, we would often sell so many tickets that they would end up giving away even more guns. So like they printed off 1000 tickets and gave away 10 guns, then for every 50 tickets over the 1000 they sold, they would give away another gun.
Needless to say, the odds of winning a gun made it pretty easy to sell the tickets.
No lie, half of me thinks "how cool is that?", and the other half is like "this is totally nuts right"?
As you can see from the ticket above, you need to have an ID and likely pass some kind of background check, but it's still probably seems quite foreign to people outside of the US (and maybe Canada).
Of course, the majority of these giveaways and raffles only award long guns. Handguns have a somewhat more strict process in the US, so it's a lot more work for them to give those away. I have been to a few wild game dinners though where they have given away handguns or the cash equivalent (you know, if you already have one of that model... it happens more than you think!).
Don't get me wrong, I'm not anti-gun. Actually, far from it. I own two shotguns and a nice Remington tube feed .22. I once had this really awesome Romania bolt action .22, but I "lost it in the divorce". I also used to have a really sweet lever action 30/30 like you see in the old westerns. It was going to be a deer hunting rifle for me, but I quickly realize I was probably never going to go deer hunting, so I sold it to my good friend for his daughter to use (hunting deer).
I remember growing up, my father had guns in the house. He had a really nice .30-06 (thirty odd six) that sat up on the gun rack in the hallway. Although, there was a fascination with guns (what young boy isn't), there was also a due amount of respect for them. I never would have thought to ever touch that gun on the rack lest I get my ass whooped.
I shot my first real gun when I was 13. It was part of the hunters safety program. To get our hunting license we had to shoot a long gun and then we also had to shoot a revolver that the Sheriff's Deputy that was teaching the class brought with him. If you showed you could properly handle the weapons, you got your license.
I also remember as a kid there was a series of books by an author named C.B. Colby. They covered all kinds of military gear from handguns to machine guns to tanks. My friends and I were constantly checking those books out. The funny thing is, these days, if you even try to search "gun" on a school computer, you likely get blocked!
I wonder if that is part of the problem these days. Guns weren't really given a second thought back then because they were tools. Of course, mental health was managed differently back then as well (good or bad), but it's interesting how much things have changed.
I don't really intend for this post to have a message or to sway you one way or the other. As I said, I just happened upon that raffle ticket this morning, and it got my mind going. What do you think? Is the idea of a gun raffle insane to you or is it just one of those everyday sort of things?
My Sports Account - @bozz.sports
Come hang out in The Pub
They're pretty common in my neck of the woods, as well.
Personally, I'm a pro-gun guy. We didn't have these kinds of shootings back when I was a child, but we DID have a gun in every home, and every car. Kids used to literally bring their shotguns into school and lock them in their lockers during hunting season. We had fights all the time, some times several in a day, but no shootings.
I blame the shootings on the drugs. You have to either be a psychopath (rare) or have your emotions artificially numbed (common) to carry out a lethal attack. Most people, especially kids, can't even butcher a chicken without fainting. It's the drugs that give these people the mental detachment necessary to carry out their crimes.
Yes, I also blame the proliferation of psych drugs. Nobody really knows all the effects of these drugs on young minds and big pharma doesn't care to know. !BBH
Big Pharma actually does have some idea, because they've successfully sued numerous times to block reporting on the drugs that shooters were taking, and studies showing adverse psychological effects.
Ah, those kinds of drugs :) I was confused at first there. That could definitely be part of it. I don't think kids put their guns in their lockers when I was younger, but I wouldn't be shocked if there were quite a few stowed away in their trucks from a morning of hunting.
We still have plenty of them stowed in student vehicles around here, but they quit letting the kids take them inside back around 2000.
:)
Your reply is upvoted by @topcomment; a manual curation service that rewards meaningful and engaging comments.
More Info - Support us! - Reports - Discord Channel
I'm from the UK but even there I was pro gun ownership. Where we can own a .22 and semi auto rifles, providing a wide range of checks are made. For example, being part of a gun club is a must and a few years of being part of one.
The world is fucked but I don't think the guns in many nations are the problem, it really is the society itself. That raffle states a level of professionalism regarding how a winner is chosen: they still need to be of age, still need a background check.
I'd own a firearm if I could, for the sport of shooting but also the extra piece of mind regarding my own safety at home. There's carrying out in public which can be a more questionable decision. Then there's owning one for your home to know you and your family are safe.
Regarding the UK: even the village I grew up in became unsafe in recent years. So many break-ins into homes in the countryside. Imagine some lunatic breaking into your home in the night and not being able to defend yourself. Truly terrifying.
I have a friend who has a concealed carry permit and he made a statement to me a while ago that really hit home. He said he doesn't keep a gun for protection at home, he uses a baseball bat for that. His fear is that someone comes in the middle of the night and is in his bedroom. If he starts firing, there is a chance a bullet could go through a wall and hit one of his kids. Is it likely? Maybe not, but the chance is always there. He travels with his gun, but the main reason for that is if he comes across an injured animal that needs to be humanely taken care of. It's an endless debate I think.
Your reply is upvoted by @topcomment; a manual curation service that rewards meaningful and engaging comments.
More Info - Support us! - Reports - Discord Channel
You live in a big hunting state so raffles like that have to be a dime a dozen. Most gun owners are hunters and make use of their weapons appropriately. But with the advent of social media I've noticed that shooting have gone up and usually by people with some mental pathology and instability. It seems they have more access to information that gets them riled up and access to a weapon, often not properly secured by a relative. It's a recipe for disaster...
If gunowners would be responsible and keep them in proper safes it would make them harder to access for people flagged in the background checks. Some places allow private sales with no background checks. Then there is the underground black market where anyone can buy a gun, usually with the serial numbers filed off. But even without guns these people can still do damage with knives or explosives (if they are intelligent.)
I think the only way to stop the violence is identify those suffering from severe mental disorders/instability and help them before they hit the breaking point. That is easier said than done, many of these people can be loners and not share their plans or thoughts with others. But those on social media taking in the hate are easier to identify.
Social media is a severe double edged sword, access to information is world changing. However, it allows the "troubled" access to information and hate that can lead to mass murder.
Yeah, good points. Mental health is definitely one of the keys. I don't disagree with the safe thing, but like I said, when I was a kid, it was sitting in the hall on a rack. Sure, it was pretty high, so I couldn't really reach it, but it never crossed my mind to even try.
We grew up in a different world, one that now seems to be lost to the annals of history. Pandora's Box has been opened and I fear we will see more senseless violence in the future with no real end... The only thing I see changing it it might be another unifying event like 9/11 or the Pearl Harbor attacks. But not even World War 3 might not be enough in today's world, it really is kind of depressing...
We just need aliens to show up already...
Your reply is upvoted by @topcomment; a manual curation service that rewards meaningful and engaging comments.
More Info - Support us! - Reports - Discord Channel
I live in The South, which means I am surrounded by people with concealed handguns all the time: Walmart, church, everywhere except govt buildings in which we are forced to be helpless. Guess how many times I have been shot? Zero. Guess what would happen if someone came to my church and tried to harm our children? !BBH
Guns are pretty common around here. The raffles probably aren't as common, but I don't think anyone bats an eye.
I once came home from the shooting range and was staying with my friend's cousin while my house was being built. I was unloading my guns and didn't have a case yet for my AK47. There was a drug bust going on a house or two down and the police officer who stopped me was very casual about it when we talked. Other places, I'm sure they'd be drawing their handgun and ordering you to the ground without much questioning beforehand.
Those are some great photos you got of Capone-era weapons!
!BBH
!PIZZA
!ALIVE
Wow, that is a crazy story! I still don't think people really need to own assault rifles, but I'm not going to argue their right to. It's like a need/want sort of thing to me. There are a ton of guns I would like to own, but I just can't justify it. Especially when I hardly shoot the ones I have. Those photos are from the mob museum in the old courthouse down on Fremont Street in Vegas. It's worth the visit.
Guns are totally illegal over here in Nam but some people manage to smuggle them over from Cambodia, which to this day is basically the wild west.
I was a collector or sorts when I lived in USA and really enjoyed going to the gun range with my dad and brother. There's somethign quite bonding about having death dealers in your hands and congratulating one another for good shots. When I moved out of the country I put all my stuff in my Dad's gun locker that as far as I know is still sitting somewhere in the USA.
I never saw a gun raffle, but definitely would participate in it if I had!
I have a couple friends who have a pretty extensive collection. They reload their own ammo and all of that. I know if I ever wanted to go shoot they would be up for it, but it's not something I feel the need to do. My wife has always wanted to learn, but we haven't gotten around to it. I used to really enjoy trap shooting when I was younger.
I find it truly lamentable all the deaths that occur daily in the US and elsewhere due to violence, and specifically due to the anarchic use of weapons.
I agree with what you're saying and applaud every word.
I only hope that humanity will soon evolve and find a way to live in peace and harmony!
It seems we have a very long way to go to get there.
We only own one gun: Glock 9mm with a red dot and flash light and tree clips. But Washington state is really getting draconian about the guns, not only AR type guns are completely illegal to buy or import into the state but even our particular Glock configuration is now not possible to buy...
I kind of regret not buying AR15 a few years ago when we were thinking of it...
I fully support people's right to buy and own guns, but I don't really feel like the average person needs to own an AR. Simply "because I can" isn't a good enough reason for me.
Well for a serious home defense AR would be superior to a hand gun...
It probably depends on how open your floor plan is and how many of your family members you want to be collateral damage...
I'm pretty happy that guns are rare here. My kids were never worried about school shootings, but those seem to happen too often in the US. We don't seem to hear very often of an armed citizen stopping a gunman. Australia just had its first major shooting incident in decades and one of the shooters was disarmed by an unarmed guy. I'm just not convinced that more guns make anyone safer. Hunting is a different issue.
I tend to agree with you there. I think a lot of people think more guns is a deterrent, but there isn't any real data to prove that fact. I'm not sure I want there to be enough data either.
Interesting, this stat caught my eye too. And like you I was surprised a bit, and at first I thought it was inflated and then I thought maybe not.
People do seem more agressive and certainly there are a lot of articles about there being a lot more chemicals in our food here in the states then in Europe and Asia.
So maybe your right, it's drugs.
We may have gone to far in giving companies carte blanch about what they put in our food.
I also liked the other thing you mentioned about the Fear of Dad...and some of it may be kids not getting their buts beat for touching guns when they are small. LOL
I know the "fear of dad" kept a lot of kids out of trouble when I was growing up.
Maybe we need to bring that back...
Stay safe @bozz
I think we definitely do need to bring a lot of that back. The problem is people seem to go to extremes these days. You have the people who outright abuse their kids and then the ones that coddle them into worthlessness.
True, moderation is a rare quality.
We live in a country where I should probably be armed, but I take other measures and I am more vigilant than most and will spot trouble before it finds me or my family. I have contemplated owning a fire arm and do shoot fairly regularly so I am comfortable carrying. In the past we used to do armed patrols before armed private security became the go to. There are too many idiots who do not know how to use fire arms and that for me is a problem. You shoot to kill and if you are not prepared to kill someone then don't own a fire arm.
I had no idea you had so many shootings as we don't get to hear about them here besides the really big ones. It is nice to have some type of weapon for the just in case moments, but we do not plan on staying here so I will hold off for now.
It probably doesn't help if the laws aren't in your favor either. Even over here it is a bit of an iffy situation if you needed to protect yourself. I can't imagine the emotional toll of having to make that decision.
https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:u37t33dyaufvrqujwmvm54ln/post/3ma6o4jqabs27
https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:u37t33dyaufvrqujwmvm54ln/post/3ma6o4jqabs27
The rewards earned on this comment will go to the author of the blog post.
$PIZZA slices delivered:
@bulliontools(3/5) tipped @bozz
Send $PIZZA tips in Discord via tip.cc!
!BBH
!ALIVE
!PIZZA
!LADY
View or trade
LOHtokens.@thefed, you successfully shared 0.1000 LOH with @bozz and you earned 0.1000 LOH as tips. (13/19 calls)
Use !LADY command to share LOH! More details available in this post.