Have Gun, Will Travel By Bill Maher
It’s hard to talk about corrupt or trigger-happy or racist cops because, when you do, so many people act like you’re attacking the police in general. Just like when we called on the Catholic Church to do something about its pedophilia problem, the first response was to claim that we were attacking Catholicism as a whole.
What the Catholics did when a priest was caught molesting an altar boy is they’d give him a stern talking to, make him repent and then ship him off to another parish. Well, it turns out the police do the same thing with their bad cops.
As Vocativ’s James King points out, the recent “Forward Through Ferguson” report describes something that St. Louis area police departments do called “the muni shuffle,” where the bad cops who screw up or have serious disciplinary problems are just transferred to other area precincts. Turns out, that’s cheaper than training new recruits.
“The report cites an April study conducted by the Police Executive Research Forum that also looked at improving law enforcement in the St. Louis area. That study described the “muni shuffle” as “a two-step process in which 1) a police department separates a problem officer before completing a formal disciplinary proceeding that might cost the officer his or her state-issued police certificate; and then 2) another department, eager to find an already trained and certified officer at a low cost, hires the officer without fully investigating his or her background.’”
Some people just aren’t cut out to be cops. It takes a certain noble temperament that includes a strong sense of duty, service and restraint. The bad cops – the ones with race issues or who are on power trips – pretty much out themselves through their on-the-job behavior. Let’s weed those guys out instead of moving them to a different parish, like a priest who promises his diddling days are over.
A lot of people are familiar with my story, but the truth is, it wasn't my shooting that inspired Mark and me to take on the challenge of making our communities safer from gun violence. Newtown was actually the moment we said ENOUGH -- we have to do something.
And since we began our work, it's been the stories of victims and survivors that keep us moving forward through victories, and the inevitable setbacks.
We received over a thousand of those stories over the weekend. Yesterday, Mark shared a few. I hope you'll read them below and make a $3 contribution to help us change our gun laws and save lives.
All my best,
Gabby Giffords
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On the morning of January 8, 2011, I was at home with my daughters when the phone rang. It was Pia Carusone, Gabby's Chief of Staff, calling from Washington, D.C. to say that my wife had been shot.
That was all she knew. In that moment, both of our lives changed forever.
Last week, thousands of supporters wrote in to share stories about how their lives have also been impacted by gun violence. Each and every one them is a sobering reminder of why we got involved in this movement. I hope you'll read a few of them below, and then make a $23 contribution (the average donation we've received this week) to help Gabby and me continue the fight to change our gun laws.
We received stories from students and teachers involved in school shootings, shoppers involved in mall shootings, and many more. But this one, from a teacher of one of the students murdered in the Isla Vista mass shooting, stood out to me.
"I was very fortunate to have a student who could light up the classroom. She had a kind heart and was willing to help her friends or classmates without being asked. Unfortunately, her life was cut short. She was one of the young ladies killed in the shooting at UC Santa Barbara. She had such a bright future ahead of her that was cut short by an individual who shouldn't have been able to have a gun." - Cynthia from San Bernardino
As you know, keeping guns out of the hands of domestic abusers is a top priority for our organization. When a gun is present in a domestic violence situation, the chances a woman will die increases by 500%. And we received dozens of stories on this topic. Here are a couple:
"My beautiful daughter, Jennie, was murdered by her ex-husband. He lured her over to his apartment saying it was urgent ...Then he shot her with a shotgun three times -- the last shot in her back as she lay face down on the apartment floor. She was a sibling to five sisters and a brother, and a mother to two daughters. She was the sunshine of our lives. He had tried a weak suicide attempt the year before and no way should he have been sold a shotgun. We miss her every day." - Liz in Missouri
"My 29-yr old niece was shot and killed by her husband in 2011. They had a four year old daughter, who had just begun preschool so was not home. The weight of grief and loss for that little girl and the rest of the family has been immense." - Maureen from Spokane, WA
"At Thanksgiving a few years ago, my favorite cousin told me she was worried: she had separated from her husband, who had a violent streak and a gun. She had an order restraining him and neighbors who'd agreed to keep an eye out for his car. Early the next January we got the news that Debbie had been shot to death in her driveway." - Jeffrey in New York
In a single moment, these three lives were lost way too early, leaving family members behind to carry a lifetime of grief. Our fight is to make sure their loss is not in vain -- that we can save women's lives by preventing domestic abusers from getting their hands on guns.
Our gun laws have consequences and Gabby and I intend to change them. Contribute $23 (the average donation we've received this week) to Americans for Responsible Solutions PAC to help elect leaders who will stand up to the gun lobby.
We also heard from a lot of people who lived through a loved one taking their own life with a gun. Here are two of the many stories we received:
"Even though he had been released from a mental health ward about 3 weeks prior, my brother was able to purchase a gun at a local retailer. He used that gun to end his life." - James from New Kensington, PA
"My beautiful & troubled daughter was 19 years old when she shot herself in the head in her room in my house on 1-9-96 ... The availability of the unregistered handgun to my child was the last word in an argument she was having with her world. She irrevocably changed my life and the lives of her siblings and countless family members and friends. There is not a day that passes without me missing her. Having access to a firearm made her depression a terminal illness." - Cathy in Los Angeles
The truth is, there are 48% fewer gun suicides in states that require background checks for all handgun purchases. That's just one of the reasons we are set on expanding background checks in all fifty states.
Contribute $23 (the average donation we've received this week) to help Gabby and I continue the fight to change our gun laws.
One of the most striking things I've learned while traveling the country and talking to people is just how many Americans know someone who has been shot. Gun violence is an epidemic in our country, and it's up to us to force our elected officials to pass legislation to make our communities safer from gun violence.
Thank you for standing with Gabby & me.
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For years, the gun lobby has worked tirelessly to suppress information about gun violence in this country -- from the "trace data" that helps police track guns found at crime scenes to the social science research on the risks that firearms pose in the home.
So what's the best way to fight back? Shine a light RIGHT on the problem.
That's why I want to introduce you to The Trace, a new, independent digital magazine dedicated to daily, in-depth coverage of guns in America. It's the only news outlet exclusively covering America's gun violence epidemic.
Automatically sign up to get The Trace's daily roundup of important gun news and analysis. Your click will automatically subscribe you to The Trace's email.
The Trace's staff writers and editors bring decades of experience from The New York Times, The New Yorker, The New Republic, New York magazine, TIME, BuzzFeed, and PBS FRONTLINE to their work.
Here are some articles from The Trace that are already providing readers with new, vital information and analysis:
•"The Secret History of the Campus Carry Movement" | Read >
•"Gun-Rights Advocates Claim Criminals Don't Follow Gun Laws. Here's the Research That Shows They're Wrong." | Read >
•"New Study Finds No Advantages to Using a Gun for Self-Defense" | Read >
•"Just Another Bloody Summer in America" | Read >
I encourage you to explore these articles and automatically sign up to get the daily roundup in your inbox starting tomorrow.
Thanks!
