First and foremost, let me offer my most heart felt condolences to the families of those 3 officers.. Eric Kelly, Paul Sciullo, and Stephen Mayhle..They are victims of a very dangerous manipulation that has been occuring since last summer. The signs have been there for some time, but nobody has really gone after it. Where is the investigative reporting? I knew that law enforcement was going to catch the brunt of this and this most recent incident in Pittsburgh is going to be repeated. It is a dangerous game being played by another corrupt industry that has partnered with the right-wing. And again, they have gone too far!
I am a gun owner and I do not advocate gun control. As a responsible gun owner, I have a right to possess firearms to defend myself under the PA Constitution and under the U.S. Constitution.
Guns are not the problem, people are the problem. Obviously, it is the lunatics like the guy here in Pittsburgh, but these lunatics are not the real threat. The people manipulating these lunatics into believing that their "whole way of life will end because Obama is going to take there guns," are the threat. The people that manufacture guns and wield political power because of guns, are the real threat. The lunatics are just the weapon that they use.
I get these crazy emails from people I know and otherwise respect. Educated and economically successful people. It is shocking how easily they are manipulated by a well constructed email/youtube video talking about the threat to our way of life from Obama and his gun control. It's the old "they'll take my gun from my cold dead hand" pitch on steroids. Now they have crazy video of people who won't show their faces, professing to be ex-military with knowledge of a conspiracy by the government to come to our homes and take our guns. This is then followed by a call to action, to fight them essentially to the last man, to protect "The America of Our Fathers" or some other crazy shit. It is the kind of thing you would otherwise ignore, but-for the fact that seemingly normal people believe this craziness and profess a willingness to act on it.
The latest conspiracy being sold is that they assault ban is coming back, that they are going to start numbering ammunition, and that there is a new tax coming on ammunition that is going to make it unaffordable. The reason I know it is being believed is that sporting goods companies in PA cannot keep ammunition in stock. Gander Mountain, Dicks, and Sportman's Wharehouse all have empty shelves where there should be ammunition for handguns or .223 rifle shells.(The .223 is a popular caliber for assault rifles)Not even in hunting season do they have this problem. It is crazy to have it in March or February. The Lunatics have bought the conspiracy theory from the right wing/gun lobby and are now stockpiling ammunition and guns.
Even as a gun owner, I think something needs to be done. The f****** problem is that going after this clear provocation in the wrong way proves the fabricated conspiracy. Whoever thought this up is brilliant. They are basically inciting domestic terrorism and then coverng their ass with a "we told you they would take your guns," conspiracy internet campaign. The people the government needs to go after are the gun lobbyist and right-wing extremist that started this campaign. These are the criminals who have the blood of these officers on their hands.