After the tragedy in Las Vegas, 36-year-old Jonathan Pring of Phoenix, a British native, decided he didn’t want to live with two guns in the house any longer—a Walther PK3870 handgun and a Ruger 10/22 rifle. Pring, who owns a local coffeeshop, said he enjoys shooting at the firing range, but after 58 people were murdered in Vegas he didn’t want weapons in the house anymore.
I haven’t touched a gun since Vietnam, so I say good on you Mr. Pring, but the mistake he made—perhaps thinking he might inspire others—was to post his decision on Facebook.
On Tuesday, he called the Phoenix Police Department and voluntarily handed over his guns, documenting the moment with a series of photos on Facebook and a heartfelt message…. "I hope my actions inspire others. If we can achieve a safer world for our children, we will have done a good thing," Pring wrote.
And how do you suppose that went? If you guessed that others praised his decision and decided to turn in their own weapons to “achieve a safer world,” you chose poorly. Instead, his Facebook post generated “a torrent of online abuse, threats, and harassment from gun owners and right-wing fanatics who populate the social network.”
Gun owners not only made fun of Pring’s decision, they openly called for his assassination:
"Someone needs to go shoot this idiot and make him wish he could have defended himself," Brandee L. Harris wrote, her profile photo set to a "Pray for Las Vegas" flag filter.
That sentiment echoes throughout the Facebook comments—that someone needs to show Pring how defenseless he is without his guns. Another concerned citizen found Pring’s home address and not only posted it online, but encouraged others (in ALL CAPS) to break into Pring’s home and threaten his family. Now he’ll regret being gun-less!
After thousands of abusive comments, Pring took down his original post, but it lives online on right-wing, gun-hugger websites. It’s gotten so bad that Pring and his family have temporarily left Phoenix. However, he does have one piece of advice for anyone who attempts to break into his home: He bought a Louisville Slugger.