How One Man Is Redefining 'Responsible' Gun Ownership

[OKTexas]

A lifelong gun owner explains why he is destroying his gun.

Usually, "responsible gun ownership" refers to someone using their weapon safely. But for lifelong gun owner Steve Elliott, it means taking responsibility for America’s epidemic of gun violence and the lax regulations that have allowed it.

That is how Elliott, who owns a copywriting and public relations agency in Northern California, explained his decision to destroy his handgun in a Facebook post on Monday. By early Saturday afternoon, more than 28,000 people had shared the post, which included a photo of his disassembled 9mm Ruger handgun.

Elliott describes himself as a quintessential example of the responsible gun owner, using firearms only for sport and protection. He decided to destroy his gun not because of anything he has done personally but because he is fed up with how the concept of “responsible” gun ownership has been used to block gun safety laws.

“My gun is being used to argue against common-sense laws and policies that could reduce gun violence in America, arguments I find unconscionable,” Elliott wrote. “That’s what being a responsible gun owner means today – I’m responsible. I’ve been uneasy about that for a while now, and ashamed to admit it’s taken two more mass shootings for me to do anything about it.”

Though he has never used his weapon to hurt himself or others, Elliott wrote that his life has been scarred by gun violence. His grandmother used a gun to kill herself; his father attempted suicide with a gun and someone murdered his stepbrother with a gun before committing suicide. His sister’s coworker lost her husband to a mass shooting.

“None of us individually can stop gun violence in America, but as a responsible gun owner, I will no longer be used as a justification for doing nothing about it,” Elliott concluded. “Today I did what I could. Today there is #ONELESSGUN.”

Other gun control advocates have taken a different approach, mobilizing gun owners who support gun control in order to show that the National Rifle Association's opposition to virtually all regulation does not represent them.

Andy Nieto of eastern Tennessee also got rid of his guns out of disgust with the NRA after the 2012 Newtown, Connecticut, massacre. He turned his pistol into a paperweight.

How One Man Is Redefining 'Responsible' Gun Ownership

I applaud Steve Elliott and Andy Nieto for getting rid of their guns out of disgust with the NRA. I've been disgusted with the NRA since radicals took it over in 1977. Although I'm not ready to dispose of my guns, I agree that it's up to responsible gun owners to bring about change by fighting back against the NRA lobbying machine. BTW, archery is fun.

How NRA’s true believers converted a marksmanship group into a mighty gun lobby

What a moron.

Moron? No, just a brave man with principles.

A total fucking pussy, his actions and all the commie proposals will do nothing to stop criminals, just more burdens on the law abiding.

 

[kaz]

A lifelong gun owner explains why he is destroying his gun.

Usually, "responsible gun ownership" refers to someone using their weapon safely. But for lifelong gun owner Steve Elliott, it means taking responsibility for America’s epidemic of gun violence and the lax regulations that have allowed it.

That is how Elliott, who owns a copywriting and public relations agency in Northern California, explained his decision to destroy his handgun in a Facebook post on Monday. By early Saturday afternoon, more than 28,000 people had shared the post, which included a photo of his disassembled 9mm Ruger handgun.

Elliott describes himself as a quintessential example of the responsible gun owner, using firearms only for sport and protection. He decided to destroy his gun not because of anything he has done personally but because he is fed up with how the concept of “responsible” gun ownership has been used to block gun safety laws.

“My gun is being used to argue against common-sense laws and policies that could reduce gun violence in America, arguments I find unconscionable,” Elliott wrote. “That’s what being a responsible gun owner means today – I’m responsible. I’ve been uneasy about that for a while now, and ashamed to admit it’s taken two more mass shootings for me to do anything about it.”

Though he has never used his weapon to hurt himself or others, Elliott wrote that his life has been scarred by gun violence. His grandmother used a gun to kill herself; his father attempted suicide with a gun and someone murdered his stepbrother with a gun before committing suicide. His sister’s coworker lost her husband to a mass shooting.

“None of us individually can stop gun violence in America, but as a responsible gun owner, I will no longer be used as a justification for doing nothing about it,” Elliott concluded. “Today I did what I could. Today there is #ONELESSGUN.”

Other gun control advocates have taken a different approach, mobilizing gun owners who support gun control in order to show that the National Rifle Association's opposition to virtually all regulation does not represent them.

Andy Nieto of eastern Tennessee also got rid of his guns out of disgust with the NRA after the 2012 Newtown, Connecticut, massacre. He turned his pistol into a paperweight.

How One Man Is Redefining 'Responsible' Gun Ownership

I applaud Steve Elliott and Andy Nieto for getting rid of their guns out of disgust with the NRA. I've been disgusted with the NRA since radicals took it over in 1977. Although I'm not ready to dispose of my guns, I agree that it's up to responsible gun owners to bring about change by fighting back against the NRA lobbying machine. BTW, archery is fun.

How NRA’s true believers converted a marksmanship group into a mighty gun lobby

Destroying guns not being used to commit crimes, wow, that will help reduce the crime rate...

 

[kaz]

You cowardly scumbags are certainly not "true" patriots. You're just a bunch of stupid radicals.

awwww! calm down and stop peeeing in your pink panties.

show proof you own any gun. LIAR!!!!

I'm not quite so insecure that I feel the need to prove to you that I own any guns.

Of course, liberals all own guns and love them, you just want them to be used safely. Oh, and they emanate evil. Not to you, to the rest of us because we want to have sex with our guns. All gun owners do. Well, not you. Oh, and also most of you have military experience.

I've found the lies ... I mean stories ... from leftists on this site to be so educational

 

[kaz]

What a moron.

Moron? No, just a brave man with principles.

Yes, a moron who has not made the world a safer place.

Do you also consider people who don't own guns morons?

No.

So, a person who has a gun and gets rid of it becomes a moron? But a person who doesn't own guns is not a moron?

Swish. Getting rid of his gun wasn't the point it was how he did it.

Adolph misses another point! Who saw that coming? Well, anyone paying attention...

 

[Iceweasel]

A lifelong gun owner explains why he is destroying his gun.

Only 300 million more to go! That Ruger is a piece of shit. Their revolvers have a great reputation though. It probably jammed on him at the range, Ruger blew him off and he decided to appeal to the retards on the left with a meaningless symbolic gesture, the hallmark of liberalism.

 

[Iceweasel]

He's making a statement by this action, I'm sure everybody that believes in freedom of speech will support him even if they are ardent opponents of gun control.

What statement did he actually make? No, I don't support him, why should I? And how is it a freedom of speech issue? You make no sense.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Liberals adore gun control advocates like Hitlers, Stalin, Mao and the North Koreans; that's gun control done right

 

[Auld Phart]

If the guy in the OP was responsible, this guy was irresponsible.

He could have caused the death of numerous people.

 

[2aguy]

It's his gun, he can do whatever he wants with it...the gesture...and that is all it is, since he didn't use it for crime...is fucking retarded......

If he really went through this,".... His grandmother used a gun to kill herself; his father attempted suicide with a gun and someone murdered his stepbrother with a gun before committing suicide. His sister’s coworker lost her husband to a mass shooting." I'd say it would be retarded if he didn't make a "gesture".

You know what an effective gesture would be....manning a suicide hotline or donating lots of money to mental health research....this gesture is fucking stupid....

He believes that your country should look for "common-sense laws and policies that could reduce gun violence in America..." I guess you think there are enough or too many regulations already. From up here it looks like you have a problem with gun violence. It seems sensible to look for a solution. I'll put you down under "Thinks there should be more investment in mental health services". And I'll add a footnote you think that investment should be private?

Yes, the problem is overwhelmingly black on black and Hispanic on Hispanic gang murders. What do you not see in Europe? Yup. Black and Hispanic gangbangers who are responsible for 80% of that crime rate you're looking at. Take away the top ten violent cities (all run by progressives) and the crime rate drops to that of Europe. You want to stop gun violence? Incarcerate the gangbangers and remove the progressives from power. Problem SOLVED!

I'll guess right now that if you take away black on black and hispanic on hispanic gun murders America would still have the highest rate of gun murders amongst those same developed countries by far. And like I say that's a guess. Depending on what I get up to in the morning I may look for proof of that guess.

Your guess would be wrong.

 

[2aguy]

You know what an effective gesture would be....manning a suicide hotline or donating lots of money to mental health research....this gesture is fucking stupid....

He believes that your country should look for "common-sense laws and policies that could reduce gun violence in America..." I guess you think there are enough or too many regulations already. From up here it looks like you have a problem with gun violence. It seems sensible to look for a solution. I'll put you down under "Thinks there should be more investment in mental health services". And I'll add a footnote you think that investment should be private?

Yes, the problem is overwhelmingly black on black and Hispanic on Hispanic gang murders. What do you not see in Europe? Yup. Black and Hispanic gangbangers who are responsible for 80% of that crime rate you're looking at. Take away the top ten violent cities (all run by progressives) and the crime rate drops to that of Europe. You want to stop gun violence? Incarcerate the gangbangers and remove the progressives from power. Problem SOLVED!

I'll guess right now that if you take away black on black and hispanic on hispanic gun murders America would still have the highest rate of gun murders amongst those same developed countries by far. And like I say that's a guess. Depending on what I get up to in the morning I may look for proof of that guess.

Aaaaand you would be wrong. The rate would be EXACTLY the same as Europe. Exactly.

You sound pretty confident. Show me the proof and save me some time please.

Here you go....I grabbed this from West Wall's post to quote from it...keep in mind in 2013 we had only 8,454 gun murders.......

this article is from 2012...and chicago and Baltimore are going up in murder numbers again...


America Doesn't Have a Gun Problem, It Has a Gang Problem

Chicago's murder numbers have hit that magic 500. Baltimore's murder toll has passed 200. In Philly, it's up to 324, the highest since 2007. In Detroit, it's approaching 400, another record. In New Orleans, it's almost at 200. New York City is down to 414 from 508. In Los Angeles, it's over 500. In St. Louis it's 113 and 130 in Oakland. It’s 121 in Memphis and 76 in Birmingham.

Washington, D.C., home of the boys and girls who can solve it all, is nearing its own big 100.

Those 12 cities alone account for nearly 3,200 dead and nearly a quarter of all murders in the United States. And we haven't even visited sunny Atlanta or chilly Cleveland.

These cities are the heartland of America’s real gun culture. It isn’t the bitter gun-and-bible clingers in McCain and Romney territory who are racking up a more horrifying annual kill rate than Al Qaeda; it’s Obama’s own voting base.

Chicago, where Obama delivered his victory speech, has homicide numbers that match all of Japan and are higher than Spain, Poland and pre-war Syria. If Chicago gets any worse, it will find itself passing the number of murders for the entire country of Canada.


Total gun murdere from FBI table 8 for 2012.......8,897....

Keep in mind that total is now down to 2014....8,124 so the gun murder rate is going down as more Americans are owning and carrying guns....12.8 million people now carry guns for self defense as the gun murder rate goes down, not up.

 

[paulitician]

There's extremists on both sides of the issue. I was a gun seller for years. So i know Gun Nuts better than most do. They're obsessed paranoid loons. They will never compromise. So don't bother with them.

And then you have the Left nutters who want to ban firearms all-together. So they'll never compromise either. You have to find reasonable fair-minded people. There's room for logical compromise. But you won't get it from the nutter extremists.

 

[2aguy]

There's extremists on both sides of the issue. I was a gun seller for years. So i know Gun Nuts better than most do. They're obsessed paranoid loons. They will never compromise. So don't bother with them.

And then you have the Left nutters who want to ban firearms all-together. So they'll never compromise either. You have to find reasonable fair-minded people. There's room for logical compromise. But you won't get it from the nutter extremists.

Oh, please enlighten us.....what is "logical compromise," oh great one?

 

[Toddsterpatriot]

There's extremists on both sides of the issue. I was a gun seller for years. So i know Gun Nuts better than most do. They're obsessed paranoid loons. They will never compromise. So don't bother with them.

And then you have the Left nutters who want to ban firearms all-together. So they'll never compromise either. You have to find reasonable fair-minded people. There's room for logical compromise. But you won't get it from the nutter extremists.

I was a gun seller for years.

"Would you like a gun with those fries?"

Yeah, that sounds like you.

 

[2aguy]

The article also points out the gun rate for the rest of the non inner city gang infested shooting galleries....

Chicago’s murder rate of 15.65 per 100,000 people looks nothing like the American 4.2 rate, the Midwestern 4.5 or the Illinois’ 5.6 rates, but it does look like the murder rates in failed countries like Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Zimbabwe. To achieve Chicago’s murder rate, African countries usually have to experience a bloody genocidal civil war or decades of tyranny.

But Chicago isn’t even all that unique. Or the worst case scenario. That would be New Orleans which at an incredible 72.8 murder rate is ten times higher than the national average. If New Orleans were a country, it would have the 2ndhighest murder rate in the world, beating out El Salvador.

And of course......all of these shooting galleries have been run by democrats for generations.....including New Orleans....

 

[paulitician]

There's extremists on both sides of the issue. I was a gun seller for years. So i know Gun Nuts better than most do. They're obsessed paranoid loons. They will never compromise. So don't bother with them.

And then you have the Left nutters who want to ban firearms all-together. So they'll never compromise either. You have to find reasonable fair-minded people. There's room for logical compromise. But you won't get it from the nutter extremists.

Oh, please enlighten us.....what is "logical compromise," oh great one?

Well, we could start by applying more common sense processes in regards to adults giving children firearms. There should be a more stringent process involved before an adult can hand a child a firearm. I would even support age restrictions. And the adult must assume all legal responsibility for what that child does with that firearm. That includes prosecution and jail time.

Kids are just being allowed too much access to firearms at this point. To be more blunt, there's too many dumb irresponsible adults giving kids firearms. I would like to see a stricter, more accountable process involved with it. That's just one reasonable proposal. There are others though.

 

[paulitician]

There's extremists on both sides of the issue. I was a gun seller for years. So i know Gun Nuts better than most do. They're obsessed paranoid loons. They will never compromise. So don't bother with them.

And then you have the Left nutters who want to ban firearms all-together. So they'll never compromise either. You have to find reasonable fair-minded people. There's room for logical compromise. But you won't get it from the nutter extremists.

I was a gun seller for years.

"Would you like a gun with those fries?"

Yeah, that sounds like you.

I sold guns for years. I know what i'm talking about. I ran into more than my fair share of gun-obsessed paranoid loons. I know em enough to know they can't be reasoned with. So i don't bother.

 

[2aguy]

There's extremists on both sides of the issue. I was a gun seller for years. So i know Gun Nuts better than most do. They're obsessed paranoid loons. They will never compromise. So don't bother with them.

And then you have the Left nutters who want to ban firearms all-together. So they'll never compromise either. You have to find reasonable fair-minded people. There's room for logical compromise. But you won't get it from the nutter extremists.

Oh, please enlighten us.....what is "logical compromise," oh great one?

Well, we could start by applying more common sense processes in regards to adults giving children firearms. There should be a more stringent process involved before an adult can hand a child a firearm. I would even support age restrictions. And the adult must assume all legal responsibility for what that child does with that firearm. That includes prosecution and jail time.

Kids are just being allowed too much access to firearms at this point. To be more blunt, there's too many dumb irresponsible adults giving kids firearms. I would like to see a stricter, more accountable process involved with it. That's just one reasonable proposal. There are others though.

Total accidental deaths of children with guns in 2013....69. In a country of over 320 million people....you should rethink what you thought you know.....

 

[2aguy]

There's extremists on both sides of the issue. I was a gun seller for years. So i know Gun Nuts better than most do. They're obsessed paranoid loons. They will never compromise. So don't bother with them.

And then you have the Left nutters who want to ban firearms all-together. So they'll never compromise either. You have to find reasonable fair-minded people. There's room for logical compromise. But you won't get it from the nutter extremists.

I was a gun seller for years.

"Would you like a gun with those fries?"

Yeah, that sounds like you.

I sold guns for years. I know what i'm talking about. I ran into more than my fair share of gun-obsessed paranoid loons. I know em enough to know they can't be reasoned with. So i don't bother.

Working the cash register is not "selling" guns...that is what the actual sales people did.......like saying the guy at the cash register at the Apple Store helped invent the I Pad.....

 

[paulitician]

There's extremists on both sides of the issue. I was a gun seller for years. So i know Gun Nuts better than most do. They're obsessed paranoid loons. They will never compromise. So don't bother with them.

And then you have the Left nutters who want to ban firearms all-together. So they'll never compromise either. You have to find reasonable fair-minded people. There's room for logical compromise. But you won't get it from the nutter extremists.

I was a gun seller for years.

"Would you like a gun with those fries?"

Yeah, that sounds like you.

I sold guns for years. I know what i'm talking about. I ran into more than my fair share of gun-obsessed paranoid loons. I know em enough to know they can't be reasoned with. So i don't bother.

Working the cash register is not "selling" guns...that is what the actual sales people did.......like saying the guy at the cash register at the Apple Store helped invent the I Pad.....

Don't need to prove anything to you. I know Gun Nuts better than most do. I dealt with em for years. They're usually angry, paranoid, loony little white dudes. Most seem to fit that profile. They cant be reasoned with. People just need to quit trying to.

 

[Nosmo King]

If 4 million reasonable, responsible people joined the NRA, we could "disarm" that vile organization from within. We could attend meetings, vote out the current leadership and return the NRA to its original purpose as a hunter safety organization rather than the radical gun advocacy organization it is today.