Using the Numbers correctly

 As I am sure you can imagine, I take a lot of flac from many people heavily invested in Firearms. Otherwise average, everyday people get agitated when someone utters the word "gun." Ears pique and heads turn. Sometimes the very weak minded will start yelling 2nd Amendment, others will give a look of derision and some even try to go toe-to-toe with me on the subject of guns in America. Pfft.

Unfortunately, the American conservative mindset has become a living, breathing, Dunning-Krueger experiment. Without as much as a "huh?" All heavily invested, square off and close down. The most common thing I hear when someone thinks they have a viable angle is that the yearly shooting numbers are disingenuous because a very large percentage of the yearly gun death in our country is by suicide.

First, if these people could read beyond their continual text messages they might read my book and find the answers that negate their argument. Second, They are following the age old anti-gun trope. The trope that pits gun murder against suicide.

I will spell it out here for those that are unaware and for those that think they belong on the debating team.

Let's randomly use the numbers for the year 2017.

15679 Gun Murders - 23854 Suicides by gun.

This is where the Conservative trope stops. They claim that putting these two numbers together is disingenuous.... and they are correct. The total number added together in this way is 39533. So if we add these number together as any 3rd grader can do, the percentage of suicide to murder is quite lop-sided. They dont consider suicide a gun problem at all, and I'm afraid I agree on that one. It would be VERY hard to stop gun suicide at the gun level... if not impossible. It can be lessened quite a bit with responsible gun ownership of those people that left their gun available for someone else to kill themselves with, but never stopped unless guns are not around.

But there are two more considerations waiting.....

First, the total gun SHOOTINGS number sans murder for 2017 was 31265. If we add that to the murder number, AND WE SHOULD, the total shootings number including murder, is 46944.

DOUBLE the suicide number. So we don't care about the folks that were shot but lived? Serves em' right? Yes, that's the attitude, "serves em' right, they must have done something to deserve it." And of course this is another conservative failing, blaming the victim.

Well, you better be concerned, because those people can still think and talk, and they are the ones that are raising hell about the uncontrolled gun issue in the United States. They are the ones that want to take your guns. Forget about them and your problems will only get worse by the shooting. With each one of these people stand AT LEAST five more friends and family that now see it their way. Actually the number is closer to ten, but I like to be conservative sometimes also. 

If that is so, then conservatively, 2017 created 234,720 Americans soured on guns. If we step up to 4th grade math.... we've only got a decade or so before the voting majority will end guns in the U.S. But unfortunately we will have a couple million martyrs before then.

I hate to spell this out though, It will be easier if the conservatives keep deflecting.

Then there is the real world happenings and costs of suicide that are conveniently forgotten, dismissed or not made aware to the people who say they care about keeping their guns.

- Suicide devastates friends and family - Add another 5 people per, to the gun sour list.

- Who pays for the cleanup after a suicide? There's alot of money involved post suicide.

- Whose gun was used for the suicide? 30% of the time, it was someone else's.

- So murder suicide doesn't count? - another 5% +/-

Suicide IS WORTH worrying about for all the above reasons and more. More reasons than a problem denier can't see... until it's them getting the call.

Live Love, 

M/

A Waning Covid Update

As our Country slowly opens up again, I took a short trip to an old stomping ground, St. George Utah. 

An RV resort outside St. George used to be a hub for my travels. Its also where I was shot. I went there to hand out books and talk to people about guns and the people that use them.

I gave a book to the new managers at the RV resort. It is now a KOA (sold to KOA in 2013 to help distance the previous owning company from the possible legal ramifications of me being shot there). Not surprising, they knew nothing of the incident that happened there and had little time for such nonsense.

I also went to the gun stores and shooting ranges in the area. This may seem crazy to some, but I wanted to talk to owners, give them a book and ask them for feedback considering their vocation and the situation Americans find themselves in.

Not surprisingly, I was met with anger, hate and disdain. An employee in one of the gun shops was receptive but was admonished for indulging me the second I left. In a couple other shops the book was ripped up as I opened the door to leave. Being given the stink eye and asked to leave in no uncertain terms has exactly the opposite effect on me than what is intended. Its the same situation and result that all extreme view point and radically selfish people experience. It doesn't work.

I will not stop, I will double my efforts until I reach the top of the mountain.

I gave out 60 books. Both at shops and out in the open at "strategic" locations. All were asked to leave feedback with reasonings at this blog and through emails and on the FB page.

Crickets.

Dont worry, that one shot over the line is coming. Time will tell, not the unintiated

Live Love

M/

Non-Fiction Writers Association, Literary Award Winner

In the regular course of things, I rarely, if ever, blow my own horn.

Is it because there is no horn to blow?

No.

Case in point; 

American Druthers has just won a NFAA literary award at the Silver level. 

Below is an editorial review synopsis from the Association

"To go through fire and back and be willing to look at the experience not just from your own perspective, but from the larger picture so the entire society can benefit, is one noble and courageous act worthy of deafening applause. That is just what Michael McNaney has done with his book American Druthers. As a victim of gun violence himself, Michael is not speaking from a subjective position, but courageously from a highly objective one. Throughout the book, he recognizes the divergent political positions on guns in America and has endeavored to present a balanced work. American Druthers is a well-researched scholarly work birthed from practical experience. A strong read for all who appreciate human dignity."

- Nonfiction Authors Association Editorial Review

And another couple choice reviews...

"To the American, it is possible this might be the fuel to rekindle your patriotic flame; to the non-American, this definitely helps you to better appreciate not just America, but responsible gun ownership everywhere. I highly recommend American Druthers" - NFAA Reviewer

"The right to bear arms is a controversial topic in American politics. Fortunately, this text delves deep into that subject while openly displaying the pros and cons to owning and using guns. This argument has been a hot topic throughout American history, and is still important even during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. The future might be uncertain for America, but hopefully this publication can help readers decide on their own how to behave in society where real life is highly subjective." - NFAA Reviewer

So what does all this mean?

It means that American Druthers is a book worth reading, and if you care in any way, pro or con, about guns in America, 

You Should Read This Book.

LL

M/

January 8th in Tucson

On January 8th 2010, Tucson had its most infamous mass shooting.

Tucson has a lot of shootings, and many of them involve more than one victim. In this shooting that happened 10 years ago, 6 people were killed and 13 injured. One of the dead was a local Judge and one of the near dead but injured was Arizona Representative Gabriel Gifford.

Today marks the 10 year anniversary, and the city of Tucson has put up a memorial at Presidio Park on the west side of the Old Pima County Courthouse downtown. Today was its dedication and I showed up.

It was a closed ceremony due to the Covid-19 issue but I was able to speak with Arizona Representative Ron Barber for a minute and give him one of my books, I handed out another 15 books there but the grand opening is supposed to be next month and there should be a thousand or more there according to staff.

Here are a few pics of the ceremony and the memorial:

Many families can never forget.

Eight days into the year 2021

16 mass shootings

528 suicides by gun

53 unintentional shootings

838 total gun violence deaths 

All of this is 20% higher than this time last year.

*** gunviolencearchive.org

LL Mac/

Breaking Gun Violence Records 2020

 December 5, 2020

25 days to go. 25 tumultuous days.

We already have 5 thousand more killings than last year, and 7 thousand more shootings.

At this moment we stand at 213 shootings per day of which 111 are resulting in death.

(in 2013 we were averaging 85 gun violence killings per day)

25 days to go. What will our high score be?

I can hardly wait.....

The Gun Violence Archive

Holding.... ish

 This Corona Virus stuff has all but shut down my efforts in getting out the book. One reason being; it is a self published book. The Industry considers self-published books as a device of the wanna-be class of writers. Perhaps practice for the real thing. 

Seeing the self-publishing world from the inside for the last few years, I have seen how self-published Authors are marginalized. I can certainly understand, having seen and read many self-published books in the past. It is more of a dream mill than a publishing experience. More of a cash grab from the companies that offer these services than anything else. These companies offer up an Author dream and then try to fleece you all along the way. In the end, you get a nice bound book and no marketing.

Without marketing there is no story. Self published Authors are left to their own devices to sell their book or pay to have a few sold here and there. I figured this out completely with my last book; A Curb Caste Experience," a book that got not one bad review from anyone that read it. As a matter of fact, people told me they couldn't put it down.... 

But this time I formulated my own marketing scheme to which the Pandemic has said... uh... no.

This past weekend I went down to my old haunt Tombstone, Arizona. I lived there for a couple years while I recovered from my injuries (explained in the the book). Tombstone has several events every year fashioned on the old West. Tourism is the only industry in Tombstone. I went there to hand out books and talk to people but out of the 5000 or so people that were there (and many more on their way), I saw just 4 people wearing a mask, and they were being berated like they were on a school playground.

It was a "super spreader" event so I left town around noon as the traffic entering town backed up.

I was still able to give out a couple dozen books but it was fairly disappointing.

VOTE

Live Love 

Mac/

Review from "Mike the Gun Guy"

 So I have recently re-started and re-upped my efforts. The pandemic has changed us. We will now be as jaded to human interaction as we are to our gun violence issues.

What seems to be the most important about the pandemic isn't how we are moving to rid ourselves of the viral threat but whether we are amassing money, or not.

It is the "or not" that is the kicker. Those people are running scared... with guns.

Dim bulbs all over our country with guns brandished, eager to take out their angst on anyone that even comes close to the "level of threat" ignorant people feel gives them an opportunity to shoot someone for their pain.

I've handed out my book to over a hundred folks in the past month. I've mailed out over forty copies to advocacy organizations and media and the complaints and nods are starting to come in. I'll pass on displaying the thoughts of those that include sexual positions in their ideas of gun lust, but reviews by thinking people, good or bad, will be displayed here on this blog.

For instance;

Here is a review from a right center American that has spent his life immersed in gun culture:

"MikeTheGunGuy" is a blog and facebook page from a gun advocate. Mike Weisser is a gun guy, has owned a gun shop, and as the name of his blog implies, guns occupy a lot of his time and thought. I mailed Mike a copy a month ago and he saw fit to read it, and give us his thoughts.

https://mikethegunguy.social/2020/09/15/a-new-and-good-gun-book/

He calls it a good gun book. Thats all I can hope for. Thank You Mike.