t’s Monday and here we go again! This may not be Trump, but it certainly is ultra-conservative Trumpian. In Fort Walton Beach Florida, a Sheriff’s Deputy shot and killed a black, active-duty U.S. Air Force Airman, simply for opening the door to his apartment with a legally owned handgun by his side. He was, as we are often told, a good guy with a gun. When Airman Fortson opened the door, it appeared, though not confirmed, he was holding a handgun at his side, pointed at the floor. The Deputy yelled at him to step back and immediately shot him six times before telling him to drop the gun, giving him 0.0 seconds to comply with orders before shooting him. This was stated in the article, the object found beside him when he fell to the floor was a cell phone. His response to drop the gun, after he was shot was, “I don’t have it, it’s over there.” The officer claims he acted in self-defense. I believe his actions were impulsive and unwarranted.
An unrelated article on the same page tells us that guns are being stolen from cars at a rate triple what it was 10 years ago. Nothing has changed! We have been complaining about unwarranted killings by police for a long time now, and yet this young man was killed for opening his door!
We have had an unprecedented explosion of firearm possession in our nation. People don’t really have to worry about terrorists or foreign entities roaming the streets, but we do have to worry about our neighbor taking exception to the way we park our car or to something we have said. We are so armed to the teeth that, in fact, it does make it more dangerous for Police to make a call. Therefore, it is even more important for our Officers to be even more highly trained and not to shoot first and ask questions later. The utmost care must be taken not to shoot innocent people and there should be consequences for inappropriate action. I understand that police work is dangerous, but it is their chosen profession. They must be trained to go the extra inch to make sure appropriate action is taken and bear responsibility if it is not.
We do not have a Second Amendment problem in our Nation, but we do have an attitude problem. Firearms are by their very nature implements of destruction. In the most basic use of these items, target practice, the goal is to break holes in a target, or bottles, placed downrange to check our accuracy. When hunting, the goal is destruction of life. The preponderance of these dangerous items in our society makes all of us less safe, yet we, as a society, regularly and routinely resist safety regulations that would attempt to make all of us, in particular our children, have a safer environment. The Second Amendment, as currently interpreted, guarantees ownership, but not necessarily possession, in any and all circumstances and situations, and it does not preclude safety rules and regulations.
On a lighter, but still important note, we are moving forward to obtain an office space, with an August opening. We are planning to make it a more permanent space. We would like to provide a place for us to gather for meetings and more. We do need more help in financing and funding this project. We have taken this on in a leap of faith. Please join in by becoming a regular monthly donor to JeffDems, if you have not already done so. For those who have, thank you. Sitting back and accepting right-wing abuse will not help change attitudes for the better. Standing up and showing who we are and what we stand for will. It took a long time to slide into our situation, so it will take time to reverse it, have patience.
Participate, Donate, Vote.
John Huot, JeffDems Chair
P.S. Can you name one authoritarian regime in the world (that is not a failed state) that allows free access to firearms? I am sure The United States would not be the first.
Donations Needed and Accepted
The Jefferson County Democratic Committee (JeffDems) is funded through donations (we do not get funding from the state). We rely on the generosity of local Democrats to enable all our initiatives, including an Office/HQ to function as “JeffDems Central” before the critical Fall Election. Please start a monthly recurring donation to JeffDems, large or small, using the ActBlue link below, or of course, one-time donation checks are welcome! Contribute so that your County Committee can do more on your behalf. Thank you!
“Jefferson County Democratic Committee”
c/o Steve Larchuk, Treasurer
PO Box 266
Punxsutawney, PA 15767
or use ActBlue I just gave to Jefferson County Democratic Committee. (PA)!
CALENDAR
* June 29 – July 6: Festival in the Park – Barclay Square, Punxsutawney
– We will, once again, be an exhibitor and will need volunteers to “man” the JeffDems booth.
* July 14 – July 20: Jefferson County Fair – County Fairgrounds, Brookville
– We will, once again, be an exhibitor and will need volunteers to “man” the JeffDems booth.
* August 23 – 24: Demstock 2024 @ The Butler County Farm Show Grounds
– More info will be coming soon. We may be purchasing a County Sponsorship, which will enable us to exhibit and receive an allotment of tickets for Saturday 8/23, and one overnight camping pass. Individual tickets can be purchased by going to demstock.net
* Picnic @ Nick’s: Date TBD
www.jeffdemspa.org