Guns in Bloomington scare the mayor so bad he whines about it in the NY Times

[MuttX7]

Someone showed up at a city pool open carrying and then Panther Ridge training center had guns on their vehicle in the 4th of July parade. People complained and now Mayor Hamilton is whining about it in an editorial in the New York Times. I am so glad I live outside of town but really wish I could vote in the city elections. There is so much more to worry about in Bloomington than two displays of firearms where nothing whatsoever happened.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/21/o...ine-guns-on-parade-and-nothing-we-can-do.html

 

[LPMan59]

And yet the only people that die in Bloomington are students who kill themselves or get abducted and then murdered.

ban students!

 

[MCgrease08]

A float rolled by featuring armed men from a private firearms training center with military-style machine guns held at the ready, ammunition belts attached, atop a pickup truck. The celebration took a nervous-making turn.

Because as we all know, someone hell bent on going on a shooting spree during a 4th of July parade is going to take the time to register a float first.

I am so sick of hearing anti-gunners saying "how are we supposed to know if he's a good guy with a gun?"

Umm, because he's carrying it openly and behaving in a completely normal manner. Is he threating anyone? Is the gun in a holster?

People who wish to do harm cover up their guns until they are ready to attack.

 

[bobzilla]

My gawd he's a ****ing flaming pile of liberal idiocy.

 

[The Bubba Effect]

He got him some attention! I bet it feels soo good for him for everyone to be looking at him, reading his name in the big city paper. I also bet he is just fuming that the panther ridge guys got their picture in the article when he surely sent them five or six pics of himself looking concerned and thoughtful to include with his attention whoring.

 

[MuttX7]

From what I have heard, we have more of a problem with heroin than with guns.

 

[Hkindiana]

Add this to the LONG list of why I am so glad I moved out of Bloomington, and settled in Bedford. When I first moved to Bedford I entered my WWII jeep in the Fourth of July parade. I called the mayor's office and asked if it was OK to leave the .30 caliber machine gun mounted on it. The staffer who answered the phone said "I don't see why not, after all the mayor is riding in a fast attack dune buggy from Crane, and he will be behind a .50 caliber machine gun". The difference between these two towns is totally NIGHT AND DAY!!

 

[DeadeyeChrista'sdad]

And because a NY paper is relevant to Bloomington, Indiana.

 

[cosermann]

If he likes NY so much, he should move there.

 

[Methane Herder]

Of he likes NY so much, he should move there.

Maybe just change the city name to Bloomingberg?
MH

 

[Leadeye]

He wants to get noticed politically in the event of a hilly presidency, so the op ed is in the nyt and not the local rag. Typical self serving corrupt fraud, getting big media points and shine blaming guns and people who own them rather than deal with the real problem, Drugs Inc. To leadership like this, the city's problems are tools for exploitation rather than a job to be worked on.

 

[EyeCarry]

“No one had any idea if it was loaded or not.”
What an idiotic comment.

“The celebration took a nervous-making turn.”
Only for the sheeple.

“…and has made it harder for me to do what my constituents want when it comes to making them safe.”
I guess that since I don’t get to vote for mayor I am not a constituent (although I live and work in Monroe Co.)

“My constituents aren’t against all guns. They respect Second Amendment rights.”
Sure they do, as long as they get to define what those rights are.

“So despite what a vast majority of Bloomington wants…”
“The vocal majority anyway.”

“No one was physically hurt at the pool or the parade. But I worry that tomorrow, or next month, or some day, my city may lose the awful violence lottery that seems to strike with terrible frequency”
And that may happen but criminals don’t follow the rules, do they?

“The people who voted for me want me to do more to protect our community from gun violence.”
How about getting the criminals off of the streets?

 

[Bennettjh]

From the article:

My constituents aren’t against all guns. They respect Second Amendment rights. They just don’t want handguns carried around at their public pools. They don’t want machine guns in their parades. Nor does my Police Department. Nor do I.

Can his constituents and himself guarantee everyone's safety at the pool and parade if they disarm? Highly doubt it. What a pansy.

 

[MuttX7]

“The people who voted for me want me to do more to protect our community from gun violence.”
How about getting the criminals off of the streets?

They tried this but it didn't work out so well. They keep getting caught and having to resign from their elected position.

 

[ol' Huff]

A state run entity in Bloomington asked me to bring a rifle and six children to town to conduct a safety demonstration. I declined. After much cajoling I relented. When I arrived we were met at the door by two police officers who proceeded to put me in the back of a cruiser in front of the children I mentored and take me away while the kids stood in shock.

As far as I am concerned, every anti-gunner in that town can go to McDonalds and McFu** themselves with a side of fries.

 

[OakRiver]

"The people of Bloomington expect their mayor to protect them against violence. . . No one was physically hurt at the pool or the parade"
Well mission accomplished pal, no one was hurt and the rights of the people as guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of Indiana (which by the way you swore to uphold) were protected




"This is all happening in Indiana, with a governor, Mike Pence, who has long fought against any reasonable restriction on guns"
You mean those guns that we the people have a right to keep and bear? Might want to read up on the US and Indiana constitutions. Sort of important when your oath of office involves upholding them.



"I received dozens of calls"

"How exactly are they supposed to tell a "good guy" with a gun from a "bad guy" with a gun?"
The same way you tell any other good guy on the street from a bad guy on the street. Their actions, demeanor, body language, etc. Most people doing something that they should not be doing do not typically announce their presence. But if he needs it broken down into concrete examples;
- good guy with gun; gun in holster, not acting in an aggressive manner, aware of his surrounding but not looking for prey
- bad guy with a gun; gun out of holster and in hand when no threat presents itself, or no holster at all and stuffed into his pants. Very nervous around cops. Actively intimidating others.

 

[DRob]

And the readers of the NYT are asking, "What! Mikey owns a town in Indiana?".

 

[TangoSierraEcho]

Wow, just wow! Just curious, how did anyone know that the guy at the pool wasn't an off duty police officer? Why the jump to concern and worry? FYI - I didn't vote for him

 

[oldpink]

Yet another of the many reasons that I'm so glad that I left that crap town years ago.
If you want just one example of the loony left thinking there, just grab a free copy of the Bloomington Voice​ some time.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

If the sight of a gun scares the good people of Bloomington, then why doesn't the Mayor of Bloomington disarm the police department?

The Mayor can control the BPD. Disarm them, Mr. Mayor, you can control that decision.