THERE IS A SENATE CANDIDATE I WANT TO INFORM YOU ABOUT, HE IS
A LIBERTARIAN AND IS LIKELY TO WIN THE ENDORSEMENT OF THE
LIBERTARIAN PARTY IN HIS STATE, HIS NAME IS BRIAN ELLISON AND HE
IS PLANNING ON CHALLENGING DEMOCRATIC INCUMBENT DEBBIE
STABENOW, AND HE SAYS HOMELESS PEOPLE ARE CONSTANTLY VICTIMS OF
VIOLENT CRIME, WHICH IS TRUE.
AND IT'S HEARTWARMING AND
ENCOURAGING TO HEAR THERE IS SOMEONE WHO WANTS TO DO
SOMETHING ABOUT THIS.
BUT HE THINKS THAT THE BEST SOLUTION IS
TO PROVIDE THEM WITH FIREARMS.
OKAY.
AS IF THEY WERE TEACHERS.
RIGHT.
LET ME GIVE YOU THE DETAILS OF HIS PROPOSAL AND HE'S BEING
SERIOUS, AT FIRST I THOUGHT MAYBE THIS WAS A JOKE BUT HE'S
BEING SERIOUS.
HE SAYS --
SO HE SPECIFICALLY WANTS TO PROVIDE THEM WITH SHOTGUNS,
BECAUSE THE LICENSING REQUIREMENTS ARE A LITTLE MORE
LAX WHEN IT COMES TO SHOTGUNS.
NOW --
THERE IS THE ISSUE OF PROVIDING THE GUNS, BUT THEN,
WHERE DID THEY GET THE AMMUNITION FOR THESE GUNS?
GOOD QUESTION.
ELLISON IS ALWAYS THINKING, HE THOUGHT ABOUT THIS, AND HE
REALIZED THEY WOULD PROVIDE THESE INDIVIDUALS WITH A LIMITED
AMOUNT OF BULLETS, AND IF THEY ARE CAUGHT USING THOSE BULLETS
TO SHOOT CANS OR ANYTHING OTHER THAN SOMEONE WHO IS POSING A
RISK OR A THREAT, THEN THEY WOULD NO LONGER GIVE THEM
BULLETS.
THEY WILL GET FIVE OR SIX SHELL MAGAZINES.
LET'S NOTE FOR
THE RECORD FIRST THAT THIS GUY IS A VERY STABLE GENIUS.
BUT
THEY WILL GET FIVE OR SIX SHELL MAGAZINES, AND HE'S LIKE IF THEY
RUN OUT OF THEM DEFENDING THEMSELVES WE WILL GIVE THEM
MORE BULLETS.
REALLY, THEY ARE GOING TO SHOOT FIVE OR SIX
PEOPLE?
MY GOD, THIS GUY -- TO BE FAIR, HE FIRED TWICE ONE
TIME, SO THREE PEOPLE ARE DEAD, NOW FINALLY WE CAN GIVE THE GUY
NEW BULLETS BECAUSE HE USED THEM WELL.
AND HE SAYS HE
SETTLED ON PUMP ACTION SHOTGUNS FOR PRACTICALITY PURPOSES,
BECAUSE HOW ELSE WOULD A HOMELESS PERSON KILL SOMEONE IF
HE DIDN'T HAVE A PUMP ACTION SHOTGUN?
AGAIN IT HAS MORE TO DO WITH THE LICENSING REQUIREMENTS IN
THE STATE.
IF YOU HAVE A PISTOL YOU HAVE TO GET IT LICENSED AND
IN ORDER TO GET IT LICENSED YOU HAVE TO HAVE AN ADDRESS AND IF
YOU ARE HOMELESS YOU DON'T HAVE ONE, SO HE HAS THOUGHT THROUGH
SOME OF THE DETAILS WHICH IS AMAZING.
HE ALSO SAID HE WILL SORT OF POLL THEM TO SEE IF IT'S
SOMETHING THEY WANT BECAUSE HE DOESN'T WANT TO FORCE IT ON
THEM.
THAT'S
RIGHT, HE SAID THEY WON'T BE FORCED TO CARRY SHOTGUNS.
WE APPRECIATE THAT.
SO HE WILL GO AMONG THE HOMELESS, YOU GUYS WANT GUNS?
BACK TO WHAT MICHAEL SAID, WE ARE AT A PLACE NOW WHERE OF
COURSE HE CARES, AND I THINK THAT'S FANTASTIC -- THIS IS
TOTAL MADNESS.
TEACHERS BEING ARMED, IT'S NOT A SOLUTION.
EVERY STATISTIC SHOWS US THAT WHEN YOU PUT THE GUN IN A
PERSON'S HANDS YOU INCREASE THEIR RISK OF DEATH OR INJURY,
YOU ARE BASICALLY THROWING FUEL ON THE PROBLEM.
EXACTLY.
LET ME BRING UP ANOTHER THING.
THESE ARE HOMELESS
PEOPLE, THEY ARE UNFORTUNATELY LIVING ON THE STREET, WHAT
HAPPENS WHEN THEY ARE ASLEEP AND THEIR WEAPON IS THERE?
WHO IS
GOING TO PREVENT ANOTHER PERSON FROM OBTAINING THAT WEAPON
ILLEGALLY?
THIS IS SUCH A TERRIBLE IDEA.
OR TRAINING THEIR GUNS FOR ALCOHOL OR DRUGS OR MONEY.
SELLING THEIR GUN.
I'M SURE THEY WILL GO THROUGH THE PROPER REGISTRATION TO SELL
THE GUN.
OR MAYBE THEY WILL JUST SAY THIS IS MY PRIVATE GUN SHOW.
THE SKID ROW LOOPHOLE.
ONE MORE QUOTE FROM CANDIDATE ELLISON.
HE SAYS --
I THINK YOU CAN BE SCARED OF BOTH.
I THINK IT'S OKAY TO BE SCARED OF BOTH.
I'M DEFINITELY TERRIFIED OF BOTH.
JUST PUTTING MORE GUNS INTO SOCIETY.
I WANT TO BE CLEAR ABOUT SOMETHING, I DON'T EVEN THINK
THIS ELLISON GUY HAS BAD INTENT OR IS A BAD DAY OVERALL.
HE SAYS
A LOT OF INTERESTING THINGS, HE'S WORRIED ABOUT OVER
MILITARIZING THE COPS, HE'S A LIBERTARIAN SO HE THINGS WE ARE
DOING TOO MUCH FOREIGN INTERVENTION, I LOOKED INTO HIM.
AND HE CARES ABOUT MINORITY CIVIL RIGHTS.
THOSE ARE ALL
WONDERFUL THINGS.
BUT HE GENUINELY BELIEVES THAT THE
ANSWER IS ALWAYS A GUN, IS ALWAYS SOME SORT OF WEAPON.
LIKE, WE CARE ABOUT THE HOMELESS INTENSELY, SO WE THINK MAYBE A
HOME, RIGHT?
JUST A THOUGHT, SOME FOOD, A HOME, SOME HEALTHCARE.
AND I DON'T SAY THAT FLIPPANTLY, UTAH, SALT LAKE CITY
ACTUALLY BUILT HOMES FOR THE HOMELESS AND FOUND IT WAS
INCREDIBLY COST-EFFICIENT.
IT SOLD A LOT OF THEIR MEDICAL
PROBLEMS, A LOT OF THE SERVICES YOU WOULD NORMALLY HAVE TO
PROVIDE, AND IT WAS THIS COUNTERINTUITIVE IDEA OF, LIKE,
THEY ARE HOMELESS, WHY DON'T WE GIVE THEM HOMES?
AND IT TURNED
OUT TO BE GENIUS.
OTHER PLACES ARE TRYING HOMES TO CUT DOWN ON
EMERGENCY ROOM COSTS, ETC., PROVIDING SOME FUNDING FOR
RENTALS, ETC., SO THERE ARE SO MANY DIFFERENT WAYS TO ADDRESS
IT, BUT LET'S ALSO BE REALISTIC AND WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT THIS A
LOT, A LOT OF THE HOMELESS ARE MENTALLY ILL.
THEY DIDN'T CHOOSE
TO BE THERE, THEY JUST HAVE AN ISSUE.
BUT THEY ALSO HAVE RIGHTS
AND IT'S COMPLICATED, BUT YOU WANT TO HELP THEM BUT YOU WANT
TO RESPECT THEIR RIGHTS, ETC.
BUT I THINK THE VERY LAST THING
YOU WANT TO DO TO HELP MENTALLY ILL HOMELESS PEOPLE IS GIVE THEM
A WEAPON.
BECAUSE I THOUGHT OF IT SELFISHLY, TO BE HONEST, THE
IDEA OF WALKING DOWNTOWN IN L.A. OR SAN FRANCISCO WITH HOMELESS
PEOPLE WITH SHOTGUNS DOESN'T SOUND GOOD TO ME, I'M KEEPING IT
REAL ON THAT.
BUT YOU MADE A GOOD POINT, THEY ARE MORE LIKELY
TO HURT THEMSELVES BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN PEOPLE
OWN GUNS, SARAH MADE THE POINT, SHE IS RIGHT, 500 PEOPLE DIE
EVERY YEAR IN AMERICA FROM ACCIDENTAL GUNSHOT WOUNDS.
TO
GIVE YOU A SENSE OF CONTEXT, THIS IS AMAZING, ALL GUN DEATHS
IN JAPAN COMBINED, EVEN IF YOU TRIPLE THEIR POPULATION TO EQUAL
OURS, IS ONLY 39.
WERE AS WE HAVE 500 DEATHS EVERY YEAR JUST
FROM ACCIDENTS, LET ALONE HOMICIDES AND SUICIDES, WHICH IS
OVER 30,000.