Arizona Senator Points Loaded Gun at Reporter

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Arizona state Sen. Lori Klein (R), a gun-rights champion, keeps a loaded raspberry-pink handgun in her purse, and during an interview with Arizona Republic reporter Richard Ruelas, she took it out and pointed it at him.

"Oh, it's so cute," Klein said, before aiming the gun at Ruelas's chest to show off the red beam of the laser sight.

Raspberry pink handgun? Jesus fucking christ she's like a real life Dolores Umbridge.

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Klein's gun, a .380 Ruger, has no safety, but the senator assured Ruelas that he wasn't in danger.

"I just didn't have my hand on the trigger," she said.

This woman seriously carries around a loaded hand gun without a safety in her purse!? It's a miracle that thing hasn't gone off accidentally and caused serious damage yet.

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Klein told the Arizona Republic that she owns a number of guns and has had "informal" training sessions on each of them, and that she was taught gun safety by her father.

Gun safety meaning, if your hand isn't on the trigger it won't go off? If there were any justice in the world this woman would have died as a small child in a gun accident. The fact that she's still irresponsibly slinging weapons around is a true testament to God's sense of humor. Or something.

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In Arizona, Klein's handgun has become a symbol of the gun control debate, and while she supports those who want the right to carry guns, she says it's a personal choice that she isn't forcing on anyone.

"I don't like chocolate ice cream," she told the Arizona Republic. "Am I going to force you not to have any?"

Yes, because guns are exactly the same as chocolate ice cream. Remind me again, how many people have died of brain freeze induced by someone else's ice cream?

Rule number one for handling guns:

Never point a gun at anything you're not prepared to shoot.

I feel like this is against the law. At least I hope it is. I imagine the reporter would have to choose to press charges though. The possibility to sue is most definitly there.

Yes, wonderful Senator - your finger wasn't on the trigger. As if there haven't been cases of guns firing without the trigger being pulled due to abuse, neglect in maintenance, or defective manufacturing.

And what's with it being painted pink? Nothing like creating a subconscious effect that it's not a lethal weapon because it's a cheery color.

Of course, there's not much you can do about it with Arizona being one of the states where you don't need to take any sort of gun safety courses or have a permit to carry concealed.

Was there a specific reason she pulled it on him? Did he say something she didn't like? Or was she just showing him how 'cute' it was?

I'm with Lady Anne-you do not point a gun at anything unless you're planning on shooting it. I'm thinking Arizona's gun safety training might be a bit lacking.

Lady Anne wrote:

Rule number one for handling guns:

Never point a gun at anything you're not prepared to shoot.

[sarcasm]Well, she is a Republican and it was a reporter.[/sarcasm]

Owlish wrote:

Raspberry pink handgun? Jesus fucking christ she's like a real life Dolores Umbridge.

They make guns in a whole lot of colors, and a lot of the ones with pink grips are special breast cancer fundraising ones. No, really.

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This woman seriously carries around a loaded hand gun without a safety in her purse!? It's a miracle that thing hasn't gone off accidentally and caused serious damage yet.

The Ruger LCP's about as safe as a similar-sized double-action revolver. It uses a long trigger pull.

Granted, a purse is just about the worst place you could carry a pistol. First, because unless you have your purse modified with a holster, it's going to shift inside it, and something could get wedged in the trigger guard. Second, if you actually need the gun, you're going to have to dig through said purse and try not to draw something else, or grab something with it that gets in the way.

It's a really dumb thing to do, but she's not exactly displaying brilliance here to begin with.

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Gun safety meaning, if your hand isn't on the trigger it won't go off?

Pretty much, yeah. Guns don't just "go off," something has to make them fire. Although on that note, the Ruger LCP was subject to a recall when it was discovered it might go off if dropped on a hard surface.

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If there were any justice in the world this woman would have died as a small child in a gun accident.

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Yes, because guns are exactly the same as chocolate ice cream. Remind me again, how many people have died of brain freeze induced by someone else's ice cream?

Yeeeah, as far as arguments go, that one's about as terrible as saying "if you're against abortions, don't have one."

This is the most stupid thing in the world to do.

A loaded gun is NEVER safe. There's all sorts of things that can go wrong and the slightest twitch in the wrong place can make a poorly maintained one go off.

In fact, an unloaded gun isn't safe either, albeit for different reasons - an unloaded gun might just make somebody shoot you in fear, or it might have a chambered round you weren't aware of, or it could just be taken to rob a convenience store with....

A gun in your house is accessible to impressionable kids and could be mishandled by them...

A gun that's not in your house can be used by somebody else, like this moronic bitch...

In fact the only safe gun is a gun that DOESN'T EXIST.

Saying, "Hey, if everybody can carry guns then nobody's going to use them" is stupid. How about, "Let's have nobody carry guns, then nobody's going to use them." Of course, that means criminals have guns, but they generally don't shoot people who don't have a gun. And they can't claim self-defence. And so on...

Why protect yourself from guns by having a gun? It's like having nukes because other countries have nukes.

That's MY opinion - that guns and the fear of guns both kill. You're free to argue with me on that point...

But I think a lot of people will agree with me when I say that AMERICA'S GUN CONTROL LAWS ARE LUDICROUS AND ABSOLUTELY PATHETIC.

It's amazing how often people remind you not to spout off on things you know nothing about, and yet there you go, doing it again.

I support people's right to bear arms as long as they can do so responsibly. There is nothing responsible about pointing a loaded gun at someone for the lulz.

Lady Anne wrote:

I support people's right to bear arms as long as they can do so responsibly. There is nothing responsible about pointing a loaded gun at someone for the lulz.

But simply put, who's to judge what 'responsibly' is? Obviously this stupid cow isn't being responsible - what if kids try to copy her? But from her words, she thought she was being responsible just because her finger wasn't on the trouble. I expect the gun WAS well maintained but even well-maintained guns have the danger of going off.

"Cool, huh?" she says. God yeah, perfect role model, isn't she?

Harley Quinn hyenaholic wrote:

Lady Anne wrote:

I support people's right to bear arms as long as they can do so responsibly. There is nothing responsible about pointing a loaded gun at someone for the lulz.

But simply put, who's to judge what 'responsibly' is? Obviously this stupid cow isn't being responsible - what if kids try to copy her? But from her words, she thought she was being responsible just because her finger wasn't on the trouble. I expect the gun WAS well maintained but even well-maintained guns have the danger of going off.

"Cool, huh?" she says. God yeah, perfect role model, isn't she?

Well, combining your and Owlish's logic, this is a self-correcting problem! In fact, she should be lauded for possibly causing children to accidentally shoot each other! You know, in case they might grow up to... handle guns irresponsibly. Yes.

Children are irresponsible by the nature of being children, and therefore a lot more impressionable than adults. Why should they end up going around shooting each other and other people?

After all, this Arizona Senator clearly loves guns and she didn't shoot herself in childhood SOMEHOW. But she's treating them like a goddamn FASHION ACCESSORY.

Harley Quinn hyenaholic wrote:

Children are irresponsible by the nature of being children, and therefore a lot more impressionable than adults. Why should they end up going around shooting each other and other people?

Well, that one clearly flew over your head...

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After all, this Arizona Senator clearly loves guns and she didn't shoot herself in childhood SOMEHOW. But she's treating them like a goddamn FASHION ACCESSORY.

Guns being treated as fashion accessories is nothing new. That's why, when NYPD wants to establish presence, they send guys out dressed up in SWAT gear to stand on corners with M4s and MP-5s: To look badass, like everyone's got a soldier looking out for them on the streets. (Then gun see them appearing online and point and laugh about how their Aimpoint sights are on backwards, because buying gear is cheaper than knowing how to use it).

What she did was what a lot of cops are guilty of: Treating their guns like the next iGadget. Especially with the "check out the laser" bit, where she actually aimed it at the guy.

She was complacent, and it's an attitude common with people who are new to guns but don't realize that they are. "I shot a BB gun when I was a kid, then there was about a 30 year gap where I never laid hands on a firearm, then something went bump in the night so I got myself a gun" is a common story. Often people like that actually do take classes because whatever inspired them to start carrying a gun scared them enough to take it seriously. This senator's attitude seems to be "Well, I grew up around guns, so I know 'em. Now check out this cute little laser!" Some people even manage to get that way with official qualifications.

That sort of complacency is extremely dangerous.

Harley wrote:

This is the most stupid thing in the world to do.

And now, we bring you the most stupid thing int he world to say:

Harly wrote:

Why protect yourself from guns by having a gun? It's like having nukes because other countries have nukes.

I believe that actually works. I mean, the only country I know of that's been nuked didn't have nukes at the time. No nuclear armed country has ever been nuked (at least past the point of nuking themselves to test nukes).

On the topic of gun laws, the problem with restricting guns is that criminals don't follow laws, so they'll get guns anyways. At least with guns people can defend themselves.

Howithurts wrote:

On the topic of gun laws, the problem with restricting guns is that criminals don't follow laws, so they'll get guns anyways. At least with guns people can defend themselves.

Only if they've been trained to use them. The vast majority of people who buy guns for 'defense' generally never bother to take classes to teach them how to properly shoot and maintain them.

Knowing how to aim and fire a gun is not an inborn skill. It's something you have to learn. My ex owned guns and spent an inordinate amount of time trying to teach me how to target shoot. I never got to the point I could actually hit anything.

On the other hand, at least he had a gun safe and kept them locked up when he wasn't target shooting. Most people just keep them in their bedside table or their dresser drawer, or on a shelf in the closet (or in their purse). The perfect place for a kid to find them and possibly either shoot themselves, one of their siblings, or mom/dad.

Oh, it is to laugh...

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But explaining her side via email, Klein said it was the reporter who put himself in her gun’s line of sight.

After she was asked to show her weapon so photos could be taken of it, Klein said she made sure the chamber was clear.

“The photographer, who was behind me at the time, asked me to show him the laser sight and I did so, turning it on and shining it on the wall in front of me (away from the photographer). During this demonstration, the reporter came and sat down in the sofa in front of me, placing himself in the line of the laser sight,” Klein said.

Yes, because that's what normal people do - they walk into the path of a handgun with an active laser sight being pointed at a wall.

Oh, but all is good - she's never taken gun safety courses, but her father taught her everything she knows about gun safety. So obviously she's a responsible gun owner! No problems here!

Reporters aren't normal people.

Spotts1701 wrote:

Oh, it is to laugh...

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But explaining her side via email, Klein said it was the reporter who put himself in her gun’s line of sight.

After she was asked to show her weapon so photos could be taken of it, Klein said she made sure the chamber was clear.

“The photographer, who was behind me at the time, asked me to show him the laser sight and I did so, turning it on and shining it on the wall in front of me (away from the photographer). During this demonstration, the reporter came and sat down in the sofa in front of me, placing himself in the line of the laser sight,” Klein said.

Yes, because that's what normal people do - they walk into the path of a handgun with an active laser sight being pointed at a wall.

Oh, but all is good - she's never taken gun safety courses, but her father taught her everything she knows about gun safety. So obviously she's a responsible gun owner! No problems here!

Why does this remind me of the time Dick Cheney shot his hunting buddy and tried to blame him for it?

Rabid Badger wrote:

Howithurts wrote:

On the topic of gun laws, the problem with restricting guns is that criminals don't follow laws, so they'll get guns anyways. At least with guns people can defend themselves.

Only if they've been trained to use them. The vast majority of people who buy guns for 'defense' generally never bother to take classes to teach them how to properly shoot and maintain them.

That's not really true. It's really easy to find basic gun safety and shooting courses. Having said that, about three minutes of hammering "the four rules" home is enough for most people to avoid idiotic moves like this one.

Useful self-defense classes are a bit harder to find, though. Most of the state-required ones are basically extra time spent learning to shoot and not, however, all that much about when it's legal to shoot, and what to do afterward.

Regardless of pointing, I thought they said the gun was loaded? Now she's saying it WASN'T?

Lady Anne wrote:

Why does this remind me of the time Dick Cheney shot his hunting buddy and tried to blame him for it?

Because it's another shining example straight out of the Republican tactical handbook: when the facts make you look bad, deny the facts! Twist the story until you're right and everyone else is a blathering idiot. Never ever ever admit your mistakes. Ever.

Harley Quinn hyenaholic wrote:

Regardless of pointing, I thought they said the gun was loaded? Now she's saying it WASN'T?

Correct. See comment above, re: denying facts. Her attempted cover up doesn't even make sense--if she thinks it's perfectly safe to carry a loaded handgun in her purse, why bother taking out the ammo when she's simply holding it for demonstration? Especially when she was just holding it and some blathering idiot walked into the line of fire. She's only saying that now because she's getting flack from legit gun associations.

Owlish wrote:

Lady Anne wrote:

Why does this remind me of the time Dick Cheney shot his hunting buddy and tried to blame him for it?

Because it's another shining example straight out of the Republican Politician tactical handbook: when the facts make you look bad, deny the facts! Twist the story until you're right and everyone else is a blathering idiot. Never ever ever admit your mistakes. Ever.

FTFY

(Yeah, the Republicans generally have a worse track record with this sort of thing, but not by much).