JUST ANOTHER DAY OF GUNS

This story is not unusual in America. Things like this happen every day in every city. Often, one or more people get hurt or killed; this time there was only one minor injury. But just because this is a typical and daily occurance, it still is not OK. And this was close to home.

A few days ago, near a middle school in our neighborhood, a man was seen carrying a hatchet, yelling, and taking off his clothes. The police were called, the school was put on lock down. The cops arrived to find that the guy had a large knife in addition to the hatchet, and was acting in ways indicating that he was on some kind of substance. The cops ordered him to drop the weapons, he did, and then he charged at them. The cops struggled with the man, and one of the officers was stabbed in the hand with a small knofe the man had concealed. He was subdued and hauled off to a medical facility for evaluation, and eventually to jail. The injured cop will be OK. 

The 34-year old man was booked on charges including: Assault 2, Assaulting a Public Safety Officer, Attempted Assault on a Public Safety Officer, Resisting Arrest, Criminal Mischief 1, and Disorderly Conduct 2. Within a couple of days, the police determined that there were restraining orders on this individual, and obtained a warrent to search his home. Here is what they found:

• an AR15 semiautomatic rifle, 
• a shotgun, 
• a semi-automatic handgun, 
• a .38 revolver, 
• ammunition and tactical gear.

The police added additional charges of Unlawful Possession of a Firearm (4 counts) and Violation of a Restraining Order (4 counts). 

This guy’s apartment is one mile from our house. It is on SE Division Street, a very busy commercial and residential street that has seen tremendous development of new apartment buildings, shops, restaurants, ice cream parlors, etc. - in other words, a lot of people. One can only imagine the scene if this guy had gone off the edge, grabbed his arsenal and went on a rampage on Division Street. Fortunately, this didn’t happen.

As I said at the beginning, another typical gun day in America. What the hell is wrong in our society that anyone can possess these kinds of weapons? Background checks can help, but obviously don’t work well; this guy has a history of firearms possession. There was no tragedy this time. Kids were not hurt/killed. But as we know - yes, we all know - tragedies involving guns occur every day in America, and no matter how horrific the outcomes, no matter how many are killed, our elected officials just don’t seem to give a rat’s ass about it. 

Thank you, Portland Police Bureau, for your good work. 

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