It's the crazies, stupid!

It’s almost like a broken record. Man shoots up school, or Waffle House, or fill-in-the-blank, and we immediately launch into a debate about guns. Obviously if the police were carrying guns when they finally apprehended this monster then guns aren’t the problem. Crazy is the problem.

Once again there were alarm bells going off all around this guy who shot up the Waffle House. Arrested for trespassing after he went to the White House and insisted on taking a meeting the president. There are reports that he threatened people with his gun. Finally, the sheriff’s deputies pay him a visit at his father’s crane company and take away his guns and his gun permit. They leave the guns in the custody of his father with strict instructions not to give them back to his son. What does this idiot do? He gives the guns back to his son, even after he, himself, had alerted the police that his son thought he was being stalked by Taylor Swift and was suicidal.

They say you can’t fix stupid and that may be true, but you can sure put stupid in jail. I’m not a lawyer, but I can’t imagine how this father is not charged with accessory to murder. He’s like the guy behind the wheel in the getaway car at the bank robbery. Something goes wrong and somebody’s killed and this driver is going to be charged with murder.

Nashville’s acting mayor was immediately on Twitter after the Waffle House killings calling for a ban on ‘military weapons.’ It may very well be that his ‘military weapon’ jammed on him, giving James Shaw, Jr. the split-second opportunity to wrest the gun away from him. Had he used the pistol that was in his possession instead, such an opportunity may never have presented itself.

And what a juxtaposition between James Shaw and Camera Hogg down in Florida. Shaw truly is a survivor of a mass shooting. Hogg was not even on the scene when the bullets were flying. Camera Hogg has exploited the tragedy to get his face on every network multiple times. Shaw has shunned the spotlight and says he doesn’t want this event to define his life. Camera Hogg has turned the Parkland tragedy into a traveling one-man show about him. James Shaw, on the other hand, has started a fundraiser for the victims because he believes that’s where the focus should be.

The focus on solutions should be on the mentally ill. I’ve written in this space about how much things changed after the 1975 Supreme Court ruling. However, we’re missing the main point of that ruling. They said you can’t lock up the mentally ill against their will unless they’re a danger to themselves or others. I would think taking away someone’s guns indicates they’re a danger to themselves or others. Why was this guy not committed?

Think about that. If he’d been committed as he should’ve been then four people would be alive and this guy could be getting the treatment he needs. Too late for all of that now.

I would urge every single person reading this column to get off the sidelines and start reporting dangerous people. I’m not talking about Trump supporters or Hillary supporters or NRA members, as some fear will happen. I’m talking about people who are obviously unbalanced and are doing or saying things that would make them a danger to themselves or others.

I’m not talking about locking up everybody who thinks Taylor Swift is stalking them. But they sure don’t need to own guns.

Phil Valentine is the host of the award-winning, nationally syndicated talk radio show, The Phil Valentine Show.

The lessons of Parkland

Interesting, isn’t it, how the Parkland shooting remains in the headlines weeks after it happened and the Vegas shooting, which killed over 3 times as many people, faded away in days. What’s different about this shooting?

The obvious is there were children involved. The other X factor is the kids, specifically David Hogg, who have taken the spotlight to advocate for gun control. Pardon my cynicism but I think it’s unseemly for Hogg and others to exploit the deaths of their classmates to further their obvious political agenda against guns. And shame on CNN for ceaselessly manipulating their audience with these kids for their own political gain.

As demonstrated in this space before, with a small fraction of one percent of the guns being used for evil, obviously the guns are not the problem. Crazy is the problem, and I applaud President Trump for having the courage to broach that subject when he suggested that we need more mental hospitals and more of these disturbed people in them. But solving that problem is a steep climb given the Supreme Court ruling and the large advocacy on the left for keeping these disturbed people on the street. Someone even told me there are brochures for the mentally ill to instruct them on how to find edible food in dumpsters. Don’t you think people dumpster diving would be better served in a mental institution that can tend to their daily needs and help them get well?

Given that we’re unlikely to win that battle anytime soon it is incumbent upon us to do what we can to save children’s lives. I’ve long advocated for a Designated Defender program in schools. Now we have a president with the guts to put that idea front and center. Meanwhile ‘Camera’ Hogg and his cohorts continue to blame Republicans. He actually said that Governor Rick Scott, the Republican governor of Florida, was responsible for the cowardly deputy who refused to enter the school and confront the shooter. No mention of Sheriff Israel because the good sheriff shares his views on gun grabbing.

These kids have now pressured companies like Delta and United along with practically every car rental company to sever ties with the NRA. What in the world does the NRA have to do with the shooting in Florida. It’s akin to blaming AAA for drunken driving deaths.

It’s time for good people to fight back. Google the list of companies that have cowardly bowed to the demands of the leftist gun grabbers and let them know how you feel.

Look, I have all the sympathy in the world for anyone who’s lived through the horror of a mass shooting, but that doesn’t make you an instant expert on guns or how to solve gun violence. The truth is the people on the ground in Parkland, Florida are largely to blame for this shooting. The sheriff’s department visited the killer’s home multiple times. The school didn’t want to report his criminal behavior at school for fear of blemishing their record. Nearly every student interviewed who knew this guy said they thought he was dangerous and would end up killing people. Did they say anything before he went on his rampage?

There are plenty of lessons to be learned from Parkland. We have to evaluate mentally ill people before they become dangerous. That is the primary lesson we should learn. We should also learn not to be complacent. See something, say something. Law enforcement needs to start connecting the dots. And the FBI needs to get off Russia and the NCAA and start protecting our kids.

Phil Valentine is the host of the award-winning, nationally syndicated talk radio show, The Phil Valentine Show.

What really caused the Vegas shooting

The shooting in Las Vegas was on a scale of unspeakable horror. Dozens killed. Hundreds wounded. Predictably, the left immediately launched into an issue they keep in their hip pocket. Gun control. It’s an understandably emotional response, but it doesn’t get to the heart of the problem.

Before I get to that I need to point out a fallacy of the gun control argument. The most obvious flaw is the number of weapons this monster possessed. If news reports are accurate, he had 23 guns in the hotel room and another 19 at home. One has to wonder how he got so many guns into a hotel room undetected, however the left misses one simple point. More guns doesn’t make one more dangerous. You can only shoot one gun at a time. In fact, if he were putting down one gun and picking up another it would stand to reason that he would do less damage, not more. What matters is the capacity of the gun he used to kill.

We won’t know for sure until the investigation is complete, but it appears he managed to convert a semi-automatic rifle to automatic. In other words, he was able to turn a semi-automatic weapon into a machine gun. There is such a thing as a “full auto kit.” However, these kits are restricted by the 1986 law that bans civilian purchase of automatic weapons. The gun control that would’ve stopped this killer from obtaining a fully automatic weapon already exists. Yes, he had dozens of guns, but it appears the killing machine he used was obtained illegally. Passing more laws is not going to change that.

Now let’s get on to the real problem. The guy was nuts. We seem to have a mental illness crisis in this country. One in six of us is on some sort of psychiatric drug. This includes antidepressants and sedatives. That doesn’t mean that if you’re taking an antidepressant you’re psychotic, but it does mean that roughly 42 million adults are on some sort of psychiatric medication.

If you’ve ever known anyone who’s bipolar you know the difficulty is in knowing where the person ends and the disease begins. We should have the same compassion for mental illness that we do for physical illness but we don’t. It’s easy to dismiss people with mental illness. They’re odd or they’re crazy. Stay away from that guy, he’s nuts. We’ve all heard it. We’ve all said it. It’s part of what causes people with mental illness to go through life undiagnosed.

I can’t imagine that was the case with the Las Vegas shooter. You don’t get that mentally ill without someone noticing. Unfortunately with mental illness too many of us notice, too few of us help.

But what can we do? I don’t for a second think we need the guys in white jackets with nets prowling the streets in a padded van. However, there are far too many people who are dangerously mentally ill roaming free. Loved ones are oftentimes reluctant to report the danger signs out of compassion for the sick person, but you wouldn’t allow a person you knew had cancer to remain untreated,

The compassionate course of action is to help people you suspect are unstable get well. You don’t do that by ignoring the illness. If you suspect someone is mentally ill take action. Talk to one of their family members. If it’s your family member, talk with a mental health professional. 

Mental illness is bad enough. A mentally disturbed individual with an automatic weapon is a horribly lethal combination.

Phil Valentine is the host of the award-winning, nationally syndicated talk radio show, The Phil Valentine Show.

Who's to blame for a killer?

We may never know what drove Elliot Rodger to go on a killing spree in Santa Barbara, Ca. What we do know is that he was a seriously disturbed individual with a death wish and demented sense of revenge. He apparently blamed women who wouldn’t sleep with him for being a virgin — like there’s anything wrong with that at the tender age of 22 — as well as the guys who beat him to the punch.

Elliot Rodger killed seven people, including himself, and injured a dozen or so others. His list of weapons included a knife, a hammer, two machetes, a BMW, and three pistols. You can rest assured the mainstream media will fixate on the guns. They always do.

Hindsight is 20/20. His parents found out about his YouTube rant, in which he promised to kill as many people as possible, alerted authorities, and set out to Santa Barbara to stop him. 

They were too late.

Apparently he killed his three roommates with the hammer, the knife, and the machetes. He then went to a sorority house where he killed two sorority sisters on the sidewalk. He left the sorority house and drove around town randomly selecting his victims, killing one more innocent pedestrian before turning the gun on himself.

Reading his manifesto, it’s unbelievable that he truly felt as he did. What’s even more unbelievable is that no one knew he was nuts. Instead of trotting out the tired, old argument for banning guns, we need to start concentrating on the real problem. Quite frankly, there are too many crazy people roaming loose on the streets.

Now, crazy is a relative term. I’m sure we all have certain oddities that others might find strange. I’m not talking about locking up every eccentric in the country. What I’m talking about are danger signs. There’s no way Elliot Rodger wasn’t exhibiting them. He was obviously in therapy. Did his therapist know he was fantasizing about going on a killing rampage? Let’s hope not. But did he or she see signs that he might be violent?

Again, that’s quite subjective, but those of us who live in the real world know when someone is dangerous. A friend of mine who works with the animal rescue folks told me recently of a guy who cut the front legs off a cat. That guy should not only be punished for what he did, he should be watched like a hawk for the rest of his life. That’s the kind of person who ends up a serial killer or a multiple victim killer like Elliot Rodger.

One critic, Ann Hornaday from the Washington Post, was quick to blame Hollywood for white men promoting “escapist fantasies” that “revolve around vigilantism and sexual wish-fulfillment.” She went on to say Rodger’s misogynistic delusions were channeled through “male studio executives.” She singled out the movie “Neighbors,” and the movie’s star, Seth Rogen, and director, Judd Apatow. Apatow specializes in coming-of-age movies in which the inexperienced, immature guy gets the girl. Apparently, Ann Hornaday finds that distasteful.

We can blame Hollywood. We can blame video games. We can blame the “gun culture.” None of that gets us anywhere. There have been slasher movies as long as I can remember. Sure, some video games are violent. And, yes, we are a society that cherishes our Second Amendment right. All of those elements have been around for a long time. By blaming them, we ignore the obvious.

Too many people are too screwed up in the head, and too few of us take the time to notice.

Phil Valentine is the host of the award-winning, nationally syndicated talk radio show, The Phil Valentine Show.

Obama's war on guns

There’s something going on that should send a chill down the spine of every American. The Obama administration is using the FDIC, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, to go after gun shops. Eric Holder over at the Justice Department is in on this and they’ve launched something called Operation Choke Point. They’re getting the FDIC to designate gun sellers as ‘high risk’ thus getting banks, under threat from the federal government, to sever their ties with them. This is not only online gun retailers but bricks-and-mortar stores, as well.

They tried to cover this with a list of other businesses they’re targeting like porn shops and

stores that sell drug paraphernalia. We can argue over the merits — or lack thereof — of either of those two enterprises, but they’re legal. How on God’s green earth do we allow our government to shutter legitimate businesses in this country?

Part of the problem is precedent. Obama has been waging an open war against the coal industry and few outside of that business are willing to stand up and be counted. Now they’re coming after guns, and you can bet this won’t be the last business they attack.

If you’re thinking to yourself that you already have guns so it won’t affect you, think again. Where are you going to get ammo once all the guns shops are closed?

Whether you’re a big Second Amendment proponent or not, this should trouble you to no end. Through executive orders this administration is having its way with the American people. Their rationale is that Congress won’t act so they have to. That’s the whole point of having a congress. They pass laws and the president either signs them or vetoes them. This administration believes if congress doesn’t pass laws then they simply pass their own through executive orders.

It’s not hard to understand why the economy is struggling to recover when this administration has declared war on so many parts of it. Imagine if they continue to get away with it. Anything and anybody they don’t like will be in peril. If they’re successful in killing the coal industry, what’s to stop them from going after the oil industry? They already have been to some degree.

If they’re allowed to shut down the gun industry then one of our basic constitutional rights is gone. Now, I’m not saying that Obama is trying to grab all the guns so he can put us all in FEMA camps. What I am saying is even if he thinks he’s doing this with good intentions, it only takes one person with bad intentions to take this country in a dark direction once they know the people can’t defend themselves.

Like so many rights that die, it’s the people who stand on the sidelines who allow it to happen. Don’t be one of those people. It’s time to start pushing back and pushing back hard. It’s time to light up your congressman’s phone. It’s time to get involved with any group that’s joining the struggle to defend our liberties. It’s time to let Mr. Obama and Mr. Holder and anyone else who declares war on business know that we’re watching. Not only are we watching, but we’re active.

Irish statesman Edmund Burke once said, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” That goes for you good ladies, too. We can either watch this administration tear business apart limb from limb or we can do something.

When good men and women actually do something, evil is vanquished. You can quote me.

Phil Valentine is the host of the award-winning, nationally syndicated talk radio show, The Phil Valentine Show.

The 'gun culture' is not the problem

I continue to cheer on my birth state from the sidelines as the Republicans dismantle liberalism brick by brick.  North Carolina has a Republican governor and a Republican state legislature and state senate.  So far they have taken aim at the state income tax, implementing a flat tax rather than a tiered tax that punished people the more they earned.  They ended teacher tenure in public schools that had historically protected teachers just because they had been on the job longer.  They instituted voter ID which will make elections more honest, despite the insane contention from the left that it will keep minorities from voting.

But a little-noticed law goes into effect this week.  It prohibits law enforcement from destroying unclaimed firearms and guns acquired through one of those silly gun buy-back programs.  Now they’re required to either donate the guns, keep them or sell them to licensed firearms dealers unless the guns are damaged or missing serial numbers.  Heretofore, law enforcement agencies would destroy millions of dollars worth of guns under the guise of keeping the streets safer.  Of course, anyone who has studied the issue knows that it’s not the guns.

Even a new Harvard University study concluded that more guns do not mean more violence.  The study looked at gun ownership worldwide and found that America’s relatively high murder rate along with its relatively high gun ownership rate was an anomaly.  For example, Luxembourg bans handguns but their murder rate is nine times higher than Germany’s where gun ownership is 30,000 times higher.  The Soviet Union managed to strip its citizenry of their guns which continued after the Iron Curtain fell.  By the 1990s their murder rate was three times that of the United States despite their ban on guns.

In fact, the Harvard study found more guns equated to less crime.  Here’s the money quote from the study: “Where firearms are most dense violent crime rates are lowest, and where guns are least dense violent crime rates are highest.”

Of course, that’s common sense for those of us who understand why the founding fathers included the Second Amendment in the Bill of Rights. 

What’s ironic is President Obama signed 23 Executive Actions in the wake of the Newtown, CT shooting and one was a study from the CDC to research the causes and prevention of gun violence.  In the process they blew out of the water many of the preconceived notions of the gun grabbers.

One thing the CDC study found was “unintentional firearm-related deaths have steadily declined during the past century.”  They concluded that less than one percent of all unintentional fatalities today are due to firearms.  So much for the old “having a gun in the house is dangerous” argument.

The president’s own commissioned study also found that guns are used far more for defensive purposes than for murder.  “Defensive use of guns by crime victims is a common occurrence,” they concluded.   “Almost all national survey estimates indicate that defensive gun uses by victims are at least as common as offensive uses by criminals, with estimates of annual uses ranging from about 500,000 to more than 3 million per year, in the context of about 300,000 violent crimes involving firearms in 2008.”  How much press did the study get?  Virtually none.

In North Carolina they understand that simply destroying guns does not solve anything.  Guns turned into a buy-back program are guns that would never have been used in a crime.  The so-called “gun culture” is not the problem.  It’s the “thug culture” that’s the problem.  Until we address that, senseless killings will continue.

Phil Valentine is the host of the award-winning, nationally syndicated talk radio show, The Phil Valentine Show.

The real story behind the government buying ammo

You may have heard that the government has been buying a lot of bullets lately.  The Department of Homeland Security is buying more than 1.6 billion rounds of ammo over the next 5 years.  That’s more than enough ammunition to fight the Iraq War for almost 25 years.

Of course, conspiracy theorists immediately jumped to the FEMA camp conclusion.  If you’re not familiar with the FEMA camp conspiracy theory here it is in a nutshell.  The government, they say, is setting up FEMA camps or concentration camps all across the country and at some point there will be a fabricated state of emergency and all enemies of the Obama administration will be rounded up and taken to these camps.

The problem is the FEMA camp conspiracy was hatched long before President Obama ever took office.  The theory dates back to at least the 1980s when left-wingers were convinced Ronald Reagan was going to round them up and put them in FEMA camps because of their opposition to Reagan’s Contra support in Nicaragua.  Ollie North, the theory goes, was the mastermind behind the FEMA camps and was well on his way to implementing the plan until he was snared by the Iran/Contra scandal.

The FEMA camp theory usually walks hand-in-hand with the FEMA coffin theory, that the government has purchased millions of plastic coffins in which Obama plans to bury his enemies.  Looks like it would be much easier to just burn us but perhaps that wouldn’t be good for the environment.

So, if the government is not stockpiling bullets for the forthcoming martial law and FEMA camps why is it buying so many?  My theory all along has been quite simple.  Obama and his gun-grabbing allies on the left have had little success in banning guns.  They can’t even get the so-called assault weapons ban reinstated which, by the way, didn’t ban real assault weapons, which are automatic weapons.  It just banned semi-automatic weapons that looked like assault weapons.  In other words, it was gun profiling from a crowd that claims to abhor profiling and stereotypes.

If they can’t get the guns the logical Plan B is to go after the ammo.  After all, what good is a gun if you have nothing to shoot?  Notice how every place from Walmart to gun shops is running out of ammo?  Coincidence?  I don’t think so.  My theory is the government is using its purchasing power to create a shortage of ammunition.  Sure beats being thrown into some FEMA camp.

And I’m no longer alone in this theory.  Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK) offered up the same theory recently and he’s much closer to the government than I am.  He’s proposed a bill in the senate which would limit non-defense federal agencies to pre-Obama levels of ammunition.  It’s a fantastic idea but it doesn’t seem to be getting much traction.  Probably because most of the senators are already on board with this whole FEMA camp thing.

The irony of the entire gun debate is that gun enthusiasts have turned out to be their own worst enemies.  Each time the liberals start making noise about taking guns the second amendment folks start running up the price of guns and ammo.  One gun shop told me they still can’t keep anything with an AR in its name in stock.  Now with the government buying up ammunition certain types of ammo are more scarce than a bride at a Barney Frank wedding.

Until congress does something about the government there’s not much we can do except stop feeding the hysteria and stop playing into their hands.