Usually, "responsible gun ownership" refers to someone using their weapon safely. But for lifelong gun owner Steve Elliott, it means taking responsibility for America’s epidemic of gun violence and the lax regulations that have allowed it. That is how Elliott, who owns a copywriting and public relations agency in Northern California, explained his decision to destroy his handgun in a Facebook post on Monday. By early Saturday afternoon, more than 28,000 people had shared the post, which included a photo of his disassembled 9mm Ruger handgun.
Elliott describes himself as a quintessential example of the responsible gun owner, using firearms only for sport and protection. He decided to destroy his gun not because of anything he has done personally but because he is fed up with how the concept of “responsible” gun ownership has been used to block gun safety laws.
“My gun is being used to argue against common-sense laws and policies that could reduce gun violence in America, arguments I find unconscionable,” Elliott wrote. “That’s what being a responsible gun owner means today – I’m responsible. I’ve been uneasy about that for a while now, and ashamed to admit it’s taken two more mass shootings for me to do anything about it.”
Though he has never used his weapon to hurt himself or others, Elliott wrote that his life has been scarred by gun violence. His grandmother used a gun to kill herself; his father attempted suicide with a gun and someone murdered his stepbrother with a gun before committing suicide. His sister’s coworker lost her husband to a mass shooting.
“None of us individually can stop gun violence in America, but as a responsible gun owner, I will no longer be used as a justification for doing nothing about it,” Elliott concluded. “Today I did what I could. Today there is#ONELESSGUN.”
Other gun control advocates have taken a different approach, mobilizing gun owners who support gun control in order to show that the National Rifle Association's opposition to virtually all regulation does not represent them.
Andy Nieto of eastern Tennessee also got rid of his guns out of disgust with the NRA after the 2012 Newtown, Connecticut, massacre. He turned his pistol into a paperweight.
Some 15,700 gun-owning members of MoveOn.org, a leading national progressive organization, have started a campaign to advocate for “common-sense gun control measures,” the organization announced Friday.
A gunmanshot and killed nine peopleand himself at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon, on Oct. 1. The massacre has reignited a perennial debate over gun safety regulations.
Students and staff of Umpqua Community College arrive at the Douglas County Fairgrounds Complex where they were offered grief counseling and a bus ride back to campus to pick up their possessions and vehicles on October 2, 2015 in Roseburg, Oregon. The students and staff were evacuated from the campus yesterday when 26-year-old Chris Harper Mercer went on a shooting rampage and killed 9 people and wounded another 7 before he was killed.
Students and staff of Umpqua Community College arrive at the Douglas County Fairgrounds Complex where they were offered grief counseling and a bus ride back to campus to pick up their possessions and vehicles on October 2, 2015 in Roseburg, Oregon. The students and staff were evacuated from the campus yesterday when 26-year-old Chris Harper Mercer went on a shooting rampage and killed 9 people and wounded another 7 before he was killed.
Students and staff of Umpqua Community College arrive at the Douglas County Fairgrounds Complex where they were offered grief counseling and a bus ride back to campus to pick up their possessions and vehicles on October 2, 2015 in Roseburg, Oregon. The students and staff were evacuated from the campus yesterday when 26-year-old Chris Harper Mercer went on a shooting rampage and killed 9 people and wounded another 7 before he was killed.
Police stand watch outside the apartment where 26-year-old Chris Harper Mercer lived on October 2, 2015 in Winchester, Oregon. Yesterday Mercer went on a shooting rampage at Umpqua Community College, killing nine people and wounding another seven before he was killed. After Mercer's death police found six guns and a flak jacket at the school and another seven guns in his home.
Journalists report fom outside the apartment where 26-year-old Chris Harper Mercer lived on October 2, 2015 in Winchester, Oregon. Yesterday Mercer went on a shooting rampage at Umpqua Community College, killing nine people and wounding another seven before he was killed. After Mercer's death police found six guns and a flak jacket at the school and another seven guns in his home.
The Tarzana, California home of Ian Mercer, the father of alleged UCC gunman Chris Harper-Mercer.
Police officers stand guard outside the apartment building where the alleged gunman, Chris Harper Mercer, lived in Roseburg, Oregon, on October 2, 2015. The rampage on October 1 at Umpqua Community College left 10 dead and shattered a close-knit rural community in the south of the state.
Downtown Roseburg, though small and rural, has come under intense media spotlight in the past 24 hours, and the roads are lined with TV trucks waiting for press conferences and interviews.
A sign sits along the road to Umpqua Community College on October 2, 2015 in Roseburg, Oregon. Yesterday 10 people were killed and another seven were wounded on the campus when 26-year-old Chris Harper Mercer went on a shooting rampage.
Media vehicles line the road near Umpqua Community College on October 2, 2015 in Roseburg, Oregon. Yesterday 10 people were killed and another seven were wounded on the campus when 26-year-old Chris Harper Mercer went on a shooting rampage.
A patient is wheeled into the emergency room at Mercy Medical Center in Roseburg, Ore., following a deadly shooting at Umpqua Community College, in Roseburg, Thursday, Oct. 1, 2015.
People gather at a road block near the entrance to Umpqua Community College, in Roseburg, Ore., Thursday, Oct. 1, 2015, following a deadly shooting at the campus.
Police search students outside Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Ore., Thursday, Oct. 1, 2015, following a deadly shooting at the southwestern Oregon community college.
Affluent Americans may want to double-check how much of their bank deposits are protected by government-backed insurance. The rules governing trust accounts just changed.
Jason Fitz, Charles Robinson and Frank Schwab talk about which quarterback rooms concern them and which they find interesting heading into the 2024 NFL season.
Former NBA guard Darius Morris has died at the age of 33. He played for five teams during his four NBA seasons. Morris played college basketball at Michigan.
It’s key to note that we’re not saying the “best team” or “best roster.” Instead, we’re talking about the best confluence of factors that can outline a path for survival and then success.
Teams have made their big splashes in free agency and made their draft picks, it's time for you to do the same. It's fantasy football mock draft time. Some call this time of year best ball season, others know it's an opportunity to get a leg up on your competition for when you have to draft in August. The staff at Yahoo Fantasy did their first mock draft of the 2024 season to help you with the latter. Matt Harmon and Andy Behrens are here to break it all down by each round and crush some staff members in the process.
With free agency and the draft behind us, what 32 teams look like today will likely be what they look like Week 1 and beyond for the 2024 season. Matt Harmon and Scott Pianowski reveal the post-draft fantasy power rankings. The duo break down the rankings in six tiers: Elite offensive ecosystems, teams on the cusp of being complete mixed bag ecosystems, offensive ecosystems with something to prove, offenses that could go either way, and offenses that are best to stay away from in fantasy.
The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate edged back toward 7% this week but remains elevated, prompting housing experts to revise their forecasts for the rest of 2024.
Jake Mintz & Jordan Shusterman discuss the Padres-Marlins trade that sent Luis Arraez to San Diego, as well as recap all the action from this weekend in baseball and send birthday wishes to hall-of-famer Willie Mays.
