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Old August 8, 2011, 05:53 AM   #1
Terminus009
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Prime time guns

You know? We all watch primetime shows like the several CSIs, Criminal Minds, et al.... All shows on tv where the victims, all across the republic, could have saved their lives with a gun. But no, the victims are all unarmed and we revel in the LEOs "making it right" and "getting the bad guys" after the fact. Where is the tv show that shows gun owners defending themselves?

Hollywood wants us to die, undefended, so the cops can save the day too late and bring the bad guy to justice.

So mass media says, explicitly, "you have to die before law enforcement will act.". Those of us who choose self defense are regarded by hollywood as "boring uninteresting copy."

When mass media portrays self defense as futile and criminal, and law enforcement, while too late, as the sole way to deal with crime, we all lose. We are told to rely on the cops, FBI, to save us. Court law has upheld that law enforcement has no mandate to protect us, despite the "protect and serve" decals we see on our cop cars.

It is up to us to be armed in the defense of our lives and our property. It is up to the cops to find and bust the people who attack us and our homes.

When seconds count the police is only minutes away.

Am I an alien in this position? If the cops cannot be held to protect us, and how can they anyway, we must, clearly, defend ourselves. That means we need guns on our belts, in our fanny packs, in the console of our cars. Clearly.

Any comments? I write from Illinois.
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Old August 8, 2011, 06:48 AM   #2
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Interesting perspective.
I never really thought about it, but you're absolutely right.
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Old August 8, 2011, 06:57 AM   #3
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In the very few times that the victim has a gun, Hollywood has gone out of its way to make sure that the use was either illegal or morally questionable.
I can't think of a show where the use of a firearm in self defense was actually shown to be within the law. But then the majority, not all, of TV and movies are in the big cities like New York, Chicago and Los Angeles. All places where gun ownership is illegal or frowned upon.
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Old August 8, 2011, 07:00 AM   #4
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Hah!

We see all these tv victims in Virginia, Texas, Montana, all over the republic, and I'm hollaring at the tv "GET YOUR GUN!!!!!"
Doh.
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Old August 8, 2011, 07:18 AM   #5
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movies

Now some movies show gun defense in a clear moral light. But again, how many times do we see defenseless victims? My girl has to go to trade shows and I bought her a gun to travel with: she won't be caught defenseless in her motel room! Hell no. She was reluctant but I convinced her that the police (I have BIG respect for cops: many family members are LEOs, and they, even in Illinois, support the 7 seconds trip) can't get there fast enough to prevent tragedy. We live in Southern Illinois, thank goodness. My girl only goes as far north as Champaign Urbana for her work.

I know movies portray extreme and unlikely situations, but some punk busting into a motel room is not far fetched. I feel better when my woman is on the road that she has a gun. Single action semi auto she punches small at 7 yards. Good enough.
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Old August 8, 2011, 04:10 PM   #6
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Yaaa know what?

This is a very interesting point of view... A fresh subject. Yes Hollywood never has anyone defending themself with a gun... It's always a baseball bat or a hugely oversized adjustable wrench or something. And when they do show folks who privately own firearms they are always some bunch of nut jobs, or evil rich white guys... BTW.. what about us evil rich black guys.. why cant we get some play?...

Seriously though... Jollywood, and TV make it up acording to their politics... The average guy cant get a break with them.

Good observation though...

Glenn D.
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Old August 8, 2011, 04:30 PM   #7
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Kathy Bates regularly brandishes a revolver on "Harry's Law". What irks me is her flippant use of the weapon.
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Old August 8, 2011, 04:37 PM   #8
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It's an interesting point of view, but I don't agree.
I don't think the lack of guns is part of some Hollywood conspiracy, more of them just catering to what people want. People want either stupid sitcoms or crime drama/mystery shows. A show where instead of getting murdered a citizen defended themselves each time would be a pretty boring show. Likewise, there's really no place in a sitcom for a gun, although it did make Married with Children a little better when Al shot the neighbor's dog.
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Old August 8, 2011, 11:35 PM   #9
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I don't suppose Westerns are going to make a comeback anytime soon.

The Rifleman, Bonanza, etc...
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Old August 9, 2011, 12:03 AM   #10
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Well, generally stories center on somebody being victimized and the Police investigating and arresting someone. Now, imagine the opening scene of Law & Order showing a Licensed Gun Owner shooting and killing a mugger what do they do for the other fifty five minutes of the show?
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Old August 9, 2011, 07:28 AM   #11
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Give him the key to the city while Bloomberg apologizes for being a feminine hygiene product?
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Old August 9, 2011, 01:44 PM   #12
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Quote:
I can't think of a show where the use of a firearm in self defense was actually shown to be within the law.
I remember an episode of LA Law in which a lawyer shot a guy in self defense. The matter was treated in a fairly serious and straight forward manner.

Then there is Denny Craine.

Sure if I took the time I'd remember several others.

But basically there isn't a show about self defense cases cause it'd be boring.
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Old August 10, 2011, 07:22 AM   #13
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Quote:
But basically there isn't a show about self defense cases cause it'd be boring.
With all the screen writers out of work, I'm sure someone could come up with part of an episode of a Law & Order/CSI-type show where a firearm is used in lawful self defense. And I bet they could make it riveting.
The bottom line here is, guns are used by LEOs and military for good and by almost everyone else for bad if we believe Hollywood.
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Old August 10, 2011, 07:38 AM   #14
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"In the very few times that the victim has a gun, Hollywood has gone out of its way to make sure that the use was either illegal or morally questionable."

Not always, but it's certainly a minority of such portrayals.

For example, the end of Fatal Attraction where Michael Douglas' wife shoots Glenn Close with a Smith & Wesson snubbie as she's about to plunge a knife into his back.

Two shows right now that are showing firearms useage fairly prominently and positively are Falling Skies and The Walking Dead.

Granted, in both there are incidents where firearms are used nefariously.

But, in the season ender for Falling Skies the main character discusses the impending attack on the aliens in terms of colonial resistance to Great Britain at the battles of Lexington and Concord.
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Old August 10, 2011, 08:26 AM   #15
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Quote:
I can't think of a show where the use of a firearm in self defense was actually shown to be within the law.
I've see a few. NCIS comes to mind (remember the episode where Gibbs' father shoots the bad guy that comes into his store?)
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Old August 10, 2011, 09:20 AM   #16
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Good examples are very few and far between. A notable good example is Couples Retreat (lousy movie, I know...). Vince Vaughn (?) hears an intruder breaking into his home, gets his semi out of his Gunvault, pops in the magazine, uses a two hand grip with finger outside the trigger guard, and approaches the intruder, who turns out to be his friend being stupid. No shots fired, no negative message. He just chastises his friend for causing a risky situation.

I think this one is notable because it was really incidental to the plot. It seems like it was put in to show an ordinary citizen using a gun in a responsible way to defend his family.
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Old August 10, 2011, 04:13 PM   #17
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While I can't really cite specific instances, some situations come to mind.

When someone "defends" themselves with a gun, at the end of the show it turns out they staged the event to purposely kill the "bad guy". Usually a jelous husband.

Oh, I do remember an episode of "Southland" where the rookie cop lets a restraunt owner who has been robbed several times, keep his revolver with shaved off serial numbers. Then the owner shoots a innocent patron who happens to be from a certain ethnic group cause he thought he was getting robbed again.

So not exactly shed in a positive light are self defense situations in Hollywierd.

Apparently it makes for good TV...for somebody.
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