Yeah,  sure they are, just ask any gun manufacturer or gun lobbyist!

Just maybe, if we’re talking about the old-time 1950’s classic, The Rifleman, it might well be true. That show was set in the 1870s and 1880s in the town of North Fork, New Mexico Territory.

The Rifleman’s TV gimmick to distinguish it from other westerns was a modified Winchester Model 1892 rifle, with a large ring lever drilled and tapped for a set screw. The lever design allowed star Chuck Connors to cock the rifle by spinning it around his hand. In addition, the screw could be positioned to depress the trigger every time he worked the lever, allowing for rapid fire.

In contrast, today we are more concerned with manipulating legislative bodies to pass conceal and carry bills.  Illinois joined its ranks, to the considerable angst of homicide survivor and advocate, Bill Jenkins.   Bill is able to easily articulate his reasons for grave concern about the fast and loose and diluted nature of those espousing gun control measures versus gun rights advocates.   It really comes down to money-making ventures… Although these two diametrically opposed groups would seemingly make strange bedfellows, we learned that so much more could and should be accomplished if only they would work together.

Bill Jenkins is not a man to spout popular theory, or what is politically correct.  Rather, he is a well researched man who looks at all sides of an issue, forms his own opinion and inspires provocative thought.   Why care so passionately about such issues when so many individuals untouched by crime view such discussions as “mere entertainment on the six o’clock news?”  He cares with intensity and purpose because his beloved son, William Benjamin Jenkins was killed in the commission of a robbery on the second day of work at the age of 16.  A handgun was the weapon used with easy access by a criminal and friends “with nothing better to do” one hot summer night.

It is no easy task to shift through the many permutations of such topics. They are so political, so hyped, so misrepresented by media that few can make neither heads nor tails of it.  One of the few people, one of the brave is Bill Jenkins, who was the latest guest on Shattered Lives Radio with Ladyjustice.

Listen to Shattered Lives Radio Podcast

Highlights of the podcast:

• Introduction to our guest

  

• The “power couple” Bill & Jennifer-  “If you want something done, ask a busy person”
• Opposition of the death penalty as abuse on victims
• The background of the murder of William Benjamin Jenkins
• A robbery of opportunity with accomplices tagging along, laying in wait
• Catching the perp in five minutes… and a chance encounter
• About the handgun used and the issue of firearms
• Bill asks why responsible gun owners are not helping to fight against illegal gun ownership by criminals.
• NRA stopped being a sportsman organization in favor of becoming an arm for all kinds of gun industry representation
• Discussion of NRA by  encouraging  “protection of  IPV victims” by their use of a gun
• A carry -conceal story in Illinois – Do the math…
• What do we mean by “concealed” and how much money did the gun industry make this year in Illinois?
• The legitimate market-vastly shrinking – down by 20%
• Civilian guns in other countries and real background checks
• Australia as a model: 
• How do you get guns off the streets?
• What is a straw purchase?
• Pew Center Research
• Tiahrt  Amendment: Restricts access to gun statistics:
• Hard truths about guns – Raw data re self-defense use of guns- Surprising!
• Bills comments on assault weapons
• What things have we learned since the Newtown, CT massacre according to Bill?
• Stats: 36,000 shootings per year versus 300 if only….
• Definition of infringement versus impingement
• Bill’s Book:  What to do When the Police Leave
• Ladyjustice touting her writing skills and a book in the future
• Bill’s Contact info:WBJPress@aol.com
• Other endeavors by Bill & Jennifer….

 

Questions from the Gallery:

• As a homicide survivor why does Bill  oppose the death penalty?
• What should be done instead of training victim families to “adjust” to executions?
• What happens “when you do everything right? “
• How and why have the gun laws been dismantled across the county?
• Are permits required to own a gun in every state?
• When gun manufacturers lost money what did they do?
• What is the average cost to become a carry-conceal gun owner?
• Can crime victims get a portion of the revenue currently?
• How do we stop “straw purchases?”
• What’s the real truth regarding the need to defend oneself with a gun?
• What are guns really used for in modern-day society?
• Why are assault weapons so popular?
• What is the real meaning of infringement?

Disclaimer: The comments expressed on this website or on the broadcasts of Shattered Lives do not necessarily reflect the opinions or beliefs of the hosts, producers, or other guests.

“Guns Are Only for Protection”… in the Land of the Pretend