Tag Archive for Homeless

Bat Guano Crazy

Libertarian attention desperation suggests purposeful anarchy?

Give the mentally ill weapons. Specifically shotguns, for personal defense, right?

That is the attention grabbing tactic used by the most recent Libertarian candidate for the Michigan US Senate seat.  Brian Ellison, a veteran from SE Michigan is currently raising money to give out 20 pump style shotguns to the homeless.

According to Michigan radio Ellison is serious:

Ellison acknowledges his campaign, “Arm the Homeless,” has shock value that will bring attention to his campaign. But he says as a third-party candidate going up against well-funded Democratic and Republican opponents, shock value is about the only thing he can do to get media coverage.

But he says there is a serious intent to the campaign, which is to bring attention to the high rates of violent crime against homeless people, as well as the dehumanization of the homeless.

Uh..  Brian? The only thing?

Shock value does not mean good policy.  Consider a primary reason so many are homeless.  Mental illness, and the inability of our society to reconcile the use of drugs and other mind wasting substances. Our state mental institutions are closed, and the results are in many cases wandering bodies.

I am a solid 2A guy.  Hell, I have often argued that the mentally ill ought to be able to defend themselves with firearms if they so desire.  However, there are different stages of mental illness; some of them are not so predictable.

Kinda like random Libertarian attention grabbing stunts, yeah?

 

 

You Betcha! (11)Nuh Uh.(1)