Dear Planning Commission members,
I want to see the Planning Commission deny the Juneau Mercantile and Armory owners a permit to have fully automatic firearms for their customers to use. Given the horrific events in Connecticut where so many women and children were slaughtered with round after round of automatic weapon fire, I strongly urge you to not approve their use at Juneau Mercantile and Armory, the proposed gun range.
There is only one use for weapons like this: killing a lot of people in a short amount of time. In a September 25, 2012 Juneau Empire article on the permitting process, Sloan Swendsen said, "You can rent a machine gun go downstairs and get the barrel hot." He also said, "Everybody needs to shoot an AK47 and a Tommy Gun."
While 99.9% of the men and boys who go there to shoot an AK47 might be there for "fun", this country has a long history of a small percentage using guns to slaughter innocent people. Why encourage it? Why enable it?
As a mother and grandmother, I ask you to deny any permits to Dan Miller and Sloan Swendsen for automatic weapons. Enough is enough.
Barbara Belknap
Comments (20)
Add commentBelkmap's common sense
Is real low....
well
Everyone’s got a right to their opinion
Gun on a table
If you put a gun on a table it will look menacing and real scary to some people. Reality is, if you leave it there and never touch it, it's not any more dangerous than the placematt it's sitting on. For it to be dangerous - someone has to pick it up, load it, aim it at someone, take the safety off and shoot it. It's not a one step process. It's not a killing machine until someone uses it with intent. Not much different than a drunk driver in a car - have you ever heard anyone accuse the car of being the killer? No, stupid - well a lot more people die by being hit by drunk drivers each year than being shot by guns. So, your argument means you should take a bus. Wait a minute..., how many people have died in bus crashes? We could go on and on. Reality is - Mr. Smith's comment is a perfect critique of your letter.
Ignorant
Barbara, clearly you are very ignorant on the subject of guns. The firearm used in the school shooting was not a full auto or "class three". It was a single shot firearm meaning every time you want to fire a round you need to pull the trigger. The folks that want to open this gun shop will have full auto firearms available to shoot, however if you try and buy a full auto firearm they start at about $5,000 and it takes about year to complete the background check. Look into all the school shooting and public shooting and you will find not one of them used a full auto firearm. You make it sound like this gun shop will allow you to walk in pick up a machine gun and walk out 10 minutes later? That is not the case. I will also add Juneau already has class three dealers, the ability to purchase class three firearms is nothing new to this town.
men & boys?
"While 99.9% of the men and boys who go there to shoot an AK47 might be there for "fun""
I'm a mother, grandmother and wife and I shoot for fun and food. You are being quite ignorant about the entire subject of guns.
Connecticut events and other events are sad, but it's not the guns alone that do the killing, it's the mentally unstable idiot on the other end pulling the trigger.
Armory permit
A licensed armor provides a safe and controlled environment for gun enthusiasts as well as everyday law abiding citizens to practice, learn and teach things like gun safety and home/self defense. An establishment that provides a location for discussion and passing of knowledge to each other and the next generation has always been a staple in my upbringing and look forward to sharing my knowledge with my son. Most people don’t know the trials and painstaking heartache someone goes thru to license permit and build a facility like this. Federal laws, State laws, local laws, permit upkeep and constant auditing from regulatory agencies provide assurances to the safety of public. The thrill of shooting an exotic rifle is comparable to people that perform stunts or participate in activities like base jumping and high speed boating. An armory brings law abiding citizens together to share their interests and hobbies; it could even better educate some of those who only see guns as a great evil and single factor in tragic events. Any licensed, regulated and taxed business that employ’s local residents is a contribution to Juneau’s economic and social well being. I tip my hat and say thank you to those responsible for there efforts to bring a modern facility to our town.
I give my comments based on my life experiences as a 12 year Army veteran, certified firearms instructor, national competitive shooter, husband, father and law abiding hard working American.
Jay Srader
@AKAngel
While I agree with your points, I disagree with your use of the term "mentally unstable idiot". I do not believe you meant anything by it, but it is offensive. Since this blogger was using the Conn. school shooting as an example, I assume you are as well. This young man had Asperger's Syndrome, or high-functioning autism. My nephew has the same thing, but that is not the only reason I don't care for the use of idiot to describe people with mental disorders. What if someone with a disorder is reading your post? Surely your intent is not to hurt them, right? I would assume that your passion answering the blog's obvious errors, led to the use of powerful descriptive words. Thank you in advance for not calling these folks idiots. Actually some people with Asperger's are smarter than all of us commenters, and even perform math calculations comparable to computers.
Happy Holidays Angel.
Roughcut:
Is a 50 round drum enough for a kindergarten class or is that more of the size for a shopping mall or movie theater? This is all funny ha ha. How sad for you.
If more and more of these
If more and more of these situations happen, it certainly doesn't seem wise to see that the rest of us no longer have the ability to protect ourselves. Murder has been going on since the beginning of time. Guns have made it easier, but without guns being available to the non law breakers, murder will not go away. I would assume those planning these horrific situations will use any kind of gun available. If "automatic" rifles are banned, then they will use something else. Then, the bans never quit. This is getting to sound a bit like TSA. First.....computers.......then shoes......then body scans.......we are running out of options.
While we still have much room
While we still have much room for improvement with gun control, fact is people WILL have them (legally or illegally), especially here in Alaska. Evil is evil and impossible to control... If the man who performed the ugliness last week in Newton was diagnosed with some sort of mental disorder, shame on his mom for not securing the guns... Fact is WE need to do some serious self-examination (regarding security) within our schools here in Juneau. Any person off the street can freely walk into ANY of Juneau's public school's, unimposed or challenged. That's scary. That's wrong. Since it ALWAYS seems to come down to fiscal concerns, monies will be needed to make this happen. That's why (sadly) it won't happen anytime soon...
Definition of "IDIOT"
An idiot, dolt, or dullard is a mentally deficient person, or someone who acts in a self-defeating or significantly counterproductive way.
I do believe this was acting in a significantly counterproductive way. When I was growing up here in Juneau, using retarded was a negative thing, now it is politically correct. Interesting how times change what is and isn't offensive to some.
focus!
The above letter to the Commission is why people act as they do. We need to focus on the fact that this troubled young man killed these children. Period. Dead is dead. It really doesn't matter how. What matters most is why. Don't let the people responsible for murder skate while we all argue about what caliber they might have used.
However, he sure didn't break into a police station, did he? Why? Because the people inside are also armed. If an automatic firearm was not available to someone who planned such a horrible event as happened last week, I think it would have been something else. A 22 can kill. A bomb can kill. Ms. Belknap, help us focus on the problem. The people who feel this is the only way they can express their anger/hate/frustration.
@AKangel
I did not mean to offend you, I only meant to ask that you did not use that term to describe the mentally disabled. Obviously we are all our own person, and we can do what we want. I never thought you meant anything by it, and I do understand that it is hard to know what is not okay to say today, but was yesterday. I hear you. I only worried about if a child (or adult) with a disorder read your comment. They already have a harder go at it than the rest of us.
Recently, I was with my nephew that has Asperger's Syndrome and someone else said something like "this pen is retarded" because it wouldn't work. If you could have seen his face when he asked why people needed to use the word retarded like that. I bring that up because perhaps I let my emotions come into play when I responded to your post. I usually do not. Either way, I know you were not being mean to the handicapped, so please forgive me for bringing it up. I still feel the same, but my intention was never to make you explain yourself. Take care Angel, Happy Holidays.
armory
approve the permit,
Armory Permit
If they moved the location it sounds like no permit would be needed to build it.
a good solution...
Actually, this shooting range is a great solution. People can fire automatic and semi-automatic weapons as much as they can afford. (It is after-all, pretty expensive.) But, those weapons should stay at the facility. That would be a reasonable solution. Keep all assault style (non-hunting) weapons locked up in a public place. That still allows private ownership, yet keeps weapons off the street and out of schools.
Unfortunately, I'm sure too many people won't accept even the slightest change in gun laws. It is up to the rest of society to bear the cost of guards in every public place as suggested by NRA. Time for a tax hike to pay for your friendly armed thug.
Dear Barbara Belknap
Your opinion is noted.
You are wrong in your assertions.
An automatic weapon was not used at Sandy Hook.
The price for freedom has been and will be again paid for in blood. It is horrible but it is the cost. When we create gun free zones we are advertising that there will be no resistance for the bad people with guns. We need good people with guns at our schools trained and prepared for nut jobs, terrorists and criminals.
I see no problem with this indoor range and the activities planned there. You should stop by and let a few hundred rounds off. Should take just a few minutes and you'll have a whole new appreciation for superior fire power.
Excellent place to shoot
The proposed indoor range facility is a great idea and has been well thought out. Would you rather have people shooting an illegally obtained or manufactured automatic weapon somewhere "out the road" or in a tightly controlled environment under the watchful eyes of a qualified individual?
Some of you are saying that Juneau needs jobs and economic development, this place will provide both. Once it is up and operational can't you just see the tour buses pulling in to allow the old geezers on board an opportunity to fire off a couple full magazines on full auto. Nana can tell the kids back home she went to Alaska and shot a machine gun!