Letters to Everyone

Instead of waiting the full ten days I promised myself after I emailed my derby liaison, I emailed the derby's PR people about the logo confusion. I'm waiting to hear back.

The paper ran my letter yesterday, and it was edited slightly. I feel the last paragraph lost some punch, but here's what I sent:

In his Jan. 31 guest column, Mr. [removed for privacy] argues the Second Amendment should be clear to advocates of gun control and goes on to declare gun control is actually “people control.”

All laws are people control. We don’t rely on the kindness of strangers or the better natures of our neighbors. We legislate to maintain civility, and, most important, we employ good people such as Mister [removed for privacy] to uphold those laws.

To denounce gun-control laws, he cites automotive deaths, stating “no one calls for car control.” But we do call for “people control” regarding their operation. We call for laws regarding speeding, signs, baby seats, impaired driving, maintenance, etc. Those laws aren’t designed solely for the occupants’ safety but also for the safety of others on the road. Gun-control laws are based on the same philosophy. They affect people on both sides of the trigger.

Mister [removed for privacy] noted the Tucson assailant’s mug shot shows him to be “simply yet obviously evil.” That in itself wasn’t what made him a threat; people are arrested for doing bad things, not simply for being bad people. Now that would be “people control.”

Being evil and armed -- willing to firing dozens of bullets without reloading – that combination made him a danger. And, unfortunately, that made him very effective in his violence. Not everyone who has access to a gun has Mister [removed for privacy]’s respect for them, and our laws are designed to protect people like [removed for privacy] and myself from those folks. 

While [removed for privacy] rightfully notes that the fault for the attack falls on Jared Loughner, he argues that banning a high-capacity magazine is a flawed response, calling the bullet count “irrelevant” and noting that even a novice can quickly reload his gun. But that shooter was tackled while reloading, when bullets were no longer an immediate danger. Had that respite come a dozen bullets earlier, so many wouldn’t have been injured, some mortally. 

Perhaps all gun owners should take Mister [removed for privacy]’s firearm instruction and eliminate the reliance on high-capacity magazines to feel protected from harm. That’s a degree of people control I would support.

I finished drawing page 17 of the comic last night. That brings me within eyesight of the end, and then I'll ink it. I also will start drawing the cover and work on that between inking sessions.

Moving Picture of the Day
Here's the new Thor trailer. I was amped until I saw the announcement of 3D, which I can't see. The biggest change I see so far is changing the Natalie Portman role from a nurse to a scientist. This was necessary back when Thor was exiled to Earth inside the body of a frail doctor. When the doctor realized he could become a swaggering thunder god, he would smack his walking cane on the ground and Thor it up.