Author: Spocko

Who Pays For Armed Teachers’ Gun Accidents?
By Spocko

Last Sunday a Stoneman Douglas teacher left a loaded gun in a public restroom.  A drunk, homeless guy found it and fired it. Luckily nobody was hurt, but police found a bullet embedded in the restroom wall.

Sean Simpson, Parkland teacher, told MSNBC host Katy Tur last February some teachers are willing to carry guns in schools.  On April 11 Simpson left his gun in a restroom at the Deerfield Beach Pier.

The teacher, Sean Simpson, was arrested and “charged with failing to safely store a firearm, a second-degree misdemeanor.”

The homeless guy, Joseph Spataro, 69, was charged with trespassing and firing a weapon while intoxicated.

This is an important story because it raises questions about who pays for the damage caused when there is an accident involving a gun that was legally carried into a public building, business, church or school that chose to allow the gun inside.

I’m sure someone will dismiss this incident because “technically it didn’t happen in a school.” But incidents just like this happen all the time, there is even a “guns in bathrooms” tumblr page.  With more guns, and new concealed carriers, more of these type of incidents will happen in schools.  However, no gun, no gun accident. But for the gun, there would be no gun left in the bathroom. 

(Technically I should use the word negligence, as in negligent storage, handling or discharge of a firearm, but I use accident because people search for “How many teachers have had gun accidents? Or which states have had gun accidents in schools?” Hopefully they will find the Gunviolencearchive.org to get details )

School districts, school boards, sheriff’s departments and insurance companies all need to look at the problems, costs, risks and liabilities when more guns are legally brought into schools. Before I went to a #TownHallForOurLives I would want to know the answers to these questions. (See the Townhall Project page for one near you.)

For me this incident brought up some specific questions about guns in schools that do not focus on some possible active shooter event in the future, but focuses on the dangerous reality of guns every single day of the school year.  What are the ongoing  costs and liabilities? What is covered by insurance? What is exempt?  What about accidents with people carrying guns to and from school, outside school and at after school events? Who pays for all of this?

Some states try to get around the unspoken, continuous liability issue by putting the insurance burden on the teacher who volunteered for the program. Other states vote immunity for some groups or put on caps for payouts. But talk to a smart attorney about these cases, they will reach an entity with deep pockets. Will your school district be the one left holding the bag?  And with settlements in the $2.5 to 3 million dollar range, personal injury lawyers have already established programs and incentives to make it so. 

We don’t know the whole story about Mr. Simon, the chemistry teacher. A few questions to ask:

School boards and local elected officials need to know the costs and availability of insurance for these situations.  To fail to do so is a failure of their fiduciary responsibility to their board and citizens.

School districts in Florida got a partly funded mandate from the state for school security.  It didn’t provide money  for insurance to cover the armed teachers, so who pays? Will school districts and cities raise property taxes to pay for this? They are fighting over this now. (After Parkland legislation, Brevard school board struggling to find money for armed officers, Caroline Glenn, FLORIDA TODAY)

Note to School Boards:  No guns, no need for gun insurance. 

In Florida the state provided money to the department of education for a training program for the teachers, most of that money goes to the sheriff’s departments. But how good are these departments in training?  Are the law enforcement insurance providers ready for this? Who pays those premiums?

In Tennessee, they passed a law to allow armed teachers a few years ago. But the law enforcement agencies  authorized to do the training found they couldn’t get insurance (or the premiums were high and there wasn’t any money.)

In Brevard county Sheriff Ivey was gun ho on training teachers. He even told the vice chairman of the school board that his insurance would cover the trained teachers.

Following his calls to arm school staff, Sheriff Ivey tells school board to drop marshal program

This week he suddenly changed his tune telling the school board to drop the marshal program. Could it be insurance problems? Did he see he didn’t have the budget to pay those premiums? Or is it because he doesn’t want money for the training program to cut into HIS budget for School Resource Officers?  SROs mean he gets a steady stream of money and increased headcount. The program to train teachers to shoot to kill means headaches and liabilities.

Negligence can lead to gun accidents by anyone with guns. Cops, weapons instructors, highly trained concealed carry owners and new carriers. I’m glad that nobody was hurt in this instance. I’m sorry that Simpson felt the need to be armed, but his mistake can be a useful story to share at all the upcoming Town Halls.

As Stoneman Douglas student Lex Michael said in a tweet,

“My (environmental science) teacher just gave another example of why we shouldn’t arm teachers!! Thanks Simpson. Love you.”

Lawmakers Determined To Get Guns In Schools

by Spocko

Right now the NRA and their supporters are using the Parkland shooting as an opportunity to get multiple people carrying guns into schools all around the country. I’ve been watching legislative sessions and Town Halls in Kansas, Tennessee and Florida where lawmakers are voting to create and fund armed teachers programs.

Here is Republican Randy Fine during a Town Hall on March 28th sponsored by Florida Today   First he said that in his meeting with 12 Parkland students, they didn’t ask about gun control. Then, “What I’ve heard is you like more guns in schools. You just want them to be SROs.”

The NRA strategy in Florida (and other states) is to go to lawmakers who are in charge of school safety and say, “Fund the programs that put people with guns in and around schools.” Then that money gives the NRA lawmakers financial leverage over school safety programs. The money goes to NRA approved gun programs like Eddie the Eagle for kids in schools, and programs to train teachers to use guns.

I’ve watched education resources in Tennessee and Florida get carved up for programs designed to put guns in schools.  When people asked to move that training money to totally different areas that didn’t involve guns, they found it could only go to sheriffs. If a school district didn’t want armed teachers, they couldn’t use that training money for other programs.   In Florida if a school declines to participate in the Armed Teacher Program that money goes to other schools that want armed teachers.

The NRA concept of school safety starts with a flawed premise, “People with guns must be around students to keep them safe from mass shooters.” The gun lobby pushes the need for multiple people with guns in every school.

In Florida the Armed Teachers Program training budget was based on 10 armed teachers or staff in each school.  (Link to Fine in video at 30:15 )

This message of more guns is being pushed not just to lawmakers, but to school board members, principals, administrators, parents, teachers and students.   And it’s working.

School board Vice Chair Tina Descovich explained that her goal is to have a minimum of one SRO for every school (Link to Descovich in video at 32:30)

The pro-gun people use the same slogans, false data, anecdotes, movie quotes, hero fantasies, legal maneuvers, money leverage and bullying they have successfully used on legislators for years.  People who don’t want guns in schools need to be prepared to destroy the frame that putting more people with guns in schools increases safety.  School boards, principals and educators need facts so they can respond to the pro-gun arguments.

But don’t underestimate the power of a good slogan, especially one where the speaker can put himself in the role of hero and protector of children.  It doesn’t matter to them that the slogan starts out with a blatantly false statement.  ‘The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun….is with a good guy with a gun. “ This is not true! 

The FBI examined 160 active shooter incidents  (Active Shooter Incidents in the United States  2000-2013.  “Most of the time, if you’re talking about a civilian stopping a mass shooter, it’s the unarmed guy without the gun because they’re right there,” John Donohue, a law professor at Stanford University, co-author of a National Bureau of Economic Research study that examined how gun violence.

I know there are communities of parents who believe in more guns in schools. They will bully, argue and leverage money obtained by the state to get armed teachers and/or School Resource officers.

Listen to Senator Ty Masterson (R) NRA A+ from Kansas during the insurance committee hearing on arming teachers make a statement about gun-free zones based on cooked data from discredited research by John Lott. Then listen to Representative Parker shut him down

( I loved Parker’s response, but it would be great to see someone get Masterson to admit his data is wrong and to promise to stop using it in the future.)

We have to push back in powerful, compelling ways.  As my friend Eric Milgram of the Newtown Action Alliance said about the work of parents after Sandy Hook who were trying to change gun laws and attitudes,  “We were too polite.”

Is this happening in your state? I recommend finding old videos of your state legislators discussing School Safety Programs in committees. I will bet you 10 Quatloos it’s happening in your state right now since it’s a nation-wide NRA strategy.

Check to see your school board is having meetings. Are they only composed of school safety people who come from a gun culture? Are they addressing problems that many people don’t even believe exist? Like creating a militarized school environment.  Are they claiming they can manage the problem with black and brown kids being disproportionately sent to prison from school? (BTW, in Florida they are offering 8 full hours of diversity training for the armed teachers to fix the problem.)

Guilt: If You Don’t Accept SROs It’s Your Fault If People Die

What I’ve been seeing is that if lawmakers fail to actually put guns in schools via the teachers, they move onto other armed people options.  The order of preference is first, School Resource Officers (SROs), since they claim “everyone agrees are the best option.” Second is armed police officers as security guards. Third is armed administrators, coaches,  janitors and staff. Forth is armed teachers.

I use the phrase, “Everyone agrees SROs are best,” to reflect the talking point I’ve heard legislators use. Sadly, I’m also hearing this from educators, parents and students who don’t want armed teachers, but who accept the premise that guns must be around students to keep them safe from mass shooters. This, “everyone agrees” bit on how great school resource officers are is especially insidious since everyone does NOT agree.

Deferring to NRA premises for your school safety decision is a trap. Using a gun to stop a shooter is not the only model. There are safety models that protect people in real time.  There are defensive measures that can actually stop bullets. For example, the Parkland students who met with Fine asked for bullet proof doors, like in airplane cockpits.

The Big Picture: More Guns, More Gun Accidents

In Kansas Rep. Carpenter talks up the success of armed teachers in Texas and other states by saying, “If there was a problem, I’m pretty sure we would be hearing about it.” No he would not. But there are problems.  A friend just compiled a list of 22 accidents in schools in the last 5 years in school.   But looking at accidents just in schools is NOT a sufficient comparison.

If any place where a new group of people starts using guns there WILL be gun accidents. That’s based on looking at gun accidents in the entire population for years. These accidents include cops, gun instructors, licensed concealed carriers and novices.  According to the National Center for Injury Protection and Control, each year more than 70,000 people are treated in hospital emergency rooms for non-fatal gunshot injuries. 

What evidence do lawmakers use to support adding guns to schools? 

FLORIDA TODAY hosted a town hall meeting concerning school safety on Wednesday in their community room.The moderator was Isadora Rangel, public affairs and engagement editor. The guest speakers were, left to right, Sarah Adams, a Satellite High senior, State Representative Randy Fine, School Board Vice Chair Tina Descovich, State Senator Debbie Mayfield, and State Representative Thad Altman. TIM SHORTT/FLORIDA TODAY

At the same Town Hall  in Florida, Brevard County Republican Thad Altman,was asked what informed his vote. Were there any studies that supported the idea that adding more guns in schools will make it less likely that people will be shot. Altman, couldn’t, so he turned to Russia and the Beslan school hostage crisis and massacre carried out by armed Islamic militants, mostly Ingush and Chechen.  His conclusion was:

“They [the Russians] have stopped that by adding more weapons and security in their schools.”  Link 34:30

Based on what I’ve been seeing, the pro-gun crowd will use all their tools and tricks to get more people with guns in schools while ignoring the consequences and costs.

If you don’t believe more guns in schools is the solution, you have to make that clear to multiple audiences.  That means explaining this to multiple legislators who sit on multiple committees. That means showing up and standing up to sheriffs, school boards, principals and parents, many of whom want to arm teachers and who sincerely believe it works.

In Florida they are using the argument that the armed teacher programs are voluntary for the school districts, but as one parent said, if a school district decides to put a gun in my child’s school, it’s no longer a voluntary for them.. 

How The NRA Is Making Armed Teachers A Reality In Kansas



By Spocko

In my piece Let’s Stop The Armed Teachers Plans In Florida And Other States, I mentioned how in Kansas in 2013, the sole insurance provider for public schools, EMC, said it would not insure any school that armed teachers.

Other insurance carriers may have come forward at the time to provide insurance for these armed teachers, but their rates would have been higher, because of the greater liability risks.  The combination of no insurance, or very expensive insurance, stopped armed teachers from being placed in public schools back in 2013.

NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action saw this insurance roadblock and developed a plan. Someone suggested to lawmakers in Kansas that they insert an amendment in a bill that says “Insurance companies can’t refuse to provide a policy to a school district with armed teachers.”

Next, they added a passage that says the insurance company cannot charge unfair discriminatory premiums, policy fees or rates. This is an attempt force the insurance carriers to eat the cost of the higher premiums necessary to cover the additional risk of gun accidents.

The NRA’s strength isn’t just money, it’s also their legislative strategy and politically active base.  I only found out about this hearing on Friday.  I would love to get all the new activists in Kansas to call members on the committee to say, “We don’t want armed Teachers. Period.”   HB2789
“Creating the Kansas staff as first emergency responders (SAFER) act.”
Chair
Rep. Jene Vickrey (R) Dist 6
  NRA Rating A
785 296-7748, jene.vickrey@house.ks.gov

Vice Chair Rep. Willie Dove (R) Dist. 38.NRA Rating A

 785 296-7677 willie.dove@house.ks.gov

Ranking Minority Member Rep. Cindy Neighbor (D) Dist 18 785 296-7690. Cindy.Neighbor@house.ks.gov NRA Rating F

I  hope that the insurance industry lobbyists have been calling the members on this committee prior to this hearing. They know what the general public doesn’t, the massive costs associated with negligent discharge of firearms. The media calls them gun accidents, but it is negligence that is the deciding factor when it comes to liability.

There is a lot of negligence. According to the National Center for Injury Protection and Control, each year more than 70,000 people are treated in hospital emergency rooms for non-fatal gunshot injuries.

The Center for Disease Control says gun accidents cause more than 15 percent of the injuries and deaths from gunshot wounds.

Why Aren’t Gun Owners Required to be Financially Responsible?


Here’s a relevant story about negligence around guns involving the Rep. Willie Dove, He is vice chair of the Insurance Committee deciding on arming teachers tomorrow in Kansas.

Kansas Rep. Dove leaves loaded handgun in committee meeting room

On January 26, 2017 Rep. Willie Dove (R) Bonner Springs stormed out of an House Education Committee Hearing, leaving his handgun behind. Chris Neal/The Capital Journal

In this case no one was injured, but let’s say a legislator dropped his gun and it discharged. (This happens, in New Hampshire in 2017 a state legislator’s loaded gun fell from her waistband to the floor in a committee hearing with children present.  In 2013 an aide to Missouri’s House speaker left a loaded handgun in a Capital bathroom in Jefferson City, Mo.The aide resigned.)

Or let’s say a child got that handgun, fired it and hit someone. It would be just one of the 70,000 gun injuries last year.

But we are talking about insurance here so some questions:

• Did Dove have insurance to cover this incident?  If so, how big was the policy? 
  What did it cover, what was exempt? The insurance committee knows all about exemptions, they know that when a third party accidently fires the policy owners’ gun. most homeowners’ policies will not cover those costs.

There is no law requiring Dove to have a gun liability insurance, but he is in the insurance world so he might have some coverage, but would it be enough?  Was he covered by the state? How big is that policy? Who pays the premiums for armed legislators? The taxpayers.  How much per armed representative?

How much training did Dove have? Where there any consequences for his negligence in maintaining control of his handgun?  If teachers don’t have enough training and made a mistake with a weapon, who pays?

If a teacher, who is part of this SAFER program, makes a mistake with a weapon while at school the school district will be financially responsible for the consequences. 
Are the school districts prepared for this? What do their risk managers say?
Are the risk managers for the cities and school districts demanding to know the real costs of this program? 

BTW, in Tennessee the legislators tried to shift the financial responsibility to the “volunteer” armed teachers,  suggesting they get their own insurance, but did not offer to pay for it. The lawmakers then voted immunity from liability to the state university system. This is a law that hasn’t been challenged in court, yet. 

Much of the discussion on arming teachers focuses on an active shooter scenario. What this premise  fails to consider is this program would create thousands of people who are now handling firearms. For 100’s of thousands of days and hours there is NEVER an active shooter.  Yet during this time there are thousands of people who are now handling firearms.  People who train people with guns know that humans make mistakes.

How Much Did the Gun Accident in YOUR School District Cost?

I wanted to give people a specific example of medical costs in gun wounds, but HIPAA rules won’t allow me to get details.  so I’ve taken the average costs for the first 48 hours after a shooting from an emergency department study from  Johns Hopkins. You can find gun accidents in your school district, city or state here.  


Here’s an example from Florida:

Marianna Girl in Stable Condition After Being Shot 

“During the investigation we found that an uncle that was visiting had accidentally, while clearing his weapon, the weapon had went off and it struck the little girl,” said Captain Virgil Watson, Jackson Co. Sheriff’s Office.

Officials said the girl was life flighted to a Panama City hospital but later transported to the Pensacola area for pediatric attention. The child was struck by the bullet in the lower part of her body.

Officials have not released any names at this time because they are still investigating, but seem to think that no criminal activity took place.  

Cost calculations: In Walton County, Florida the base rate at lift off is $11,902.82, with a surcharge of $118.98 per mile.

$ 18,447     Transportation Life Flight: Marianna to Panama City 55 miles
$ 95,887     Treating wound: emergency room costs only with overnight stay
$179,565    Discharged to another medical facility and incurred costs  (Pensacola transport 91 miles)
—————

$293,898   NOT including additional surgeries, hospital stays and rehabilitation

The average cost for this kind of injury to a child needing multiple surgeries is about 1.5 million dollars 

 By state statute schools must have liability insurance or they can’t open.  Insurance costs are part of the school budget, if premiums go up, schools need to either change the scope of coverage, or change what is covered.

 The school districts that want this program either need to get more money from the city and state to pay for the premiums, or make cuts in other places. 

 The NRA has been very clever in how they have approached getting armed teachers in the classrooms. They have created a demand for a program that is ineffective. They have convinced lawmakers to take  resources from other areas to pay for this non-solution. They have introduced a new danger and liability into the school environment.  This will. generate the NRA revenue from gun sales and training courses.  Yet the gun manufacturers haven’t paid the price for any of this.

The legislators in office now need to see that the rules are changing.  A pro-gun vote is not a safe vote. A legislator cannot expect the people to pay for a bogus solution to the gun violence problem.

If I was in the insurance industry, (or the air transportation industry like Delta) and I saw politicians hurting my businesses in order to suck up to the gun lobby, I would stop funding those people.

Pro-Gun Parents Triggered by Walkout, Sue For Equal Time

by Spocko

From the unprofitable Breitbart site, Big Government.

“A group of parents from New Milford, Connecticut has hired an attorney to articulate their concerns about the decision by their school district to allow students to participate in the national student walkout held Wednesday to advocate for gun control.”

I spent years learning how the right-wing mind works, so I knew this was coming. This is what they are saying:

“It’s not fair that the kids get to have an anti-gun walkout! What about pro-gun kids? If you don’t provide equal time we will sue.”

Since I’m from the future, I can tell you that there will be more of this.

Gun loving parents have already been contacting schools complaining about the walkout on the 14th.  Sadly, it’s working.  For example, students who don’t want to participate in a rescheduled walkout at Romeoville High School will be given 30 minutes free time. (Why did it have to be rescheduled? A student sent out a photo of himself holding a gun saying, “yo it ain’t safe to go to school tmrrw” Also, armed protesters.)

In the letter, made available as well to Breitbart News, Smith and Shugrue wrote that the district’s middle school students “also expressed an interest in participating in the broader conversation,” and would have a “grade appropriate, optional opportunity that focuses on civic participation.”

This issue of “civic participation” is a request for an equal time for the pro-gun message. If they don’t get it? Lawsuits.

Breitbart News asked whether school districts could be faced with further litigation if they do not allow students who wish to hold walkouts for other causes to do so.

 “That’s absolutely a valid concern,” she said. “There are equal protection laws as well, and if you are allowing one group to have free speech on your campus for a partisan purpose, then, obviously, it’s discriminatory not to allow an opposing point of view. So, it absolutely does open up the school districts to litigation and all sorts of other problems.”

The school in question did a good job responding to the threats, pointing out what the walkout was, a student initiated remembrance, vs how the group wanted to position it, a political event pushing for gun control.  But that explanation will be disregarded as ‘legal mumbo jumbo’  by the aggrieved parents and they will keep pushing.

The pro-gun parents will suggest the school districts hold some kind of “educational” event in exchange for dropping the threat of litigation.  Be on the lookout for these gun-friendly programs coming to your schools. Don’t let them go unchallenged!

Yesterday I listened to The UnPresidented Podcast hosted by my friends Cliff Schecter and John Aravosis. They were talking to Shannon Watts, the head of Moms Demand Action, about the progress they have made. At 7:25 she talks about their successes   One type of success that people don’t see involves constantly knocking down hundreds of BS bills from the gun lobby.

I know how much energy it takes to keep blocking the NRA’s legislative work.  Now school districts will be getting pressure from the pro-gun people to implement their solution–more guns in schools.  The people on the school boards and in school districts need to hear from parents who don’t want more guns in schools.

I talk to people who see the whole concept of armed teachers as so absurd and dangerous they think it should go without saying. I tell them. “It needs to be said.” Say it forcefully, repeatedly and with a preponderance of evidence.

I also don’t want more armed police in schools. Not everyone thinks that, but I do and I have multiple reasons why.  I hear people pushing them as an option that, “everyone agrees on.” No. There are other options.

I talked to Michael Brooks on the Majority Report about some of the ways to fight this. All methods will be needed because the people who want to arm teachers have already convinced the legislators to start the money train rolling.

Personally I’m tired of the slaughter lobby and their supporters pushing us around legislatively, economically and personally.

We can stop them. It’s a fight for our lives.

Florida Will Arm Teachers, Give Millions to Gun Makers & Allies, Won’t Ban Assault Weapons 

Florida House passes gun restrictions, plan to arm certain teachers

Yes, Florida passed some minor gun restrictions, but follow the money and you’ll see the slaughter lobby and its allies will actually make millions on new guns in the schools programs  Programs that would actually cut into their revenue streams, like the assault weapon ban, were blocked.

New Florida Laws: Teachers Will Be Armed These type of Assault Weapons Still Not Banned in Florida.

 A story in USA Today shows where the money is going in this “comprehensive gun safety bill.”

How did the NRA-politicians get armed teachers and avoid an assault weapon ban? Money, pulled from taxpayers, used as leverage for other programs.  From James Call, Tallahassee Democrat Link 

…when leaders responded with nearly a half billion dollars for school hardening and mental health programs, lawmakers were forced to wrestle with the proposal’s accounting – money in exchange for guns in the classroom.  

The NRA legislative hypnosis is still working on Democrats.  What should have been a serious poison pill–arming teachers–became a taxpayer-funded program. One Representative pointed out that the bill didn’t do either of the things the parents and students demanded. Assault weapons were not banned and teachers will be armed.  What the what?

Instead of just accepting this is the best that can be done, it is possible to play hardball against the NRA. Here were some options:

Demand a special session to ban assault weapons, taxes on guns and ammo and no taxpayer money for arming teachers training programs.

But by the time you read this the governor might have signed the bill, crowing he’s “We did something!” However there are still many things to keep pushing on.

No AR-15 Ban, No spring Break Money

Remember David Hogg’s tweet asking students not to come to Florida for spring break if they didn’t get the AR-15 ban? Time to cancel reservations!

Ask Budweiser execs and tourist businesses to make a few calls to legislators and say, “Don’t mess with my projected earnings! Give the parents students what they want!”
Ask the teacher’s union to walk out if armed teachers are put in place.

Everyone is excited about the Parkland students because they aren’t paying the same game this time, neither should we.  There are other venues and methods to use in addition to legislative.

Remind Companies That NRA’s Tainted Brand Drags Down Brands
I love economic actions that convince corporations to disengage from the tainted NRA brand. Seek out, develop and support other actions that cut into the revenue streams for the gun makers and their allies.  Remember, companies can be counted on to look out for their PR and financial best interests, use that force against the gun lobby and their allies.

Bring The Big Money Payback Pain To Georgia Politicians
 Georgia politicians punished Delta. Remind Delta execs and their institutional shareholders that they  can get even, financially and politically with Georgia politicians.

 Now Delta has a perfect response for their board and shareholders for a $38 million dollar shortfall,

“These politicians told us to embrace a toxic-brand  and punished us when we didn’t. Therefore we will be cutting off money to those politicians. GOP lawmakers who were “business friendly” chose guns over business. We will now choose their opponents over them.”

Remember, it’s not quid pro quo if you don’t give money. If fund managers and rich execs really want to punish these politicians, they can make the dark money dry up too. 

When corporation don’t want customers to know they still like what politicians are doing they use dark money and Super PAC. But the people giving that dark money can stop. With a note why. You hurt my investment and you chose death merchants over live kids. Big mistake. Huge.

Dear Fund Managers for Berkshire Hathaway Inc, Vanguard Group Inc, Blackrock Inc., JPMorgan Chase & Co, Primecap Management Co.:

Leave the gun lovers, take the cannoli. It’s nothing personal, it’s just business.  

LLAP,
Spocko 

Push amendments demanding a tax on all guns and ammunition sales statewide

Come ON people, get Chris Rock to do his Tax Bullets bit for the legislators!

Make Arming Teachers a Financially Untenable Position
Why wasn’t this program tied to a massive gun and ammo tax? Whatever happened to the idea that new bills should be revenue neutral?

This could have been an unfunded mandate from the state to local communities, instead it became a state-funded program. Also, how much you want to bet that these programs will be subcontracted out to an NRA-approved tactical weapons training firms?  There could have been a provisions blocking that from happening. Once again the NRA lobbyists got money for their allies, for their guns everywhere programs from taxpayers.

Show The Massive Insurance Problems

Insurance could have been another poison pill for this amendment.  In Kansas the inability to get insurance stopped the armed teacher program. Why weren’t  the insurance companies rolled out to testify about costs and liabilities? Which insurance carriers are going to cover it? How much are the premiums per year?  Who pays for this? If schools can’t get insurance, they can’t stay open. No insurance, no armed teachers.

The NRA anticipated this, so maybe they did what I saw them do in Tennessee, gave lawmakers and school districts immunity, avoiding liability. My suggestion?  Challenge the law, now. Will immunity hold up in court? Probably not, so challenge it right now. Look closer at insurance policies. What don’t they cover? Who is liable for gun accidents? No insurance, no program!
 
How Florida Got The Armed Teachers They Didn’t Want: “Free” Taxpayer Money
In an NRP Morning Edition story a Parkland parent talks about how Representative José R. Oliva (R) (93% Rating from the NRA) added an amendment that would provide funds for sheriffs to train armed teachers.

“They are willing to accept it in order to get the rest, especially because they don’t think it will ever happen. The bill gives both the sheriff and the school board the power to block it.”  Rep. José R. Oliva added an amendment that would required sheriffs to develop training programs  for teachers who want to carry guns.

Oliva assured them during dinner the night before that the bill would “more or less stay the same”

“They literally left that room and changed everything in the middle of the night. So we feel distrust, confused and terrified. We’re entrusting the system to save our children and they’re playing games. ”  Parkland MSD parent Elise Claproot and her daughter Annabelle

So now everyone who opposes this will need to go to each sheriff’s department and tell them to not offer it. “But we want to offer it and we have the money!”  School boards will hear from gun-loving parents who think it’s a good thing to do, and they will demand it. Especially after the next mass shooting.

BTW, once a program is in place there are always excuses to keep it in place, even if it fails.

Yes, We Can Beat Slaughter Lobby 

Prior to the activism following the Parkland shooting the idea that “The NRA always wins.”  had paralyzed and depressed everyone. This new round of student activists have opened up possibilities for people.

The NRA is a sophisticated and experienced foe. It likes to activate its members to overwhelm and control the battle grounds it chooses to fight on. It works on multiple levels: economically, technologically. culturally, and politically–and so should we.

I’ve talked to a number of people about how to fight them.  One of things I learned is that many groups end up fight holding actions. I heard the deputy director of Moms Demand Action talk about the 100’s of bills they knocked down in multiple states That’s great, but now is the time to put the NRA on the defensive. It’s possible. In Nebraska I assisted blocking the NRA and their allies on a gun preemption bill.

The NRA first tied up the Washington lawmakers, then they went to the states. State politicians are cheap dates. They can expect 20 call an hour from gun lobby supporters for Every. Single. Bill. This happens in all 50 states. But that level of passionate mobilization against the gun lobby is happening now.

The next move from the NRA in Florida (and other states) will be to pressure the local school boards for more armed police and armed teachers.

Pike County citizens gathered at a town hall meeting at Pike County Central High School on Monday to discuss whether school staff should carry concealed firearms. Photo credit Will Wright Kentucky Lexington Herald Leader.

Don’t assume your local school district will do the right thing or that other parents agree with you about not arming teachers! In Kentucky, they want to arm teachers. Here’s a great eye-opening story by Will Wright in the Lexington Herald Leader.

Fortunately my friends at Nebraskans Against Gun Violence are already on top of it, educating their local school boards.  They put together a school board document you can use. (PDF version)

School boards and teachers need information and leverage to block crazy guns everywhere policies and attitudes. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard guns-everywhere people throwing out misleading and unsupported data and nobody was there to challenge them. 

I’ve seen them start talking about how with more guns everywhere “crime rates went down.” But crime rates ALSO went down in places where the more guns weren’t available. And they NEVER talk about the gun “accidents” that come with more guns everywhere. 

For the next school board come armed with information, in context, to challenge bumper sticker arguments.  (Here’s a quick video tutorial of the Gun Violence Archive to find gun accidents in your state, city or school district.)

Keep Pushing!

I’m not a paid strategist fighting the gun lobby. I wish I was. I tried to be, but apparently my pointy ears got in the way of my credentials fighting right-wing media. Vulcan discrimination! However, I encourage people who are working on this to keep pushing hard and think 4th dimensionally – develop actions that work together over time.

As a friend pointed out to me, change is inevitable, predictable, beneficial.  We need to keep pushing until we get what we want.

The students say, “Never again.”  I hear them. Let’s make sure everyone does.

Florida Senators Won’t Ban AR-15’s. Now what Emma, Cameron and David?


by Spocko

Dear Emma, Cameron and David:

As I predicted the day before you went to Tallahassee, certain politicians pretended to listen to you, and then did what the NRA wanted.  On Saturday your Florida Senators voted 21-17 to defeat an  amendment to ban sales of AR-15s.
Who didn’t pass it?
This guy: Joe Negron, Senate President, (Hey didn’t you meet with Joe?  What did he say then vs. what he did now? ) 

Joe Negron, Florida Senate President, Republican @joenegronfl
NRA Grade A+ 

Negron voting record and endorsements on guns


And these people.

1. Baxley
2. Bean
3. Benacquisto
4. Bradley
5. Brandes
6. Broxson
7. Gainer
8. Galvano
9. Grimsley
10. Hukill
11. Hutson
12. Lee
13. Mayfield
14. Passidomo
15. Perry
16. Simmons
17. Simpson
18. Stargel
19. Steube
20. Young

What is your next move? I won’t tell you what to do, because everyone is looking at YOU to do things differently this time than what was done by us veterans of the gun law fights.

One thing that you might want to do differently is not to accept this vote. There are things you can do in addition to voting these politicians out in November. Act now!

For example: You can employ additional pressure. David, remember when you asked students to not come to Florida for Spring Break if there wasn’t an AR-15 ban? There isn’t! Now it’s 
time for your friends to start making calls to hotels, airlines and theme parks canceling reservations. 

If your friends do that right now the big business folks will make some calls to senators at home, on Sunday! (Old people call each other on the phone, they don’t tweet or text, but that doesn’t mean you can’t tweet at them today. )

If you make it clear:
NO AR-15 Ban, No Spring Break Dollars.

When the money they are counting on stops coming in the tourism folks freak out.

When lawmakers are getting calls at home from Disney, Universal, Budweiser, Hilton, Marriott, Delta and United they will know things are different.  Politicians need to know this isn’t BUSINESS as usual.

Nobody wants to be on the side of the NRA now. Every normal person wants to be on YOUR side. You are the hot new band, the streaming hit.

Lawmakers still think they need to listen only to the NRA, and it will be fine. But you might want to start following the Delta story.

It looked like the NRA won, costing a major employer a tax break, But it also pissed off a major employer, and that is going to cost those politicians. Delta execs are not stupid. Any money that Delta might have been giving to NRA politicians will dry up right now. And that is what REALLY scares the politicians.

Cameron, you asked Marco if he would stop taking NRA money. He said no. Imagine if OTHER business execs said this to your state politicians “We aren’t going to give you money either because you didn’t do the right things by these kids. Also, don’t try and screw us like Georgia politicians did to Delta. These kids are our future customers. They are our kids and our friends’ kids. You picked the wrong horse to back in this race.” 

(When rich old people are double crossed by politicians they punish them by taking away their money. The NRA uses this leverage on politicians to keep them in line.  But there are more  people on your side now, ask them to help you out by not giving money to those politicians on that list. It’s a pretty easy ask. ‘Hey, stop giving money to these jerks!”)

Also, now that you have CNN producers’ emails, ask to go on some of those Sunday shows.  Nobody you know watches them, but big business types do because they want to see if their name is mentioned. You could have a lot of fun if there was a Florida lawmaker on who had to explain why he just couldn’t do an AR-15 ban and now Spring Break revenues will be down 78%.

Speaking of explaining and excuses. I watched the senators try and spin their bill. “We did so much good stuff! Like money for people with guns in schools! We came up with more money to turn schools into fortresses, but we just couldn’t pass an amendment to stop AR-15 sales because that would COST THE NRA MONEY.”  They are selling this as a WIN! They will whine that you all should be grateful they are getting you more armed police. As Emma would say. “It’s BS.”

But don’t listen to me, I don’t want you to be accused of being a puppet whose strings are pulled by big money interests. (BTW, if anyone asks if you are funded by George Soros say “No, I’m funded by George Clooney!” It’s true! Even I think he’s dreamy, and I’m a logical Vulcan.)

Who am I? I’m just a fictional Star Trek original series character who developed the model that destroyed the right wing media advertising model costing them 100’s of millions of dollars in lost revenue.

I hope you can do something different this time because otherwise this is looking more and more like the darkest timeline, and I really don’t want to grow a goatee, but I will if I have too.

Revealed! The secret reason FedEx supports the slaught lobby 

by Spocko

So it turns out that the reason FedEx didn’t walk away from their discount for NRA members was the money they make from shipping guns. Surprise! From Thinkprogress.

EXCLUSIVE: FedEx’s secret deal with the NRA and the gun industry
While publicly trying to distance itself from the NRA, FedEx has made a secret agreement with the association and other major players in the firearms industry.

Base photo Justin Sullivan, Getty Images

FedEx cut a deal with gun manufacturers on shipping guns in order to compete with UPS.

But FedEx’s decision to stand by the NRA probably has less to do with shipping NRA polo shirts than a much more profitable business: shipping guns.

In a stark contrast with FedEx’s recent attempts to distance itself from the gun lobby, the internal company document obtained by ThinkProgress outlines in great detail precisely how FedEx has secretly agreed to bend its own rules on gun shipments for powerful forces in the gun industry, including all major gun manufacturers and the NRA itself. 

The document, labeled “Confidential information. Internal use only,” was provided to ThinkProgress by a FedEx employee, who asked to remain anonymous due to concern that disclosing the document would cause the source to be terminated.

The United States Postal Service (USPS) won’t mail handguns except under certain rare circumstances, mostly for relic collection and museum purposes, meaning almost all handgun shipments need to go through either the United Parcel Service (UPS) or FedEx.
UPS requires all handguns be shipped overnight, according to its website.

FedEx’s public policy, like UPS’s, is that “[f]irearms must be shipped via FedEx Priority Overnight service,” according to the company’s 2018 Service Guide, which also states that FedEx will not transport handguns via FedEx Ground.

But FedEx does not apply its public rules to everyone. According to the document, the company has struck a deal with dozens of major gun manufacturers and dealers in an effort to woo the industry away from competitors with lower cost shipping. The agreement, which has not been previously reported, shows how important the handgun shipment business is to FedEx.

“Some customers have been approved for an exception to ship firearms with a 2-day (AM or PM) service,” the document says. Those customers include 86 firearms manufacturers and dealers, including nearly every major company in the business, like Smith & Wesson, Colt, Glock, SIG Sauer, and the NRA itself.

Corporations make a lot of money on guns. Not just the obvious ones like gun manufacturers, but all the industries that support it. Some of that money goes back to the NRA. The NRA then uses that money to lobby lawmakers.

If you do something that threatens or reduces these revenue streams, the companies that lose that money will fight back. Hard. They will enlist any allies they can to ensure they don’t lose their revenue.

FedEx is using it’s ‘common carrier’ status as a way to talk about non-discrimination on shipping. But a marketing deal is not the same as discrimination on shipping.

FedEx has a special price sheet for guns and ammo customers, they knew that if they dissed the NRA their gun manufacturing customers might take their business to UPS to protest.

So they listened to the big money, figuring they could hold off on the PR pain till this blew over. But they were busted by this ThinkProgress piece. Good job Addy Baird and Judd Legum! h/t to BL for the link.

Bonehead Move by Georgia Lt. Gov. Cagle. He Tells Delta Airlines to Support the NRA, or Else

By Spocko

Today from Georgia’s Lt. Governor.

I will kill any tax legislation that benefits @Delta unless the company changes its position and fully reinstates its relationship with @NRA. Corporations cannot attack conservatives and expect us not to fight back.

— Casey Cagle (@CaseyCagle) February 26, 2018

On Saturday I wrote about how the supporters of the NRA will respond to corporations deciding to not associate with the NRA  I wrote.

The NRA will respond to corporations withdrawing support, probably by threatening the companies that have left, and the ones who are standing with them.

Some NRA members might be smart and try and entice the companies they still have by buying more of their product, but based on my experience, they prefer to punish and intimidate when they don’t get their way.

Cagle’s tweet is really an amazing statement. I wonder if he ran it by the heads of the 17 Fortune 500 companies that make their home in Georgia?  Did he talk to the CEO of Delta before he sent that out?  No doubt he talked to the AG, so it must be legal. On the other hand, maybe it’s a rogue tweet like one of Trump’s.

I’ve worked with a lot of high powered CEOs, they don’t like it when people tell them what to do.  But they do understand tax breaks, revenue streams, public relations problems and brand issues. They will take this threat very seriously. But how they react might not be what Cagle wants. 

They will be pissed. Unless Cagle’s announcement was coordinated ahead of time with the approval of Delta management (a possibility) Delta’s lawyers and lobbyists were probably burning up the phone lines with the Governor’s office all day.

Cagle threatening to use his big tax break stick on Delta for deciding to cut a marketing discount program with a trade group with a toxic brand is a boneheaded decision.

NRA’s brand is toxic right now. You don’t tell companies to embrace toxicity. It’s bad PR. It’s bad brand management.

I don’t know Georgia politics, but the NRA is not the only powerful lobby in the state.

Think of the other groups with lobbying power that don’t like or want more guns everywhere.

Transportation lobby. Do you really think airlines want to go back to allowing guns on planes?
Does UPS really want drivers to carry guns?

Health care lobby. Sure they can make up to 95k for each gun shot wound, but does the Lt. Gov.  know that two thirds of gunshot victims admitted to American hospitals are covered by Medicaid, or don’t have health insurance at all?  (University of Iowa, July edition of the journal Injury Epidemiology.) The taxpayers pick those costs up, not private health insurance.

Education lobby. Emory University employs a lot of people, has Cagle heard all those teachers and parents explaining what “a horrifically bad idea” arming teachers is?

Military lobby. Maybe Cagle is counting on the military to back him. I’m friends with a lot of military guys who think the NRA’s positions on guns everywhere is nuts.  They know what it takes to be proficient with a gun. They have seen the damage an AR-15 can do to a human. The military of today isn’t a bunch of good ol’ boy hunters. When they come back from war, they may still hunt, but they know they know what AR-15s are designed to kill, and it ain’t ducks.

Is This Three Dimensional Chess Or Trump-style Bullying?

Companies have always played one state against another for tax breaks and perks. Cagle might think that Delta is so entrenched that they can’t easily get up and leave. But when corporations get pissed at a state they have lots of tools to use to get and keep tax breaks and perks. It’s not just threats to move.

Maybe Cagle and the governor are trying to play three dimensional chess. They might be hoping to get more taxes out of the airlines while satisfying their gun loving base with this threat. It might pay off. On the other hand, behind the scenes Gagle could end up groveling and apologizing to Delta AND getting no new votes from their current supporters. The Lt. Gov. night get a bump from his base, but will get knocked by others for an economically stupid move.

This announcement came out of the Lt. Governor’s office. They are testing the reaction of the public and how this corporation will respond to this threat. Depending on the reaction and the polling, the Governor will either walk back Cagle’s threat, soften it, or support it.

If I were a betting Vulcan, I would put my Quatloos on Delta coming out on top. One of the things I’ve learned over the years is it’s better to convincing people to do something that is in line with their stated values than to threaten them. It’s not really a stretch for an airline that doesn’t allow guns in the cabins, to walk away from an associate with a toxic brand like the NRA.

What can you do? Call and tweet Delta @Delta to thank them for their action to disassociate themselves for NRA’s toxic brand.

Delta Delta Delta can I help ya help ya help ya? from Michal Spocko on Vimeo.

Let’s catch the sickos who sent Parkland survivor death threats

by Spocko

Death threats force Parkland shooting survivor to leave Facebook

Cameron Kasky says he has received “graphic death threats.”

Who does this? What kind of sickos send death threats to a shooting survivor? Why did they send them to Kasky? I would like to find all of them and ask why. “What was your intention? What did you hope to accomplish?”

I think law enforcement needs to take death threats coming from gun owners more seriously.

Of course law enforcement has to answer the usual questions about any threats:

1. What kind of threat is it? It is at true threat?  (see Elonis v, United States) 
2. Where is the threatener located relative to the person they are threatening? A threat from someone nearby has more opportunity to act. 
3. What is their motive for the threat? 
4. Does the threatener have a history of threats? Have they acted on them? 
5. Do the have the means to carry out the threat? (Yes, I know, a gun is just a tool, like a hammer, “You can kill with a hammer too! Are you going to arrest all hammer owners who send death threats?” blah, blah, blah.)

Time for FBI Investigations of Death Threats

The FBI got criticized not following up on gun owner Nikolas Cruz. This is a perfect time to redeem themselves in the eyes of the public.

I can already hear the all caps crying, “They are targeting law-abiding gun owners who are just exercising their free speech!!” However:

1) Threatening speech is not protected speech.

2) Don’t send death threats, you won’t have a problem.

Gun owners should welcome the FBI tracing threats. In fact, actual responsible gun owners will turn in the ones that they know are doing this. Like in this story:

Last week, in Bellevue Nebraska, 18-year old Nicholas Scott threaten to shoot people who were going to walk out in support of gun control. 

 Based on the story, it looks like he had the means, motive and opportunity to carry this out.

High school student arrested for threatening to shoot those who walked out in support of gun control

I don’t think anyone should be sending death threats, but that’s my Vulcan side. But if it happens then we need to find them, verify it was them, and there should be consequences.

Sue people who send death threats

I’ve been pushing economic sanctions as leverage to weaken the gun lobby and force them to pay for the damage they do. This would be a way to pay for the psychological damage they cause.

We know the Las Vegas shooter was rich. He had money for expensive guns. If the FBI finds out that someone is sending death threats and they have money to pay for expensive guns, there needs to be civil lawsuits against these people in addition to criminal legal cases.

I would develop the cases for criminal charges first, then civil charges. I’ve suggested this idea to some lawyers and GVP groups. Maybe this could be my money making business that gets me off this planet.

Responsible gun owners shouldn’t worry that they are being unfairly targeted by law enforcement, because they are not sending death threats. Right?

If you are a gun owner and you are sending death threats to the Parkland survivors, we will find you, we will catch you, and we will sue you.

I always see this comment under stories about reducing the amount of guns, “Come and get them!” But with civil lawsuits there is no need for the sheriff, police or Obama to go to their location to take their guns. They can just go to the bank and take their assets.

We aren’t coming for your guns, we’re coming for your assets.