Independence Day 2020 is nearly upon us and this is the United States as we now know it. Happy Fourth of July weekend Ken and Karen.
Who are Ken and Karen?
Ken and Karen are you and me. They are ordinary people who snap and act a fool. Ken and Karen have become symbols/synonyms of bad public behavior. Ken and Karen are now derogatory adjectives such as Hey Boomer and Snowflake.
An early history of Karen painted the picture a middle-aged white woman of privilege generally mouthing off at someone and displaying her dominance. I have heard the Karen phenomenon began as a Twitter or Facebook post from a man complaining about a woman named Karen and her public behavior.
Social media does have the ability to whip up something from nothing and hence, adjective Karen was born.
Janet from another Planet
Janet from another Planet is a derogatory description so I get that using Karen to disparage another is not fair to women with the name of Karen.
Damn it, Janet. That came from Rocky Horror Picture Show. Janet from another Planet. Certainly not all girls named Janet are from outer space. (My dad thought so).
Janet Jackson. Yeah, we know girls named Janet are awesome.
But really, what is with the guns
Our Fourth of July holiday is a result of Christopher Columbus discovering a new world, separation from and war with England, violence against Native Americans, the onset of African slavery and the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Shortly thereafter we created a constitution containing the second amendment, which is the right to bear arms. But just because you CAN bear arms, does not mean you SHOULD bear arms.
Trained in the use of a firearm, I am permitted by the state of Nevada to carry a concealed weapon. I was permitted in the state of Arizona to conceal carry, and I will never forget the words of my Arizona conceal carry instructor.
“Choosing to carry a weapon is a grave decision, “she said. “You can never again have an argument and you must be a cone of peace.”
Wise words from a wise woman
Just before leaving Arizona, I spent an afternoon with friends in Prescott. Confronted with an emotional and angry man on the way down the hill to the Valley a driver stopped his vehicle in front of us, preventing us from driving any further. He then got out of his car, yelling and swinging his arms wildly.
It was seriously frightening. We had not done anything. My friend was driving the speed limit or maybe a bit slow around curves. We were on a two-lane mountain road.
For the first time in seven years of concealing a weapon I thought I might have had to take out my gun. And even though we are not quite sure what alien planet I have arrived from; diffusing human chaos is one of my strengths.
I watched and waited
And I watched his hands carefully to make sure he did not have a gun. My weapon remained concealed for safety reasons. A potential gun fight could result in me threatening another with my weapon, especially someone in an already crazed state of mind.
It was a tense situation for sure and we could not back away because there were cars behind us. We waited it out with calmness, and everyone ended up a winner that day.
My friend surely wanted to exit the vehicle and go have a guy fight. His girlfriend was in the front passenger seat and I was in the back seat. Both she and I were literally holding him back from potential human chaos.
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But Ken and Karen
For those who are still waiting to hear about the people in the picture, Ken and Karen, they were defending their property when protesters were in route to confront the mayor who also lives on the same private street. The protesters, however, were not on the couple’s property and even if they were, trespassing is not a lethal offense.
It takes a much greater offense to not land an assault or murder charge after shooting someone. I know this through my training.
After breaking down a private gate, protesters marched past Ken and Karen’s (Mark and Patricia McCloskey) Portland Place St. Louis home.
As protesters marched past their home, Ken and Karen came out brandishing firearms. Some are now cheering Ken and Karen. I just told you why I am not cheering Ken and Karen. Anticipating violence by a show of force can be deadly and thankfully no one was shot during this incident.
Just because you can, does not mean you should
These words go for all of us. Like, don’t drink and drive this holiday weekend and don’t have meltdowns in stores because you have to wear a mask. Don’t break down a private gate to achieve a goal and don’t brandish a weapon to make a point.
Cone of Peace. Ken and Karen, you are lawyers and you should know this. Oh, and if you are going to carry a weapon, you two need to learn how to hold it properly. You do not hold a gun with one hand and you do not keep your other hand on your hip. And your finger is never on the trigger unless you are pulling it. Ken and Karen were wrong in everything they did that early evening.
So as the cycle of violence continues to dominate a new world discovered in 1492 by Christopher Columbus, have a safe and happy Fourth of July weekend.
Adding to this post
I came here Friday to share a link providing evidence regarding my claim of how easy it is to get arrested when pointing a gun. This incident took place a couple of days ago outside a Chipotle restaurant in Detroit.
The woman under arrest at least held the gun properly, but she pointed her gun at more than one person and she is now facing assault charges. She also faces the loss of her gun rights for a specified amount of time if not forever if found guilty of a felony. So, be smart with your gun. You have way too much to lose just by acting stupid.
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