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Neil Heslin, Father of Boy Killed in Sandy Hook, Heckled During Legislative Hearing
A father who lost his six-year-old son in the Newtown, Connecticut massacre was heckled by pro-gun activists as he testified at a local hearing on gun control.
Neil Heslin's son Jesse was killed at Sandy Hook Elementary. Heslin questioned why any civilian would need a semiautomatic, miltary-style weapon at the state legislative subcommittee hearing on Monday.
But pro-gun activists shouted him down, chanting "Second Amendment" as he spoke.
With tears in his eyes, he explained how it feels to lose a child to a violent shooting.
"It's not a good feeling. Not a good feeling to look at your child laying in a casket or looking at your child with a bullet wound to the forehead. It's a real sad thing," he said, holding a photograph of him and his son when he was a baby.
"We're all entitled to our own opinions and I respect their opinions and their thoughts," he said of the people shouting. "But I wish they'd respect mine and give it a little bit of thought.
This was the first public testimony by family members of those lost in the elementary school shooting, where 20 first graders were killed along with six women.
Family members asked for better gun control and tougher penalties for those who violate gun laws.
The Connecticut State Police firearms training unit brought weapons to the hearing, giving a brief tutorial of what is legal and what is illegal under Connecticut's current assault weapons ban.
Gun rights advocates wore yellow stickers, reading "Another Responsible Gun Owner." There was estimated to be about 2,000 people at the hearing.
Many citizens spoke about the need to protect their families.
"The Second Amendment does not protect our right to hunt deer," said Andrew Hesse of Middletown. "It protects our right to self-preservation and preservation of our family. The right to bear arms."
A single mother from Waterbury, Elizabeth Drysdale, said she fears for her family's safety and believes she should be able to choose what type of gun she wants.
"Don't my children and I deserve your support and consideration to be safe?" she asked.
Gun manufacturers told the subcommittee to not support legislation that could put the state's gun industry at risk.
Mark Mattioli, who lost his six-year-old son James at Sandy Hook, told lawmakers that there are many gun laws but those laws are not being enforced properly.
"It's a simple concept. We need civility across our nation," Mattiolo said. "What we're seeing are symptoms of a bigger problem. This is a symptom. The problem is not gun laws. The problem is lack of civility."
Two men who survived the shooting in Aurora, Colorado last year attended the hearing, and told lawmakers that they should address online and private gun sales that don't require a background check.
State Rep. Arthur O'Neill said lawmakers will likely reach an agreement on gun control.
"Dec. 13 was one way of looking at the world, and Dec. 15 is a different way of looking at the world," he said.
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Comments
This entire "event" is a
This entire "event" is a straw man placed before the public to foment outrage and stifle honest debate. Many of the staunch liberals here continue to parrot the lines fed them by their so-called media, allowing themselves to be duped. The conservatives respond to the complaints as though there was some merit to them, allowing themselves to be duped. Use some reason. There was no heckling. There was no shouting this poor fellow down. Therefore arguing for or against this false description is an exercise in futility. WAKE THE FUCK UP!
This has been proven to be a
This has been proven to be a doctored video/report.
http://townhall.com/tipsheet/danieldoherty/2013/01/29/media-bias-exposed-msnbc-doctors-video-to-push-leftwing-agenda-n1500658
This has been proven to be a
This has been proven to be a doctored video/report.
http://townhall.com/tipsheet/danieldoherty/2013/01/29/media-bias-exposed-msnbc-doctors-video-to-push-leftwing-agenda-n1500658
So the phrase "...challenge
So the phrase "...challenge this question..." was edited. That does not change the fact that he was not heckled or shouted down.
Yes, it does. He asked the
Yes, it does. He asked the question once and when he received only a respectful silence, he made the claim that it could not be answered and repeated it, challenging the audience to respond. The fact that the audience responded does not constituted "heckling," but the selective editing of MSNBC to give that impression certainly constitutes disinformation.
The selective editing still
The selective editing still didn't make it look like heckling. Not to me, anyway. I almost didn't see the difference in the two. Was the editing meant to change the context, or merely some time constraint thing?
A ban on large capacity (over
A ban on large capacity (over 10) magazines and universal background checks does not violate your 2nd amendment rights, you gun-nut douchebags.
WHat part of "shall not be
WHat part of "shall not be infringed" is too difficult for you to comprehend? My old high school Webster's defined the word infringe as "to fence, to encroach upon, to limit in any way." Once you start determining what size magazine, what caliber, what type of action my daughter or I can own based upon _your_ arbitrary determination of what _you_ perceive as "need," you are most certainly infringing upon our rights. I consider that a violation and so did a long list of judges in the years prior to the mid-Twentieth Century revisionists.
It most certainly does. And
It most certainly does. And your propaganda offends rational people. 30 rounds is not 'large' capacity, it's NORMAL. I don't have backup on the way, I need all the ammo I can get without having to reload. More background checks on top of the background checks that already exist and don't do any good? Stupid. It's nothing but agenda pushing of hatemongers that want to hurt people that didn't vote for their guy. No concern at all for the puppet children they parade as the excuse. there is no substitute for take responsibility for you and yours. No amount of assaulting other peoples' rights will ever save you from your own irresponsibility. Gun Control doesn't work, never has worked, and never will work; because it doesn't address the problem. People who choose to be easy targets will always be preyed upon. The problem is this self-inflicted martyrdom. Willing to let it happen to you and your children so you can use the dead bodies to push your agenda. Gun-owners don't want this to happen. We have guns to make sure it doesn't happen to us. And it doesn't! Imagine that! The real douche-bags are people who would watch their children die for the sake of a political agenda.
I'm a "gun-nut douchebag" and
I'm a "gun-nut douchebag" and I agree with you. So do many, many other "gun-nut douchebags", including the owner of Ruger firearms. How about that, dick breath?
This bullying tactic by the
This bullying tactic by the NRA, their lobbyists & a small lunatic fringe to try to prevent calm, rational discussion of gun problems in the US has been on-going for decades, but it's worn thin with American voters. The NRA has not only lost touch with most Americans, even 91% of NRA members have said they want to keep guns out of the hands of the mentally unstable.
The truth is that the NRA's officers & lobbyist represent gun manufactures, NOT the rank and file gun-owners. The are so out of touch with American gun owners, less than 50% of gun owners are members. The goal of the officers and lobbyists of the NRA is not to protect the rights of gun owners; it is to maximize the profits of weapons manufacturers and arms dealers. That's why they refuse to support common sense restrictions on military style assault weapons, magazines that hold a hundred bullets, or background checks for anyone who buys a gun, even though most Americans -- and many gun owners -- support these measures. In fact, according to the CNN/ORC poll, 95 percent of all Americans think that everyone who buys a gun should have to undergo a background check. Until recently, most Americans were unaware that 40% of gun sales in this country were effected by the gun-show loopholes. Now they want this loophole closed and even stricter penalties on anyone selling a firearm without completing a thorough background investigation.
As more and more Americans recognize that their right to own guns is not jeopardized by common sense measures to curb gun violence, it will be harder and harder for the NRA leadership to continue to frighten gun owners with the phony specter of confiscation. NO ONE CAN TERMINATE OUR 2ND amendment & less than 33% of American voters would even consider another amendment effecting firearms. 70% of American "Gun-Owners" want common sense safety precautions, guns out of the hands of the mentally unstable, alcoholics, addicts & criminals, stricter enforcement of exiting laws, the elimination of gun-show & private reseller loopholes, and stricter penalties for those who violate the public trust & break our laws. Every decade more non-gun owners, gun owners and US churches favor creating "some" gun limits & restrictions. Finally we are now seeing more US clergy recognizing their responsibilities & preaching about what one recently called the "religiously repugnant behavior" of the pro-assault weapon crowd.
The political influence of the NRA has collapsed as their motives have been exposed to Congress & the American voters. They had ZERO effect on the 2012 general elections. American voters have demanded open discussions on our ever increasing gun problems and they will get what they want from this Congress or the next. The increasing frequency of gun violence has assured us that this issue isn't going to go away. As Robert Creamer of Democracy Partners has stated, "Increasingly, the struggle to reduce gun violence is being seen for what it is. Instead of a fight between gun owners and the "government" -- it is becoming a battle between the rights of innocent victims of violence and the profits of weapons manufacturers."
I do not expect much action from our Congress. I do hope they will issue federal laws to close these gun-show loopholes, and perhaps initiate some other legislation that requires a federal law. With the growing coalition of mayors and clergymen across the US, as well as the US Supreme Court's favorable rulings for State gun laws, I expect we will begin to see more grassroots movements as communities band together to change the gun laws in their States. THIS IS how it should be done. THIS IS what the voters want.
The disingenuous bullying is
The disingenuous bullying is clearly on the part of the Anti-Constitutional Government and their lapdogs at MSNBC. It's high time these people are both removed from office and their media dogs held accountable for their actions. Bringing an emotional father into a hearing who's only expertise is being a grieving parent explains that your people aren't interested in a factual argument. One I might add you loose on all accounts.
You demand the creation of
You demand the creation of that which already exists. It exposes your lack of knowledge on the topic. The real issue is that it doesn't work. This creates the impression that these 'common sense' measure don't exist. But they already do, and they don't work. Repeating the same old thing expecting a different result, achieved by failing to realize that it's already being done. It doesn't work. More of the same will also not work...
Last I checked, the only grassroots in motion was refusal to obey these laws, and put armed people who can actually protect kids in schools. Do what works, not what doesn't...
Isn't it already illegal to murder people? You can't make it MORE illegal. All you can do it reinforce it by making it harder to do. Someone who can shoot back is the most difficult person to kill. It works! Why is it so hard to ask people to take responsibility for themselves? I carry a gun every day. It goes in my pocket along with my wallet and cell phone. It's really not a big deal. It's just there if I need it. None of my so-called "assault weapons" have leapt out of the closet and started shooting up the place. Inanimate objects aren't the issue. Depriving the lowly citizen of 30rnd magazines only makes them easier for gangs wearing body armor to attack.
The outright failure to ask "how can this help?" is at the root of the agenda pushers. How will the things they propose make any difference? It won't. You can tell by the questions they ask "What do you need X, Y, or Z for?" They aren't looking for a solution to a problem, they're just looking for something to take from us. It doesn't matter what I need X, Y, or Z for. Waht matters is if eliminating X, Y, or Z would have a positive outcome. We have mountains of evidence that it doesn't. So why are we still harping on this repeatedly failed agenda? Kids are dead, right? Don't you care? Nope, agenda!
You're right about the NRA.
You're right about the NRA. That's why my membership lapsed a LONG time ago. They have gotten in to the same mentality that many large labor unions have, that the members exist solely to further the goals of the organization, not the other way around.
There was no heckling... Just
There was no heckling... Just more spin and deception from the leftist media trying desperately to paint anyone who supports the Constitution as a bad person. Same deception they're using in the laws they're trying to pass... Get people mad enough and they don't bother to look for facts, they just grab the torch and pitchfork and hunt down whatever they're told to by their faction leaders... No heckling occurred. Nothing to see here but lies from the liberals. Nothing new about that.
You're right, no heckling,
You're right, no heckling, just an answer, and Mr. Heslin even ANSWERED them.
Vid:
http://now.msn.com/neil-heslin-not-heckled-by-gun-advocates
There was no heckling... Just
There was no heckling... Just more spin and deception from the leftist media trying desperately to paint anyone who supports the Constitution as a bad person. Same deception they're using in the laws they're trying to pass... Get people mad enough and they don't bother to look for facts, they just grab the torch and pitchfork and hunt down whatever they're told to by their faction leaders... No heckling occurred. Nothing to see here but lies from the liberals. Nothing new about that.
Each day we are graced with
Each day we are graced with opportunities to see the world. The world view may be shaped with the individual perspectives but the overall results will be determined by the choices of our hearts. Since Eve ate the apple, our toils are immense & any hard hearts will be relinquished to satisfy necessary righteousness. We can be brutal or we can choose love. Our blessings & grace will always be commensurate with our faith. Being heckled in hearings is nothing akin to heckling our Creator with laws against prayers in school, wholesale fornication producing wholesale slaughter of fetuses & rejection of our Savior. try: kissmybooboo.net
http://flynnsbeachpark.wordpress.com/2012/05/04/till-fer-ale-3/
I lost my 17yo son to a car
I lost my 17yo son to a car accident, so I know how the loss feels; but I would NEVER have questioned the second amendment if it had been by gun. This is just emotional blame shifting, pure and simple. Kids die, it happens. I've lost several people close to me by gun, but even when I was against the idea of having a gun in my home, I would have gladly died to defend someone else's right to own firearms.
From other accounts, there
From other accounts, there was no heckling. The father asked, "Why are these guns still legal to buy?" and people in the crowd answered "The 2nd Amendment."
If you don't want to hear the answer, don't ask the question.
I saw that today also. It
I saw that today also. It seems that MSNBC selectively edited the video to remove that question, making it look like those in the crowd were heckling rather than replying to his question. Just another example of the way the Lefist media and the gun ban crowd are "playing" the American people for suckers. Josef Goebbles would be so proud of his students.
MSNBC isn't quite as bad as
MSNBC isn't quite as bad as FOX but they do appear to roll in that direction. The difference, however, is that most people on the left recognize how MSNBC is.
Deliberate deception on the part of a media source should drive away viewers in droves, but sadly people want to hear what that want to hear rather than the truth.
~ Cyn, the Cynfully Cynical
"Gun manufacturers told the
"Gun manufacturers told the subcommittee to not support legislation that could put the state's gun industry at risk."
Leave it to them to threaten the legislature by making this a jobs issue.
Not much that matters is made
Not much that matters is made there anyway. It's just another liberal play to make gun-related anything look bad. The rest of the country will be happy to pick up whatever little slack might result. With almost a dozen generations of CnC equipment in the aftermarket sector, just about anyone can afford to set up a small machine shop in a 2 - 3 car garage and manufacture anything they want.
Guns are MUCH easier to make than Methamphetamine, and so is the ammo. How's that War on Drugs going? The war on guns is an even worse failure. It only hurts the good people.
Wow...look out first
Wow...look out first Amendment now. Sounds like we need some "common sense and reasonable" restrictions on that too.
It sounds like this was at a hearing on public property. It's not like it was the Westboro Church denigrating the families at the funerals or something. This was in the "Public Square". Everyone understands the horrific nature of their loss but people are not going to let you use that to silence them.
Westboro Church was on the
Westboro Church was on the "Public Square", too.
No one is threatening their First Amendment rights, just asking they show some respect for someone exercising his, until their turn comes up.
Reality will never have
Reality will never have compassion or respect for an irresponsible parent. Killing the messengers only shows how much you still don't care for the children... Reality is harsh, take responsibility for it or suffer the consequences. You can't silence the truth by calling it names. I think the children deserve someone willing to be 'rude' for their benefit, instead of silently allowing the laws and attitude that caused this to grow.
Lets not consider the endless
Lets not consider the endless heckling the anti-gun loons promote. I overhear it in public every day. Promoting helplessness as if that ever made anyone safe or protected a child... This gets press, but the daily harassment of gun-owners doing right by their families gets not a word. Is it really so offensive to suggest to a parent that they should have taken responsibility for their child's safety, instead of trying to make everyone else's child suffer the same fate? He has, unfortunately, already suffered exactly the punishment that a harsh reality has to offer. Wake up, people! Reality doesn't care how you 'feel.' You can hate gravity, but no matter how arrogant or clueless you are, you're not going to fly away by flapping your arms. gun owners, like me, are not trying to promote an agenda; we want you to protect your kids and be responsible parents! We don't want this to happen, that's why we have guns! That's why we wish you would wake up! Who benefits from this tragedy? Without dead babies, the anti-gun crowd has no relevance, no votes, and no paychecks... They need this or their agenda fails. We gun owners don't want it to happen! Again, that's why we have guns! Aren't you afraid of [fill in the blank]? Nope! I've got guns! The worst case scenario is a level playing field! Equalizer. Right Hand of the Free World. Save the children with magic rainbows, unicorns, and fairy dust? No thanks, my son deserves my so-called "assault weapon."
Disgusting. Let one of those
Disgusting. Let one of those hecklers lose a child or a loved one in a shooting and let's see how they feel if they were heckled. Voicing an opinion is fine, but for God's sake show some damn respect.
MisfitWisdom
"semiautomatic, miltary-style
"semiautomatic, miltary-style weapon" - And the tone of yet another obviously left-fringe biased "opposing views" article begins... A 4 word hyperbolic oxymoron that stands as the founding lie for the whole argument. How about speaking German in French? Or maybe you could order an Extra Medium sized drink at Taco Bell? Perhaps you're a White Black guy? Who falls for this line of bull anymore? Tell a big enough lie often enough, and people will believe it...
Maybe if the guy considered his child worth protecting, his child would still be alive...
Guard the bank, not the school... Blame an inanimate object even though that state has crazy stupid gun control and it didn't work... Herp a derp... The Liberal answer is always "If only we went even more insane, then it would work!"
There is no such thing as a right to 'feel' safe. Feelings are subjective and based on the feeler's individual ignorance level. You have a Second Amendment that preserves your right to BE safe. If you don't use it, then you reap what you sow. Choosing your handicap is fine. Forcing others to be handicapped, that's sick. I don't know anyone stuck in a wheelchair that wants to force everyone else to live in one... If you choose to be helpless, and by proxy, make your children helpless; that is your choice. Forcing that upon others is disgusting.
I like to stay focused on the real issue... I encourage people to be responsible for the safety of themselves and their families. This guy wasn't. It's a sad and brutal lesson to learn, and he still hasn't learned it. Now, he calls for YOUR kids to die, too. All because he couldn't be bothered to fulfill the ultimate parental responsibility, his political agenda was more important?
In his own words... Looking into a casket at your own child... Was it worth it, Neil? Does the party approve? Was your son worth sacrificing for your political faction's agenda? Taking your own State's obviously failed gun control and foisting it upon everyone else, how is that going to do any good when you're staring at the dead bodies that prove it doesn't work!
You won't force me and mine into the same fate. Call it rude or insensitive, I really don't give a damn. Telling me to let my children suffer the same fate with tears in your eyes doesn't change the fact that it's sick and wrong.
I feel bad for the guy. if of
I feel bad for the guy. if of course it were all true.
I am more inclined to think that some gun grabbers were heckling him.
His kid was more likely to die in a car accident, trampoline accident, drowning, or any number of ways. Semi automatics are hardly something to even consider
I'm surprised that
I'm surprised that pro-gunners would have behaved like this. Typically such behavior has been exhibited by the Leftist/antigun crowd. No matter which viewpoint is being represented, however, such behavior is reprehensible.
Of course, using a grief-stricken father to advance a political agenda is also reprehensible. Absolutely none of these long-planned infringements of a fundamental natural right would have done anything to stop the shootings at Sandy Hook. Those pushing for these new laws are simply taking advantage of the grief and emotions of the moment to advance their own agendas, precisely what we have a Constitution and Bill of Rights to protect us from.
Still, both sides have a right to be heard and debated in a civil manner rather than being drowned out by unruly crowds.
While I feel bad for the guy,
While I feel bad for the guy, he should expect to be heckled for making such a stupid statement.
Fortunately, he wasn't
Fortunately, he wasn't heckled. Just lies and spin from the liberal media. He asked the crowd a question, the crowd answered him. Nobody heckled anybody. Just liberal reporting trying to make anyone who opposes their agenda look bad.
"It's a simple concept. We
"It's a simple concept. We need civility across our nation," Mattiolo said. "What we're seeing are symptoms of a bigger problem. This is a symptom. The problem is not gun laws. The problem is lack of civility."
Worth repeating. Far too many people are acting like bullying children, demanding their way and caring little (or not at all) about the opinions and experiences of others.
~ Cyn, the Cynfully Cynical
Yes. Americans come across as
Yes.
Americans come across as being arrogant, self righteous pricks who don't respect the views and lifestyles of others. Having visited your country a few times I know this is a minority, but they are often a vocal minority.
Americans will often demand their rights, whilst ignoring the rights of others. e.g. The (since overturned) case in Cocoa County where they banned baggies because some people did not like the way others were dressed, ignoring the right to dress how you please.
It's the same in online
It's the same in online forums. These places draw some reasonable people and a whole lot of crazy. If I based my opinion of the pro-gun crowd on what I've read by some of the pro-gun statements I've read on here, I'd be for banning all guns. Thankfully most pro-gun people aren't heartless nutjobs.
~ Cyn, the Cynfully Cynical
the tangent you're on is
the tangent you're on is moot. He asked a question, he got an answer. Nobody heckled anybody. Just liberal reporting getting the facts wrong on purpose to support their agenda of trying to make gun owners look like jerks... The real question is, why didn't he have one, and why wasn't his kid worth fighting for?
"Just liberal reporting
"Just liberal reporting getting the facts wrong on purpose to support their agenda of trying to make gun owners look like jerks... The real question is, why didn't he have one, and why wasn't his kid worth fighting for?"
Unfortunately for you, liberals do not have to do anything but quote people like you word for word to prove a lot of gun advocates are "jerks". I suppose you load up your guns & stand guard beside your loved ones 24/7, 365 days a year. No? You mean you aren't glued to the hips of your wife & kids? Why aren't your loved ones aren't worth fighting for?
If you want to keep your children on your property 24/7 under armed guard you certainly have that right. The rest of us do not want to live in the 18th century. We have hired local armed militia to patrol our communities & be on call 24/7, 365 days a year for over a century now, only we now call them our State, county & local police departments. Just like our 18th century Minutemen, our police officers come from our community, are paid by our community & take an oath of allegiance to serve & protect OUR COMMUNITY. Claiming that they are enemies of the American communities they risk their lives for each year is paranoid delusion or just vicious fear-mongering.
If he doesn't own a gun it's
If he doesn't own a gun it's because he chose not to, or was prohibited by law. His child was killed in school where he was not present, thus could not fight for him. Why do you make that assumption about his feelings for his child?