Bill Cosby Weighs In On Trayvon Martin Case (Gun Control)

Mr. Cosby, a Navy veteran, said “the gun” empowered Mr. Zimmerman, whose actions have stirred a firestorm of debate, protests and remarks from President Obama.

“Without a gun, I don’t see Mr. Zimmerman approaching Trayvon by himself,” Mr. Cosby explained. “The power-of-the-gun mentality had him unafraid to confront someone. Even police call for backup in similar situations.

“When you carry a gun, you mean to harm somebody, kill somebody,” he said." ~SOURCE

This thread is not about race, it's about guns; who should have them and when they should be carried.

I take exception to Mr. Cosby's comment that, “When you carry a gun, you mean to harm somebody, kill somebody.” I've carried a firearm since 1981 and I haven't killed anyone yet. In fact, the only time my weapon has ever left it's holster outside of a target range was the ONE time I pointed it at another human being. I drew down on a man in a Detroit Wendy's drive-thru, who was so pissed at his wife he thought it would be a good idea to cave in her skull with a tire iron right in front of my car.

My .357 and I stopped that murder from taking place.

Mr. Cosby, being a typical progressive, would probably say, "You should have called the police, they are trained to handle things like that." To which I would reply, "ORLY, Mr, Cosby? How many times do you think the man could have hit her with the tire iron before the police got there? Police response time in Detroit was a good 8 minutes back then. Do you think she would be alive today if I had let the responsibility for protecting another person from violence defer to those who are 'trained?' And what about Ennis, Bill. What about your son?"

Cosby's son Ennis was murdered in 1997, robbed and shot by a man on the freeway as the younger Cosby was changing a flat tire. If Ennis had been armed, I wonder if he would still be alive today?

Not everybody should carry a weapon; many are unfit and some have lost that right after committing a felony. Most people don't want to carry anyway, and there is nothing wrong with that. But I think that the media and the Administration are going to use Martin/Zimmerman tragedy to try and take away the 2nd Amendment rights of Americans (since Fast and Furious came back to bite them in the ass so epically.) "Stand your ground" laws are already coming under fire and the facts of the case haven't even been heard in court yet.

The 2nd Amendment recognizes that there is evil in the world, and it reaffirms our natural right to defend ourselves and our fellows from that evil. Whether the threat comes from a government or from an individual, there will always be those who seek to subjugate others. Trained men (and women) of goodwill MUST be allowed to carry licensed weapons. Take away that right, and the old truism comes into play - "...only criminals will have guns."

The police are seldom going to save you from the armed burglar breaking into your house or the spouse that wants to see what your brains look like. In most cases, they just write up the report after you are dead, and maybe they'll find your killer. How many times have people been told by police, "I'm sorry but we can't do anything until a crime has been committed."?

Should Zimmerman have been armed? Considering what he was doing, neighborhood watch, I would say yes. Should he have used his weapon? That remains to be seen. If it turns out that Zimmerman was not justified in taking Martin's life then he will have to pay the price; but this can NOT be used as an argument for gun control for everyone. That's just stupid.

But that's exactly where this is headed, mark my words.

cant you people just drop this whole thing?!!! now you using bill cosby to start a thread!
this is getting stupid. its like you want a riot to start so you can post it here.
deny ignorence would ya!

Staying on topic... I actually like Bill Cosby. I don't think he is "working for the establishment" or anything like that. I think he is actually voicing his God-honest opinion here that guns should be heavily regulated. I just wish he wouldn't fall for the BS the media is putting out. I thought maybe he was smarter than that.

Originally posted by reficul
cant you people just drop this whole thing?!!! now you using bill cosby to start a thread!
this is getting stupid. its like you want a riot to start so you can post it here.
deny ignorence would ya!

Nobody forced you to read it.

Originally posted by reficul
cant you people just drop this whole thing?!!! now you using bill cosby to start a thread!
this is getting stupid. its like you want a riot to start so you can post it here.
deny ignorence would ya!

Yes, I'm using Bill Cosby. I made him give an interview and forced him to express his opinion on the matter. Also, the thread is about gun control, not race, which I made very clear.

While I'm schooling you on Ignorance Denial:

Sentences are begun with a capital letter.
Proper names are capitalized.
Contractions customarily have apostrophes in them.
The word Ignorance has only one "E."

reply to post by OldCorp

When you pulled your gun the one time, at the man about to beat his wife with a tire-iron (we've all been there), at what point were you prepared to pull the trigger? If he started to actually beat her, if he started to come at you with the tire iron, if he held on to it longer than you thought safe and gave you a "come and get me" look? It seems that situation could have gone in several directions, and someone with a hotter head than you may have ended up shooting the guy (and in their case, not in yours, may have ended up shooting a guy about to change his tire).

Originally posted by wWizard
Staying on topic... I actually like Bill Cosby. I don't think he is "working for the establishment" or anything like that. I think he is actually voicing his God-honest opinion here that guns should be heavily regulated. I just wish he wouldn't fall for the BS the media is putting out. I thought maybe he was smarter than that.

He's done a lot of good in the African-American community, challenging parents to raise their children with some type of moral compass. In fact, he's been downright harsh (for Bill Cosby) in his condemnations of gangsta rap, drugs, teen pregnancy, and drop outs. I just think he's dead wrong here, and he's playing into the official narrative that guns are by their very nature bad.

It's not the gun that can be bad or good, it's a tool; it's the intent of the person wielding the tool that counts. I could beat someone to death with a hammer, that's a tool too. Is the person any less dead? No. Morality can NOT be legislated. No matter how hard they try to "keep us safe," if people want to kill each other they will find a way to do it.

Originally posted by Aleister
reply to post by OldCorp

 

When you pulled your gun the one time, at the man about to beat his wife with a tire-iron (we've all been there), at what point were you prepared to pull the trigger? If he started to actually beat her, if he started to come at you with the tire iron, if he held on to it longer than you thought safe and gave you a "come and get me" look? It seems that situation could have gone in several directions, and someone with a hotter head than you may have ended up shooting the guy (and in their case, not in yours, may have ended up shooting a guy about to change his tire).

I was in my car paying for my purchase at the drive thru window when a van came in the exit and stopped about 20 feet in front of me. The couple inside the van were already in a physical confrontation as the van came to a stop. Once it did, the woman got out of the passenger side and the man got out of the driver's side with the tire iron. When he grabbed her and pushed her to the ground, I got out of my car and took just three steps to within 10 feet of him - just as he was raising the tire iron above his head.

"Drop it, or I drop you," was all I said. When the man looked at me our eyes met, and in that moment he knew I meant it. If he had started to swing on her, or if he had come at me, he would have met his end in that parking lot. He didn't drop the tire iron, but he did lower it, giving the woman the chance to get up and run into the Wendy's. It seemed like only a breath before he turned and got back in the van, leaving the parking lot. The whole thing took less than 30 seconds.

It could have gone differently, but I'm glad it didn't. Even though I would have been justified taking his life, my conscience would still pay a price. As it was, the bad guy went away, the woman lived another day, and my wife was like, "Holy ####. You are so getting laid when we get home." So everything worked out for everybody.

As I stated earlier. not everyone should be armed; but for those who are willing to train to use their weapon (I would support a 6 week training course on firearms and the laws concerning the use of deadly force as a requirement to getting a CCW) and carry it legally (felons and the mentally ill need not apply) I don't think there should be any restrictions.

Cosby is old, senile and irrelevant. He's just jumping on the bandwagon here and as soon as it runs out of gas, he'll be one of the first ones to jump off.
This case has become the premise to repeal the SYG law. Most people dont realize that without this law, it is nearly impossible to legally defend yourself in the state of Florida. But, once again, these people are just jumping on the bandwagon driven by Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. Neither one of them live in Florida so they could care less if the law stands or not. They're just making a scene for the cameras.
Gun control will always be a topic of debate. I prefer to own/carry a gun. You may not agree. I could care less what your opinion is.But I will be alive if it ever comes down to a matter of deadly force. You will most likely become a statistic.
Lets assume for a moment that the woman the OP saved from a certain beating(and possible death) was against guns. I'm willing to bet my last dollar she changed her mind on the spot.I'll bet she didnt tell him to put his gun down because she was against the use/possession of firearms.
People who holler about gun control and banning firearms are hypocrites. They scream for the police when they become a victim. Police officers have guns, but yet you cant wait for them to show up and draw down on the person offending you. Dont give me "Thats their job" crap either. Its your job and right to defend YOURSELF. Its not the responsibility of others to protect and defend you.

reply to post by OldCorp

I too take exception to Mr. Cosby's statement. I have carried a pistol for many years, and have never felt the need to take it out and shoot somebody. It doesn't sit there in the holster and whisper to me that it needs to kill. TPTB wants to take all of our guns away from us, so that only they have guns. This is but one of many ways to get us to think about doing that, when something really big is staged for our enjoyment, and They put the Full Push for gun control on us.

Know this: Americans only have some semblance of Freedom because we are heavily armed, and for no other reason. Look back at your history, not one armed Nation was invaded by the Nazis. Poland, France, and the others had GUN CONTROL. So did Germany. Only the solders had guns.

reply to post by OldCorp


I just lost all my respect for Bill Cosby. Throwing Ghost Dad in the garbage.

While I don't carry myself, and am quite good at certain things without one
WE KNOW that in the US disarming is a preperatory move for tyranny.

the things mentioned by the OP that Cosby spoke up about:
where is he on the CIA bringing in the the dope that creates the situation he is so "tough" on?

If Trayvon wasn't 6.2 maybe he wouldn't have forced the issue with the little "white"guy
There ought to be a law:
that's it everybody off at the knees

each according to his knees
equalized
that will fix em

PS as was said: they need to get rid of the right to self defence

Mr Cosby has had enough gun grief for a lifetime....He sees through that lense....
I understand his feelings..................that being said i disagree wholeheartedly with him.
If the right to self defence is a God given right,and i believe it is universal),then the means to that defense cannot be witheld by the laws of men.
Just the same way as it is illegal for the present goverment to abrogate the other" rights" of its people.
The constitutionality of such things as the patriot act must be critically examined in this light for people to become aware of the sinister pysychological tricks being used to herd and control us.
Truely, no citizen signed the patriot act. .......i would suspect that a majority of the population would not have agreed to such infingements .
IF ASKED INDIVIDUALLY!
As with Gun Control,Traffic Control,AirControl,people, the operative word is" CONTROL."
If i asked you would you like to be controlled what would you say?
The responsibility for ones own actions, AND ones own personal safety,(and by extension, the safety of those immediately around you etc) is YOURS!
It is NOT the police.
It all depends on your own personal self worth. and your own self image.
Humans are free roaming grazers by birth.....we are independant by nature but have subjugated our spirit
to the group for survival.....
But this subjugation is for group survival,.....Personal survival is ones own balliwick, as the response time for organised help of any kind will invariably be too late!
In a perfect world full of perfected beings we would still need a gun for protection from natural preditors.
The problem is NOT with guns, its with the system, and people who refuse to take individual responsibility for their lives......
Its simple and can be illustrated thus.....
If you drop it......do you always pick it up?
If you spill it,.....do you always wipe it up?
If you use it.....do you always put it back?
There will always be human preditors....thats fact....
If this is true, then the right to self defense naturally follows.....No sane man denys another the right to life.....unless the other is threatening him, or anyone else.with the SAME denial.
Its the actual mental mental/ and moral position of the persons involved, thats the real basis of the problem.
I honestly blame the educators and the system which has created these incredibly dependant personalities in society....if you cannot see that this dependancy has led to addictive personality disorder in a great many people and fed the drug problem, as well as other social ills,.....well......
False logic and double speak, is all we get....Hegelian manipulations...
no matter what it involves..................CONTROL OF YOU is the REAL ISSUE!
It boils down to how you are taught to imagine yourselves as,....
A noble herd of deer or bison?
Or a flock of lemmings

reply to post by OldCorp


If Trayvon Martin was White, Hispanic or Asian, we wouldn't have heard Bill Cosby weighing in at all.

nuff said!

IRM

Mr Cosby is a good man,but a navy SEAL he wasn't.This story is about a scared guy who wanted to do something manly.He chose to follow he chose wrong.
Neighborhood watches should be handled with cameras and reports ,never guns unless attacked.
You are an observer not a security guard.

Great thread OP and I agree with much of what you have to say. I carry a gun for preventative measures. When someone wants you to act according to their will they can either persuade you or force you. By carrying a gun, you eliminate force from that equation.

The right to bear arms is slowly bleeding out in this country and it seems the Trayvon Martin case is spearheading the attack.

reply to post by OldCorp


Old Corp you always tell it like it is and as usual I must agree with your comments about TPTB going after the 2nd. The whole Martin/Zimmerman incident has been so blown out of proportion that a blind man can see the agenda from 1200 meters.

As I always say, what is so hard to comprehend about "Shall not be infringed"? My 1st amendment right to free speech shall not be infringed either and I can't remember having to purchase a "Free Speech Permit" so why do TPTB think its okay to make me buy a permit to exercise my 2nd right?

Its because as Jefferson said " When people fear the government there is tyranny, but when the government fear the people there is liberty". Take away the ability for the citizenry to defend themselves and there is nothing for the government to fear, hence we are left with tyranny.

The government making this out to be about the death of Martin and acting as if they are concerned over his death is disgusting. It is all about control, as Holder said " You never let a good crisis go to waste." and this one is being squeezed for every last drop. IMHO what we have seen so far is merely the tip of the antigun iceberg, wait until after the elections and then the true and full agenda is going to come out.

Like you and many others I carry my Sig .40 everywhere I go and aside from active duty I have never been forced to shoot another human being and hope I never have to. However I did draw mine once in a situation very similar to yours in which a man was beating his pregnant wife. Similar to your incident I pulled into a convenience store and he was beating her profusely. I stepped out of my truck, drew my weapon, approached him and railed a round into the chamber and told him I would arrange a meeting between him and his maker. He turned to me and saw the green dot of the Barska sight and froze.

Another customer had called 911 and I held him at gunpoint til they arrived. When they pulled into the parking lot I lowered my weapon, set it on the toolbox of my truck and stood by until they approached him. Of course they checked me and after running my info they let me go. The woman went to the hospital with a fractured skull and broken jaw and arm and the officers told me that I may have actually saved her life that day.

People that call for gun control for some reason can't make the connecction that 99.9% of us who legally carry obey all the laws and its the criminals whom.break the laws and commit gun violence.

Personally, I have a fondness for Bill Cosby. One of the best comedians and entertainers in the business. Moreover, he has been on the mark with a lot of his commentary about the destruction of the family, depletion of moral values, and the importance of education in the African American community. As for this response, I think he is right and he is wrong. As he implied, a lot of people will shirk an altercation if they are unable to defend themselves, and that is the case most of the time. Still, we do not know exactly what happen that February night in Florida. Only Zimmerman knows what happened, because Martin was killed.

It could have been used with offensive intent or for defense as has been stated in Zimmerman's defense. Hopefully, the trial will sort that out? As for firearms, it is everyone's Second Amendment right as long as they meet local and federal guidelines. Furthermore, I believe everyone should have a right to carry a concealed weapon as long as they are free of mental issues, free of felonies, and have adequate training in the use, maintenance, and storage of their weapon. Perhaps, a certificate would suffice for a civilian, and a DD214 for veterans. Lets not get too complicated about guns. A gun is an inanimate object. Guns do not fire themselves. It takes a person to fire a gun. Guns don't kill people. People kill people. The gun is just a prop to carry out that end.

Originally posted by OldCorp

“When you carry a gun, you mean to harm somebody, kill somebody,” he said."

what's he saying? Meaning if you have one it must be for offensive purposes? Is that what he's saying? Maybe in 'the hood' they are used exclusively for offensive reasons (sarcasm) ... but everyone I know who has a gun has it for self defense and protection. Sometimes self defense and self protection mean harming someone else before they can harm you. Better the bad guy gets nailed then me or my family.