Michael Bloomberg’s anti-gun agitpropmeisters at The Trace have been on a “gun control to stop suicides” binge, publishing article after article “proving” that removing guns from legal owners reduces suicides. Arguing for unconstitutional (no due process) “gun violence restraining orders.” Like this: Laws That Allow for Temporarily Removing Guns from High-Risk People Linked to a Reduction in Suicides.
I won’t debate the research here. My point: at the same time The Trace is giving maximum publicity to an anti-gun rights artist named Kari Wehrs. Ms. Whers photographs owners with tintype technology (images “printed” on metal). She then asks the owners to use the pictures for target practice, and sells the resulting images. Here’s her [alleged] motivation:
What inspired this project?
I think the topic was already on my mind. When you move to Arizona, gun culture pops into your mind as a reference — there’s almost this Wild West mentality, and the state’s gun laws are some of the least restrictive in the county.
But one of the biggest events to inspire me was when a close relative told me that she’d been carrying a gun for the past few years. She says she does it for self-protection, like when she goes out alone at night. She’s someone who has never had an incident where she would need a gun, and definitely doesn’t live in a city with crazy amounts of crime.
Learning about my relative’s gun made me feel really upset at first, but then that shock and anger turned into curiosity. That was the push, and I just started.
Curious that The Trace doesn’t address the obvious implications of asking gun owners to commit virtual suicide. Not so strange that some of the shooters aimed away from their own image.
Let’s talk more about the part where you ask your subjects to shoot their own portraits. What’s the idea behind that? It’s certainly provocative.
Asking people to shoot their likeness potentially asks them to think about guns in a different way, or more importantly, asks any viewer of this project to think about guns in a different way. You just used the word provocative, which is something that I kept saying to myself. How do I provoke — but still leave my work open enough? As an artist, that’s been a big concern for me. I don’t want to automatically feel like I’m shutting out half of the potential viewers. We get enough of that already.
Ms. Wehrs goes on to admit that “this project started out of my own fear” and . . . wait for it . . . she’s never shot a gun. “But that will now likely change,” Ms. Whers asserts, “I’m considering taking a class.”
The sooner the better. Meanwhile, like many such anti-gun rights media outlets, the article’s context — posted within an anti-gun = anti-suicide pitch — proves that The Trace is blinded by its own agenda. Surprised?
Actually, I’ve had a few relatives commit suicide. Some used guns, some did not. When one’s own underwear becomes the tool of their self demise I think that the means isn’t the issue.
Same here–hanging, carbon monoxide, car crashes,(aimed dead center impacts at outlandish speeds) etc
. . . satanic cults [a/k/a: the evil (D)] cats and dogs living together, mass hysteria.
Strangely, Courtney Love (to the crowd of mourners gathered outside the home of self-ventilated Kurt Cobain’s house) had the best commentary on suicide. She had the crowd join her in an ongoing chant of “a_ _ -hole, a_ _-hole, a_ _-hole. . .”
Dipshits want to shoot their own pictures? They sound flaky enough to be rubber-roomed. Let them keep their guns. In case they get ‘bored’. Those people get weird with time on their hands.
My sister did it with a flexible hose fed from an exhaust pipe to the cab of her truck.
So, this guy is going to encourage people who may consider suicide to shoot holes through images of themselves. Imagine what that does for their self image. If my sister had committed suicide after this “artist” talked her into shooting holes at her image, my lawyer and this “artists” lawyer would be talking about how much this “artist” owes my sister’s kids and how much a lawsuit would cost him.
Geez, are these people so steeped into their political ideology that they do not care what happens to other people? (I already know the answer.)
If you didn’t know it already, there’s no one so dangerous as someone that wants to help you. It often seems that they get to a point where they’re willing to kill you to “help”…. “It’s for the greater good!”
I know someone that did something very similar in a garage. Tragic
I’ve been shooting likenesses of myself for a lot of years. I often want to see where I am reflexively shooting in relationship to anatomy without any kind of unnatural reference points, like circles, cross hairs, and outlines. So I need a body to shoot at. The easiest one to replicate in any position or clothing I want is my own.
That’s not art. That’s just practice.
I like unloading (stress-shooting drills) on the anatomical side of a VTAC target http://www.vikingtactics.com/product-p/vtac-dstt-10.htm
Other than that, I sometimes shoot myself in the foot, shoot my mouth off, shoot my plans in the ass, what-have-you.
: )
Wait, now, that sounds like a plan. Are these likenesses life sized, and where do you get them?
Yes. I just print them myself. Pieced together from regular 8 1/2 x11 paper
People who would happily have all gun owners killed to achieve utopia, are now against those same gun owners doing the deed themselves.
I’m so confused…
They want to do it themselves, they want that control over you.
If you do it yourself, you’re being selfish by not letting them do it to you.
Big power game for small minded people.
No, they don’t. They want their jack booted thugs to do it for them.
When art loses any concept of transcendence, sentimentality is all that’s left. People become mere objects on which to make a profit, from provoking and titillating to celebrating suicide (even if just to make a cheap point) to sell prints.
I trust no malice was involved… on the part of the artist. Much of the contemporary “art” community just doesn’t have a clue.
My first thought was a conditioned lefty , anti gun person who has ‘ found ‘ a self acceptable reason to learn about and … OMG ….. even shoot a gun. Give it time , the joke may very well be on BloomTard , as a new gun owner is born.
I really wish people would stop harping on about suicide.
That’s a personal choice. If you want to off yourself, by all means. I’ve had friends and relatives who have done it. I wasn’t happy about it, but I recognized that it was a choice.
Society has way more ills to deal with, then stopping people from hurting themselves. In fact, if anything, we could stand a little herd thinning. And I cannot think of less forceful way to do so, other than removing safety devices and warning labels, and just letting the idiots go about untethered.
There is such a proliferation of nanny devices nowadays the idiots have been allowed to survive long enough to reproduce, thus slowly dragging down society one generation at a time.
Let the self culling begin.
It’s only their choice if they’re of sound mind. Most suicides are not.
Now, if we’re talking about someone who’s terminal, in great pain, and who has seriously pondered their predicament and arrived at the conclusion that suicide is the solution, then you have something. That’s a very small percentage, however.
Most suicides are desperate acts of mentally ill people whose capacity for rational decisis making is grossly compromised. Some are insincere attempts, but which nevertheless succeed.
These people need help, not indifference. Judge a society by how it treats it weakest members. Who’s more weak than someone incapable of taking care of themselves to the point of self-destruction.
There are way weaker people who need to be help and more pressing issues than depression in this country…
Don’t agree. Fine; don’t.
If a person is truly going to commit suicide, the absence of a gun will not deter them. As Andrew pointed out above, the means is NOT the issue.
Its tragic that suicides happen, but all too often in other countries this “battle cry” is one of the latter ones used to disarm the public. But those countries don’t have the second amendment to protect.
Anti’s will do anything and stop at nothing to disarm us.
Obviously the woman is a friutcake! Needs psychiatric help with her manias…Maybe different kinds of psychiatric meds that have a more positive effect on how she deals with other people…*(Now, as for Tyrant Bloomberg and the trace….We The people need to re-enforce our 2nd amendment rights. WE need to make it a “Capital Crime ” for any Politicians, Police, government agents, or agencies to infringe upon any part of our Civil rights codified within the US Constitutional-Bill of Rights. And not just the 2nd amendment, but to include all others…Make the penalties High…Nationwide ballot initiative….)*
I think that you first have to pass a constitutional amendment instituting national ballot initiatives.
Well, at least she acknowledges that Arizona is still part of free America.
It is odd that any gun owner would respond to her sales pitch but perhaps they just want her to not have to eat dog food or something but feel that giving her money directly would be a waste since she would likely just spend it on her drug of choice.
Agreed. An post interviewing some of the participants and their participation motives would be nice.
I suspect a flat fee or percentage share of the future sale is part of that willingness.
If it changes just one persons mind about wackin themselves AND we collectively remove the Second Amendment AND we confiscate the remaining guns….criminals will rule the land raping, pliaging and murdering everyone they don’t like. Sooo kept particing your art cupcake so the world would be a better, safer place for us all. We cannot thank you enough for your contribution to peace and harmony.
If someone wants to commit suicide by gun, that is a responsible way to to do it, technically. I would rather hear about that than have a knock at my door with a state trooper telling me my family was taken out in the minivan by someone that wanted to commit suicide ala’ Death by car. Just another emotional tool used by tools to further the anti gun agenda. It is sickening and confusing that a person would fight so hard to give up their own rights and ability to defend themselves. I cannot even begin to grasp how that makes sense.
My uncle had a stroke, he went from genius engineer to can’t remember how to turn his computer on. He literally starved himself to death. His family tried to force feed him until he threatened to just walk into the Arizona desert and never be found. He killed himself with sheer will power. I guess the anti’s will ban brains next, they’ve quit using them any way.
So, there weren’t ANY suicides before the invention of gun powder or firearms? Yeah, not so much…
This woman should not have moved to Arizona if she is scared of Americas gun culture. She should have moved to Chicago or Washington DC. I’ve known four people that have committed suicide only one used a gun.
My IQ dropped a few while reading this moron’s dribble. She really sounds impressed with her own importance, seems to make up rainbow concepts and think everybody should jump right on her “ideas”.
It’s puerile, but is it Art?
What a wacko. She really makes alot of sense. SMH
Molon Labe
“When you move to Arizona, gun culture pops into your mind as a reference — there’s almost this Wild West mentality, and the state’s gun laws are some of the least restrictive in the county.”
(I assume “country” misprint) I hate to inform the ignorant [it i so difficult to remain ignorant now-a-days. I’m sure it takes Kari Wehrs consistent practice to remain ignorant]. I believe “this Wild West mentality” extends only between her ears. Moving back to a city would probably be safest for her (and us).
Perhaps she would like Chicago, which has a Wild Midwest mentality.
Mild west, perhaps?
“Asking people to shoot their likeness potentially asks them to think about guns in a different way, or more importantly, asks any viewer of this project to think about guns in a different way.
Bullshit. Don’t play the “struggling artist out to change the world” card. You just want money and you’ve found a creative way to get people to assist you in making it while calling it “art”. Sorry, I spent enough time in Santa Fe to know how you fucksticks work.
As art, this does its job, but don’t go on thinking it’s some vehicle for societal reform.
Outlandish, hellish, and ghoulish. It’s indicative of the antis’ fascination with the death of those with whom they disagree.
“What was upset and sickening at first” is as far as I got. “People think differently than me?! Can’t have that!” Is sickening and upsetting to me.
“She’s someone who has never had an incident where she would need a gun…”
Because, as we all know, the only people who are victims of violence are people who have been victims of violence before. That’s some really bad logic, Toots.
Where is the Left and their “My Body, My Choice” mantra when it comes to suicide? They will fight for the “right” to kill off the unborn but then fight against the individual right to end your own life? Hypocrites, each and every one of them.
Japan and South Korea have higher suicide rates than we do yet guns are banned.
Methinks guns aren’t the problem.
The only “different way of thinking” that this would leave on me would be “well, now I have practice fighting my evil clone/twin”.