Local shooting survivor happy with action in gun control debate
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SEATTLE -- The gun control debate is raging on throughout the country, but perhaps no one understands what's at stake better than those who survived mass shootings here in Western Washington.
It was 6-years ago that a gunman shot Cheryl Stumbo in her stomach in what was then the Jewish Federal Building in downtown Seattle. Stumbo said the country has waited long enough for legislation aimed at gun violence.
Others touched by gun violence think President Obama's newly-announced gun control proposals miss the mark.
Stumbo said she's come to terms with the 2006 shooting that left her co-worker dead and herself and four others badly wounded.
"I needed to be strong enough myself, and I needed to have enough distance from what happened to me so I wasn't wrapped up in that sadness," she said.
Stumbo is going public as a gun control advocate, and she's encouraged by the national dialogue Obama outlined on Wednesday.
She especially agrees with tighter background checks and limits on magazine clip sizes, even though neither proposal would have stopped the hate-crazed gunman who burst into her office 6-years ago.
"We can't let the fact that one change isn't going to change everything," she said. "(But that shouldn't) stop us from making change happen."
More families were ripped apart when four people died inside Café Racer last May. The gunman's father said banning guns and clip sizes wouldn't have saved their lives either. He thinks Obama's plan goes in too many directions to work.
"I has a lot of wasted energy," said Walt Stawicki.
Stawicki said access to mental health care is the only way to keep sick people from hurting others. Obama has some mental health proposals, but Stawicki believes they need to play a larger role.
"Everything that I've heard about the mental health aspects are good, but still not enough," he said.
While she knows there is now single way to keep gun violence from happening, Stumbo believes action needs to be taken.
"Anything we can do, we should do," she said. "We won't get everything done, but as the vice president said, 'We can't let perfect be the enemy of good.'"
A Woodinville couple whose nephew died at Sandy Hook Elementary is also trying to make a difference. The uncle is a lawyer and has drafted some gun safety laws that he hopes to share in a meeting with Vice President Joe Biden.
It was 6-years ago that a gunman shot Cheryl Stumbo in her stomach in what was then the Jewish Federal Building in downtown Seattle. Stumbo said the country has waited long enough for legislation aimed at gun violence.
Others touched by gun violence think President Obama's newly-announced gun control proposals miss the mark.
Stumbo said she's come to terms with the 2006 shooting that left her co-worker dead and herself and four others badly wounded.
"I needed to be strong enough myself, and I needed to have enough distance from what happened to me so I wasn't wrapped up in that sadness," she said.
Stumbo is going public as a gun control advocate, and she's encouraged by the national dialogue Obama outlined on Wednesday.
She especially agrees with tighter background checks and limits on magazine clip sizes, even though neither proposal would have stopped the hate-crazed gunman who burst into her office 6-years ago.
"We can't let the fact that one change isn't going to change everything," she said. "(But that shouldn't) stop us from making change happen."
More families were ripped apart when four people died inside Café Racer last May. The gunman's father said banning guns and clip sizes wouldn't have saved their lives either. He thinks Obama's plan goes in too many directions to work.
"I has a lot of wasted energy," said Walt Stawicki.
Stawicki said access to mental health care is the only way to keep sick people from hurting others. Obama has some mental health proposals, but Stawicki believes they need to play a larger role.
"Everything that I've heard about the mental health aspects are good, but still not enough," he said.
While she knows there is now single way to keep gun violence from happening, Stumbo believes action needs to be taken.
"Anything we can do, we should do," she said. "We won't get everything done, but as the vice president said, 'We can't let perfect be the enemy of good.'"
A Woodinville couple whose nephew died at Sandy Hook Elementary is also trying to make a difference. The uncle is a lawyer and has drafted some gun safety laws that he hopes to share in a meeting with Vice President Joe Biden.
Only your enemy wants you defenseless.Â
If she had only been armed and knew how to defend her self she may have save herself and others too. Forgotten where we came from we have. The Amendment reads "A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. What part of "shall not be infringed" is not understood here.
Americans seem to be psychotic anymore. Until we can get a grip on the irrational fear of inanimate objects, there is little we can do to effectively <-- operative word here - curb violence. Not I did not say gun violence. Unless we deal with the hate in the hearts of so many, we are doomed to flail helplessly in the dark, searching for answers.
I have never felt unsafe around any gun.  It is people who make me unsafe and that is why I carry my gun.  Even when hiking in the woods I fear people more than the bears, cougars  and other wild animals.
 @APenny4MyThoughts I believe you are prudent to carry protection when you are hiking in the woods, but not when you're shopping at the mall. If only more people would use some common sense.
 @justmyopinion Since bad people don't make appointments, I carry everywhere legal, and avoid those places where I cannot carry. It is sad, but with the hateful nutjobs walking our streets, and malls, I'll keep my gun, thanks.
 @justmyopinion  @APenny4MyThoughts Because, of course, people never go on shooting sprees in a mall, right? Oh, wait... http://www.kgw.com/news/Clackamas-man-armed-confronts-mall-shooter-183593571.html
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Last I checked, criminals don't send out memos about where and when they will strike.
 @justmyopinion Licensed drivers also kill, but we do not scream for bans on low profile tires or air freshener trees.
 @RN1 Sorry, your argument makes no sense at all. Maybe you need to reread your post and try again. First, I don't recall DEMANDING anything. Second, I think your immunization argument is irrational. Are you saying that I am letting you carry the guns to protect me, because I don't want to carry a gun? If you are, please feel free not to protect me. I've managed to handle that pretty well on my own for all these years. Never been robbed, never been shot at, never had drug crazed intruders break into my house for all my valuables (but if they can find any, they're welcome to them). We do have a barking dog and a security alarm and I don't have to worry about my grandkids getting a hold on a weapon and accidentially shooting themselves with it. (They do accidentially set off the alarm tho.) But, I'll stick with those odds, I'm pretty comfortable with them.
 @justmyopinion  @APenny4MyThoughts You are demanding law-abiding citizens change their behavior in ways that increase *their* risk, but make you FEEL safer, even though it is actually increasing your overall risk. It's like demanding that everyone else get immunized (so THEY take the vaccine risk, and increasing the heard immunity) but choosing to not get vaccinated yourself (so as to seemingly minimize you *personal* risk of vaccine reaction). Your choices and demands DO affect others, sometimes in a negative way.
 @APenny4MyThoughts I don't want to remove your ability to protect yourself, I want to keep my family safe. If you want to walk around feeling like you've been victimized, I can't change that.
 @justmyopinion Your choice for me is now leaving the potential for me to not be protected from those who wish me harm.  By you wanting to remove my ability to protect myself, you in a sense have victimized me.
 @justmyopinion  @APenny4MyThoughts Telling me I cannot carry to protect my family DOES affect me.
 @justmyopinion Yes, it happens. But you must realize that *ALL* choices and actions involve a whole set of trade-offs. The war on drugs has laudable goals, but has lead to the erosion of the 4th Amendment and the militarization of the police. Safer cars are more expensive, demanding they also be fuel efficient will either raise their price further, or make them less safe. Hiring more cops might increase safety, but takes more tax money.
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Letting people carry guns for self defense carries the risk of accidents. But, on balance, we generally support things that improve the *overall* cost:benefit situation. History says the best long-term cost-benefit plan is fairly relaxed gun laws.
 @APenny4MyThoughts The difference as I see it, is that your choice has the potential to endanger me and my family, my choice has do effect on you.
 @justmyopinion  @RN1 Its your choice to place that bet on those odds and my choice not to. I'm not asking for you to do what I want and I ask you don't ask me to do what you want.  Their are also Police officers that have accidentally discharged their weapon along with loosing weapons all together. For every rule there is an exception don't let the exceptions start creating the rules.
 @RN1 In Silverdale there were 2 incidents of lawfull gun owners discharging their weapons accidentially in public places, in less than 9 months. There are no statistics to tell us how often guns are accidentally discharged by their lawful owners, but I'm going to place money on that it happens a lot more frequently than a mass murder shooting up a mall. So I would rather take my changes with the mental case, I think the odds are are more in my favor.
So you would rather me be at the will of people who wish to harm or steal from me and my family?  Is that the common sense you are talking about?  My wife has pepper spray but after finding out that it doesn't work on all people and others high on meth or bath salts aren't affected she wanted a gun.  We will protect ourselves because it is our responsibility that is my common sense.
 @justmyopinion  @APenny4MyThoughts Then statistically they are more in danger in a car, from a baseball bat or a kitchen knife.  Maybe you should stay home, the courts in Chicago just ruled that we have the right to protect ourselves outside our home and so does the Washington state constitution and our state supreme court.  Accidents happen with guns, cars and everything else, I can do what I need to to lessen the odds of what happens but I have no control over someone else and if they want to do me harm.
@APenny4MyThoughts And I can repeat the argument that statistically your family is in more danger from your guns, than from someone high on meth or bath salts. You did notice that I said "at the mall" right? IÂ personally don't care what guns you keep in your home, I just don't want your fear, coupled with human nature to be careless, to endanger myself or my family when we're shopping in a public place.
"even though neither proposal would have stopped the hate-crazed gunman who burst into her office 6 years ago"
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Making it harder for law-abiding citizens to carry firearms will only embolden the criminals and encourage more violence like what is being discussed.  Our only security now s if law abiding gun owers outnumber criminal gun owners. We might also consider returning to a God-fearing, faith promoting, love-your-neighbor kind of society, but that's way too hard.Â
 @Obewise Just curious, what is Pres. Obama doing to make it harder for law-abiding citizens to carry arms? I do agree with the second thought of your post, I don't believe we all have to be God fearing, but I like the "love your neighbor" kind of society part. It's unfortunate there are so many pundits out there who make their living feeding into the hate, if it weren't for the people who listen to them and believe the hate, I think we could be a kinder, more gentle country.
@justmyopinion @Obewise Well actually do something to make a point then, put a sign on your lawn that says you're against gun violence and don't have any in your home.
I'm sure all you'll have to worry about is "pundits" feeding "hate" right?
 @Bornhere That's probably one of the most ignorant statements I read here in the comments. Whenever one of you guys run out of arugment, that's what you post. Brilliant!
 @justmyopinion Really. Put your money where your mouth is, so to speak. Declare to the public with a sign at your house. Don't talk the talk unless you are willing to walk the walk.
 @BoredETech Really? That's the best you've got? Kind of sad, I think.
 @Obewise And what of the first amendment? You would throw it under the bus in favor of the 2nd?
we have to many guns in the u.s,until we can get gun manufacturers to quit spewing there guns into society we need these new laws to combat their proliferation.we also dont need more people to carry guns, thats totally insane.
 @David Janssen Irrational fear of inanimate objects is insane.
 @David Janssen Yeah, people don't really NEED guns. Sort of like Rosa Parks didn't really NEED to sit in the front of the bus.
 @David Janssen Guns are not the issue. Do your history, that is the real history (the real reasons the tyrants aka criminal psychopaths create the illusion of danger and war. It is to murder, rape, pillage and conquer more for their empire, and when it comes to genocide they usually go for the indigenous who have real faith and beliefs not this manufactured religious bs about killing). Once a population is disarmed, the tyrants come in and murder like crazy anyone who is not willing to be a happy slave. The criminal elite are fomenting division on this issue and all people should be intelligent enough to understand if you are approached with lethal force, you need lethal force to stop it. (duhh)Â
People like you are running on emotion and not reason. That is dangerous. If you would even look at the stats of gun violence, which DROPS when there are laws for everyone to have a weapon to defend themselves with. You have passed the test on the dumbing down of society. If you are afraid to defend yourself and your family, you are nothing more than a non thinking slave. Freedom comes with a price, and tyrants lie, cheat, steal manipulate and murder. Set your emotions aside and your fears at your feet and grow a spine. Tyrants will not stop and you are deceived into believing they will keep you safe. If it is safety you desire, and you are willing to give up freedom for it, in the end you will have neither, and you will deserve neither... you will be living in the American Gulag known as Sustainable Development aka UN Agenda 21. (there is much to learn from studying the Russian Revolution).Â
Certainly the mental health issues need to be addressed. That asside, lone shooters on a vendetta are a tiny fraction of the gun violence problem.
If we were able to address the issue of gangs(and poverty as a major contributor to gang membership) then we would see violent crime rates(and associated gun crime rates) make real improvements.
Despite gang members comprising an estimated 0.5% of the population, the FBI statistics show they are responsible for 48% of violent crime in most jurisdictions and up to 90 percent in several others.
Fixing the gang problems would be the most effective place to focus our efforts. We shouldn't ignore the other problems with mental health, but I haven't seen any discussion about gangs, which the president's home town is utterly familiar with.
 @Hamsterator Mental health.... stop the psychiatric industry and pharmaceutical companies from giving out dangerous medications to mess with our brain function. Stop taking nutrients out of food. Stop with the poisonous vaccines at birth. That would handle most of the issues on mental health. As for the gangs, how do you know they aren't 'created' by the CIA for the very purpose of gun violence, drug sales, etc. You should take a look into that as the criminal police departments often have an 'agent' leading these gangs. Why should that surprise anyone? The US military 'agents' create opposition forces all over the world to start conflicts. What makes anyone think these psychopathic criminals will not do that in America? How about focusing our efforts on the notion that Americans TRUST their leaders too much, and now we have a communist dictator in the White House who cannot even produce a proper Birth Certificate and has been spending millions to hide that. I think the answers are much simpler if people could see beyond the smoke and mirrors to the people who are directing the chaos, fear, terror and death.Â
"even though neither proposal would have stopped the hate-crazed gunman who burst into her office 6-years ago"
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She must took a round in the heard. She knows it wouldn't have done any good and yet she still backs token.
 @Common Sense Pretty crazy huh people are scared and are buying the whole even know it wouldn't have and still will do nothing to stop these things. It will make them feel good and believe the government is acting in their best interest.  The last thing I look to for help is the government.
What I find so incredible is how this woman cannot connect the dots. If there would of been people in that building who had a weapon, the incident may not of occurred. She can't seem to see she is a sitting duck without a means to protect herself.Â
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As long as we have in our midst inter-species predators we will have murders. As long as we have a government filled with these predators, we will remain in harm no matter how they spin this or that to get what they want to hold the upper hand. As long as the programmed masses think they need the government to keep them safe rather than being responsible will only keep these incidents alive and well. As long as people are driven to madness due to economic or other injustices done on them by this predatory group, we will continue to live in a state of madness.Â
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Perhaps we should extend psychiatric evaluations to those who are in or seeking to be in 'public service' (they really are not 'officials' or 'authorities') to find out if there are any psychopathic tendencies in their evaluation (and of course we will need to choose the Dr). If we find this to be an issue (which we will), perhaps it is time to begin to consider demanding they be removed from society. The issue is NOT GUNS... it is the predator politicians who feast on chaos, suffering and keeping us divided so they can remain in control. They keep terror in the minds of men/women, as fear is what drives them to feast on more.
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It is these 'officials'/'authorities' and their fools who are keeping the world a very unsafe place to live. They are predatory and threatening our lives in many arenas. They convince the fools to trust their words. Let us not be divided by their spell.  (I know those severely afflicted with mind viruses are beyond connecting the dots. I think this woman is one of them. Notice this is based on her 'feelings' and not facts, which is a mind control trick). It keeps us looking away from them.  Â
 @Aegis My wife is a receptionist and usually first point of contact. Once of the reasons she always carries. She refuses to be a victim.
 @Bornhere As it should be.... hats off to her! No one needs to be victim to human predators. I admire her courage.
isn't it funny how the people who have been directly affected by guns don't support them. Â It doesn't matter if they were nra before, right wing before, pro gun before, the vast majority of those who have experience the horror of being shot at by a deranged shooter no longer support the 2nd amendment's right to arm everyone including crazies.
@sunnysandiego I was mauled by a doberman pinscher when I was eight years old. I still support people's right in having "dangerous" dog breeds, i.e. pitbulls, dobermans, german shepherds, etc.. In fact, I have two Rotties myself. Furthermore, where are your statistics to support your phrase, "the vast majority of those who have experienced the horror of being shot at by a deranged shooter no longer support the 2nd amendment's right to arm everyone including crazies?"
@cawlnaduckaduck SunnyD is full of it. He has nothing to support his claim. Having served as a soldier and a cop, Ive been on the hot end and still support the 2nd Ammendment.
wow ,really ? when the goyernment post metal detectors at every 7-11 and confiscate any illeagal guns is when it;ll get better. duh! - Wal-mart
good for you gal,you and half the country are tired of dodging bullets.we need good gun control legislation,its a good time in america for these much needed laws.how is it keeping guns out of the hands of nutcases a bad thing,we need to make it harder for nuts to acquire guns.
 @David Janssen Yes the 1994 gun control bill STOPPED the Columbine tragedy. How about enforcing the laws that we have on the books as well as providing mental health resources. This in addition to controlling criminals who kill again and again and again. Quit voting for judges who turn these violent animals on the streets. Let's try to work on our broken revolving door justice system. This takes leadership. Unfortunately, I see none....
 @cinergy70 No one thing is going to stop the Columbines from happening, but if we enforce all of the recommendations the President made, we might be able to put a dent in the problem. By the way, I think all of your proposals are valid and are things we should be doing. It's a lot like the way we have decreased smoking and drunken driving. Statistics show we have fewer smokers and fewer drunk drivers. Car manufactures have spent millions of dollars to make cars safer, we've out lawed lead based paint, we've done away with the kinds of cribs that have a bar to lower the side, because they were unsafe, we even banned the Ford Pinto. We have tried to kid proof the United States from one coast to the other. We can do the same with shootings, if we are all willing to work on the problem and follow some common sense laws.
 @justmyopinion How did I ever survive my childhood with all those now-banned things around me? As for safer cars... well, unfortunately the drivers seem to think that because of all these safety features, they are invincible. We have taken the "hurt" out of stupidity should hurt.
None of this would have stopped James Holmes. He did everything legally. This will cost all kinds of money, and not change a thing. Just like when he bailed out the banks. It's just feel good legislation to look like he is doing something.Â
Curious what her take on the 2nd ammendment was before she was shot? How would she 'feel' if someone was going to stab her but a by-stander shot the assailant first?
 @Magic 8 Ball youd stay in jail tell it is proven ?
@maggie112 @Magic 8 Ball To save a life? Of course I would. Would you want me to run and hide and hope SPD caught the person afterwards if it was your mother or a child?