Straight Shooter

I have this message for my friends living in Arizona: When it gets dark, sneak out. There are plenty of other places to go that will offer you sanctuary. Admittedly, some of them have their own peculiarities and challenges in terms of getting along with others, but not in the same pointed way that the Grand Canyon State offers. Like the rancher and Republican congressional candidate who said during a primary debate Saturday that the vast majority of mass shootings in the United States are committed by Democrats. “If you look at all the fiascos that have occurred, ninety-nine percent of them have been by Democrats pulling their guns out and shooting people,” said Gary Kiehne, who is running for the state's First U.S. Congressional District, said during Saturday's GOP primary in Florence, Arizona. “So I don’t think you have a problem with the Republicans.”
Of course not. Gary believes that "everyone should own a gun." He further asserted that he probably owns more guns and ammunition than any of his fellow candidates: "I'm from the country. It's a long ways to town to buy ammo." I'm not sure, but he probably has a sticker on the back of his truck that reads: "Gun Control Means I Hold My Gun With Both Hands." It's funny. Get it?

Luckily for Mister Kiehne, Arizona's First Congressional District, the largest in the state, does not include Tucson, where in 2011 a gunman opened fire, killing six people and wounding thirteen others, including then-Arizona Representative Gabrielle Giffords. The Democratic congresswoman suffered a gunshot wound to the head in what prosecutors say was an assassination attempt. The guy who shot Miss Giffords, Jared Lee Loughner, was not affiliated with any particular party. Unless that party was the one that believed NASA was faking their missions to space.

Of course, even now there are Republican strategists trying to find figures that will back up a claim made popular by conservative radio talk show host, Roger Hedgecock. Roger hails from San Diego, so if you're an Arizonan looking for a spot to land, maybe Southern California isn't the spot for you either.