ALL Violence Sucks

In an email sent to me several weeks ago, a woman asked why I was what she termed “pro-guns.”  It got me thinking…

I’m not “pro-gun”….I’m pro-freedom.  The difference is that I don’t think everyone should own a gun, but that those who want to own a gun should have the right to do so.  I believe in the Right to Bear Arms.

As I’ve stated in previous blogs, with what feels like ever-growing violence in our world, perhaps certain restrictions on gun ownership makes sense.  I don’t pretend to have any answers as to what restrictions would be appropriate, other than the fact that I don’t believe anyone outside of our military personnel needs to own an automatic assault weapon.  No one needs to have the ability to rapidly gun down innocent bystanders in theatres, schools or anywhere else.

Gun violence sucks…but the truth is ALL violence sucks.

Last week in England a British soldier was hacked to death with a machete in the middle of the street.  A couple weeks ago an Oregon high school student was arrested because he constructed his own bombs and had plans to blow up his school.  Last year a little girl named Jessica was kidnapped and murdered with a knife.  Every month, women and children are removed from their homes and placed in shelters because they are abused by their boyfriends, husbands, fathers, uncles, brothers, etc.  Years ago, a woman intentionally ran over her husband several times with her car.  Sadly, I could cite example after example…

The truth is violence begins in the heart.  A gun is as useless as a knife, a machete, a bomb, a car and a fist if there is no violence and hatred in the heart of the person holding it.  Guns are taking a bad rap right now, but they are merely a symptom of the real problem.  Hatred and insanity drive violent acts.

Hatred causes a person to plan to kill innocent people.  Insanity causes a person to slaughter children.  The weapon isn’t to blame, the people are to blame. 

If we remove every gun from the planet, do you believe murder will cease to exist?  Murder existed long before guns were ever invented.  Killing comes from the heart and a killer will use whatever weapon is at his or her disposal if he really wants to carry out a violent plan. 

In the olden days people were burned at the stake, stoned to death, hung and poisoned.  Should we outlaw matches, rope and rocks?

On the flip side, I state again, I don’t believe anyone outside of our military personnel should have access to automatic assault weapons.  Until we can identify and control “crazy” these weapons should not be mainstream.  Until we can rid our world of hate, everything and anything can be a weapon of violence.

I’m not “pro-gun”…I’m pro-freedom and pro-love…because only love can change the world and until it changes, no one is truly safe.  Why then should I sacrifice my right to bear arms to protect myself and my family when the violent, hate-filled hearts of the criminally insane are still rampant among us?  That’s a risk I cannot take. 

 

See, guns take lives but they also save lives.  ~

 

Me...In A Nutshell

“Where does a person go to fit in when those of her own faith judge her to be too pagan and worldly?”

I saw this quote on a Facebook status the other day and it stuck with me.  Maybe it’s because it is the story of my life and the constant pondering of my soul.  You see, the greatest judgments in my life have come from those that share my faith, but do not share my religion because, as it would seem, I have none.

There is a vast difference between religion and relationship and I truly believe that God doesn’t care what religion you practice as long as you have a relationship with Him.  I believe He wants you to know Him and love Him as much as He loves you.  Does it matter if you worship the Almighty on a mountaintop or in a pew?  No.  It only matters that you worship Him.

Hate and violence stir our nation, and they stem from one source…judgment.  Mother Teresa said, “If you’re judging someone you are too busy to love them.”  There are countless verses in the Bible that speak against judging others.  The reason for this emphasis is that judgment stems from a spirit of hatefulness masked in an evangelical motive of purity labeled “God’s Agenda.”

But it is wrong.

 

The world may end in judgment, but the agenda of the Most High is one of love first, followed by mercy and compassion. Put your hate signs down.  Stop your condemnation of others.  If you need to point a finger go look in the mirror. Fight against the enemy, not against one another.  Who IS the enemy?  Hate is the enemy and it shows itself in the form of judgment derived from pseudo-godly arrogance and elitism.

Let me pose an odd question:  How many atheists are judging others for their beliefs or lifestyle choices? 

Now, I’m not saying I think people should become atheists.  I’m merely pointing out that somewhere along the line it seems that the "religious" people have picked up the torch of hate and have begun terrorizing the villagers and burning the towns…all in the name of God, which is ironic since God is love, not hate. 

Love is the most powerful influence in the world, and its counterpart, Hate, is the most destructive weapon known to mankind.  It starts in the heart and is fed by arrogance until it finally manifests itself in an act of violence against others.  "I'm right and you're wrong," is the foundation of judgment.  "I hold the truth and you are deceived," is the foundation of judgment.  Judgment, fed by arrogance and elitsim results in hateful actions, some of which can manifest violently.

I may not have a “religion” that those who share my faith can understand; but I have a relationship with God.  You won’t see me in church every Sunday, because quite frankly, I don’t always feel close to God while I’m in church.  You won’t find me handing out tracks, putting ‘Life’ tape over my lips or holding a sign that says ‘God hates homosexuality.’  I refuse to cast judgment on anyone else.  I'm not "right" and I don't hold a "truth" that isn't available to anyone else.  Thus, it isn’t my place to spew forth judment and frankly, I don’t want to carry the hatefulness that accompanies judgment in my heart. 

Hate destroys.  Whether you use a gun, a bomb, a knife, a rope, a sign or your words…hate brings about destruction; internal and external.  And if you are invoking judgment and destruction in the name of God or under the guise of His agenda, shame on you.  Shame, shame, shame on you.

I once had a fellow Christian scoff at me and say, “Well, how many people have you led to Christ?”  I didn’t answer, for it was none of her business.  That answer is between me and God.  I should have asked her, “How many people have you chased away from Christ with your judgmental arrogance and hateful elitism?”  That is the real question.

People of my faith don’t always like me…and I’m learning that that’s okay.  God likes me and He loves me and my faith is established in HIM alone and not the man-made, religious rules that cause damage to others.  Jesus said to love others, not judge them.  "Love your neighbor as yourself."

Would you stand in your own yard with 'Life' tape on your mouth?  Would you stand in your own yard holding a "God hates ME" sign?  Would you treat yourself the way you are treating the rest of the world who doesn't agree with you?

I might be nuts, but in the words of Gladys from the Ellen Show, “I love Jesus, but I drink a little.”  J  That’s me in a nutshell.  ~

Putting a BANG in Research

Every time I head to the shooting range it is with the next Just Call Me Angel book in mind.  It's fun to go shooting and definitely puts a BANG in my research.   When I go to the range, and for the sake of research, I handle just about every gun in the case.  I size up the .44, the .33 and the .22, compare their weight differences, feel each unique nuance and ask questions.  It’s important that I understand why people choose a particular gun so that when I am casting my characters for the next novel, I can intelligently assign them the best weapon.  It would look silly for me to take a six foot, four inch man with the nickname “T-Rex” and give him a .22 pistol.  Likewise, it would be challenging for a petite woman with small hands to lug around a .44.  I’m not saying she couldn’t do it… just that it might not be the best fit for her.

 

Guns are sort of like gloves…you have to find the one that fits your hand, the one that feels comfortable in your grip and one you believe you can handle with confidence.

In the third book of the Just Call Me Angel series (Russian Uprising), Angel finds herself in a position to grab a handheld Uzi and defend her life.  Up until this point she has never handled a gun with this kind of power.  She fires and is thrown backwards onto the pavement, missing her mark and almost losing her life. 

Guns demand respect.  If you do not respect what a gun can do, you have no business putting one in your hand. 

After trying several guns at the range, I found my favorite:  The 357 Magnum.  This particular gun has made an appearance into my novels now and again, but look for it to play an even bigger role in the next Just Call Me Angel novel.  ~

Armed Good Guys (at least) Have a Shot

I’ve read countless Facebook posts about gun control and how guns are to blame for the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy.

This statement is not entirely correct.

Yes, guns were used, but people are to blame.  In this case, a mentally disturbed individual is to blame. I can own one hundred guns, but if I never load one and fire it at someone, then those guns never kill. 

That being said…. Should we institute some form of gun control.  Yes.  But we need to make certain it is not in violation of our overall right to bear arms.  It’s a fine line, but it is an important line and should not be crossed.

People have quoted statistics about how the United States has the highest rate of gun-related deaths each year.  I would like to know how many of those deaths are due to genuine accidents and how many were caused by un-registered, un-licensed gang-type behavior. 

See, Americans who are licensed gun carriers are not the ones killing people.  Americans who own guns to protect themselves and their families are not the ones walking into schools and murdering children.

If we take away our right to bear arms as a nation, it only affects the law-abiding citizens and those aren’t the people who are killing others. The “bad” guys are still going to get guns, whether there is a law against it or not. 

Drugs are illegal, and yet look at the number of meth, crack, heroin and cocaine users in our nation.  It is the same with guns.  “Bad” people are going to do bad things no matter what laws we have in place.  What we CAN do is make it harder for them to do bad things…

Should we make it more difficult to purchase a gun?  Sure.  Should we institute harsher punishments on those caught with un-registered, un-licensed guns?  Sure.  But punishing legal gun owners who have not and most likely will never use their gun to commit a crime is only causing greater problems.

A greater debate is do we arm more “good” people in order to better be able to stop the “bad” people.  I don’t know.  But, had the Principal or the Counselor or one of those teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary been a concealed, licensed carrier, maybe they would have been able to get to their gun and maybe they would have been able to take the man down before he reached any classrooms.

I don’t know the answer… but I believe, in today’s world, arming teachers so they can at least have a fair shot at protecting our children is no longer an idea I would frown upon.  Having an armed guard at our schools is no longer unfathomable. 

Look at the two signs above.  Now, pretend you're a deranged individual who gets the idea to go into a school and kill people.  Which sign has a better chance at making you stop and re-think your plan?

Let’s face it, parents of all of the children in all of the schools across our nation watched the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in horror; and if one of us could have picked up a gun and ended the disaster by killing the shooter we’d have done it in a heartbeat.  Any one of us would have fired that shot and taken him out to protect our kids; but we can’t fire a shot with a gun we don’t own.

Unarmed good guys can’t stop an armed bad guy…. but armed good guys have a shot.  ~

 

 

 

Top 9mm Moments

Mafia boss, Angel Maratinzano, has a new best friend… a 9mm; and she doesn’t leave home without it.  People may betray her trust, but her 9mm always comes to her defense.  Stuffed neatly in the waistband of her jeans and resting on her tailbone, her gun literally “has her back.”

Her gun is like a trusted friend…you may not always need them but it’s always nice to know they’re there….just in case.

Let’s take a look at Angel's Top 9mm Moments:

1.       She pulls the gun on Andrew, unsure of whether she can trust him.

2.      Grayson takes the gun from her hand and, later, Tasers her.

3.      She pulls the gun on Andrew again, lowering it only after he pulls her into a deep, and passionate kiss.

4.      In a hospital shoot-out, Angel freezes while another woman uses her 9mm to kill their attacker.

5.      Angel finally learns she can pull the trigger in a train station, while saving her mother.

6.      In a shoot-out with the Russians, Angel’s gun is taken but she makes do with a handheld Uzi, which she steals from a Russian mobster who had just been shot.

7.      Thrown from a plane in Death Trap, Angel’s 9mm survives the fall with her.

8.     Blown off of a pier, her gun is retrieved from the bottom of the lake.

9.      With her finger on the trigger and her gun in Anya’s face, Angel must decide whether to let sense or rage be her guide.

If you haven’t met Angel Maratinzano, her aunt Olga, Giovanni, Salvatore, her mother Sophia and love interests, Tony and Andrew…what are you waiting for????

 

The Just Call Me Angel series has been called a "non-stop ride of action and adventure" by BookWatch Magazine and a "bona fide suspense thriller" by APEXreviews.

 

In the words of the Godfather, "I'm going to ask you to do me a little favor".... read these books...that's an offer you shouldn't refuse.  :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gun Talk

There is much conspiracy now about the Second Amendment, and I find it rather ludicrous.  We have the right to bear arms.  Period.  It’s part of our American heritage.  It’s who we are.  It’s one of our many freedoms and it should not be revoked.  That being said, should anyone be allowed to purchase an AK47 combat rifle?  I would ask this…. Why would anyone, outside of our military, who are fighting for and defending our freedoms, need an AK47 machine gun?  [ I mean, with the exception of the traditional Mafia families like those found in my Just Call Me Angel series, who fight the Russian Mob and need big guns for more action-packed pages!]  

Should there be restrictions on the type of gun an average American is allowed to purchase?  Maybe.  I don’t know.  It seems to me that laws, rules and restrictions only affect the morally upright person who will obey them, and those aren’t the people who are going to use a gun (of any make and model) to go on a killing spree.  Your morally bankrupt killers will find a way around the restriction and get whatever gun they want anyway…. so, to me, the argument seems rather moot.

I’m an American.  I have freedom of speech.  I have freedom of religion.  I have the right to bear arms and I own the responsibility that comes with this freedom.

Allow me to share an article featuring advice from several Concealed Carry Instructors:

The Rules of a Gunfight

A: Guns have only two enemies - rust and politicians.

B: It's always better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6.

C: Cops carry guns to protect themselves, not you.

D: Never let someone or something that threatens you get inside arms length.

E: Never say "I've got a gun." If you need to use deadly force, the first sound they hear should be the safety clicking off.

F: The average response time of a 911 call is 13 minutes, the response time of a .357 is 1400 feet per second.

G: The most important rule in a gunfight is: Always win - cheat if necessary.

H: Make your attacker advance through a wall of bullets . . . You may get killed with your own gun, but he'll have to beat you to death with it, ‘cause it'll be empty.

J: In a life and death situation, do something . . . It may be wrong, but do something!

K: If you carry a gun, people call you paranoid. Nonsense! If you have a gun, what do you have to be paranoid about?

L: You can say 'stop' or any other word, but a large bore muzzle pointed at someone's head is pretty much a universal language.

M: Owning a gun doesn’t make you aggressive… it give you the opportunity to save yourself and your family if, God forbid, that need arises.

If you're in a gun fight:

1. If you're not shooting, you should be loading.
2. If you're not loading, you should be moving.
3. If you're not moving, you're dead.

 

Believe in the 2^nd Amendment.  Believe in your freedom.  Believe in America.

 

 

Press Release

PRESS RELEASE - VEGAS

Can You Handle the TRUTH?

April 2011 - Book one in a new mystery series by suspense novelist,

S.R.Claridge, takes readers on a riveting ride.

Mystery, Mafia and sexy Italian Men lay the groundwork for this tenacious tale of Crime Family mayhem set in present day Chicago.  TETTERBAUM’S TRUTH by author S.R.Claridge portrays a unique look at the Mafia from a fresh and feisty female perspective.  

When heroine, Angel Martin, learns her entire life has been one carefully orchestrated lie, she sets out to find answers.  Her quest begins at a Chicago Mafia hot-spot called Tetterbaum’s Pub, where she discovers that the late Mr. Tetterbaum held secrets worth killing for.  With her true identity now exposed, Angel must uncover the evidence Tetterbaum hid before the Crime families shut her down.  The closer she gets to the proof, the more she wonders if anyone can handle Tetterbaum’s Truth.

As the first installment in the Just Call Me Angel series contracted by Vanilla Heart Publishing and Author S.R.Claridge, TETTERBAUM’S TRUTH is an edge-of-your-seat mystery thrill-ride, where the characters are believable, motives are unpredictable, and the outcome will leave you wanting more. 

S.R.Claridge will begin her western book tour in VEGAS on May 5^th and 6^th to promote TETTERBAUM’S TRUTH, which is now available in Ebook and Paperback at Amazon, Barnes&Noble, and Smashwords.

More information on books by S.R.Claridge can be found at www.authorsrclaridge.com or by contacting Vanilla Heart Publishing. www.vanillaheartbooksandauthors.com  The author is available for comment at (303)926-8877 or (913)488-4557 or authorsrclaridge@gmail.com

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