The Brady Campaign is reporting that Bob Ricker is dead. The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence has more on who Bob Ricker was. He was famous around these parts for the oft-used quote “self-defense whacks” which appeared on Bitter’s blog before she changed her blogging topic. She also had a bit to say about his views on women. More history here.
Please keep the comments tasteful. Gun control advocates have families too.
I won’t mourn him. I’ll just offer condolences to the people who loved him.
That’s pretty much my sentiment, BC
You people are heartless. Do you not realize that Bob had young kids and that this stupid site comes up sixth when you google his name? I understand your right for an opinion, and I even understand if you disagree with him. But atleast my dad was a good person– look at yourself you ignorant assholes, who is going to be the one going to hell now?
-Bob Ricker’s daughter
Sorry for your loss, Dory.
There’s a time and a place for that kind of argument, Fightinbluhen51, but I would say this is neither the time nor the place.
Any further nasty comments are going to be deleted, and I am sorry I did not police this thread more closely, Dory. If you want to offer condolences to the family, fine. If you want to comment on the role Bob Ricker played in our issue, that’s fine. But I’m going to delete personal attacks against Ricker for the sake of his family. I’d appreciate folks showing a little decency here.
I tip my hat to your father, Dory, who led a good life (for all we know) despite his imperfections.
I hope he did not espouse the same vitriol that was hurled at Melanie Hain after her dastardly murder.
Dory, although we did not agree with your father’s philosophy we do not revel in your loss. I apologize for those few who treat you and yours differently because you do not agree with them. You and your family are in our prayers and thoughts.
Sebastian, I was a little shocked at Dory’s comment because I had been thinking that you started an extremely respectful thread. I guess there were some comments you had to delete.
Thanks for running such a great blog.
Bob was a great friend of mine. A great guy. The kind of guy you could sit down and drink beer with. But business is business and and politics is politics. I came to your site much like Dory did (who I know but haven’t seen in years). I read some posts that were written by people who had no idea who Bob was and their perception of him was all wrong.
In all of my years of hunting, I have come to the conclusion that hunters are among the most honest, hard-working, hard-playing, most fun group of people you’d want to be around. Don’t undo in three days what took 47 years to build.
Let’s go hunting,
Joe
Joe, don’t get me wrong, I give my condolences to you, Bob’s family, and other friends who lost someone. That I can sympathize with. But I cannot let your assertion stand that people who disagree with him are undoing “what took 47 years to build” and then a note about going hunting. He was a man who announced that women gun owners should be targeted for criminal investigation on the premise of being gun owners and having a vagina. He targeted women with his remarks, not men, not people in general, women. Personally, I would have assumed that at his age, we were past that point in time of society treating women differently.
That’s not a man who was doing any shooting sport – hunting included – any favors or good deeds. Beyond the issue of more controversial Second Amendment topics, your implication that all could be well over a nice hunt and chat doesn’t quite fit the narrative that Bob himself espoused. As a female gun owner and future hunter, I have had to work hard to grow those sports in spite of his work and statement about women in the issue.
So while I can feel for the people who have lost a loved one or friend, it’s not a mischaracterization or misunderstood perception of readers on this site to understand that he was actively undermining what some have of us spent our lives working to achieve.
I guess there were some comments you had to delete.
Only two, but a few more referenced the two and wouldn’t stand on their own and make sense. My point in the post was just to relay a current event in our issue, and give people background on how we came to know Bob Ricker on the blogs. I was not intending to give people a forum to speak ill of the dead. I understand a lot of people want to dwell on the fact that Bob Ricker switched sides in the issue, but this isn’t the time or the place for that.
Heh, on a side note, I’m still a little wary of hunters from the John Rosenthals, the Ray Schoenkes, and the number of other people who are willing to throw me under the bus so they can keep their guns.
I know all hunters aren’t like that.
Joe should know that many of us aren’t hunters.
I will pipe in here a little bit too. I know nothing of the man, and while offering sympathy to his family, I do so with a caveat.
I too have family who love me, and believe those who work to lessen my ability to defend myself present a direct and immediate threat to my safety.
If I should ever be killed by a gunman while walking alone in Central Park, who should be blamed? Me for being foolish enough to travel alone at night? The gunman’s parents for failure to raise a compassionate and moral human being? The police for failure to incarcerate him? The stronger argument is to assign blame to the society (and its enablers) who prevented its members from accessing a tool that provides force equalization, immediate protection and effective deterrence.
In my opiion, those who work against my right to keep and bear arms are as culpable of murder as they who actually commited the act.
While Dory mourns the loss of a loving father, that does not excuse the threat his actions pose against my daughter’s love for me, long after he is gone.
@Bitter,
Maybe I wasn’t clear. My comment, “Don’t undo in three days what took 47 years to buildâ€, was pointed at the posters, who by the tone of their comments, made gun owners seem insensitive and bilious. I know that most gun owners aren’t like that.
Just want to say thank you to Sebastian for deleting the horrible comments that were previously posted regarding my father’s death. Also, I apologize for posting my reaction to those comments in such a brash manner. Unfortunatly I reacted with emotion before I thought about it.
Although I can’t stop myself from giving some people insight on some of the false claims written in the comments since. To Bitter re: “That’s not a man who was doing any shooting sport – hunting included – any favors or good deeds.” You’re wrong, flat out. I grew up shooting guns with my father. I knew how to safely shoot a gun, accompanied by an experienced adult, at a very young age and all of us enjoyed it (gasp). I even picked out the gun I wanted him to get me for my 21st birthday when I was nine- I remember it had a pink handle. I’m also a female; a strong, successful, educated female that my father raised after my mom passed when I was young. And lastly, I’m embarrassed for you that you think you have enough insight about my father to comment about any favors or good deeds he may have done in any aspect of his life. My father did not build his career on targeting and criminalizing women- http://www.wikipedia.org-look it up.
Hi Joe, saw your kids this past weekend-I was taken back on how brilliant and grown they are. How time flies.
Signing out from my last blog comment, probably a comment too late…cheers Dad.
Also, I apologize for posting my reaction to those comments in such a brash manner. Unfortunatly I reacted with emotion before I thought about it.
Certainly understandable under the circumstances.