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maxrandb

(15,192 posts)
Sun Apr 14, 2013, 07:26 PM Apr 2013

Man Shoots self in infield at NASCAR NRA-500

Source: Yahoo

The death of a man in the infield of Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday night during the Sprint Cup Series NRA 500 has been ruled a suicide from a gunshot to the head, according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's office.

The incident happened late in the race when Kirk Franklin, 42, of Saginaw, Texas, apparently got into an argument with other campers. Track spokesperson Mike Zizzo said Saturday night that the incident happened "in or around a pickup truck" in the infield.

Firearms were prohibited by Texas law from being brought in to the track by fans. The NRA's sponsorship of the race came under scrutiny when it was announced earlier this year after Michael Waltrip ran a Sandy Hook benefit car at the Daytona 500 encouraging fans to text to give to Newtown, Conn. It was the NRA's first Sprint Cup Series sponsorship; it sponsored the Nationwide Series race at Atlanta Motor Speeedway in September.


Read more: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nascar-from-the-marbles/man-shoots-self-infield-nra-500-214951761--nascar.html



Who is surprised that someone would shoot themselves in the head at the NRA sponsored NASCAR race today?
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Man Shoots self in infield at NASCAR NRA-500 (Original Post) maxrandb Apr 2013 OP
And we know NASCAR will be dropping NRA as a sponsor after today. Tender to the Bone Apr 2013 #1
You think? I don't think that's a done deal. Certainly should be, but I wouldn't assume it. Squinch Apr 2013 #2
At least he only shot himself maxrandb Apr 2013 #7
The NRA may have sponsored the race... jmowreader Apr 2013 #12
Guns are not allowed at NRA headquarters, either. n/t Mr.Bill Apr 2013 #18
Really? I didn't know that. theHandpuppet Apr 2013 #36
You can't even bring one to their annual meeting. Historic NY Apr 2013 #41
No, I wasn't. n/t Mr.Bill Apr 2013 #42
Please please please post a link thucythucy Apr 2013 #52
I had read it in a thread here in DU some time ago. Here's some info: Mr.Bill Apr 2013 #61
Sponsoring a NASCAR race does'nt make them a "NASCAR sponsor" Mopar151 Apr 2013 #46
"Gossage said there was no public outcry over the sponsorship" ?? Myrina Apr 2013 #50
Eddie Gossage works for Bruton Smith Mopar151 Apr 2013 #56
If he was forced to watch the race, I can't say I blame him. I'd probably do brewens Apr 2013 #3
He got in an argument with some other folks, and ended up committing suicide maxrandb Apr 2013 #6
Yeah, with all that involved, what could go wrong? One of them probably stole brewens Apr 2013 #8
Paging Jon Stewart . . . Paging Jon Stewart. Brigid Apr 2013 #17
Strange fact pattern treestar Apr 2013 #24
Or, it wasn't a suicide... jberryhill Apr 2013 #30
if only he had a second gun, one to shoot the first bullet before he was struck. ChairmanAgnostic Apr 2013 #4
If only there had been a good guy with a gun to stop this bad guy with a gun. nt maxrandb Apr 2013 #10
and if he missed, a really, REALLY good guy with TWO guns, one ChairmanAgnostic Apr 2013 #51
He shot himself around his pickup truck Mkap Apr 2013 #5
What could possibility go wrong at a right-wing circle jerk? santamargarita Apr 2013 #9
Also at the NASCAR NRA 500......... rdharma Apr 2013 #11
Why do people at NASCAR events never look happy? Bettie Apr 2013 #22
They are human versions of "grumpy kitty"! rdharma Apr 2013 #26
Only 1 in 43 Fans can be happy One_Life_To_Give Apr 2013 #53
They're holding that sign at a NASCAR event that outlawed guns. These guys crack me up. Squinch Apr 2013 #27
Right?! October Apr 2013 #35
That sign is a plea for help jberryhill Apr 2013 #31
I do not miss the South. nt onehandle Apr 2013 #34
isn't the black star a symbol for anarchy? Blue_Tires Apr 2013 #62
RW gun weirdo events conduct human sacrifices now? baldguy Apr 2013 #13
Another responsible gun owner. SheilaT Apr 2013 #14
You just can't make this shit up. KamaAina Apr 2013 #15
Oh, the irony: the NRA sponsors a gun-free event and the one violating it is a lunatic. nt Bernardo de La Paz Apr 2013 #16
You would think gun free events Mnpaul Apr 2013 #38
Why does it seem like the NRA forbids guns at most of its events? Myrina Apr 2013 #49
If the powers to be decide SCVDem Apr 2013 #19
No one's talking confiscation though NickB79 Apr 2013 #39
Fortunately Senator Feinstein and the president think owning AR-15s is ok hack89 Apr 2013 #45
We all know that SCVDem Apr 2013 #55
The Enfield was a military weapon in its day hack89 Apr 2013 #57
The difference being barrel length. SCVDem Apr 2013 #58
When armies figured out that killing power out to 1000 yards was unnecessary hack89 Apr 2013 #59
If you're gonna go... Aristus Apr 2013 #20
If only it had been raining guns, everything would have turned out better. valerief Apr 2013 #21
Oh, for God's sakes. Now you gave them the idea. Next thing, we'll have gun rain. Squinch Apr 2013 #28
Self-Deportation bucolic_frolic Apr 2013 #23
Not to belittle the death, but does Texas hate the 2nd Amendment? Guns being prohibited? Treasonous. DRoseDARs Apr 2013 #25
i'm sad over the tragedy samsingh Apr 2013 #29
So no guns at the race track? But bars (!), schools, work, church and malls are OK????? on point Apr 2013 #32
Stop Applying Logic lib87 Apr 2013 #37
A gun's primary purpose achieved. nt onehandle Apr 2013 #33
Oh my Fearless Apr 2013 #40
Post removed Post removed Apr 2013 #43
At least he didn't Turbineguy Apr 2013 #44
guns are suicide machines--why don't the "pro lifers" go after guns dembotoz Apr 2013 #47
It's so nice when they prove our points for us. Myrina Apr 2013 #48
"in or around a pickup truck" why doesn't that surprise me? bowens43 Apr 2013 #54
so with that action does he win or lose the argument? snooper2 Apr 2013 #60
 
1. And we know NASCAR will be dropping NRA as a sponsor after today.
Sun Apr 14, 2013, 07:33 PM
Apr 2013

No question about it.

And more reason for gun control.

Squinch

(50,774 posts)
2. You think? I don't think that's a done deal. Certainly should be, but I wouldn't assume it.
Sun Apr 14, 2013, 07:47 PM
Apr 2013

But anyway, welcome!

maxrandb

(15,192 posts)
7. At least he only shot himself
Sun Apr 14, 2013, 08:04 PM
Apr 2013

Could have been way worse. From what I can understand, even though the NRA sponsored the race, GUNS WERE NOT ALLOWED...hmmmm, I wonder why? Whatever is the NRA afraid of? Perhaps someone should ask the NRA why they are "infringing" on the 2ND Amendment rights of folks attending a NASCAR race.

I'm just speculating here, but I wonder if this guy had a "concealed carry" permit?

jmowreader

(50,453 posts)
12. The NRA may have sponsored the race...
Sun Apr 14, 2013, 08:43 PM
Apr 2013

but Speedway Motorsports Inc. doesn't allow fans to carry weapons at its tracks, and they have several.

thucythucy

(7,986 posts)
52. Please please please post a link
Mon Apr 15, 2013, 10:19 AM
Apr 2013

supporting that. I've gotten into debates with pro-gunners and raised precisely this point, but have been told it's a myth.

I've never been to and have no intention of ever going to NRA headquarters (or any NRA sponsored event) so there's no way for me to know personally. And I've tried the almighty Google, and didn't come up with anything I could use.

So if you have a link, it would be greatly appreciated.

Mr.Bill

(24,104 posts)
61. I had read it in a thread here in DU some time ago. Here's some info:
Mon Apr 15, 2013, 02:30 PM
Apr 2013

Apparently, staffers with carry permits are allowed to carry. Visitors are not. Still very contradictory to what they preach.

Mopar151

(9,965 posts)
46. Sponsoring a NASCAR race does'nt make them a "NASCAR sponsor"
Mon Apr 15, 2013, 08:15 AM
Apr 2013

Texas Motor Speedway is owned by Speedway Motorsports/O. Bruton Smith (IMHO, that is spelled asshole).. I have NEVER heard a race sponsor get so little mention in the race broadcast (on FOX Sports, no less).

•NASCAR will evaluate future race sponsorships: With the NRA 500 drawing attention just for the name of the race, NASCAR will take a closer look at race sponsorships in the future, the sanctioning body said in a statement Thursday. Tracks negotiate their own naming rights deals, and Texas Motor Speedway announced last month that the National Rifle Association would sponsor its Sprint Cup Series race, scheduled for Saturday night. The sanctioning agreement tracks have with NASCAR states that "NASCAR reserves the right to approve or disapprove any advertising, sponsorship or similar agreement in connection with the event." NASCAR approved the sponsorship, and Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage said Thursday there has been no public outcry over the sponsorship. But NASCAR spokesman David Higdon released a statement that indicated the timing of a sponsorship and the perception of NASCAR will be used to determine whether to approve race sponsorships in the future. "The NRA's sponsorship of the event at Texas Motor Speedway fit within existing parameters that NASCAR affords tracks in securing partnerships," the NASCAR statement said. "However, this situation has made it clear that we need to take a closer look at our approval process moving forward, as current circumstances need to be factored in when making decisions.&quot Sporting News)(4-12-2013)


quoted on the Jayski/ESPN website.

Myrina

(12,296 posts)
50. "Gossage said there was no public outcry over the sponsorship" ??
Mon Apr 15, 2013, 09:36 AM
Apr 2013

Did he have his head up his ass for the last 3 months?

There have been more than a few petitions and movements to get drivers & teams to boycott the race, to get FOX to not show the race, and by the weekend, several teams instructed their drivers to NOT GIVE INTERVIEWS because they knew the NRA would come up.

Mopar151

(9,965 posts)
56. Eddie Gossage works for Bruton Smith
Mon Apr 15, 2013, 12:27 PM
Apr 2013

And he works in Texas, so "public outcry" would have to be pretty big, to get over the background noise.

maxrandb

(15,192 posts)
6. He got in an argument with some other folks, and ended up committing suicide
Sun Apr 14, 2013, 08:00 PM
Apr 2013

This is sad, and I hate to poke fun at tragedy, but...there was booze, guns, the NRA, NASCAR and a pick-up truck all mentioned in the article.

SNL couldn't do a better job of satire if they tried.

Brigid

(17,621 posts)
17. Paging Jon Stewart . . . Paging Jon Stewart.
Sun Apr 14, 2013, 08:53 PM
Apr 2013

I really don't know how to respond to a story this bizarre.

treestar

(82,383 posts)
24. Strange fact pattern
Sun Apr 14, 2013, 09:39 PM
Apr 2013

Could the decision have been that impulsive - really an extreme reaction to an argument. As said by Lynryd Skynrd: if you like to drink old whisky you might even a-shoot yourself.

 

jberryhill

(62,444 posts)
30. Or, it wasn't a suicide...
Sun Apr 14, 2013, 10:08 PM
Apr 2013

...but he accidentally shot himself while getting the gun to shoot the other people he was arguing with.

ChairmanAgnostic

(28,017 posts)
4. if only he had a second gun, one to shoot the first bullet before he was struck.
Sun Apr 14, 2013, 07:58 PM
Apr 2013

too many gun regulations. That is our biggest problem.

ChairmanAgnostic

(28,017 posts)
51. and if he missed, a really, REALLY good guy with TWO guns, one
Mon Apr 15, 2013, 09:45 AM
Apr 2013

for the original guy's bullet before it hits him, and the second for the good guy's bullet which was not well aimed!

Mkap

(223 posts)
5. He shot himself around his pickup truck
Sun Apr 14, 2013, 07:59 PM
Apr 2013

It can't get anymore redneck conservative republican then that...

and btw i laugh at the liberals being starbucks drinking hipsters too

santamargarita

(3,170 posts)
9. What could possibility go wrong at a right-wing circle jerk?
Sun Apr 14, 2013, 08:20 PM
Apr 2013

I've tried to enjoy this sport but during Bush Hell it changed.

Bettie

(15,998 posts)
22. Why do people at NASCAR events never look happy?
Sun Apr 14, 2013, 09:26 PM
Apr 2013

You'd think if they're pursuing their hobby, it would be something they'd enjoy, yet the pictures I see are always of rather sour looking people.

Just an observation.

One_Life_To_Give

(6,036 posts)
53. Only 1 in 43 Fans can be happy
Mon Apr 15, 2013, 10:25 AM
Apr 2013

The rest are backing a Looser.

The stands come to life when Junior gets out front.
Within the crowds I have seen lots of smiling faces and had fun conversations with those seated around me. Like most things in life there are a few that drink to much, a few that made the NRA sponsorship a political football. And the majority of us who worried how the nights action affected our favorite drivers standings, chase implications and a host of other issues. e.g. Will the fire in Matt's pit bring a change to the fuel venting/filling system and how will that affect 14 second pit-stops.

 

jberryhill

(62,444 posts)
31. That sign is a plea for help
Sun Apr 14, 2013, 10:10 PM
Apr 2013

I don't understand why crazy people get so upset every time we talk about trying to keep guns away from crazy people.

 

baldguy

(36,649 posts)
13. RW gun weirdo events conduct human sacrifices now?
Sun Apr 14, 2013, 08:45 PM
Apr 2013

What? Was the nearest elementary school not opened?


 

SheilaT

(23,156 posts)
14. Another responsible gun owner.
Sun Apr 14, 2013, 08:48 PM
Apr 2013

The best part is that guns are not supposed to be allowed there. Really? I thought the NRA believed guns should be everywhere. Or is it just in schools and not at racetracks?

Bernardo de La Paz

(48,789 posts)
16. Oh, the irony: the NRA sponsors a gun-free event and the one violating it is a lunatic. nt
Sun Apr 14, 2013, 08:52 PM
Apr 2013
Firearms were prohibited by Texas law from being brought in to the track by fans.

Mnpaul

(3,655 posts)
38. You would think gun free events
Sun Apr 14, 2013, 11:53 PM
Apr 2013

would be illegal in Texas. I watched the last half of the race and saw little mention of guns or the NRA.

Myrina

(12,296 posts)
49. Why does it seem like the NRA forbids guns at most of its events?
Mon Apr 15, 2013, 09:32 AM
Apr 2013

But wants them EVERY DAMN PLACE ELSE.

Pretty telling, eh?

 

SCVDem

(5,103 posts)
19. If the powers to be decide
Sun Apr 14, 2013, 09:00 PM
Apr 2013

that you cannot have a 223, then your banner will be shoved up your ass while your illegal arms are confiscated.

The final picture would be the firearms NOT confiscated.

Damn babies crying about losing a few weapons.

NickB79

(19,114 posts)
39. No one's talking confiscation though
Mon Apr 15, 2013, 12:26 AM
Apr 2013

Even the most stringent gun control proposals grandfather in existing firearms and magazines. No guns will be confiscated anytime soon, and if there were a retroactive ban imposed, the owners would be entitled to be compensated for the market value of the guns confiscated (ie a shitload of money).

hack89

(39,171 posts)
45. Fortunately Senator Feinstein and the president think owning AR-15s is ok
Mon Apr 15, 2013, 07:38 AM
Apr 2013

as long as you buy them before the "ban" goes into place.

No one is confiscating any guns. That is just a NRA fear tactic.

 

SCVDem

(5,103 posts)
55. We all know that
Mon Apr 15, 2013, 12:17 PM
Apr 2013

yet it's a RW talking point which won't go away just for that reason.

No real hunter is worried that their sport is being harmed.

Why does the NRA logo show 2 crossed long rifles when their focus is clearly on military types.

Heston held up an 1845 (?) Enfield, not an M-16.

Why?

hack89

(39,171 posts)
57. The Enfield was a military weapon in its day
Mon Apr 15, 2013, 12:32 PM
Apr 2013

Every generation of men has grown up with a certain type of rifle that many carried in the army. When they came back from the war, they wanted to buy the types of rifle they familiar with. The line between civilian and military weapons has always been blurred - those bolt action "hunting rifles" that gun controllers magnanimously say we can keep were the same rifles that killed millions in two world wars.

The AR-15 is a 50 year old design. It is what two generations of men think of when they think of the word rifle. That is the reason why they are so popular - plain and simple.

 

SCVDem

(5,103 posts)
58. The difference being barrel length.
Mon Apr 15, 2013, 01:11 PM
Apr 2013

While the older M-1, M-14 and their lineage were long barrel for accuracy, the M-16 and its variants were designed specifically to be an urban assault weapon.

The short barrel sucks for accuracy but is ideal for storming apartment buildings and other areas with narrow hallways.

I haven't seen any game living in apartment buildings, have any of you?

This has more to do with the childish mentality of Americans and their fantasies.

I wish they would go back to Lionel trains and playing with the kids.

I do believe that certain ranges should have everything from machine guns to grenades, tanks to LAWS rockets.

If you can afford the ammo, have fun. You just can't bring them home.

hack89

(39,171 posts)
59. When armies figured out that killing power out to 1000 yards was unnecessary
Mon Apr 15, 2013, 01:27 PM
Apr 2013

is when smaller calibers and compact rifles became the norm. It was not for urban combat - everyone figured out that most combat was at 300 yards or closer. It was a universal lesson of WWII.

The AR-15 is a very accurate rifle out to 600 yards - there is a reason it is the standard for competitive target shooting. Here is the the standard course of fire for High Power Rifle competitions:

1. Slow fire (10 shots in 10 minutes), standing at 200 yards

2. Rapid fire (10 shots in 60 seconds with reload), sitting or kneeling, at 200 yards

3. Rapid fire (10 shots in 70 seconds with reload), prone, at 300 yards

4. Slow fire (20 shots in 20 minutes), prone, at 600 yards

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Power_Rifle

I shoot my AR-15 in these competitions all the time. 80% of the rifles around me are AR-15s - and they shoot just as well as the M-1s.

Aristus

(66,096 posts)
20. If you're gonna go...
Sun Apr 14, 2013, 09:02 PM
Apr 2013

go in front of thousands of people who will at least appreciate your chosen method.

Squinch

(50,774 posts)
28. Oh, for God's sakes. Now you gave them the idea. Next thing, we'll have gun rain.
Sun Apr 14, 2013, 09:59 PM
Apr 2013

Zip it, will ya?

 

DRoseDARs

(6,810 posts)
25. Not to belittle the death, but does Texas hate the 2nd Amendment? Guns being prohibited? Treasonous.
Sun Apr 14, 2013, 09:50 PM
Apr 2013

eom

Response to maxrandb (Original post)

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