USS Gabrielle Giffords Christened As Navy’s First Gun-Free Warship giffords
MOBILE, Ala. — Seeking to honor a retired congresswoman and 2011 shooting victim in the most considerate and respectful way possible, the
Navy today christened the future USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS-10), a first-of-its-kind, gun-free warship.
Designed to hold a core crew of 40 sailors, the Independence-class littoral combat ship has been stripped bare of its Mk 110 57-millimeter gun, all four of its Mk2 .50-cal machine guns, its Evolved SeaRAM 11 cell missile launcher, and its entire cache of small arms, which are typically issued to boarding teams and watch standers.
“Having this mighty warship be 100% gun-free not only helps to honor its heroic namesake, Gabby Giffords, but it also helps the Navy to steer clear of promoting a culture of violence,” said Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, who reportedly lobbied hard to get Congress and the Secretary of
Defense on board with leaving the Navy’s newest addition to the fleet completely defenseless.
“Once commissioned and put into service,” Mabus continued, “this vessel will truly embody the Navy’s new motto of Semper Modestis— always considerate.”
The Navy Secretary went on to say that he hopes Giffords sets a new trend Navy-wide, and that it’s merely the first ship of many to go weapons-free.
“We have this whole new generation of millennials joining the Navy and becoming sailors on a daily basis, and most of them don’t even like guns,” he said. “So it’s important we listen to their concerns and do what we can to adapt to them.”
Mabus also said that going gun-free with the Giffords was a huge cost saver, and that much of the money saved on armament for the vessel was able to be redirected to a vegan-friendly galley, unisex uniforms for the whole crew, and numerous “safe spaces” throughout the ship — places where sailors can go to relax and decompress whenever they feel overly-stressed by the rigors of life at sea.
Though Mabus and numerous other attendees at the ceremony seemed genuinely excited about christening the Navy’s first gun-free warship, in a somewhat ironic twist, both former congresswoman Giffords and her husband, Mark Kelly, were surprisingly unenthusiastic about the concept.
“Listen, it’s no secret that both Gabby and I are big proponents of reasonable gun control, and we really appreciate this gesture being made by the Navy, but the idea of sending a warship out into this turbulent world without any weapons whatsoever is completely irrational,” said Kelly, himself an astronaut and retired Navy captain.
“Like, seriously, this isn’t going to end well.”
Though still recovering from the trauma she suffered in 2011 and unable to speak in lengthy sentences, Giffords was much more concise upon being asked what she thought of the Navy making her namesake ship completely gun-free.
“Dipshits,” she said.
UPDATE: Since this story first appeared, Giffords has reportedly been hijacked at gunpoint from its pier at Austal USA’s shipyard.
"I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked, dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn looking for an angry fix,"
Actually, it sounds like something President Osama Obama and "bridge to nowhere" Tonko would have come up with.
George Amedore & Christian Klueg for NYS Senate 2016 Pete Vroman for State Assembly 2016[/size][/color]
"For this is what America is all about. It is the uncrossed desert and the unclimbed ridge. It is the star that is not reached and the harvest that is sleeping in the unplowed ground." Lyndon Baines Johnson
Huh! Gabby is a strong supporter of gun rights and a gun owner herself. It's amazing how GunHuggers will turn on their own once they are victims of gun violence.
The same thing happened when Jim Brady was shot taking a bullet for his friend Ronny the RayGun. Once shot, Brady went from "close personal friend" of the Reagans, to being an "enemy of the GOP".
Two faced b@stards!
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. John Kenneth Galbraith
The U.S. Navy on Saturday will christen one of its littoral combat ships after former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.).
“The christening of the future USS Gabrielle Giffords marks the beginning of what is certain to be a long life for this great ship," Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said in a statement Thursday.
"It is also a celebration of the skill and dedication of the men and women who have built LCS 10 and the courage of her namesake. This ship truly embodies the Navy motto of Semper Fortis — Always Courageous,” he added.
Giffords was shot in the head and nearly lost her life in a mass shooting in 2011 that killed six people and seriously injured 11 others. She stepped down in 2012 to focus on her recovery.
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. John Kenneth Galbraith
I like the piece I posted better Bucket of Bricks.
"I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked, dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn looking for an angry fix,"
But you gotta admit that's an awesome looking vessel.
Oh yeah, cool boat, but I'd rather laugh about the absurdity of an unarmed warship named for Gabby Giffords.
"I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked, dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn looking for an angry fix,"
Oh yeah, cool boat, but I'd rather laugh about the absurdity of an unarmed warship named for Gabby Giffords.
And Andrew Cuomo announced he will be heading up a new weapons contracting venture. He will be marketing 7 round maximum weapons to foreign countries. He plans to lobby the UN to pass a resolution limiting ammo capacity to 7 rounds for all nations. The U.S. government will be exempt from this resolution, because who needs more than 7 rounds besides the U.S. government?
Yea real funny story. A woman gets shot in the head. Makes me laugh.
(Her assailant was using a used a Glock 19 with an extended 33-round magazine. He was captured when he stopped shooting to change magazines. The shooter hit 19 people, killing 6. I wonder how many lives could have been saved if only 7 or 10 round magazines available?)
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. John Kenneth Galbraith
Yea real funny story. A woman gets shot in the head. Makes me laugh.
(Her assailant was using a used a Glock 19 with an extended 33-round magazine. He was captured when he stopped shooting to change magazines. The shooter hit 19 people, killing 6. I wonder how many lives could have been saved if only 7 or 10 round magazines available?)
Hey Peck of Pebbles chill out. You're wrapped way too tight if you don't get satire. Take a valium, some LSD, or whatever your drug of choice is. Geez.
At this point I've lost any interest in serious debate on all these dead horse issues and plan on posting nothing but satire and silliness. If you don't get it and can't laugh about it, then you best not even bother to read my posts. Or maybe go to youtube and dig up some Milton Berle skits if that's what makes you laugh. You henceforth shall be known here as a WTTFTI.
Edit: After some thought, and not wanting to be too offensive nor to upset the sensibilities of all the WTTFTI types here, I struck out "dead horse" and will only use the term "expired equine" when referring to topics that have IMHO become tiresome and ridiculous. That should at least placate the PETA folks.
"I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked, dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn looking for an angry fix,"
At this point I've lost any interest in serious debate on all these dead horse issues and plan on posting nothing but satire and silliness. If you don't get it and can't laugh about it, then you best not even bother to read my
A bullet to the head... lots of silliness there.
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. John Kenneth Galbraith
They should name ships after the high profile mundane killings too.
USS Eric Garner - no smoking ship USS Trayvon Martin - all sailors wear hooded uniforms
You don't get a vote on naming ships Cissy. They belong to US. The citizens of the USA. You separated yourself from the rest of it's citizens long ago.
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. John Kenneth Galbraith
You don't get a vote on naming ships Cissy. They belong to US. The citizens of the USA. You separated yourself from the rest of it's citizens long ago.
Oh...I didn't know you had a vote naming ships. Who else was on the ballot?
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