Kelly Overton Quotes
When I'm shooting things, I'm training.
"Kelly Overton - Biography." IMDb, IMDb.com, www.imdb.com/name/nm1043325/bio/.
This is yet another quotation demonstrating that the image of early America as a gun culture where most men were armed, skilled with those arms, and ready to come to the defense of the country. It turns out that none of the three corresponded to any historical reality for most Americans.
This incredible statement was made by the Governor when in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina she had been given exaggerated reports of attacks on police and looting. She activated the Louisiana National Guard units which had military police training and was announcing it. The National Guard however was under good discipline and were well trained so their officers and training prevented them from shooting people. The New Orleans police department however was even before Katrina one of the worst in the nation. Some of the police officers took the Governor’s statement as the OK to shoot in situations where such deadly force was against the law. There were 9 police shooting deaths. In most of the cases, the victims were unarmed and were not even fleeing. The U. S. Justice Department has indicted some New Orleans policemen in the shootings. Some argue that the Governors statement could have been a major factor in giving the green light.
This quotation is very controversial among historians. Beverly was in a sense the first American historian, although he had no formal training. His extolling the military and sharpshooting virtues of his fellows may or may not have been an exaggeration both as to their skill with firearms and their ability as soldiers. There is much evidence that only a minority of the people of Virginia possessed firearms at the time yet Beverly’s image is the one that has come down to us in the romanticized view of early America. Even fellow Virginian, George Washington {613056} complained that his Virginia civilians made poor soldiers compared with “regulars” who had been trained to shoot, and when Virginia militia reported for duty less than one quarter had firearms which were very expensive and not very accurate at the time.
The general had reported to the Czar that he had peacefully dissipated a protesting mob without firing a shot. The Czar felt that the absence of shooting and killing protesters would simply encourage more protests. See {613675}.
Kelly Overton is an American actress. She is known for portraying Vanessa Van Helsing in the 2016 Syfy fantasy drama series Van Helsing.
