Get Out the Ammo–the Katricians Are Coming

Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.


Houstonian Jim Pruett, owner of Jim Pruett’s Guns & Ammo, or–as he prefers to call it–your anti-terrorist headquarters–has a radio ad that warns Houston’s citizens to arm themselves because the “Katricians”–Katrina evacuees from New Orleans–are going to attack if they do not get more free rent.

“When the ‘Katricians’ themselves are quoted as saying the crime rate is gonna go up if they don’t get more free rent, then it’s time to get your concealed-handgun license,” Pruett says in his ad. The recent surge in the Houston homicide rate has been attributed by the Houston police to Katrina evacuees. And while there is no doubt they are responsible for some of it, the increase in Houston’s violent crime rate had already begun before Katrina came along. To make matters worse, many evacuees wound up in poor, unsafe Houston neighborhoods.

Pruett is no newcomer to stirring things up. He co-hosts a morning radio show, “Pruett & Shannon,” and hosts a second show, “Back Talk,” in the afternoon. His biography states: “To Jim, happiness is his family, his faith and his membership in the NRA.”

Texas officials say that applications for concealed weapons permits were up statewide: 60,328 from January to September 1, as compared with 46,298 for the same period in 2005.

WE CAME UP SHORT.

We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

So we urgently need this specific ask, what you're reading right now, to start bringing in more donations than it ever has. The reality, for these next few months and next few years, is that we have to start finding ways to grow our online supporter base in a big way—and we're optimistic we can keep making real headway by being real with you about this.

Because the bottom line: Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism Mother Jones exists to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

And we hope you might consider pitching in before moving on to whatever it is you're about to do next. We really need to see if we'll be able to raise more with this real estate on a daily basis than we have been, so we're hoping to see a promising start.

payment methods

WE CAME UP SHORT.

We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

So we urgently need this specific ask, what you're reading right now, to start bringing in more donations than it ever has. The reality, for these next few months and next few years, is that we have to start finding ways to grow our online supporter base in a big way—and we're optimistic we can keep making real headway by being real with you about this.

Because the bottom line: Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism Mother Jones exists to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

And we hope you might consider pitching in before moving on to whatever it is you're about to do next. We really need to see if we'll be able to raise more with this real estate on a daily basis than we have been, so we're hoping to see a promising start.

payment methods

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate