“F**k! You are a fool. Take a police car and leave F1.” Ouch! That bit of binary bile was directed at Lewis Hamilton, the 2014 F1 World Champeen. What grievous online misconduct provoked that kind of ire from racing fans? mirror.co.uk reports that “The Formula 1 star, who qualified to take pole position in tomorrow’s Belgian Grand Prix at Spa, posted the footage of himself relaxing at a gun range on Instagram.” Bad enough, given the generally hoplophobic vibe in Europe and the UK, where the Brit was born. But his real offense was one of timing . . .
From dailymail.co.uk:
The video was posted just hours after a a gunman attacked a train in France but was stopped by US military man Spencer Stone who was traveling on the train.
Shockingly insensitive! Amazingly obtuse! This kind of offensiveness cannot be allowed to stand!
He was ordered to remove the video from Instagram by Mercedes team boss Niki Lauda after a number of fans were offended by it.
After backtracking enough to claim that he wasn’t the one who posted the video (top-ranked drivers apparently have social medial lackeys to do that for them “during race weekends”), Hamilton was, in the end, refreshingly unrepentant.
He simply said: ‘I went to the shooting range, shot some fun targets. It was a lot of fun.’
What is it with the British, they eschew using eyepro? Even the current Holland & Holland catalog lacks a single shooter wearing eyepro.
It is not only British thing. I have never used or even seen anyone use eye pro before coming to US.
Eyepro doesn’t seem to be much of a focus in Europe. I’ve seen the same thing from promo photos from my own (swiss owned) company and told them “You might get some criticism for that over here.”
I almost never wear eye protection unless I happen to go to a range that requires it. We didn’t wear it during weapons qualifications in the Army either.
Too much shooting on steel now-a-days, obviously necessary when that is going on. But if I was on a range that didn’t require it, and only paper targets were up, I wouldn’t blow a gasket over seeing people without eye-pro. There is still the off chance of a catastrophic gun failure though, so I still wear it.
Wow. I would have never imagined Lewis Hamilton being on TTAG.
Exactly. I saw it in an e-mail update and thought my eyes had crossed and were looking at 2 different news updates.
Racing and guns… I had a rough time deciding whether to watch the second to last Indycar race live or going to the range. My friend had to cancel on going to the range with me, so I chose Indycar this time, mostly because I was tired of having great races spoiled for me before I could watch them.
The fervor of the anti gun set is rapidly approaching religious zealotry, no?
Approaching? Arrived. Stigmatization works, and they know it.
“fervor of the anti gun set is rapidly approaching religious zealotry, no?”
Yip, and spreading like a plague. Could almost wish for EMP (Electro-Magnetic Pulse event to eliminate left wing anti 2nd candy pants.
‘
The surprising thing to me is all the gun owners that see this sort of social tyranny taking place and yet so many of them don’t even belong to a gun rights group. Oh they talk about how the government will NEVER get their guns but they won’t cough up a few bucks a year to keep that from happening. Go figure.
By the time we tithe, pay children’s private school bill, pay the mortgage, buy food, keep the lights on, and the dog fed, our budget is pretty much shot. My last gun purchase was 2 boxes of .22. So, I should fling money at the NRA who mainly just spends the interest off their huge piles of cash while paying their execs millions? I support gun rights, but cut us po’ folk some slack if we can’t pony up every time we get a begging mailer that threatens an apocalypse of never-seen-before proportions.
Sending your kids to private school and then claiming poverty.
That’s rich.
There are other groups besides the NRA if you have a problem with them. I am a life member of the NRA and I have a problem with them since I gave them my money for a life membership. So, I am now supporting a few other groups. $50 bucks a year joins about any of them and you can request that they don’t send you anything but a once a year membership statement. If you still can’t afford it then fine. The people I know who act like they can’t afford it sure seem to afford about anything else. However, you budget is your business not mine but I’m just saying…….
Give and it shall be given unto you…you’re actually mentioning a tithe on here??? Maybe home school or get blessed a bit more before claiming poverty. But what you do with your $ is your business. At least with the NRA you get life/accident insurance and coverage for your guns…
“He was ordered to remove the video from Instagram by Mercedes team boss Niki Lauda after a number of fans were offended by it.”
If you have no money at least complain to Mercedes and pass this on to other gun owners.
Remind them of the gun control enacted in the 30’s in Germany…
While tithing, do you consider your church’s position on forced civilian disarmament? I suspect you wouldn’t like it.
Let’s not forget the other folks who fall prey to faith promise giving, the chest of Joash, love offerings, missionary love offerings, pastors appreciation day, funding the youth mission trip, para-church organizations, and other assorted giving programs. Who can afford guns while they are exercising their “free”dom of worship? I guess if a man’s heart is where he puts his treasure, then guns are sending a lot of people the hell?
This fervour is largely confined to the media – a sector of society overburdened with ignorant liberalism.
The faux outrage at Hamilton’s trip to the range & subsequent craven actions by his F1 team are the real issue, with professional “protestors” employed by the anti firearms lobby & multinationals not having the balls to tell them & their media pals that quite frankly, they don’t care.
After all; how many liberals would buy a Mercedes in the first place?
A lot of panty-sniffing British pansies are going to have their faux indignation shoved right up their asses by people who don’t care who they offend — or who they decapitate. The sad thing is that the Brits made their bed, and soon they will have to lay in it.
And we’ll likely have to fix it again. With guns.
Maybe can redo Normandy again too since the French are in the same place?
Or not. Perhaps it’s time to let them lie in that bed they made with a nice big comforter of appeasement.
add most of Western Europe to the list as well.
Not soon, but now. Because they don’t have the stones to throw out the jihadidies they are awash in “asylum” seekers living on the dole and rabbiting them. Combine that with all the Muslims trying to get through the channel tunnel, and with a large number of them succeeding, it won’t be long before Britain adopts Sharia law.
Very few make it through the tunnel & of those that do, most are sent back to France.
The UK has a lower percentage of Muslims than most European countries & I doubt there are fifty out of the 15,000 population in my home town – most of them doctors at the hospital, so hardly your average fundamentalist.
Oh do grow up!
Your ignorance of the situation in the UK is plain to see, so why comment on something of which you know nothing?
Why don’t you tell us what the situation is then? I see countries letting in muslims by the boatload and people like you think that will not come back on everyone? Are you stupid? It already HAS come back on these countries including our own. Let go of you social experiment mentality and join the reality crowd.
You don’t live in the UK.
I do & apart from a few areas in a few cities, Muslims are a small minority & constitute less than 6% of the population.
Why don’t YOU do something about the 20 million plus illegals that have entered the US across the Mexican border if you’re so concerned.
You might also refer yourself to the statistics for people killed by Islamic terrorism outside of the ME & other Muslim countries. It’s not any European country that has suffered the worst attacks; it’s the US, so dig that log out of your eye & look at the facts, rather than spout reactionary fantasies as promulgated by the media.
Well I do remember hundreds of cars being burned in France by mobs of young Muslims. I have also gone to UK sites that have discussions about the Muslim problem in the UK and the silenced people who can’t speak out because of the politically correct atmosphere that you seem to be a part of. I don’t have to take your word for anything. As far as our problem with illegals, I really would like that problem solved. If not for the liberal mental disorder of denying reality, we’d have this problem solved. I suspect you suffer the same disorder.
You’re merely confirming that you know next to nothing.
For a start, I’m a long standing member of the UK Independence Party, as Party that is a sight more conservative than your present RINO Republicans.
The only people silenced here are those who are too timid to speak out & they are a minority outside of politicians – a craven breed at the best of times.
A “politically correct atmosphere” only exists amongst those who wish it so & you know nothing of who is a part of that – accusing ME of being so is laughable & plainly a cover for your erroneous assumptions elsewhere on the subject.
I suffer from no disorder WRT illegals, though our politicians certainly do – globally.
Witness the UN spokesman yesterday demanding that developed nations take in millions of these lawless often amoral & violent people, the vast majority of whom aren’t fleeing violence but seeking a free ride though life at the expense of their unwilling hosts.
As you can see, I’m NOT condoning illegals but rather criticising the hysterical propaganda being built around them. It’s not in the least helpful in combating the liberal inspired free for all at our borders, as it is so easily rebutted, thus weakening the REAL case for reversing the flow.
Let’s keep to the facts, as they are a far better weapon than all the emotive hyperbole being thrown around.
You talk just like the arrogant liberals we have here. First of all, I don’t believe you. I went to the sites I am talking about and it doesn’t take long to understand you are reading postings from very intelligent people so your easy dismissal of it just shows your arrogance as well as plenty of assumptions on your part. Time will tell on everything and my bet is that letting Muslims into this country will be nothing more than importing European problems that you seem to deny having. I know the politically correct atmosphere exists here as I have seen it first hand and I seriously doubt the UK is without any significance of it like you claim, and based on websites I have been to, I think you have the same problem but worse. I choose to read the handwriting on the wall and you choose to downplay it. I fully understand not all Muslims are the same. I also don’t care about that because with them come a certain percentage of radicals. However, overall, I don’t believe their Sharia Law is compatible with our constitution and they have already tried in many areas to practice it. I didn’t come here to get into a one on one debate about this because in the end, it will be useless. You live there and I live here and I’ll see things here as I wish to see them based on my observations, not yours, just as you seem to be doing.
All I can do is ROFL and shake my head at these stupid, self serving idiots.
I shoot with some guys from England in the winter and the comment that stays with me is “Happiness is Heathrow in the rearview”.
Steve
Racing and shooting are quite similar, mentally. I’ve done both. They are what I call “zen” activities… contrary to the popular, intuitive misconception (by non-participants) that they are “thrilling” or an “adrenaline rush.”
Dear France…
You’re welcome. Again.
Signed,
‘Merica!
Surprised Niki Lauda told him to take it down…he’s one tough mofo, and is usually a “to hell with what you think” kind of guy.
my uneducated guess…. sponsors are a hell of a motivator
Contact THE SPONSORS.
[email protected]
Leave pro2A comments here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15RhV1s7JBs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFnSKO6Cb8A
Though, in my past. I’ve also spent my time in motorsports. I have an award winning mini-truck in my garage. Drive a modified ’14 Mustang. Spent a cold winter ice racing in Canada and layed down a superbike at 175MPH.
I knew Kenny Roberts head mechanic and could have gone traveling. Those were the days when you gave up every thing in order to succeed.
Today? It’s much different….and I’ve nothing but accolades to Lauda!
He not only has fame, he has GUTS!
Though not quite enough guts, apparently, to stand up to a few crybabies pissing themselves over a completely innocuous video of a guy bench shooting a rifle.
Anonymous Internet crybabies at that.
Though, the Sponsor Pressure theory does hold some weight.
Lewis, you’re an idiot.
Use some eye protection, man.
The word offended is beginning to offend me
I used to respect Niki Lauda. The last thing Mercedes made that I liked (after the 300 SL) was the Unimog, so I don’t care much for them either.
Hamilton won today at Spa in Belgium, so I doubt if this is a big deal overall. He’s likely to be the 2015 World Champion.
Wow gawd with a non-troll post-is this THE END OF THE WORLD?
“He was ordered to remove the video from Instagram by Mercedes team boss Niki Lauda after a number of fans were offended by it.” Hey Niki, ya EXPLETIVE DELETED, grow some EXPLETIVE DELETED and go shooting. Oh, and tell
the the offended fans to go EXPLETIVE DELETED them selves.
Must be the other side of the pond coming out to heckle him. There’s a few points I’d like to make. First of the person who wrote the article is either speaking in the Queen’s dialect of gun terms of they don’t have a clue of what they’re talking about.
“Posted with the simple comment: “Target practice”, the footage shows him tooled up with a sniper rifle complete with sight and stand.” I’m surprised they didn’t mention it had an “insane capacity clip with heat seeking, armor piercing incendiary, tracing, cop killing dum-dum hollow points.
Second, with the way a lot of pro athletes are going his fans are treating him like he’s doing blow off some hooker like some other athletes have done. Provided he’s in a free part of the world, it’s 100% legal.
Third, although his target isn’t visible I suspect he’s not shooting at babies, puppies, kittens, baby seals, otters or anything else cute enough to care about.
Lastly, he’s a person who drives a car around a track at 200mph. Although it’s no guarantee it’s likely he has an idea how to be around dangerous things. He doesn’t need a nanny, the police, some politician or his mom there to tell him that what he’s doing is safe or unsafe.
TELL IT TO HIS SPONSOR.
People are just always looking for a reason to hate Lewis Hamilton. The gun has nothing to do with it. When he did donuts in Australia, people wanted him to leave F1, the same when he was caught speeding in France, or when he moved to Monaco. They always see him as this disrespectful kid who doesn’t belong in F1 and seeing him in progress of getting his third championship just pisses some people off. I say good for Lewis. He could have been doing anything and someone would be angry. Haters gonna hate.
I think most men who haven’t been whipped by women enjoy shooting guns. Kudos to Lewis for going to the range, but I want to see a video of him shooting a minigun!
He should have ended his statement with “Get over it”
Didn’t Americans, who have a “fixation” with guns, just save some Europeans again? If we had a President with some balls, he would call out the Europeans and let them know next time, they’re on their own
Wouldn’t it have been great if one of those guys had said “yeah, he crossed the line, and surrender was not an option!”
The top comments at Daily Mail give me hope lol. They’re like “Big deal.”
I must admit right away that I am a big fan of motorsport, which, by the way, is dominated by men, and this is no secret. For decades, women have fought against prevailing sexism in an industry that was institutionalized even as the rest of the world moved forward. Check out the article https://speedwaymedia.com/2021/10/04/motorsports-work-to-present-gender-equality/ on how motorsport works to represent gender equality, which is a very interesting and relevant topic for me today.
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