A stunning state of denial

by | May 26, 2022 | Editor's Blog | 7 comments

The deaths of children in schools at the hands of deranged shooters is the most disturbing part of life in modern America. Our inability to act to prevent future deaths is mind numbing. The fact that we can’t, or won’t, take measures to protect our offspring, the literal future of the country, shows a broken and dysfunctional political system.

As has been widely noted, the problem in this country is too many guns that are too easily accessible and a gun culture that fetishizes weapons. The vast majority of the country believes that we need to take reasonable measures to restrict access to guns, especially assault weapons. Regardless, nothing ever happens and I doubt it will this time. 

Before the bodies of the Uvalde victims were even cold, conservatives and Republicans were putting out statements proclaiming their opposition to any measure to curb access to guns. Just hours after the shooting, Sen. Thom Tillis told reporters that restricting access to guns was not part of the solution and bashed red flag laws design to keep guns out of the hands of unstable or dangerous people, saying they constitute “overreach.” He offered no solution to the problem and has, so far, offered no legislation in the wake of other mass shootings that have occurred during his political career. 
 

And Tillis isn’t the only one. Texas Senator Ted Cruz made sure to voice his opposition to any gun control measures despite the deaths of his young constituents. Conservatives on Twitter made the argument that any gun control measures violate Second Amendment rights. That’s not true, but seems to be the GOP talking point of the day. 

We have strong evidence that banning assault weapons works and is not unconstitutional. They were banned for a decade from 1994 to 2004. A comprehensive study showed that, “Compared with the 10-year period before the ban, the number of gun massacres during the ban period fell by 37 percent, and the number of people dying from gun massacres fell by 43 percent. But after the ban lapsed in 2004, the numbers shot up again — an astonishing 183 percent increase in massacres and a 239 percent increase in massacre deaths.”

I’m not even for banning them. I just think they should be highly regulated, but that’s not the point. Reducing access to guns saves lives and can be done without unduly restricting people’s constitutional rights. The vast majority of Americans agree that some limitations on guns is needed. Republicans hiding behind the constitution are really just scared of angering their reactionary base. 

In Texas, Beto O’Rourke caught the attention of the media and public when he confronted Governor Greg Abbott in the wake of the shooting. Abbott has bragged about making access to guns easier. O’Rourke became the voice of those angry at the inaction of our elected officials to take action despite shooting after shooting. 

The party that calls itself pro-life is showing its hypocrisy. The best solution they’ve offered is to limit the number of entry doors into schools. It would be funny if it weren’t so pathetic. They’re clearly devoid of any serious ideas that would reduce mass shootings. While they are loath to admit it, they  would rather let more children die than confront their paranoid, reactionary base. They are living in a stunning state of denial. 

7 Comments

  1. Mike Leonard

    The NRA has been heavily infiltrated by Russians. That’s where the money is coming from to create chaos in our country.

    • cocodog

      “Coincidence Number 395” Never investigated, never proven, therefore swap under the rug. and ceased to exist.

  2. Russ Becker

    The carnage could be somewhat lessened with limits on ammunition. Magazine capacity needs to be limited to 3 rounds. When I was a teen, I hunted gophers with a .22 which had a tube which could hold 15 rounds–you can only shoot one gopher at a time, and if you miss, he’s back down his hole in an instant. To make sure I made every shot count, I only loaded 1 round into the chamber, knowing I would only get one shot off. That’s why I fired Expert in the USMC. If you need more than 3 rounds in the magazine, you must be a terrible shot. Because a 3 round magazine is short, it’s very difficult to tape 2 together to quickly switch magazines when the first is empty. When Rep. Gifford was shot, the shooter was tackled when his magazine was empty. Two 30 round long magazines taped together gives the shooter a quick magazine change allowing 60 shots to be used on innocent victims.

    You need the vicious killing power of an assault weapon only to kill your neighbors. The next time a 2nd Amendment nut babbles that assault weapons are needed for citizens to overthrow an unjust government, ask him who he’s going to kill after he’s shot his neighbor–the neighbor’s wife or his kids, because that’s what will be happening if white nationalists get their chance to run amok.

  3. J

    As long as the self described “pro life” party is funded by the merchants of death, they will do whatever their paymasters demand to not only not solve the problem, but exacerbate it.

    And apparently Ted Cruz is as ignorant of fire codes as he is of everything else. Public buildings are REQUIRED to have a specified number of doors based on size, design and occupancy of the building.

    Having made the ballot box moot and the jury box inaccessible to all but the richest, one must wonder how long they can avoid becoming victims of their own success.

  4. Rick Gunter

    No “civilian” should be allowed to get in a mile of a military-style weapon of war. No one! Period! In my distant youth, I became pretty familiar iwth these weapos. They could bring devastation in seconds. These weapons are even deadlier today.
    This country does not just have “gun nuts.” It is nuts to not at least to try to protect the young from this insanity. It is unforgivable, and our generation will be viwed with scorn and shame by history for our moral lapse on this.
    None of this will change until the public, not the politicians, rise up and shouts “ENOUGH!” at the ballot box. I don’t expect that to happen. It is an American and human tragedy of gigantic proportions.

  5. Jay Ligon

    Thom Tillis and Richard Burr are two of the top recipients of gun lobby money. Mitt Romney took the most gun lobby money followed by Burr ($6,987.380) and Tillis in fourth place ($4,421,333)

    Tillis’s last senate race was a razor thin win for him. GOP Sen. Thom Tillis won a second term in North Carolina, after Democrat Cal Cunningham conceded defeat Tuesday in what was the most expensive Senate election in the country this year. Tillis needed the gun lobby money to eek out his 100,000 – vote margin against a candidate who admitted to inappropriate texts to a women who was not his wife.

    Senator NRA Money
    Mitt Romney (UT) $13,647,676
    Richard Burr (NC) $6,987,380
    Roy Blunt (MO) $4,555,722
    Thom Tillis (NC) $4,421,333

    Don’t expect either North Carolina senators to do the right thing. They get too much gun lobby money to care about the children being gunned down in America.

    • cocodog

      What would be interesting is have an audit done of the NRA to see where they obtained these funds to donate to politicians. I seriously doubt the NRA membership fees alone could sustain these amounts. Membership is reported to be dropping.

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