I wish I could say I’m shocked to be writing about another mass shooting, but I’m not. In fact, I expect to be writing about another one in a few months. I just hope it’s not a few weeks.
This time, it’s another school shooting. A troubled 19 year old killed 17 of his former schoolmates and teachers at a high school in Florida. He used an AR-15.
The pro-gun politicians, the NRA and the gun fanatics are all out claiming that the gun didn’t kill anybody, the person did. That’s bunk and they know it. Mass shootings are getting deadlier because of easy access to semi-automatic weapons with high capacity magazines. They were involved in Newtown, Las Vegas, Orlando, San Bernadino and Southerland Springs, Texas.
The guns might not explain why people go on rampages but they certainly make the rampages more deadly. We had an assault weapons ban for ten years. During that time, we had fewer attacks and the ones we had were less deadly. In other words, it worked.
The ban, though, became a rallying point for the NRA and gun enthusiasts and it was repealed in 2004. They used the ban and the threat of another one to juice gun sales. The NRA masquerades as the organization that protects gun owners when in reality it’s the lobby of the gun makers. Now, we have a proliferation of assault weapons that would be difficult to reel-in but gives easy access to disturbed young men like the one in Florida.
Congress and legislatures across the country will tell us there’s nothing we can do about it or that gun laws wouldn’t have prevented the massacre. That’s BS. They should have the guts to at least try.
For all these tools of the NRA, here’s what they can do. Allow research into gun violence. The NRA has blocked knowledge and access to information for 20 years. So politicians who say they don’t know what to do are willfully ignorant.
They can close the gun show loophole and demand universal background checks. At least we could prevent some bad actors from getting their hands on guns. That’s just common sense.
They can ban high capacity clips. When shooters don’t have to reload, they kill a lot more people and prevent people who could stop them. Again, this seems like a no-brainer.
Finally, ban assault weapons, even if only for another decade. It worked before and I suspect it will work again. Regardless, we can stand to ban the sale of assault weapons for ten years while we allow much overdue research into the cause of gun violence. If we find out that the proliferation of assault weapons and high capacity clips have no bearing on the frequency or magnitude of shootings, then lift the ban. Nobody, especially the NRA, believes that will be the case.
We are failing our children. If any one thing shows how broken our political system has become, it’s the frequency and intensity of mass shootings at schools and the lack of any effort to do anything to prevent them. We lost 20 elementary school children and did nothing. That’s astounding and infuriating. I can’t wait for the millennials to take over.
Thomas Mills is the founder and publisher of PoliticsNC.com. Before beginning PoliticsNC, Thomas spent twenty years as a political and public affairs consultant. Learn more >
In truth the 24/7 entertainment, democrat party propaganda machine that hides behind the first amendment is the biggest threat to this county.
The Second Amendment needs a rewrite to clarify what is meant by “A well regulated Militia….” Of course, if the amendment were rewritten, the authors would be the NRA with special phrasing courtesy of ALEC. They would gather their loyal subjects, explain to them how it is perfect as written, and it would become law. That is what the U.S. has become in this age of special-interest lobbies who work counter to the wishes of the majority.
It is not only the politicians who are failing us. We are failing our children. They are being murdered or left with life long injuries. I do not think they should forgive. Our letter writing, our phone calls, our voting for other people – none of this is enough. I am not sure what would be, but I am certain this barbarism must not continue. Perhaps these teenagers will unite in ways we adults have not. I hope so.
Yes, ban the glamour gun. Once a gun becomes part of teenage would be copy cat mass shooters’ fantasies, it’s time for it to go. That applies to all military style long guns which have no place in civilian life. Fantasies often lead to real action as we have seen too many times.
So what are your suggesrtions for bannng weaposn. I want the details of your pruposed ban. There are probably 500 million guns inthe US, are you going to take all of them or some of them?
Are you going to take my pump shotgun, so when I need it in a few seconds the sheriff is 15 minutes away?
Less look at this persons back ground. How was he raised? What happen to his birth parents? Yes less have a adult discussion, from the beginning. What part of video games played a part in this?
We will not excute a person now, why? He will out live me if someone in prison does not take his life.
If you knew that in a period of a year, you would be tried, appealed the convicrion and if given the death sentence you would be put to death on the annversity of your crime, maybe some of this would not happen. I say less try it. But now this killers will live for 20 years or more after their crimes, there is no way to deal with this.
The killers are usually willing to die on the spot and most do.So much for the death penalty.Why is the state in the killing business itself moreover. That cheapens the sanctity of life more.
Make calls:
Senator Burr (202) 224-3154
Senator Tillis (202) 224-6342.
i am totally with you on this, Thomas Of course the politicians in D.C. and elsewhere will do absolutely nothing to curb the slaughter. But as my generation learned during the civil rights movement, we must keep pounding the rock. One day, unfortunately after more innocent deaths, the curbs you advocate will happen. Those with blood on their hands are on the wrong side of this issue. History and the victims’ survivors know it.