Two massacres in one week.
Older people in a grocery store in one place just minding their own business. Then just a few days later, 4th graders in a single classroom in TX were gunned down. Motives are unclear, but it is clear about a few things.
These shooters had help. Like it or not, politicians ALLOWED the Assault Weapons Ban to expire in 2004 simply because the gun lobby wanted access to these very deadly, expensive “penis extensions”. Try as the progressive wing might to forestall this idiocy and extend the ban, it was allowed to expire under President George W. Bush. From that point in time, mass shootings in this country shot (unfortunate word) up nearly 250% and it has stayed high (the highest in the entire world). This is hardly something to celebrate.
Another group with “blood on their hands” is the gun manufacturers who made and marketed the guns heavily. They cannot escape their culpability here. They lobbied for, and got, an exception to the liability laws that say a manufacturer of a product is responsible to the public if that product is used or found to be deadly in its use. Translated to people language: they cannot be sued for people using their weapons to kill other people. Hence the slogan: guns don’t kill people, people do. It infers that all the blame should be on the person pulling the trigger, but no blame on whoever made the weapon or the ammunition. My opinion is that is richer than a great deal of compost.
Gun dealers who sell those weapons, parents that gift them, and others that facilitate their acquisition by people who should not have them for all sorts of reasons (age, immaturity, mental health, felonies, no training, questionable activities such as ISIS, etc.) are also bloody with guilt. They have enabled these people to get their hands on and load weapons that properly belong on a battlefield and only used by trained personnel under orders.
Yes, I know these people acted alone, but they had help. No 18 year old guy should be able to purchase TWO AR15s with ammunition costing well over $3000 EACH when he does not have a job and lives with his mommy. That is just not plausible even for Texas.
Yes, people failed this guy. When he tortured and killed the family cat, he should have been 1090’d straight into mental health treatment right then. That screams PSYCHOPATH to every law officer and mental health professional in the business. He needed help right then and he didn’t get it. The guy was a walking time bomb. (note: if you know of someone who tortures and kills small animals, CALL THE COPS. It is a red flag warning.)
The question for us now is: What actions can we take? What can we as citizens do?
- Call/write/email your Senators and tell them that you want MANDATORY NATIONAL BACKGROUND CHECKS ON EVERY GUN PURCHASE. (Be sure to specify that means dealers, gun shows, and private sales.)
- Ask for REINSTATEMENT OF THE BAN ON ASSAULT STYLE WEAPONS, EXTENDED MAGAZINES, AND BUMP STOCKS.
- In November, vote for every progressive Democrat you can find on the ballot.
There will be more things to do, but this is the MOST pressing right now. (You should see my list!) We can’t get everything at once. Let’s get what we can.
GET MAD. STAY MAD. VOTE MAD.
Wright4Georgia 