For the past few days, I have been thinking about the back-to-back mass shootings in Buffalo (an attack on defenseless African Americans by a brainwashed young white nationalist American) and Uvalde (an attack on defenseless children and their teachers by a deranged young Hispanic American).
Both are different in motivation and method – but both share two common features:
- Both perpetrators were young and impressionable.
- Both were old enough to acquire firearms with no purpose other than to kill other people quickly, and quantities of ammunition that defy any purpose other than shooting many people.
These tragedies were enabled and permitted under the existing framework of laws in the states where the tragedies happened.
Now, no state – even Texas – actually encourages these horrendous events. Just listen to Governor Abbott decry the tragedy and call for “thoughts and prayers.” But in these two situations, no state or federal law or regulation prevented or even made it difficult for the perpetrators to obtain the means to carry out mass murder.
We all live in jeopardy
Due to the laxity of both state and federal law, regulation, or enforcement, we all live in jeopardy of becoming victims of similar random acts of terror and violence at the hands of people with dangerous firearms.
For many years, I have followed the principle of not supporting or voting for any local, state, or federal official who does not take a stand for stronger regulation of firearms. Many times, I have not been able to ask the candidate a specific question or read about a candidate’s position; and I would have to infer what they might do if they had to deal with policy or legislation on firearms regulation. I have been disappointed only once so far. Can anybody guess by whom?
So, what do I do now? What should you do? At a time when even the future of our democracy is at stake, we must become single-issue voters. We need to know, and we need our candidates to know, that we expect them to work with like-minded colleagues to do something about this serious problem and move forward with reasonable firearms safety measures. We need to get law and policy that makes it difficult or impossible for the wrong people to get the wrong type of firearm. Period.
Not voting because we are frustrated with inaction is not an option. Indeed, our vote is the strongest weapon we have as long as we have a democracy. So, if you feel as angry as I do, ask your candidates what they will do to make us all safer from gun violence, and vote accordingly. And then, after the election, let your candidate know you are watching them, expecting to see some progress on this issue — or understand why. Sometimes politicians need a pain in the butt now and then to keep them honest.
So now we’re learning that some cops went into Robb Elementary and got their own kids out, but did not take out the shooter.
I never, ever, want to hear the BS about good guys with guns.
It was always a bumper sticker level argument that didn’t make any sense, and this recent shooting should force apologies from every gun rights idiot.
I know it’s an accumulation of anger after the last few years, babies in cages, family separations, covidiots eating horse paste, January 6th, the endless Big Lie, the corruption of the SCOTUS, conservatives cheering on Putin while millions of people’s lives are torn apart, but damn.
It’s very hard to not spend all day screaming at conservatives about how wrong they are about literally everything and the harm it’s causing.
The GOP = Dead Children. Period.