Today is the 216th day of the year.
There have been 251 mass shootings so far this year.
There were four in the last week in California, Mississippi, Texas, and Ohio.
That means that there has been, statistically speaking, more than one mass shooting every day.
There have been 2,191 Mass Shootings since the horrific school shootings at Newtown in December 2012.
When will this end? When will the Party of Lincoln finally shake off the shackles of the National Rifle Association (and their fringe base) and pass with Democrats in the Senate:
- Universal Background Checks (which should include what social media sites prospective gun purchasers are paying attention to.)
- Red Flag Measures.
- Close private gun sale show loopholes
- Removing assault weapons from the street. It took the Dayton shooter a minute to kill nine people and injure the others before law enforcement neutralized him.
- Measures that call out white nationalism as domestic terrorism.
We need new policies in addition to “thoughts and prayers.”
Arizona’s Democrats have reacted to these horrible tragedies. These include:
Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego
“Today, we woke up to the news of yet another mass shooting in another American city. Two mass shootings in two days. 29 people are gone, and dozens of families across our nation are irrevocably shattered. I cannot begin to fathom this amount of pain and my heart breaks for these individuals.
We cannot give in to the insidious fear and hate that these shootings seek to spread. The goal is to divide us, and we must unite against this division. We must continue to call for increased gun control measures. This should not be our new normal.”
Tucson Mayoral Candidate Steve Farley
“It’s not video games.”
“It’s not the lack of prayer in schools.”
“It’s the widespread availability of weapons of mass destruction to anyone who wants them, thanks to the gun show and private sale loopholes.”
“It’s the greed of such manufacturers of such weapons who use the NRA to stop all reasonable solutions.”
“It’s time for legislators to act. Ban assault weapons. Ban high capacity magazines. Close the background check loopholes.”
“Enough.”
Maricopa County Party Chairperson Steven Slugocki
“I’m starting to think “Thoughts and Prayers” aren’t going to help with domestic terrorism. Maybe we should try something new? How about our elected officials take real action?”
Maricopa County Candidate for School Superintendent Jeanne Casteen
“Even though Republicans have tried to deny the public health implications of gun violence for over twenty years (https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/1487470), it is undeniable that there is a crisis. My own state representative in LD 24, Jen Longdon, is in a wheelchair because of gun violence. Former US Congresswoman, Gabriel Giffords will never be the same because of the shooting that took place in her Tucson district in 2011, and too many of my students and their families have been affected by the regular occurrence of gun violence in their own communities.”
“The news of two mass shootings happening less than 24 hours apart left me feeling deeply saddened. These occurrences are no longer things that are far removed from my life; in May of 2018, my old college roommate, an English teacher, was on campus at her high school in Dixon, Illinois, when a shooter entered the campus and started firing. A few months later, a work colleague lost a niece and nephew in a shooting at a bar in Globe, Arizona. During my lifetime in education, I’ve been on a school campus during a lockdown about a half-dozen times. These lockdowns were enacted because of an incident in the neighborhood, and not because of an active shooter on campus, but that makes them no less scary.”
“Earlier this year, a little girl was gunned down in her own driveway a half-mile from the school where I worked. My students began sharing their own stories of gun violence. One student shared that not only had a cousin been injured by gunshots when he was a child, but in 4th grade, his best friend was shot and killed in his own front yard. Another student has a brother who was shot and injured while in their home, and now is paralyzed from the waist down. Many of my students have shared their families’ “drop drills,” behavior I have seen evolve over my 11 years in teaching: Dropping and waiting on the floor for random gunfire to subside has become a streamlined and efficient process because it is a matter of life and death. Gun violence is traumatic, and my students have struggled through too many of these traumatic events. Schools and educators are left to deal with the aftermath with fewer and fewer resources. Gun violence is a public health crisis, and I can’t help but wonder what the future holds for those who are involved in these horrific events.”
Maricopa County Candidate for School Superintendent Jennifer Samuels
“I refuse to accept this as our new normal. We shouldn’t have two mass shootings in less than 24 hours.
Read this book, join this group, let’s make our community safer. @MomsDemand@shannonrwattshttps://momsdemandaction.org/join/ “
“We know the El Paso domestic terrorist is a white nationalist. We also know hate crimes are on the rise.
Not only do we focus on them but we focus on removing elected GOPs who align themselves with and downplay the danger the white nationalists are to our Country.
I will fight to protect the USA from domestic terrorists.”
“Earlier today (Saturday) we were out getting school supplies.”
“I’m reflecting now with heartbreak on how many of these El Paso families might have been doing the same … looking forward to the future.”
“No place is safe. Yet, we don’t act.
Hate, fueled by politicians looking to win elections, is taking lives.”
“Demand a vote on #HR8
Demand to #BanAssaultWeapons
Demand #gunreformnow
If they take #NRA money, call them out and vote them OUT.
If they are quiet about racism, call them out. They are complicit.”
“This administration has spent years dividing us using a false economic premise, openly promoting racism and white supremacy and aggressively protecting access to killing machines.”
“Call it ALL out. It is why the picture below is America today.”
“Another shooting. We saw the horror unfolding late last night in Dayton. 9 confirmed dead.”
“What if the suspect, with high-capacity magazines, wasn’t stopped so quickly?”
2020 Congressional District Six Candidate Stephanie Rimmer
“We have no idea where nor when we will face the next attack by another lone gunman. Keeping our communities safe becomes more challenging every day as laws favoring the NRA and gun rights activists thwart efforts to increase public safety. I support federal laws that require background checks as a first step in combatting gun violence in America.
2020 Congressional District Six Candidate Dr. Hiral Tipirneni
“How long will we stand by as our fellow Americans are killed in cold blood?”
“For lawmakers to turn a blind eye as families across our nation grieve heartbreaking losses, time & time again, is absolute cowardice.”
“Do Something.”
“Our hearts are w/the #ElPasoShooting victims & their families. Our thanks are w/the first responders & heroes.”
“Our ACTION must be in the Senate to pass commonsense gun safety reforms now. Not sure how often we need to say this: Gun Violence Is A Public Health Crisis.”
#NotOneMore
#GiffordsCourage
#MomsDemandAction
2020 Congressional District Eight Candidate Michael Muscato
“The reality is that inaction on gun violence from our elected officials is the greatest threat to our gun ownership.”
“Elected officials such as my opponent Debbie Lesko for Congress who have accepted tens of thousands of dollars from the NRA and drug companies want nothing to change. Instead, they push fear of taking away guns (see gun and ammunition sales during the Obama administration).”
“Inaction is getting to a point where common-sense solutions will be surpassed for confiscation. The solution is to replace these elected officials who across the board are financed by the corporations and interest groups who are responsible for our problems.”
#muscatoforcongress Arizona Democratic Party Maricopa County Democratic PartyDemocratsDemocratic Party
Legislative District 20 Democratic Party Chairperson Janet Wilson
“How many more innocent lives will die before there is real action taken to keep people safe? We must hold our legislators accountable for their lack of action to address this crisis in our society.”
State Representative Legislative District 18 Representative Jennifer Jermaine
“They targeted children in a bounce house, families shopping for school supplies, and young adults waiting in line to enjoy a night out. 251 mass shootings in 2019, and it is only August 4th. Racism mixed with easy access to semiautomatic weapons and large magazine clips fueled the events of this past week. It is time for action and policy change.”
2020 State Senate District 11 Candidate Linda Patterson
“I have always believed that the Weapons of War has no place in society. After yesterday’s mass shootings/killings, I am more convinced that the bloodshed must stop NOW! We are in the midst of a Mass Shooting Epidemic.
I realize that Weapons like the AK-47 and other killing machines are plentiful in the US…so maybe we need to outlaw the ammunition that can kill and severely injure so many in so little time.
Let us come together to stop the madness. We have been patient for far too long. Please be a part of the change you wish to see in the world.
I am a candidate for the AZ State Senate, LD 11. I plan to provide the leadership necessary to meet the needs of the majority in our state who want something done to eliminate the threat caused by weapons of war. For Change We Can Believe In, please vote for me!”
“White Nationalism is evil and is contributing to a threatening environment in our country. It is time to put human life ahead of special interests. My sympathy to all of the family members in El Paso who have lost loved ones and those who are in hospitals with the wounded. The majority of those in our country desire common sense remedies to confront violence. We MUST stand up and send a message to our elected leaders!
#MarchForOurLives
#StrongerTogether
#IndividualRights”
2020 Legislative District 23 Representative Candidate Eric Kurland
“We must do better. Battlefield weapons should not be sold in our communities. All gun sales should be through a licensed dealer. Gun owners licensed. Universal background checks. Mandatory waiting periods. We must do better.”
It is time to stop, as many have called it, the public health crisis of mass shootings. Even noted Republicans like Lindsay Graham, Susan Collins, and John Kasich have called for gun control legislation.
It is time for Moscow Mitch-Obstructionist in Chief-Enemy of the People-Political Prince of Darkness to call the Senate back from Summer Break and allow a vote on the House Gun Control measures such as universal background checks, red flag provisions, and banning assault weapons that the majority of the American people and their public servants support.
Mr. Trump’s prepared comments on Monday morning (August 5, 2019), via teleprompter, are actually a step in the right direction. Hopefully, positive actions will follow and this constitutes a significant emotional event rather than comforting words designed to get through the 24-hour news cycle.
The combined comments of Tucson Mayoral Candidate Steve Farley and Legislative District 18 Representative Jennifer Jermaine encapsulate the sentiments of the time:
“Enough” and “It is time for action and policy change.”
Featured Image from Pittsburgh City Paper
Correction, only LD8 Democratic candidate.
As the only LD8 state House candidate, Gunsense candidate and emergency medicine provider, I speak out now against gun violence. We cannot wait anymore in Arizona and must pass responsible gun legislation now. We can do a lot in the legislature. We must pass universal background checks, close the gun show loophole, pass red flag laws and ban assault style weapons and high capacity magazines. I’ve held gun shot victims life in my hands and I say , we cannot wait any longer.
The few Republicans I’ve seen interviewed are blaming video games.
Because only America has video games, right?
The more fringe Republicans are blaming The Gays. Because only America has gay people?
Republicans are blaming mental health issues, because only America has mental health issues?
Republicans are saying knives and cars are the same as an assault rifle with a 100 round magazine.
Republican will not admit that these White Supremacists are repeating, word for word, things they hear Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham say on Fox News and in Trump’s Tweets.
Republicans will not condemn the Racist in Chief because they are cowards.
Good for these Dems speaking out, because Republicans are cowards.
Agree 100%. However, the republicans who give lame excuses and are paid by the NRA may also be white supremacists, right in our backyard in the state legislature. We’ve experienced the likes of Arpaio and others.