Yesterday, our nation saw yet another in what seems to be a worsening and never-ending string of school shootings.\u00a0 This one took the life of a friend\u2019s daughter, but the truth is that in every such incident families in each community tragically and unnecessarily suffer profound loss.\u00a0 The worst is the loss of life, especially children.\u00a0 Survivors also contend with loss.\u00a0 There are physical, psychological, and emotional impacts that could last a lifetime.\u00a0 Statistics really do not matter because even one such incident is entirely unacceptable.\u00a0 However, by way of illustration, we have had over 20 mass shootings since 1999, 15 since 2007, five of the worst in the last few years, and 18 incidents in the last 45 days alone.\u00a0 Just think about that and how ridiculous it is that society accepts it.<\/p>\n
We are not always able to learn the exact cause.\u00a0 It is safe to say that these shooters have mental health problems, at least some form of sociopathy to commit such a heinous act.\u00a0 However, it is overly simplistic to write this of as a mental health problem.\u00a0 It is first and foremost a gun safety problem.\u00a0 People with mental health problems are just part of it.\u00a0 The reason for the shooting is less of an issue if we could only begin to address ways to prevent them. \u00a0Nothing is perfect or 100% foolproof, but shouldn\u2019t we try?\u00a0 If we can prevent even some of these senseless mass murders of children isn\u2019t that enough?\u00a0 Is it too much of an imposition for law abiding citizens to wait briefly for a proper, effective background check to complete if it helps keep firearms away from dangerous people who pose a threat to our communities?\u00a0 I can\u2019t believe we are asking these questions and I am incredulous there are otherwise decent people who demand instantaneous weapons purchases even at the expense of legitimate public safety.<\/p>\n
After each incident, the National Rifle Association (NRA) and their Congressional mouthpieces, try to deflect the American people\u2019s attention, claiming \u201cnow is not the time\u201d to address these issues.\u00a0 Has enough time passed since Columbine?\u00a0 Has enough time passed since Sandy Hook?\u00a0 Has enough time passed since the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando or movie theater in Colorado?\u00a0 The time is past due for Congress to address gun violence and gun safety. \u00a0For any members of the Senate or House too afraid to discuss these issues and allow a vote, it is time for you to leave government.\u00a0 It is reprehensible that our leaders have allowed shooting after shooting with no action whatsoever.\u00a0 These politicians would rather allow mass murder and ignore school safety rather than risk being unseated by the NRA.\u00a0 That type of extreme cowardice should be unacceptable to voters. \u00a0Money and advertising play a big part of our elections.\u00a0 However, voters are not that likely in today\u2019s world to allow the NRA to unseat a member simply because they voted for a reasonable gun safety measure.\u00a0 They may even get more votes for finally addressing some very popular measures.\u00a0 If it really costs them re-election, so be it.\u00a0 Do the right thing that we so desperately need you to do and leave a hero with a good conscience.\u00a0 Don\u2019t sit there knowing the consequences of continued inaction.<\/p>\n
The NRA provides millions of dollars to candidates and can provide significant support to primary opponents to those who defy them. \u00a0Consequently, most Republicans and some Democrats in Congress will not even entertain the idea of gun reform. \u00a0It is highly likely that the NRA will carry out the threat to unseat anyone who supports gun reform, even those measures with overwhelming support by the American people.\u00a0 There some good people in the NRA who privately do not oppose some of these measures.\u00a0 However, as an organization, the NRA leadership clearly demonstrates callous indifference to the thousands of dead children or the over 150,000 children who have been directly impacted by these shootings.\u00a0 They can help us stop, or a least lessen, these incidents.\u00a0 Unfortunately, the NRA would rather ignore an endless number of these incidents than support a single common-sense gun reform measure. \u00a0In the past, the NRA was an important source of safety training and responsible gun ownership.\u00a0 However, because of their absolute extremism they are no longer a legitimate part of the discussion. \u00a0They foolishly forfeit the ability to work in partnership with Congress and states to achieve reasonable, balanced approaches to gun violence. \u00a0Such efforts would truly be in the best interests of its members.\u00a0 The NRA still does not care about that.\u00a0 They are now all about gun sales.\u00a0 Enjoy your blood money.<\/p>\n
Here is a sample of the what the NRA not only opposes but will actively unseat any politician who does not completely oppose as well.\u00a0 There has been legislation pending to deny those on the \u201cNo-Fly List\u201d from purchasing weapons, overwhelmingly popular among the American people.\u00a0 Apparently, the NRA would prefer terrorists to have weapons than to support any common-sense reform.\u00a0 Another bill addresses an improved background check system which has the support of 95% of the American people.\u00a0 Clearly, we need to improve the system, but the NRA would rather see more mass shootings than allow us to do so.\u00a0 70% of Republicans support a ban on military grade assault weapons, but the NRA will not allow any debate.\u00a0 What about bump stocks?\u00a0 They oppose banning those, too.\u00a0 President Obama signed an Executive Order focused on limiting those with mental health problems from purchasing weapons.\u00a0 President Trump, at the behest of the NRA, instantly rescinded that order making it easier for those who should not possess weapons due to mental illness to amass weapons.<\/p>\n
I support the 2d Amendment and respect responsible gun ownership.\u00a0 I enjoy going to the range to fire.\u00a0 None of the measures above violate the 2d Amendment or restrict the rights of responsible gun owners.\u00a0 Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, the conservative champion and adherent to strict constructionism\/original intent theory, would not find these provisions violative of the Constitution.\u00a0 He wrote for the Court in the Heller<\/em> decision that the 2d Amendment guarantees the right of citizens to own guns to protect their homes.\u00a0 Per Scalia and the Court, the government has the authority to enact reasonable safety controls, etc., consistent with this right to protect one\u2019s home.\u00a0 Thus, while we can debate as a matter of policy whether to ban military grade weapons, bump sticks, et al, such measures do not violate the Constitution or anyone\u2019s 2d Amendment rights.\u00a0 While there are fringe members of Congress on both sides, there has not been any real effort to threaten the 2d Amendment or take people\u2019s guns away.\u00a0 That is NRA propaganda, the actual fake news, used to support their politicians and attack others.\u00a0 The problem is when gun owners do not support the inherent right of all people to live in safety. \u00a0That is paramount and supersedes everything else. There should never be a day where children are afraid to go to school for fear of being shot in the hallways.\u00a0 Families should feel safe going to a movie without fear that the person behind them will pull out a weapon and shoot up the theater.<\/p>\n Here we are in 2018.\u00a0 Thousands of innocent people have been slaughtered in in mass shootings.\u00a0 The NRA and their puppets in Congress are cowards.\u00a0 They fear truth and honest debate.\u00a0 Politicians who literally allow the extremist NRA to run the country should be ashamed.\u00a0 In fact, they should be bounced from office.\u00a0 All voters should look at where their elected officials get their money and demand accountability.\u00a0 For example, the NRA has spent over 3.3 million dollars to buy Senator Marco Rubio.\u00a0 There are plenty of special interests out there and we should be weary of all of them.\u00a0 However, none exercises greater power than the NRA.<\/p>\n NRA – you now share responsibility for these shootings with those who pull the trigger.\u00a0 You support murder.\u00a0 Time to change or time to fade away.\u00a0 NRA members \u2013 You support an organization that condones the slaughter of children for its own political purposes.\u00a0 You can no longer rely upon the NRA\u2019s positive programs involving safety and training and ignore their political extremism.\u00a0 You must choose.\u00a0 Any good work they did is entirely outweighed by the callous indifference to public safety and the American people\u2019s demands for reasonable safety legislation.\u00a0 There are other organizations that provide safety training and advocate for gun rights.\u00a0 Stop supporting the NRA until it abandons its extremism that threatens our society.\u00a0 Every penny given, every membership filed, every bumper sticker on a car all contribute to this national crisis.\u00a0 If you support the NRA, even with just a membership, you are hurting the nation and putting our children at risk.\u00a0 American voters \u2013 Continue to demand change.\u00a0 Hold representatives accountable.\u00a0 Inform them that anyone who receives support from the NRA, especially those who advocate their extreme agenda, will lose their seat.\u00a0 The time is now.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Yesterday, our nation saw yet another in what seems to be a worsening and never-ending string of school shootings.\u00a0 This one took the life of a friend\u2019s daughter, but the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_price":"","_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"0","_ticket_start_date":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":false,"_tribe_ticket_use_global_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_global_stock_level":"","_global_stock_mode":"","_global_stock_cap":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_going_count":"","_tribe_ticket_not_going_count":"","_tribe_tickets_list":"[]","_tribe_ticket_has_attendee_info_fields":false,"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[128,182,209,249],"class_list":["post-249","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog","tag-gun-safety","tag-mass-murder","tag-nra","tag-school-shootings"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/whoobazoo.com\/thebooth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/whoobazoo.com\/thebooth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/whoobazoo.com\/thebooth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whoobazoo.com\/thebooth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whoobazoo.com\/thebooth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=249"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/whoobazoo.com\/thebooth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/whoobazoo.com\/thebooth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=249"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whoobazoo.com\/thebooth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=249"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whoobazoo.com\/thebooth\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=249"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}