Wednesday, February 14, 2018

This is getting insane. We need gun control.


I've flirted with doing a politics-centric blog for a while. Previously under the banner of "Practical American," I've been waffling on doing this. However, given today's tragedy in Florida - yet another completely preventable school shooting - I need a place to organize thoughts on what happened and yes, the politics surrounding it.

17 people (so far) were killed in a high school today.

I love in Southwestern Connecticut. I know people who know people that experienced loss at Sandy Hook. That massacre - the slaughter of innocent elementary school kids - should have been the moment the United States imposed the strictest gun control laws possible. I'd concede it's nearly impossible to outright ban them, and I have no problem with responsible gun owners, however the access to guns in this country is particularly insane.

Movie theaters, churches, offices and schools. The places where we're supposed to be safe, where our children are supposed to be safe, have become shooting ranges. It's February 14 and the shooting Parkland, Florida is the 18th mass shooting of the year. I'm listening to Florida Governor Rick Scott wonder how this could happen in his state. Rick Scott has an A-Rating from the NRA and has been quoted as saying, "The Second Amendment didn't kill anybody."

All indications point to the shooter being mentally unstable, but his tactics follow the same pattern - even the weapon of choice - the easily accessible AR-15.

And yet, politicians - specifically REPUBLICANS - do literally nothing but offer meaningless thoughts and prayers. They have the power to address gun access to people with mental health issues, they have the power to restrict access to these guns. But they do nothing. They offer thoughts and prayers.

Hell, one of Trump's first actions as president was to make it easier for people with mental health issues to get guns. 

Thoughts and prayers. Maybe stop doing that, because these shootings keep happening. If you're asking God for help, She's not listening. In fact, the deity of choice is flat out ignoring you.

For example, look at this notorious coward Marco Rubio, who regularly tweets Bible verses, but his voting record shows he doesn't live up to those same Christian principles.



It's utterly insane that this is allowed to keep happening in this country, especially after Sandy Hook.

Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi is offering to pay funeral expenses, though. That's nice, but what about enacting laws to prevent this from happening again?

More Americans have been killed in mass shootings and gun violence than any terror attack. When we were attacked on 9/11, we didn't hesitate to invade Afghanistan or make up a false connection and lie about weapons of mass destruction to invade Iraq. But our own people being gunned down by the dozen in churches and schools? No biggie.

My wife works in a school. I constantly fear that this could happen there. No one - teachers and especially students - should not have to live in fear like this, in a place that is meant for learning.

Who should take the blame for this? Frankly. Republicans and the NRA. Republicans do nothing about guns and continue take money from the NRA. For their part, the NRA releases terrorist-like propaganda videos calling for the killing of fellow Americans because the majority of them don't care for the current President.

Lets also not forget the NRA is being investigated by the FBI for connections to Russia. The same Russia that attacked our elections.

This is insanity. I can't say it enough. This is not what the Second Amendment is grossly misinterpreted and it's time that US politicians and lawmakers start seriously addressing this issue before more people die for simply living their lives.

Whats unique about this particular shooting is that there are cell phone videos of bullets flying into classrooms... SWAT teams moving in... go ahead, watch the SWAT team video and see the kids shaking in fear and tell me this is how America is supposed to be great.



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