If Nothing Changes, Nothing Changes
And that's why it's always "too soon" to talk about common sense gun control
I’ve written a lot about mass murder over the past few days. Frankly, writing has been the only way for me to process my anger. I’ve bounced from being heartsick to anger to being on the verge of tears to feeling powerless. The vast majority of Americans want something to be done to stop this madness, and yet nothing happens. Why? Because Republicans in Congress are a wholly-owned subsidiary of the NRA, they refuse to bite the hand that writes the checks. The opinions of those who sent them to Congress matter not at all in this instance.
I’ve listened to Sen. Ted McSmarmy (R-TX) claim that we know that the most effective strategy against mass shooters in schools is armed law enforcement personnel. When I hear that bullshit, I want to scream, “NO!! You’re spreading lies and NRA propaganda- AND YOU KNOW IT!!”
What Sen. Cruz is saying is, as usual, patently true. How many school shootings have occurred where an armed law enforcement officer didn’t react promptly…or at all? Giving a police officer a gun and putting them on a school campus is hardly a guarantee they’ll respond appropriately if a shooter arrives on their campus.
Studies show that 20% of soldiers- trained professional killers- freeze in combat and don’t fire their weapons. So how can we expect a school resource officer (SRO) to efficiently employ deadly force? It’s a ridiculously unfair expectation- thinking that an SRO armed with a handgun will ipso facto take down a shooter who’s likely armed with a weapon of war at the very least. An SRO may have a handful of ammunition; a shooter may have hundreds of rounds (the Uvalde shooter arrived at the school with 1600 rounds). No matter what, it’s not going to be a fair fight.
The weaponry normally carried by a shooter in a mass shooting scenario will fire ammunition through cinder block walls. So even in the unlikely case that an SRO is wearing body armor, he wouldn’t stand a chance for long.
At best, Sen. Cruz is living in a fantasy world. At worst, he’s a bald-faced liar. That he’s lying about what he “knows” to be the most effective strategy isn’t surprising. He lies about virtually everything; the challenge is to discern when he’s being honest, which is tougher than you might think.
Meanwhile, the vast majority of decent, honest Americans only want something to be done to stop the carnage. A parent should be able to drop their child off at school in the morning without wondering if they’ll be picking them up in the afternoon- or planning their funeral.
I don’t have children, so I can’t speak to the agony of losing a child, but I can’t imagine a worse pain. I see parents who invest so much love and hope in their children, and for that to be so cruelly and randomly ripped away; no, I can’t begin to imagine how that might feel.
Sadly, 19 families in Uvalde, TX, wake up each morning to an empty seat at the breakfast table. How does one deal with that? How do you come to grips with the searing pain and the unbearable feeling of loss? How do you begin to accept the horrific and brutal way a murderer took your child from you?
The randomness and anonymous brutality of this latest mass shooting angers me, but what sends me over the edge is that not even the senseless, savage murder of preteen children is enough move the GOP to action. None of the children slaughtered in the classroom were likely even as old as ten. The last things they knew on this Earth were fear and terror. And not one Republican dares to stand up to the NRA and do right by those kids.
There should be a reserved parking space in Hell for cowards like that.
The problem continues unabated, whether it’s Uvalde, Buffalo, Aurora, San Bernardino, Parkland, Las Vegas, Orlando, or [insert name of mass shooting here]. Even though one possible solution is readily available- banning the sale and ownership of weapons of war- Republicans in Congress refuse even to consider discussing the possibility of taking this step.
No, they’re not about to “trample on the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens.” Not as long as the NRA keeps writing the big checks.
So, please show me where the 2nd Amendment specifies the right for an American citizen to own a weapon of war. Go ahead; I’ll wait.
Why should a civilian be able to own a weapon that has but one purpose- the destruction of human life in combat? There’s no rational explanation for civilians to be allowed to carry a weapon that not even professional soldiers are allowed to carry openly, except in a war zone or during training.
It saddens me that we seem accustomed to the idea of mass death as the cost of living in America. Most of us have accepted that more than a million have died from COVID-19. But, sadly, some argue that the government has exaggerated the number of deaths. They claim a million have died WITH COVID-19, not necessarily FROM it. As if that isn’t a distinction without a difference.
Even worse are those who advance the idea that the blood of "Patriots" must occasionally water the Tree of Liberty. In this instance, “Patriots” should be understood to mean second- through fourth-graders and a couple of revered teachers.
It’s the cost of freedom, don’tchaknow??
Yes, we should thanks those brave children who sacrifice their lives so that Joe Sixpack can carry his AR-15 into a Starbucks.
Republicans are keen to maintain the status quo ante. That’s why it’s always “too soon” to talk about common sense gun control and why they accuse Democrats of “politicizing an unspeakable tragedy.” Republicans aim to ensure that there’s never a good time to discuss gun control.
Because if nothing changes, nothing changes.