Gun violence in America is so out of control now, that homicide by firearm is an every day occurrence. It’s gotten so bad now, that the shootings where only two or three people are killed, are not even front page news on the national scale. We all know how the media loves reporting about bloodshed, hence the old saw among journalists…”If it bleeds, it leads.” This trite little saying came about when there was a lot less bleeding in this country. Now, it takes buckets of blood and spent cartridges laying all around, in order to get nation wide attention.

Oh, and the body count? The numbers are increasing rapidly. They’re increasing at such a rate that now, if the number of those killed isn’t in the double digit range, it’s almost considered a matter of course. Some course to be on, huh?

Now, gun violence in America is as constant as the weather. Name a day when we had no weather. There is, of course, no such thing, correct? Now, name a day when we had no one killed by a gun. Sadly, it can’t be done, because just like the days without weather, there are no days without gun violence.

Yesterday, democratic Senator from Connecticut Chris Murphy staged a 15 hour filibuster to force senate republicans to vote on gun control legislation. Normally the filibuster is used to prevent votes from taking place, but in a brilliant move by senator Murphy, he used the filibuster to shut down all other senate proceedings until the GOP allowed voting for even the most minor gun control legislation. In other words, his filibuster placed on record, the republican’s refusal to do anything to curb this horrible plague of gun violence that now rages across America.

So many people in government and the snapping little lap dogs for the NRA in the media who do their bidding, point to all sorts of reasons why these shootings are so prevalent. They point to everything but the guns themselves. They point to better access to mental healthcare. They point to societal influences like violence in movies and video games, they point to (and this one’s a biggie) Islamic extremism (even when it really isn’t) and now sexual identity. They see problems everywhere that are not readily solvable. They almost never point to the sickeningly easy access to machines designed for nothing but killing humans, en masse. Gee, they’re just inanimate objects, and can’t possibly be part of the problem. Right? WRONG!

The ammo-sexuals constantly point to the 2nd amendment as their firewall against sanity. I have to ask, where in the 2nd amendment does it include assault weapons, or even a common semi-auto pistol? Nowhere that I can see, and I’ve read that amendment many times.

No measures we take are going to stop sick people from killing innocent others. This is really my point. Yes, we should be trying to solve societal, cultural and mental health contributors to this sort of incident, but those answers are far, far away still. What we need now are concrete, plausible measures to reduce the body count. We can take steps to discredit this sickening type of behavior, in the media and among our politicians.

We have to vigorously put our collective foot down, and down hard, and start enacting laws to get these killing machines off the gun store shelves and out of reach of all civilians. We can do that and still keep that precious 2nd amendment thingy intact. We should outlaw all semi-auto weapons for civilian use and allow only revolvers, bolt action rifles and shotguns. People still will have the ability to hunt, defend their homes and have some fun shooting targets. Nothing that a law abiding US citizen can do requires a machine designed to kill other human beings at a rapid pace. We no longer need militias to protect us from foreign invaders.

What we desperately need is more elected representatives like Senator Murphy who have the moral courage and intelligence to do what desperately needs to be done.

There’s not a whole lot we can do about the weather. There is a lot we can do to limit the number of dead people who were killed simply for trying to have some fun, or trying to get an education, or just trying to complete a day’s work. Gun violence is not the weather. I only wish it wasn’t as constant.

Peace!

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NirekKalimaAquarius 1027kesmarnKillgoreTrout Recent comment authors
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Nirek
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KT, as a combat veteran, I know first hand what the M16 (basicly the same gun used by these mass murderers, AR15), the damage they can do . There is zero need for anyone to have this kind of weapon for civilian use. It is not good for hunting because you would ruin the meat with so many bullets tumbling through it. Target practice has no use with these weapons because they tend to spray bullets because you can’t hold it steady.

I agree with you on this issue100%. Just had to give my perspective.

Kalima
Admin

Hello, KT. Thank you for this article. I agree 100% with your opinion.

There used to be a column in the NYT I posted on a regular basis on MB listing the names of those killed by gun violence each day, but this year it was discontinued. Lord knows why as it just recorded the horrific facts that the msm didn’t bother to report as news. If every life matters, then they should have.

I will never get my head around the need for guns in civilian hands, it’s completely alien to me never having experienced living in a country where that was normal.

Sticking with the 2nd amendment as it was written hundreds of years ago when guns were necessary to fight the enemy, is understandable, but the only enemies in present times are those being fought on a battlefield by the military, and to stop those who would harm the citizens of a country. Isn’t domestic gun violence harming the citizens of your country every day by robbing them of their lives?

Hand guns alone give me the creeps, but assault rifles with ammo to cause as much internal damage as possible in the hands of civilians, is sheer madness.

Senator Murphy did a wonderful thing, but will the republicans finally do the right thing, I somehow don’t think so. They have lost almost everything in this election season already, so I doubt they will suddenly grow a conscience now. The only way to change this situation is to change the face of both the Senate and the House with new and determined people who really want to work hard to introduce new and responsible gun laws that would make America safer for its people.

—-

At Least 250 Shootings in the U.S. in the Two Days After Orlando Shooting

http://www.teenvogue.com/story/over-250-shootings-america-two-days-after-orlando-attack

Aquarius 1027
Member
Aquarius 1027

Hi, KT – Great article!! It is utterly despicable when GOP Senators care more about getting votes from their constituents than about the lives of those constituents. And they put getting re-elected first before the safety of all citizens.

I will never forget the NRA letter prior to the defeat of federal gun legislation after Sandy Hook. The NRA sent a letter to each Senator, just a few days before the vote, informing them that their NRA rating would be “reviewed” if they voted for the bill to pass. – It is time to turn the tables and “review” the NRA, to expose their inhumane disregard the for the loss of lives and injuries from gun violence. The NRA hides behind their fraudulent Second Amendment proclamations not to defend the Constitution but to increase NRA funding and the corporative profits for gun manufacturers.

We do indeed desperately need more elected representatives like Senator Murphy to stand tall against those who refuse to legislate for the reduction of gun violence in this nation.

kesmarn
Admin

Excellent and very timely article, Homie. Thanks so very much!

I think it was Sylvester Stallone who recently commented on the fact that there’s no civilian use for an assault rifle. He ended up his comment with a question: “Who do you think is going to be breaking into your home? A f**king army?”

Truth be told, I think a certain subset of the people buying these weapons are right wingers who feel that they may have to go up against the government itself one of these days and will need that lethal fire power.

I know next to nothing about weaponry, but I have a sneaking suspicion that even a collection of AR-15s would be no match for tanks, grenade launchers and other military equipment. If the government needs to be reformed, maybe it’s better to go about it the old-fashioned way: vote.

Better yet, run for office.

AdLib
Admin

KT, so true that Sen. Murphy and his colleagues deserve a big thank you from the American people for doing what politicians should be doing, fighting for them.

And look at the results, there will be 4 bills on gun control voted on in the Senate.

What gets me is the obviously dishonest BS that the NRA and Repub pols use to try and derail any regulation. The “slippery slope” theory which is always used by the dishonest to stop what they oppose, that any regulation means everyone’s guns will be taken away.

There are limits to all constitutional rights. You can’t use the 1st Amendment to libel, slander, commit fraud or yell fire in a theater.

And is it legal for a 5 year old to buy an assault weapon? Or a convict? Aren’t they arguing that all US citizens have a right to own a gun? Why can’t they buy rocket-fired missiles and anti-aircraft guns?

A responsible society limits the rights of others when they infringe upon or become a danger to the rights of others.

According to our Constitution, we have a right to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. Allowing the mentally defective to buy assault weapons to shoot us and deny us our rights is unconstitutional. And which is more important (to anyone other than the NRA and their puppets), the right to live or the right for terrorists and the mentally ill to buy military weapons of war?