And so today, 2 days after the shooting in Connecticut, the post above was made on Facebook. Over 31 comments followed, all of them focused on the issue of protecting gun rights. A few questioned the logic, addressing an attack in China in which 22 children were stabbed (none died). And of course, the gun rights advocates questioned, "What will we do next, ban knives?"
I focus here so often on the inability of conservatives to think beyond step one or step two of any problem, and never has it been more evident in the discussion now going on over guns. But do you notice how dismissive this author is of the lives lost? Send "whatever" is how she dismisses the emotion that many of us feel over the loss of those innocent lives. Cold, cruel and convinced that anything that does not happen to her did not happen. She says we should focus on "mental status," but five will get you ten that she's not willing to see her taxes go up to cover the cost of treatment for folks like this.
Many of the "gun rights" nuts think that the way to solve the problem is to arm everyone. Whereas I envision a world where it is safe for me to go to work, to school, to the shopping mall, or to just be in my home safe from an attack from someone with an assault weapon, they envision a world in which we all walk around with side arms and assault weapons, ready for a shoot-out at any moment we feel uneasy with those around us.
In Michigan this week, the conservatives passed a law allowing guns in schools. Just imagine, they claim, how safe the children will be if everyone in school is armed. (Sarcasm mode on) Because we all know that no one in any school carrying a weapon could be the crazy one that turns the gun on staff or children. And just think - if we had only armed those deceased 6 and 7 year-old children in Connecticut, they could have drawn their guns from their little desks and started blasting away at the bad guy! Oh, what great fun that would have been! (Sarcasm mode off.)
I am a gun owner - have hunted for years and years - but I am adamantly opposed to the private ownership of assault weapons and handguns with clips holding more than 5 or 6 bullets at a time. They are not necessary. I know what the constitution says about the right to own guns. The constitution is not infallible - we've amended it 27 times - it can be amended again. The time has come to make us more secure in our persons, places and things from random violence.
But the argument does not end here. The cold, heartless, SOBs that I'll call the "God Nuts" are out in force as well following the shooting. "Oh," they cry out, "the problem is that we don't allow prayer in the school any more!" Right - of course - we all know that if the children had been engaged in prayer when that gun nut tore into that school, God would have thrown up a defensive shield around the teachers and the children. Just as God does in every church shooting ever, or as he does for every religious person who dies as the result of violence. If you believe this, I've got a bridge in Brooklyn I'd like to sell you.
No - the issue in this country for those of us with the ability to add 2 and 2 and get 4 - is to outlaw stupidity. Really - we need a constitutional amendment that outlaws "gun nuts" and "God nuts" so that we can toss all of these idiots in jail before they do the rest of us any more harm
Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment