I have noticed that many of the Trump Defenders and Gun-Rights people (generally the same crowd, amirite?) have taken to furrowing their brows at this notion that law enforcement "dropped the ball" as pertains the FL school shooter.
What ball(s) did they drop? (Insert Tea Party Joke here).
Let's just play this out a bit. Say the FBI field office in Miami coordinated with the Broward County Sheriff's office and apprehended the shooter a month ago.
As of that time, he was a "law-abiding gun owner." If the FBI had taken his guns away from him, what do you think the position of the NRA/Right Wing/Trump Administration would have been? Would it have been:
a. Good job law enforcement. You guys acted on a tip and managed to prevent the needless tragedy of some guy shooting up a high school; or
b. This is just another example of why we need our guns; these overreaching, jack-booted government thugs want to come and deprive law-abiding citizens of their rights!
If you choose A, I have some ocean-front property in Speedway I'd love to sell you; and that is why I believe that all of this talk about "the problem is mental health, not guns" is just a red herring. As soon as someone wants to do something about "mentally ill" people carrying guns, the same NRA/Right Wingers immediately start accusing people of depriving others of their constitutional rights.
Also, as a small aside, don't the same people who continually try to push the blame for these shootings on mental health simultaneously, deliberately, and ceaselessly attempt to defund public health programs?
I, for one, am tired of being bullied by a small sliver of our population that has somehow equated hatred of your own government with love of your country. I am tired of being bullied by people who continually operate in bad faith. I am tired of being bullied by people who refuse to read the plain meaning of the 2nd Amendment; who refuse to take responsibility for the consequences of their willful misreading.
Perhaps the next time society approaches gun control, the gun owners of America will attempt to show at least half as much respect for those of us who (a) don't want to own a gun and (b) don't want to live in a society that requires gun ownership as we have shown for them (and their misguided fetishization of lethal weapons).
I agree . Unfortunately the NRA has the money and he who has the money dominates. It’s the culture in the good ole USA that is also partly to blame , broken up families by divorce , a population that it seems to me , have their priorities in the wrong place , parents not parenting , parents giving their ( autistic and underage ) kids high powered guns and permission to shoot ! I could go on .... yes I’d like to see more regulations on gun ownership , eliminate civilian high powered guns.... clearly you can protect your home with something less deadly . Sure there is still going to be guns like that out there on the black market , but can we as a government do something right for once ? .... I’m not holding my breath .
ReplyDeleteExcellent post.
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