The media is now focused on another mass shooting -- this one in a theater in Louisiana. Two innocent women were killed and several people were wounded. This makes three politically motivated shootings in the United States in just a little over a month.
It should bring home to Americans that radical muslims are not the only terrorists we have to worry about in this country. I know that right-wingers are hard at work trying to pass this latest shooting off as the work of a madman, but even the Louisiana police are not buying that. They have come out and said the shooter was not legally insane, but knew exactly what he was doing and had it planned out. It's just a fact of life in America that right-wing white terrorists are every bit as dangerous, if not more dangerous, than muslim radicals.
I don't doubt that all three of the recent shooters had some kind of psychological problems -- but they all were acting out of hate. And all three of them got their hate from ideas being floated by others -- one from muslim radicals, and the other two from racist right-wing radicals.
Another fact is that it was far too easy for all three of these hate-filled men to get a gun. In fact, any terrorist, criminal, or otherwise dangerous person can buy any kind of firearm they want legally in the United States. In fact, at least 40% of all the guns sold in this country each year are sold without performing any kind of background check. That's just crazy. The least we could do is prevent these dangerous people from legally buying a firearm.
Now I know that some of you are going to say they'll just get a gun illegally, and that is probably true for some. But buying a gun illegally is a lot harder than people think, and the very act of doing that could land them in jail (before they use that gun to kill an innocent person). Even if we just prevent some of the killings, it will be worth it.
I'm not talking about taking guns away from honest law-abiding citizens. I may be a liberal, but I know the Second Amendment prevents that -- and guarantees the right of law-abiding citizens to own a gun (or many guns). But it does not guarantee the right of terrorists, criminals, or the dangerously mentally-ill the right to own a gun. The Supreme Court has been clear about that. Preventing these people from buying a gun is not a violation of the Second Amendment.
Most Americans know that, and they want background checks to be done on all gun sales in this country. Consider this quote from a recent Public Policy Polling survey:
Virginians are resoundingly in support of background checks on all gun purchases. . . 86% favor background checks to just 8% who are against them, including 91% support from Democrats, 84% from Republicans, and 81% from independents. In the last month we've also found 86/10 support for them in North Carolina, 85/9 support for them in Michigan, and 90/9 support for them nationally.
So why won't our politicians do what the vast majority of Americans want -- plug up the holes in our background check law? Because they think the National Rifle Association (NRA) will spend money to defeat their re-election effort if they do -- even if the NRA has to lie to do it (and accuse them of trying to outlaw guns for everyone). And they are probably right -- but considering the overwhelming support for plugging the holes in the background check law, I have to believe such an effort could be stymied. Sadly though, most politicians are more interested in easily getting re-elected than in fighting to protect the lives of innocent citizens.
And we are already starting to see these cowardly politicians moving to protect their own butts. Louisiana governor Jobby Jindal is parroting the NRA line -- that now is not the time to talk about regulating gun sales. If now is not the time, then when is the time. The truth is that they don't ever want to talk about it.
That's just sad. Our politicians have decided that American lives, even the lives of innocent children, are not as important as getting elected. They have betrayed the American people -- and undoubtably will continue to do so.
As we saw in Colorado, the masses who think that common sense gun laws are, well, common sense, have this annoying habit of not showing up to vote. But the NRA freaks sure show up to vote.
ReplyDeleteI do think the "they'll just get guns illegally" is a bad argument. The harder something is to do, the less likely people are to do it. That's why cigarette taxes really do reduce smoking.