Will Congress Act After Las Vegas Massacre? NO!

The shooter in Las Vegas shot nearly 600 people (killing nearly 5 dozen of them) in less than 10 minutes. He could do this because he had several assault rifles that he had modified with "bump-stocks" (which allow the weapon to shoot similar to an automatic weapon -- a machine gun).

It is not a violation of the Second Amendment to outlaw automatic weapons, and they have been outlawed. But the gun manufacturers have found a way around the law. The bump-stock doesn't actually turn the assault rifle into an automatic weapon -- it just makes it act like one. That may sound like a technicality, but it allowed those devices to be sold legally.

After Las Vegas, several members of Congress started talking about outlawing devices like the bump-stock that allow assault rifles to mimic the action of an automatic machine gun. Unfortunately, that was just talk -- and it now looks like nothing at all will be done.

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (pictured) has come out against congressional action. He says it would be more appropriate for the ATF to consider outlawing the bump-stock. He's taking his marching orders from the NRA, which has also said Congress should not act, but the ATF should "review" the rules allowing the bump-stock.

Of course, the ATF reviewed the device back in 2010 and declared it legal. They said they could not outlaw it because it wasn't a firearm, and didn't actually turn the weapon into a real automatic weapon. Only a fool would think they will not change their ruling -- especially since their current boss is Donald Trump (who planted himself firmly in the NRA's pocket during the campaign).

In other words, absolutely nothing is going to be done about gun violence in this country. The ATF won't act, and Congress won't act. It doesn't seem to matter how many people are killed each year by guns (over 30,000 -- 12,000 of them murdaers), or how many people can be killed in a single incident (58 in Las Vegas). There is no limit to the blood price Congress is willing to tolerate to protect the NRA and the gun manufacturers.

That means it is now legal for any person, without a background check, to purchase one or more weapons and modify them to shoot hundreds of people in just a few minutes. That's sheer insanity. Is this the kind of country you want to live in?

We have Paul Ryan and congressional Republicans to blame for this. They have all shown they don't care for American lives, but only for the profits of the gun manufacturers and the campaign donations of the NRA. How long are we going to tolerate this?

NOW IS THE TIME To Talk About Gun Control

(The image above is from the Facebook page of Lalo Alcaraz.)

It took the White House less than 24 hours to repeat the tired old mantra that we hear after every mass shooting -- that this is a time for prayer and mourning, and not the time to talk about gun control. Bullshit! This is exactly the right time to talk about gun control, when the horror of not doing anything is fresh in our minds. We should have had this discussion (and taken action) after Tucson, Columbine, Aurora, Newtown, and Orlando -- but we didn't, and now we have Las Vegas. How many more must happen before it's time to do something?

I don't know if the murderer in Las Vegas was a domestic terrorist or just an idiot who thought it would be fun to kill as many people as he could. At this point, it really doesn't matter. What does matter is that he should not have been able to get his hands on the weapons he had -- assault weapons that were either bought with an automatic fire feature, or were modified to allow automatic fire.

Assault-style weapons were designed for military use -- and their only purpose is too kill as many human beings as possible in the shortest time possible. There is no legitimate civilian use for them. Some say they are good for hunting. Bullshit! There are much better rifles for hunting. Some say they are good for home defense. Bullshit! A shotgun is a much better home defense weapon.

These assault-style military weapons have no place in our civilian society, and they should be outlawed (as they used to be). Some will whine about the Second Amendment. That's nonsense. Our courts have held that banning assault weapons is NOT a violation of the Second Amendment.

The idot shooter in Las Vegas would not necessarily have been unable to kill people if he had not been able to get assault weapons -- but it is a fact that he would not have been able to kill as many people as quickly as he without those weapons.

And while banning assault weapons makes sense, and should happen as soon as possible, it is not the only sensible thing that should be done. We also need to close the gaping loopholes in our background check laws for gun purchasers. Currently, anyone (even criminals, known terrorists, and the dangerously mentally ill) can buy any kind of gun they want without going through a background check -- and about 40% of the guns sold each year are sold without a background check being done. That should never happen. No gun (even from one individual to another) should ever be sold without a background check being done first.

They aren't all as big as the Las Vegas shooting, but a mass shooting happens nearly every day in the United States. Over 30,000 people die every year from gunshots. We probably can't eliminate them all from happening, but we could pass some sensible legislation that would save many lives -- and not doing so is morally reprehensible, and in my opinion, criminally negligent.