We knew it would happen again because it has happened more than 560 times this year. And we knew what the reaction would be – it’s too early to talk about change.
We are praying for the victims, we are celebrating first responders and the victims who died trying to stop another mass shooter, and we are mourning… again. It’s a time for reflection and grief; we should not rush to decisions based on emotion. Once we investigate the situation, we can assess what needs to be done.
Really? But we never do that. How do we take the time we are always told to take so that we can make rational decisions on guns? Because tonight there will be another mass shooting, and tomorrow there will be two more.
And in a day or two some lunatic will try to kill more people than Wednesday’s lunatic killed in Maine. When do we ever get the time to assess? We are always praying for victims.
And why shouldn’t we be emotional? How can you NOT be emotional? Please show some feeling. Please DO SOMETHING!!
Our new Speaker of the House had his talking points at the ready: “At the end of the day, the problem is the human heart,” Mike Johnson told Fox News host Sean Hannity the day after 18 people were murdered and many more wounded in Maine. “It’s not guns, it’s not the weapons.”
Johnson made a statement to the press, stating that Republicans will defend “the right of the citizens to protect themselves.” But isn’t it difficult to bowl while carrying your long-gun? He said House lawmakers are “deeply concerned” about the situation in Maine and added that it’s “not the time” to talk about legislation. When the hell is it time, Mike?
In another clip, he added, “we are really, really hopeful and prayerful. Everyone wants this to end, and I’ll leave it there,” Johnson said.
Leave it there, Mike? You’re hopeful? About what? Where is your emotion?
Johnson is right about one thing; it is about the human heart, and eighteen of them stopped on Wednesday.
And we are already hearing how we need to do a better job of dealing with mental health. Does America have the market cornered on crazy? Because you don’t see 560 mass shootings in Germany, Italy, France, England, or Australia. Don’t they have crazy people?
Guns don’t kill people; people kill people. But people with large-capacity magazines can kill a lot of people.
I support gun ownership. I support the second amendment. NO ONE is talking about overturning it. Let me restate that NO ONE is lobbying to overturn the second amendment, which says,
“A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
Many citizens, many gun-owners, think that the concise wording that our founders crafted in 1791 could use a guardrail or two.
Have you seen the FOX News poll that came out earlier this year? Let’s say that again, too – the FOX NEWS POLL:
• 87% of voters surveyed said they support requiring criminal background checks for all gun buyers.
• 77% support requiring a 30-day waiting period for all gun purchases.
• 81% advocate for raising the legal age to 21 to buy a gun.
• 80% support a requirement for mental health checks for all gun purchasers.
• 80% believe that police should be allowed take guns away from people considered a danger to themselves or others.
• 61% support banning assault rifles and semi-automatic weapons.
• 51% worry that they or their loved ones could be victims of gun violence.
Those numbers seem to indicate that constituents want Congress to do something, right after they take time to grieve and reflect. Take your time; the rest of us will pray for the victims and their families… again and again.
Curt MacRae is a resident of Coldwater, MI. All columns are tweeted (@curtmacrae) — comments to rantsbymac@gmail.com
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