Mass killings, especially school shootings, have become commonplace in this country. But we are not making sufficient progress to combat this ever-pervasive evil. The pain, hurt and outrage are revisited over and over again by grief-stricken parents, family members, and communities actively affected. While the horror of the nightmare of massacred children and loved ones never subsides from families affected, the hesitancy or failure of legislators to enact real gun legislation with teeth to arrest this violence is inexcusable and unacceptable.
While many Republican lawmakers are quick to offer their condolences and prayers to the families of those killed or hurt in these shooting (or voice disdain for the shooters) they fall short of supporting stricter gun restriction laws. This contradiction and display of hypocrisy is fueled by a deep loyalty to the NRA and other gun lobbyists by legislators who are deep into these gun groups’ pockets. They’re more interested in being re-elected than truly trying to reduce the devastating mass shootings inundating the communities of their constituents.
Even a child can see that lawmakers hiding behind the Second Amendment ‘right to bear arms’ are not sincere in their public manifestations of empathy for the families of those hurt or killed. Their insincerity simply adds to the problem. Let’s just be honest and acknowledge what we all know is real in this situation. Political party loyalty supersedes the lives of our children.
Some Republicans are quick to say that bringing attention to banning assault weapons during the time of these shootings is insensitive, saying it politicizes the issue. Well, what better time than during these mass shootings? It’s the perfect time to talk about preventive measures and analyze events leading up to mass shootings. Evidently praying doesn’t seem to be working in eliminating the surge of mass shootings. Action is warranted through strict gun legislation and nothing less.
The one common denominator that continues to present itself is this: easily attainable assault weapons have been a major factor in most of these mass shootings. These are weapons that literally mutilate the body of its victims. They should be confined to military use only (on battlefields during wars) because of their capability to kill many in a short amount of time. If the public was exposed to pictures of school children killed with assault weapons, I don’t think there would be room for debate. Assault weapons literally mutilate and destroy the bodies of young children—many times decapitating them.
The recent mass shooting in Nashville, killing three children and three adults, has fueled public outrage. But the state’s legislative Republicans are offering little if any change in their support for lenient gun support legislation. If Tennesseans are truly incensed and major gun restriction laws are not enacted, then Tennessean voters should show their indignation at the polls and vote these Republican out of office. They have shown again and again that their allegiance and loyalty is to the NRA and gun lobbies who are known to line their campaign coffers.
It is insulting when Republicans skate around the real issue (banning assault weapons) with rhetoric about arming teachers with guns and having them wear bulletproof vests. Even the emphasis to address mental health doesn’t delude the easy accessibility to attain weapons, especially assault weapons.
Have you noticed the Republican emphasis on more money for school security and mental health? They avoid the main culprit attributing to the horrendous merciless slaughter of so many of our school children! They avoid acknowledging that assault weapons are the main culprits contributing to the killing of many young children in a short amount of time! They avoid talking about the devastating damage done to these young bodies by assault weapons!
The truth is that extremely hostile individuals exhibiting anger management problems are capable of mass killings as long as there is easy access to weapons, especially assault weapons. Accessibility to assault weapons is the problem. Unless they are banned, there has been no real attempt to resolve the problem. If we honestly want to honor those killed in mass school shootings, we shouldn’t rest until assault weapons are banned. We should vote lawmakers who stand in the way out of office.
Let’s listen to and honor the cries of our fallen children and fight for and demand real solutions to prioritizing and banning assault weapons. We owe it to our children.
