Here We Go Again... When is Enough Truly Enough?
In February I wrote about gun violence.
It's August.
In the last seven days there have been four more mass shootings. Not to mention various outbreaks of gun violence in cities where not enough people were killed/wounded at once to earn the adjective "mass" to the event in question.
When will enough truly be... enough?
In February the US House passed legislation for background checks (HB 8 The Bipartisan Background Check Act). The bill passed 240-190 and had 232 co-sponsors. There are 3 related bills in play. Including the Senate version of HB 8, SR 42.
SR 42 the Background Check Expansion Act has been read twice and placed on the calendar for consideration ... in March. Where it has languished. Mitch McConnell the majority leader has refused to bring the bill to the floor for a vote.
The summary (which is identical to that of HB 8) states that the bill establishes new background check requirements for firearm transfers between private parties (that is unlicensed individuals). The links above provide summary, text, bill tracking/actions. You can follow legislation online.
In the last seven days 95 people have been shot by hate-filled individuals, 36 fatally (if you include the shooters who took themselves out rather than face justice).
Gilroy California at the annual garlic festival - 4 dead, 16 wounded. By a 19 year-old white make with an illegal weapon. Illegal in California but legal in Nevada: a WASR 10, a derivative of the AK-47. Purchased in Nevada and brought to California.
Southaven, Mississippi at Walmart - 2 dead, 1 wounded. By a disgruntled employee who had been suspended for bringing a weapon (hunting knife) to work and showing it around. Black, male, 39 years-old. Weapon of choice is not being released yet.
El Paso, Texas at Walmart - 20 dead, 26 wounded. By a 21 year-old white male who posted a manifesto online less than 20 minutes before opening fire. Considering that he drove over 9 hours to get there to carry out this plan, he probably posted the missive from the damned parking lot. Not enough time for law enforcement to find it, track him and stop him. In short, his motive was to take action on the "invasion" of American stating: "if we can get rid of enough people then our way of life can be more sustainable".
Dayton, Ohio at a bar - 10 dead, 16 wounded. By a 24 year-old white make who was outfitted in body armor and carrying whate reports are calling an AK-47 style weapon. He may or may not have had a hit list and it is possible his sister is among those who were shot.
There have been 251 mass shootings in the US this day. Today is only day 216.
While it is of course true that criminals will always find a way to get their hands on weapons, background checks, and laws that don't vary state to state (see the Gilroy shooting) are a start. We have to have training and insurance to drive a car. Why not a gun? Both can be great sources of recreation. Both can also be deadly weapons.
Common sense gun control isn't anti-second amendment rights, regardless of what the NRA and its lobbyists would have us believe. If Ronald Reagan, the President the GOP likes to quote to justify their every move, is the epitome of GOP standards then who better to look to for gun control?
'In a 1991 New York Times op-ed titled 'Why I'm For the Brady Bill' Reagan detailed his support of a seven day waiting period for gun buyers. "Every year an average of 9,200 Americans are murdered by handguns, according to Department of Justice statistics," Reagan said in the op-ed, "...If the passage of the Brady Bill were to result in a reduction of 10 or 15 percent of those numbers (and it could be a good deal greater), it would be well worth making it the law of the land."
Also: "Eight years before this letter in the newspaper supporting the assault-weapons ban, Reagan signed into law the Firearm Owners Protection Act, which was supported by gun rights advocates. In addition to providing protections for gun owners, the act also banned ownership of any fully automatic rifles that were not already registered on the day the law was signed." (source: PolitiFact).
Today the number of Americans killed by gun violence is up to 100 per day on average. That's more than the 9,200 per year Reagan lists in 1991. A whole lot more.
White supremacy is on the rise. Hate groups gather all over the country and all over the Internet. The El Paso shooter's manifesto was the third such (that we know of) tied to a mass shooting to be posted on 8Chan - a troll forum if you will for hate memes, hate groups, etc. The El Paso manifesto was promptly shared on 4chan, another little-to-no-rules forum for hate speech. From there it hit Facebook, Twitter and popped up in Google searches. Hate at the speed of broadband.
8Chan was also the posting choice of the Christchurch New Zealand shooter AND that of the Poway California synagogue shooter's. Three is not only a trend, it's a norm.
We have hate speech everywhere. And I do mean everywhere. People with long buried, seething resentment and hate are now emboldened to act. They look to Washington and see no reason to hold back. We have a president who brags about grabbing women by the genitals, bullies and mocks anyone who doesn't bow to his whims, mocks disabled people, claims that white nationalists engaging in a march that ended up with one woman dead were "very fine people", indulges in name calling, pisses off our allies, sucks up to dictators, etc. Meanwhile we also see a Congress unwilling to stand up and call him on this bad behavior.
It is an environment of free reign on hate. It is safe to site behind a keyboard and toss out hate. After all, no one can punch you in the face that way.
Nationalism. White supremacy. Fascism. The fear of white (male) American of the "other".
Whether that "other" is back, latino, jewish, muslim, catholic, female, LGBTQ, etc. the white (male) 'establishment' and its minions are emboldened to throw off civility and go on the attack. No one is safe.
No one.
If you aren't speaking up against this, aren't speaking out against hate, aren't taking or looking for ways to take action... you are complicit.
When will thoughts and prayers stop being the go-to response? When will Congress act in the country's best interests and not their own (gun lobby money anyone?)? When will we use our votes to force Congress to act?
When will enough... truly be enough?
It's August.
In the last seven days there have been four more mass shootings. Not to mention various outbreaks of gun violence in cities where not enough people were killed/wounded at once to earn the adjective "mass" to the event in question.
When will enough truly be... enough?
In February the US House passed legislation for background checks (HB 8 The Bipartisan Background Check Act). The bill passed 240-190 and had 232 co-sponsors. There are 3 related bills in play. Including the Senate version of HB 8, SR 42.
SR 42 the Background Check Expansion Act has been read twice and placed on the calendar for consideration ... in March. Where it has languished. Mitch McConnell the majority leader has refused to bring the bill to the floor for a vote.
The summary (which is identical to that of HB 8) states that the bill establishes new background check requirements for firearm transfers between private parties (that is unlicensed individuals). The links above provide summary, text, bill tracking/actions. You can follow legislation online.
In the last seven days 95 people have been shot by hate-filled individuals, 36 fatally (if you include the shooters who took themselves out rather than face justice).
Gilroy California at the annual garlic festival - 4 dead, 16 wounded. By a 19 year-old white make with an illegal weapon. Illegal in California but legal in Nevada: a WASR 10, a derivative of the AK-47. Purchased in Nevada and brought to California.
Southaven, Mississippi at Walmart - 2 dead, 1 wounded. By a disgruntled employee who had been suspended for bringing a weapon (hunting knife) to work and showing it around. Black, male, 39 years-old. Weapon of choice is not being released yet.
El Paso, Texas at Walmart - 20 dead, 26 wounded. By a 21 year-old white male who posted a manifesto online less than 20 minutes before opening fire. Considering that he drove over 9 hours to get there to carry out this plan, he probably posted the missive from the damned parking lot. Not enough time for law enforcement to find it, track him and stop him. In short, his motive was to take action on the "invasion" of American stating: "if we can get rid of enough people then our way of life can be more sustainable".
Dayton, Ohio at a bar - 10 dead, 16 wounded. By a 24 year-old white make who was outfitted in body armor and carrying whate reports are calling an AK-47 style weapon. He may or may not have had a hit list and it is possible his sister is among those who were shot.
There have been 251 mass shootings in the US this day. Today is only day 216.
While it is of course true that criminals will always find a way to get their hands on weapons, background checks, and laws that don't vary state to state (see the Gilroy shooting) are a start. We have to have training and insurance to drive a car. Why not a gun? Both can be great sources of recreation. Both can also be deadly weapons.
Common sense gun control isn't anti-second amendment rights, regardless of what the NRA and its lobbyists would have us believe. If Ronald Reagan, the President the GOP likes to quote to justify their every move, is the epitome of GOP standards then who better to look to for gun control?
'In a 1991 New York Times op-ed titled 'Why I'm For the Brady Bill' Reagan detailed his support of a seven day waiting period for gun buyers. "Every year an average of 9,200 Americans are murdered by handguns, according to Department of Justice statistics," Reagan said in the op-ed, "...If the passage of the Brady Bill were to result in a reduction of 10 or 15 percent of those numbers (and it could be a good deal greater), it would be well worth making it the law of the land."
Also: "Eight years before this letter in the newspaper supporting the assault-weapons ban, Reagan signed into law the Firearm Owners Protection Act, which was supported by gun rights advocates. In addition to providing protections for gun owners, the act also banned ownership of any fully automatic rifles that were not already registered on the day the law was signed." (source: PolitiFact).
Today the number of Americans killed by gun violence is up to 100 per day on average. That's more than the 9,200 per year Reagan lists in 1991. A whole lot more.
White supremacy is on the rise. Hate groups gather all over the country and all over the Internet. The El Paso shooter's manifesto was the third such (that we know of) tied to a mass shooting to be posted on 8Chan - a troll forum if you will for hate memes, hate groups, etc. The El Paso manifesto was promptly shared on 4chan, another little-to-no-rules forum for hate speech. From there it hit Facebook, Twitter and popped up in Google searches. Hate at the speed of broadband.
8Chan was also the posting choice of the Christchurch New Zealand shooter AND that of the Poway California synagogue shooter's. Three is not only a trend, it's a norm.
We have hate speech everywhere. And I do mean everywhere. People with long buried, seething resentment and hate are now emboldened to act. They look to Washington and see no reason to hold back. We have a president who brags about grabbing women by the genitals, bullies and mocks anyone who doesn't bow to his whims, mocks disabled people, claims that white nationalists engaging in a march that ended up with one woman dead were "very fine people", indulges in name calling, pisses off our allies, sucks up to dictators, etc. Meanwhile we also see a Congress unwilling to stand up and call him on this bad behavior.
It is an environment of free reign on hate. It is safe to site behind a keyboard and toss out hate. After all, no one can punch you in the face that way.
Nationalism. White supremacy. Fascism. The fear of white (male) American of the "other".
Whether that "other" is back, latino, jewish, muslim, catholic, female, LGBTQ, etc. the white (male) 'establishment' and its minions are emboldened to throw off civility and go on the attack. No one is safe.
No one.
If you aren't speaking up against this, aren't speaking out against hate, aren't taking or looking for ways to take action... you are complicit.
When will thoughts and prayers stop being the go-to response? When will Congress act in the country's best interests and not their own (gun lobby money anyone?)? When will we use our votes to force Congress to act?
When will enough... truly be enough?
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