(Mr. Jones is a fictional father of a slain relative in a mass shooting). Mr. Jones, if we could reduce the number and seriousness of shootings in America would you be in favor of the most stringent governmental monitoring of ALL people, regardless of cause? Would you be in favor of new gun control laws so that everyone that already owns any gun would have to pass a test and house searched? Would you allow your phone to always be recorded, even if you are not suspected of any crime? Would you be in favor of requiring the media to submit articles to the government prior the publication for approval?
As ridiculous and unlikely as those questions would be, how many parents of slain children would say Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes?
Probably ALL of them.
So is it fair and is it helpful to politicize their grief?
No.
CNN's Brooke Baldwin wrote today Furious this has happened again. Furious that nothing seems to be stopping it.
Brooke, what would you do?
Which proposed gun control law would have prevented today's tragedy if it turns out these folks passed legal background checks?
How about Sandy Hook, same question?
The only way I know would be to strip all citizens of all guns and outlaw the sale of all guns to all people, WORLDWIDE. Let's look at that for a minute - of course that's not going to happen, fortunately for innocent citizens. But if it did, how do you collect the guns out there now, for the next 50 years? Any legislative action would take years to make any impact. Of course your intuitive side would have to make room for the reality that the killings would continue.
What would President Obama say on the heels of a mass murder one year after the most stringent gun control law be passed? hmm... I'm sure there would be something or someone to blame, but not his administration. We really need him to address this issue and look for real, non-political and high impact solutions.
Let's further the hypothetical to the extreme: Let's say you could snap your fingers and instantly ALL guns vanish. All of a sudden good people, bad people, and good people about to go bad have no gun whatsoever. In today's attack there are likely terrorism ties - if this proves out do you honestly think there would not have been an attack with a different weapon? Running a buss off a cliff with another vehicle? Or how about an explosive?
Hasty gun control legislation may make us feel good, like we're doing something and it helps our frustration, but it's highly unlikely to make any dent whatsoever - can the LEFT just give us a smidgen of intellect-ion?
Some people ask why is the NRA against background checks in private gun sales?. Personally, I wouldn't necessarily be against a law like that, but how do you enforce it and how would that prevent murderers obtaining weapons? That won't work, seriously. The NRA pushes back so hard because the "solutions" proposed have nothing to do with true prevention and would only take away freedom. If the left were to have that proven to them it's likely they would demand the law anyway, don't you think?
Well then, maybe we should pass that law, but put a five year timer on it - and if the frequency and number of mass attack deaths are not reduced then it automatically reverts. In other words, prove it does nothing and then get on with finding a solution. Of course we could never agree to that because the law would never be revoked in our political climate.
Could I propose a new name for gun control advocates? How about "Anti-Mass murder advocates"? Heck I'd join in, and probably 90% of all Americans too. Can we come up with REAL solutions?
President Obama, instead of saying we need gun control laws because you're not coming up with any real solution, why don't you say my administration has failed, and with the failure of MY FBI to detect the two murderers who had contact with terrorists I will see to it that we find solutions to fix that!?
