That was the title of an NPR sequence this morning after the horrendous massacre in Las Vegas. It is an important question which set me thinking. Why are we?
It’s not all about racism (even though, God knows, America’s “original sin” is racism) because lots of the shooters, over the years, have been white and their targets have not necessarily been people of color. It’s not all about poverty (even though income disparity in this country has never been wider) because mass murderers are rarely at the bottom of the income ladder.
It’s not all about mental illness (even though much more could be done in this area — another casualty of our broken health care system) because there is no evidence that Americans have a higher percentage of folks under emotional and mental distress than any other nation on earth.
No, the only unique factor that I can discern leading to the incredibly high number of mass shootings and rampant gun violence in general is the easy availability of firearms and particularly those assault-style weapons only designed to be used in wartime by the military or perhaps in extreme circumstances by a Special Weapons and Tactics unit of local police departments.
Please do not jump to the tired cliche about people killing people, not guns; or the fact that if a nut wants to kill someone, he (and it is almost invariably a “he”) can just drive a vehicle at high speed onto a crowded sidewalk. As true as that is, you cannot kill 60 people with a truck. Nor am I interested in the plea not to become “political” on the day after a tragedy such as this one because our attention should be focused on the victims and their grieving families.
As I stated in yesterday’s Facebook post, “It is possible both to pray for, grieve with, and mourn the victims of the Las Vegas shooting AND, AT ONE AND THE SAME TIME, call for a complete ban on assault-style weapons except for the military and, perhaps SWAT teams on police departments. Prayer and action are not mutually exclusive and this has NOTHING to do with partisan politics unless someone chooses to make it so.”
Chief among those who “choose to make it so” are members of the National Rifle Association (NRA). My wife posted today the amounts of campaign contributions the NRA has given just to Iowa politicians.
- Senator Chuck Grassley (R) $27,000
- Rep. Steven King (R) $20,403
- Sen. Joni Ernst (R) $9,9004
- Rep. David Young (R) $9,905
- Rep. Rod Blum (R) $8,450
Total  approximately $76,000. And you wonder why we cannot pass common sense gun control in this country? And it is not just the money. Each one of those 76,000 dollars represents a number of vote in Iowa elections, people who support the NRA and its insane p0licies. Our politicians, who desire nothing more than to be re-elected and retain their hold on power are terrified to buck these constituents.
I have spent my entire life trying to win the hearts of men and women to accept the love and grace of the God who created them and to respond to that awareness by loving their neighbors. I have obviously failed in that task as have my sisters and brothers who join me in calling themselves Christians.
Until we can get our act together and find a way to convey the good news of God’s love in such a way that people can actually hear it, can you just help me do something that would at least lessen the impact of our failure?
Get The Guns Off Our Streets, For God’s sake!
That We All May Be One 
October 4, 2017 at 5:07 pm |
The N.R.A. in its current manifestation should be declared a Public Enemy. Historically they were a legitimate organization committed to hunting and gun safety. Now they pimp for the weapons and ammunition industries. The question remains: Who benefits from their current policies? All they had to do is announce (“enemy of the day”) is going to confiscate your guns, and even Walmart ran out of merchandise. Now that Hillary didn’t gain the White House, they are pushing the legalization of silencers and guns in schools. War on Drugs? Why not War on the immoral policies of the N.R.A.!
November 11, 2017 at 2:58 pm |
War is coming. That is all that matters. The riots bombings and attacks of the 60s and 70s are resurrecting now with fresh hatred from the Nazi-Right vs Commie-Left divide. Soon we will all be in truly grave danger! There is no side but survival.
I’m moving to the country, away from people. Getting prepped and trained as best I can to protect me and my loved ones. That’s all one can do now. It is too late, hatred has won the soul of humanity. God have mercy on us please, and this is coming from an agnostic universal pantheist…
November 11, 2017 at 3:24 pm |
Hang in there, bro. The moral arc of the universe is long, but it bends toward justice.