How many more atrocities will need to occur in our country before all our 2nd Amendment crusaders out there get an effective offense up and running? Instead of playing endless defense when it comes to our right to bear arms, how about recognizing that a problem really does exist when it comes to the availability of guns in America and then actually develop ways to face the issue head on? Then perhaps we could save the lives of potential victims of gun violence and not be caught with our pants down each and every damn time some pathetic nut goes off on a rampage.
If the National Rifle Association (NRA) and the gun manufacturers want to create some political inroads with the American public and actually help to prevent catastrophes like the one at Sandy Hook, then why the hell haven’t they faced head on the frighteningly for real downside to the availability of guns in America?
The NRA has posted the following statement on their website: The NRA is prepared to offer meaningful contributions to help make sure this never happens again. Well, with all the money that this organization spends on lobbying activities (and that goes for the gun manufacturers too) it apparently has never dawned on these geniuses until now that confronting the consequences of gun violence in America just might be a more effective way to ensure their continued right to access and own firearms.
Again, we see a glaring example of the insular dumbness and lack of cultural sophistication that marks conservative America. We’re perpetually circling the wagons and hunkering down believing that the right politicians will somehow save our bacon. And we look to the latest stats on gun ownership in the USA to lull ourselves into complacency as the figures go up. But it only takes a Sandy Hook Elementary School horror to blow all that silly blather right out of the water.
So for all you hunkered-down wagon-circlers out there, here’s the latest Gallup poll hot off the presses post Sandy Hook. As we all know, waiting with bated breath for the aftermath polls is another conservative fear-reactive fact of life. Based on what Gallup is showing below, you can all breathe a little sigh of relief—-for now anyway.
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to lesbianoutsider: What did you think of LaPierre’s press conference? It seemed to me there were some pretty concrete offerings, as well as some pointed remarks to the media and entertainment (I use the term loosely) industry. I rode as medic on an ambulance crew for six years between nursing gigs, and am no stranger to the anguish of loss from violence and death, accidental and otherwise.
I would not attempt to quote facts to a bereaved parent. But as a bereaved parent, I will use facts to hopefully create some thoughtful approach to a horrible problem/issue. So I will work, and pray, and hope to make small inroads in this culture of blindness. Take care!
I didn’t think the NRA press conference really offered much and in fact their suggestion of getting a cop in every school house was just another expression of their ‘it ain’t our problem, man’. I’m surprised it took them days just to come up with such a very predictable response. Their approach to gun violence is basically a ‘circle the wagons’ attitude. So while the gun control lobby feels the solution to the problem is an obvious one, the NRA still acts as if gun violence has nothing to do with them.
The NRA plays right into the hands of their opponents. They have absolutely no PR sense whatsoever, let alone a savvy strategy for developing a positive image of the organization beyond their gun-loving constituents. They are up against a much more sophisticated opposition.
And sad to say, the culture of blindness that you referenced, Sue, is really a conservative problem—conservatives are blind, deaf, and dumb when it comes to figuring out how to move within and manage the cultural landscape.
Reasonable gun laws should be supported. Reducing “assault rifle” magazines to a limit of 3 rounds would be an excellent start.
But where was all this concern from the anti-gun lot last month, when Republicans wanted to talk about Operation Fast and Furious? How many Mexicans have been killed by those weapons? Did the media not care because those victims are not white Americans, or because the administration was “their own”?
Probably a little of both. I look forward to hearing what Bill Maher has to say about this, after the way he dismissed Fast and Furious, pretending to not even know much about it.
Yep, there is so much hypocrisy over this. On the Left we get mostly snark masquerading as rational thinking.
The realities of the gun situation in this country is that only personal, responsible gun ownership has even been shown to lower crime, criminal activity of any kind, AND crimes committed with guns in a given community. There are (I don’t remember the number) literally millions of guns in this country which we know about and probably almost that many that are unaccounted for–so keeping the guns out of the hands of those who care nothing for the law will never be addressed by restrictive gun laws :~). Criminals don’t care about them except insomuch as they give them a safe run at unarmed citizens,
There is no real protection against the crazies. However a person with a handgun, who is trained and proficient and on site can minimize the damage a person intent on mayhem can commit. I won’t go into it on a public forum, but I speak from personal experience. I would not forgive myself if I could protect myself/family/neighbors and did not do so. If the principal in Sandy Hook had been armed she could have stopped Lanza with a bullet, instead of stopping a bullet with her body.
Try to peel away the emotion from the horror, and think about realistically lowering the damage that can be done. The police, God love them, can never get there in time. It is not humanly possible. So the people who are there have to be able to, and allowed to, respond. With deadly force if that is what is called for. How many children and adults might have lived, if only there was a response within minutes/seconds of those first shots?
First, you’re pushing facts, Sue. This debate has never been about facts—it’s about perception and it’s about emotion. Who would quote facts to a mother who’s baby has just been blown away by a maniac with a gun? And because conservatives have hardly any voice in media, attempting to push facts at the people who need to hear them is an uphill battle. That doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be part of an overall educational and PR strategy. But the NRA doesn’t have any overall education/public relations strategy, let alone any plans for partnering with communities to help them look at the gun safety issues they face. The pathetic response on their website is indicative of just how unprepared they were to deal with the ramifications of yet another mass murder. Haven’t they figured out yet that the gun control lobby will use every horror like Sandy Hook to push their agenda?
I do think there are things we can do to protect ourselves from the crazies, from mental health approaches, to more security, to perhaps even arming teachers. Developing ways to make it harder for ex-cons and mentally unstable creatures from getting access to guns has to be up for discussion as well.
But where is the NRA in any of this? They’re nowhere to be found because they’ve never seen this as their problem. When your organization is the public persona for gun ownership in America, you better believe that gun violence IS your problem.
The NRA is holding a press conference on the 22nd. We’ll see what they come with. Let’s hope they’ve hired a really good PR firm that will help them get out from behind the barricades and onto the battlefield.