The problem is we have lots of crazy, hostile nutjobs armed to the teeth in this country.
We have no limit on semi-automatic weapons, and no limit on high capacity clips. The last mass murderer had over a thousand rounds with him.
It's easy to get a gun in this country with no background check whatsoever.
And the cowardly NRA puppets in congress won't fix the problem. The NRA guarantees that American mass murderers are the best armed in the world.
This whole conversation is pointless. We'll wring our hands, scream and shout for three days and then forget all about it -- and do nothing -- until the next well-armed mass murderer goes on another shooting spree in about 3 or 4 weeks. (We average a mass murder every month now.)
And then we'll all say "isn't that terrible," and "somebody ought to do something," and bow our heads and pray to nobody, and say "now's not the time" and prove it by doing nothing.
And the rest of the developed world continues to look at us and shake its collective head, because it's not like this in any civilized country. Only here in Crazyland.
Her approval ratings recently plunged after her incomprehensible vote against required background checks for firearm purchases. In New Hampshire, 75% of all voters approve of background checks, including 56% of Republicans according to PPP (Public Polling Policy).
A WMUR Granite State Poll shows even higher numbers, with 88% wanting background checks, including 83% of Republicans.
But it must be hard to do your job and follow the overwhelming will of your constituents -- you know, the people you represent, who voted for you and pay your salary and furnish your benefits -- when the NRA is delivering wheelbarrows full of money to your door.
One more time: the background checks would keep criminals, the mentally ill, and those convicted of domestic violence from buying guns. I have yet to hear a coherent reason why crazy people and violent criminals should not be stopped from buying guns.
In the clip below, the daughter of the gunned-down principal of Sandy Hook Elementary school in Connecticut politely asks Ayotte why she voted against this common sense bill. Ayotte stumbled but could not provide any kind of answer.
For putting the special interests of the gun manufacturing lobby ahead of the Americans who pay your salary, you, Kelly Ayotte, are a Jackass. Our Jackass of the Week.
Every Regressive republican in the US Senate who voted against the gun control compromise measure to expand background checks -- and four Jackass Democrats who voted with them. This proposed law would simply have required background checks at gun shows as well as for guns sold online. You still would have been able to sell a gun to anybody on the street with no paperwork whatsoever. This was very basic, common sense gun legislation that 92% of the American people wanted. This law would have required background checks, to make it harder for a dangerous person to buy a gun. This includes convicted felons, people convicted of domestic violence, and people with a severe mental illness. Apparently these Regressives believe felons, the mentally ill, and the violent deserve to go out and buy guns, no questions asked. There was nothing controversial about this bill. It had nothing to do with limiting gigantic clips that mass murderers choose to take on their rampages. It had nothing to do with banning military style assault weapons that should be used in war zones, but not on city streets. There is not one police department in America that I'm aware of that is in favor of gigantic clips and high powered, rapid fire weapons of war being in the hands of the public. No cop wants to be outgunned by a criminal or a rampaging murderer on the street. But this bill was not even about that. It had nothing to do with clips or assault weapons. It would simply have required background checks at gun shows and online gun sellers. But no. The cowardly senators, who are completely owned by the NRA and the gun manufacturers they represent, refused to pass a simple law that 92% of Americans have been demanding. They stood with gun manufacturers instead of the people who elected them and pay their salaries. The vote on the amendment was 54 to 46 against. Sounds like it should have passed, right? No. These days, thanks to the Regressives and their constant filibuster threats, 60 votes were needed for the amendment to be adopted. Every Regressive republican senator voted against this bill, except for John McCain of Arizona, Susan Collins of Maine, Mark Kirk of Illinois, and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania. And four spineless, cowardly Democrats joined the rest of the Regressives in voting against the bill: Max Baucus of Montana, Mark Begich of Alaska, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, and Mark Pryor of Arkansas. Progressive Change Campaign Committee co-founder Stephanie Taylor slammed the four defectors. "Today,
the Senate voted against the 92% of Americans who support background
checks to stop gun violence," she said. "We'll be holding accountable
Democrats who voted against their constituents by running ads in their
states, featuring some of the 23,000 gun owners who have joined our
campaign for common sense gun reform." Of course, the blowhards from the NRA continued repeating their well-established lie that this amendment would have "infringed on the Second Amendment, and on the rights of gun owners." That's a blatant lie and every one of them knows it. The Supreme Court has stated many times over the years that Congress can indeed regulate which guns can and cannot be owned by individuals. Already you cannot own a machine gun, a rocket launcher, a cannon, etc. Even the farthest rightwing nutjob on the Supreme Court, Fat Tony, back in July 2012, stated that there are "undoubtedly" limits to a person's right to bear arms
under the Second Amendment, but that future court cases will have to
decide where to draw the line. “So yes, there are some limitations that can be imposed," Scalia said.
And if you read the Second Amendment, it starts out with these words: "A well-regulated militia..." See? The word REGULATION is right there in the Second Amendment. President Obama said this was a shameful day for Washington. In this clip he explains very clearly what was in the law. And I have yet to hear a single rational reason to have voted against it.
I can't remember the last time 92% of Americans agreed on anything. But that's the number most polls show want universal background checks for gun purchases. Currently about 40% of gun purchases take place with no background checks whatsoever. Polls show even most Republicans want background checks. And the majority of NRA members want background checks. Yet the Regressive republican holdouts in Congress refuse to do the will of the American people. Mitch McConnell, the Senate minority leader, and 14 other Senate Regressives, have vowed to join the filibuster, which would not allow Senator Harry Reid's legislation to even come to a vote. A CBS News poll says universal background checks for potential gun buyers continue to receive very strong support, with 90 percent in favor of that measure (similar to results in January and February). Eighty-six percent of Republicans, and 86 percent of gun owners themselves, support this proposal. An ABC News / Washington Post poll shows that 65% of all American adults favor a ban on high capacity magazines, including a majority of Regressives (59%). A Qunnipiac poll shows that 56% want a ban on assault weapons -- the rapid fire military style guns that are used in military situations. Despite all polls showing the majority wants background checks, bans on assault weapons and limits on clip capacity, 15 Regressive Senate republicans, including their leader, are turning their backs and saying "screw you" to the American people who voted them in and are paying their salaries. These Regressives are bought and owned by the NRA, the lobbyist group for gun manufacturers. And to make himself look even worse, McConnell announced his filibuster at the exact moment President Obama was giving a speech in Hartford, Connecticut, and meeting with the family members of the 20 kids shot to death in that state. You can clearly see where Obama's and McConnell's priorities are. Keep it up, Mitch. You have the lowest approval ratings of any US Senator. Your job is on the line next year. Hopefully the people of Kentucky will send you back to your terrarium to spend the rest of your days nibbling on lettuce.
A full week after the NRA's stunning silence on the mass gun murders at a Connecticut elementary school, their extremist mouthpiece, Pepe LePew, or whatever his name is, blamed everything but guns for the gun massacres. Yes, we were told 20 first graders were splattered with gunfire because of music, video games from the '90s, television shows, movies, even the President somehow, but not guns and bullets.
That would be like weighing 500 pounds and blaming everything but the Sara Lee cake you continually stuff in your face.
So after putting most of the blame on video games, what did the NRA do just yesterday? Released a violent video game app for iPhones. Shoot at coffin-shaped targets right on your iPhone! Appropriate for ages 4 and up according to the NRA.
If these fringe nutjobs weren't so dangerous, they'd be funny. "Violent video games are the problem! Not guns! So here's a new violent video game for your kids to play!"
You can't make this stuff up.
Hopefully, enough clear thinking members of congress will pass reasonable, common sense legislation that will stem this gun-massacre epidemic. Those who want to protect themselves, and those who have the sick need to kill animals, will still be able to have their guns. Nobody's taking anything away. But we need to ban military style semi-automatic assault weapons, designed to kill dozens of people in seconds. And those 30-round clips and 100-round drums. No self-protector or animal-killer needs those. We need to make sure guns aren't sold to the insane. And we need to close gunshow loopholes.
I have yet to hear what's so "controversial" about those common sense restrictions.
Let's remember that WORDS have never killed anyone. Yet the First Amendment, all about Free Speech, has reasonable restrictions. You can't slander someone or you'll get sued. You can't incite violence. You can't lie in a court of law. There are punishments for those who do.
Yep, it's okay to have restrictions on the First Amendment -- about words -- but not on the Second Amendment -- which is all about guns and bullets that kill over 10,000 Americans every year. This is the twisted logic spewed by the NRA. Funny thing, polls show that the vast majority of NRA members actually want reasonable, common sense gun laws. But the NRA doesn't represent them. It represents the gun manufacturers. It's all about profit and selling a product.
Since the Connecticut elementary school shooting, one week ago, where 20 six-year-olds and 6 adults were massacred by a crazed gun nut with military-style assault weapons and huge clips that could enable one to shoot and kill dozens of people in seconds, another hundred people have been killed by guns and gun nuts.
The National Rifle Association, which has only 4 million members yet holds Regressive republicans in congress in a choke hold, has done the typical cowardly thing: they hid in the closet for a week before peeking their heads out and making a statement.
Wayne LaPierre
And what a statement that was. It came yesterday afternoon, when Pepe LePew, or whatever the name of their CEO in charge of promoting gun sales, said that he could not back one more law to restrict gun ownership, and that the problem is that there simply aren't enough guns in circulation. This insane coward actually stated that the only solution to "a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun." His ingenious idea? Have an armed guard at every school in the country.
Yes, let's make every elementary school a maximum security prison,
complete with armed police, armed teachers and an arsenal of weapons in
every classroom. That sounds safe.
If only the teachers and all those 6 year olds were armed, this could have all been avoided, right Pepe LePew?
So
now the very same teachers that the far rightwing blowhards and Foxbots
refer to as "union thugs," the very same ones who are "paid too much"
and need to be fired by the thousands, these same teachers now have to take on the additional responsibility to
act as SWAT team members and sharpshooters.
And since all schools have multiple entrances, there will need to be multiple armed guards. And what about movie theaters? What about shopping malls? Should there be dozens of armed guards at all those locations, too?
What the NRA's CEO in Charge of Gun Sales has conveniently forgotten in his insane rant carried by every cable news network yesterday, is that there was an armed guard at Columbine High School. That didn't stop a mass murder. Virginia Tech had its own police department. That didn't stop a mass murder. And most ironic of all, Fort Hood is loaded with guns and experts in their use -- it's a military base! And that didn't stop a mass murder.
Turning elementary schools into armed camps seems very
reasonable to this insane rightwing gun nut, but background checks making sure the
mentally ill don't get their hands on guns is not reasonable, right? Banning high
powered, military-style assault weapons and large clips that can kill
100 people in 30 seconds is out of the question, right Mr. LePew?
The NRA is a lobbying organization that represents gun manufacturers, not gun owners. Reasonable, common sense gun laws are favored by the great majority
in this country -- including most members of the NRA, according to
recent polls.
Doing background
checks to make sure guns don't end up in the hands of the mentally ill
is a common sense gun law. Banning high powered, military-style assault
weapons that can -- with huge clips -- kill 100 people in 30 seconds,
is a common sense gun law.
Nobody's taking guns away. Nobody's infringing on the Second Amendment. But there are necessary, reasonable restrictions.
Even
the First Amendment -- you know, that "free speech" thing -- has
RESTRICTIONS, dealing with inciting violence, slander, lying in a court
of law, etc.
You can't do that.
The Second Amendment DOES
NOT give you carte blanche to own just anything you want. You can't have
grenades, rocket launchers, tanks, drones or nukes. And you can't have
military style semi automatic weapons.
If you like, you may own
as many muskets as you want. Those weapons, which allowed you to shoot
once or twice in a minute, are what was available when the Second
Amendment was written.
Last night's Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell summed it up perfectly:
Three days ago it was a mall in Oregon; this time an elementary school in Connecticut. This time 27 were killed.
NBC News says the guns used in the Connecticut shooting were purchased legally. This is part of the problem. If someone like this maniac, who executes the second deadliest school shooting in the country's history, can get his hands on this kind of weaponry legally, then the law must change.
President Obama, this afternoon: "We're going to have to come together to take meaningful action to
prevent more tragedies like this, regardless of the politics."
Are we going to do what we usually do -- wring our hands, shake our heads, say "how awful," and then do nothing?
We are a barbaric country with a Regressive republican congress wholly owned by the NRA. Until we kick out every last one of them, nothing will change. And I don't want to hear another meaningless platitude from a far rightwing gun nut. I've heard them all. "Now's not the time to discuss gun control."
So then apparently we have to make an appointment. How's June 29, 2035? No good. There will probably be a shooting on that day, too.
"Too
bad everybody wasn't armed. Everybody could have been shooting at
everybody else and it would have been so much better."
That's essentially what these idiots said after Virginia Tech. "If only every student was armed..." And that's what they said after the Colorado movie theater massacre. "If only everybody in that theater was armed..."
Can you imagine if a shot is fired in a theater or classroom, and everybody whips out a gun, sees everybody else holding a gun, and starts blasting away?
"Guns don't kill people; people kill people."
Yeah, by the thousands, with guns.
"If guns are outlawed..."
I don't even want to continue with the meaningless bumper sticker platitudes that these righties regurgitate every time this situation comes up.
I think talk show host Mike Malloy said it best:
I will not be on the air tonight. I can't do
it. I cannot sit behind a microphone and talk about yet another
incomprehensible act of gun violence - this time against the complete
innocence and vulnerability of children.
There are no words
that can be said to provide any sort of comfort to the parents,
grandparents, sisters and brothers of the children murdered in the
sanctuary of a school class
room. The pain they will feel is beyond description - there is no way to express this sort of horror. As for me . . . I am choking on the tears and anguish that other
parents - those whose children were not murdered this bright Winter's
day - must be feeling. So . . .
The "best of"
program Kathy has for tonight dealt with a different shooting, not quite
one year ago. I will try to be back on the air Monday.
Today's mass murder of children and their adult caretakers can be - and
should be - seen as the NRA's holiday gift to America. How else to
comprehend any of this?
