You’ve read the headlines, or maybe you haven’t. Mass shootings are no longer “news.” They happen in our schools, our churches, at the mall, grocery stores, gyms, bars, restaurants, and dance clubs, in greater numbers than the days on a calendar. Everywhere we go, doing the normal things which people do, is now unsafe.

Mass Shooting: The NRA Gun Lobby is a Legal, Criminal Organization

As long as our government continues to support the NRA gun lobby, which is paid for by gun manufacturers and gun sellers, this will continue.

I should have words for everything, but when it comes to gun violence in America, the only country in the developed world with this problem, I have used every situation, every possibility of prevention, and every word to describe the horror of how mass assassinations harm not only the victims but their families and friends as well.

It is inconceivable that the 545 men and women in Washington refuse to consider a solution to end this situation immediately. This is not an issue that can wait. Every human life has value, not just the wealthy and leaders of corporate America. They must ignore and even reject campaign contributions from the NRA.

No More “Thoughts and Prayers:” Do Something!

I have written dozens of stories about mass shootings, defined by four or more individuals injured or killed by the use of a weapon of mass destruction in a single incident. The first to respond is often Republican members of Congress. They offer their “thoughts and prayers,” but nothing else. In fact, they immediately defend the “Second Amendment rights” of mass murderers. Hypocrisy does not completely define their non-actions. Maybe I should apply the term, “murderous bastards who simply don’t care.”

Mass Shooting: The Truth About the Second Amendment

Here are the important facts I have offered my readers time and time again.

Handguns and military-style assault rifles sold with high-output magazines have only one purpose: to kill human beings. Nowhere in the Second Amendment does it specify the type of weapons available in 2023? This amendment was approved in 1789, at the end of the Constitutional Convention. Its original purpose was to protect the existence of a militia until laws were passed to create a standing army. It has become another “conspiracy theory.” It in no way protects the unrestricted purchase of murderous weapons by anyone.

Ninety percent of all guns are owned by ten percent of the population. The majority must always be the guide for passing legislation in Washington. However, this current corrupt and ineffective government is more concerned with special interests than 331 million people.

Handguns have always been a problem in America. Laws have been passed, but not enforced in every situation. Requiring background checks is insufficient. There are loopholes in those laws.

There are virtually no restrictions for the purchase of military assault rifles other than the money required to buy one or more. These are the favored weapons of men who plan mass murders. These “toys for old boys” are the ultimate weapons of mass destruction.

Mass ShooyingsJust Another Deadly Week in America

Over the last few days, it was no surprise that there were several mass shootings. However, one horrific murder of a single woman has left me angry and speechless.

Alexandria Cress Borys, 26, was loading groceries into her car outside a Kroger in Irmo, South Carolina. On Tuesday afternoon, 23-year-old Christina Harrison approached her. There was a heated exchange between the two women. After what appeared to be an end to the argument, Harrison pulled out a gun and shot Ms. Borys in the back. Her children, a two-year-old, and an infant were sitting inside the car. She died on the scene at about 4 p.m.

It’s common for Americans to lose their lives from gunshot wounds. About 40,000, most of them women and children, are killed and more frequently by someone they knew well. Our government is responsible for most of those deaths because they make it too easy to purchase handguns and assault rifles. They are ultimately responsible for pulling the trigger. They fail to perform the jobs for which they were elected every day, and one of them is to protect the safety of all Americans.

By James Turnage

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Sources:

Detriot News: MSU to cover medical bills for victims of mass shooting
The Hill: 1 dead, 10 injured in Memphis shootings
Independent: Mother is shot dead in front of her children by a stranger after fight in supermarket parking lot

Top and Featured Image Courtesy of Julie Ellis‘ Flickr Page – Creative Commons License