The Left Using Another Tragedy for Gun Control
Steve Clemons of The Atlantic writes:
“Last week, I was in Bartlesville and Tulsa, Oklahoma. I saw signs everywhere for a coming major gun show and was reminded by one of Tom Coburn’s friends that “his best friend in Oklahoma” owns those gun shows and is rabidly opposed to any form of gun constraints, even anything as innocuous and as sensible as background checks.”
Like the tragedy in Sandy Hook as well as the thwarted attempt by Michael Hill this week in Decatur, Georgia to shoot children in an elementary school, mental health, dysfunctional family unit and isolation are some of the factors in recent tragic gun shootings not the guns themselves. Democratic liberal politicians and progressive media focus on confiscation of guns because they feel if we have no guns on the streets then no one will be killed or injured. However, as in the case of the tragic killing of Australian Chris Lane, a gun was used in this incident but it is clear they would have used a knife, a vehicle or any other weapon of opportunity if their intent was to kill an innocent person out of “boredom”. The gun was simply the weapon of choice and the thugs illegally obtained it.
There are already strict gun laws in place in the United States we simply need those laws to be enforced. Chicago, for example has the highest crime rate and black on black crimes in the United States but yet they also have the strictest gun laws on the books, so what is the problem? Gangs, lack of moral values and family dysfunction. Breakdown of families due to generations of dependence on government programs that take the father figure out of the home could be one discussion to have. To begin to have that talk, the Left will have to admit dependency of government programs for generations is a problem. Instead for them it is much better to blame the weapon or play the race card than a deteriorating society living on the government plantation.
There is a saying that criminals will always find ways to get a gun, and that is most certainly true. Our own DOJ has supplied known drug cartels in Mexico with plenty of weapons to kill innocent people yet we can’t seem to enforce any laws to prosecute those who were responsible for this botched operation known as Fast and Furious. Instead we will just allow them to keep their day jobs and high salary but just move their location. I suppose for our Government not informing Mexico’s President of the operation to track the guns that killed hundreds of innocent people is “acceptable”. Instead, the DOJ will show selective outrage and demand gun control only when the story is convenient again for their political agenda.
There are more examples of selective outrage by the Democrats and the MSM. Notice the left was quiet when a recent gun rampage was executed by a Democrat. No calls for gun control with that story. How about the “workplace violence” trial of Ft. Hood shooter Major Nadal Hassan? Our Government refused to call it a terrorist act to appease anyone who would be offended in the Muslim community and yet you also did not hear a call for gun control in that instance either.
It’s not the guns that killed Chris Lane but the wannabe thugs who decided they were bored and pulled the trigger that killed him. It’s the culture of no morals, gang involvement and the breakdown of the family unit that have created the events in this article that we should address in this case. Where were the parents of these three teens and what family involvement surrounded them? How did these three teenagers become so callous at the gift of human life that they would laugh when arrested and brag how their “rap career” would benefit when serving a prison sentence for murder?
One direction to look might be within the mental health of people and how we as a society downplay the importance of proper medical treatment. In the near miss of a tragic situation in Decatur, GA, it is clear that potential shooter Michael Hill had established mental health issues and even stated he “forgot to take his medication” the day of the planned attack. While the investigation into what prompted Hill to go to an elementary school with large amounts of ammunition and a weapon is yet to be determined, one would have to wonder if he (like the Sandy Hook shooter Adam Lanza), was a loner, exposed himself to violent and graphic video games and had a family unit that was dysfunctional. It is believed Lanza was re-creating scenes he saw come to life through his game system and unfortunately had access to the guns to assist in his fantasy world turned a tragic reality. Instead of having a discussion about the dysfunctional family unit Lanza lived in, the left wing media and activists instead focused on further gun control actions that even sparked legislation lead by Senator Dianne Feinstein.
The continued cry of gun control by Democrats and the MSM are nothing more than a deflection of the real issues that need to be addressed that are mentioned in this article. We can take every gun off the street but you will still have someone decide to pick up a weapon of choice available and take someone’s life. Are we going to demand legislation on every item that can be used as a weapon? Focus on enforcement of the laws on the books and quit making selective outrage for political gain. For law abiding citizens we are beginning to tire from the convenient lack of concern for enforcing the law on people who obviously have an agenda to break it by any means necessary and a government whose own actions seem to enforce that behavior.
