Sadness at Christmas
Christmas was saddened and somber this year, as the world mourned the loss of 20 children and six adults to a madman's gunfire at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut. Retail sales of the killing machine he used - a Bushmaster semi-automatic carbine - are booming as a result.
The shooter's first victim was his apocalyptic mom. She knew he had mental problems, but she left her gun cabinet unlocked.
The National Rifle Association sprang to the defense of gun manufacturers by calling for armed guards in all schools. The Bushmaster carbine used in the shooting shoots a bullet that can penetrate a steel helmet at 500 yards. The school guards would have .38 revolvers. The concept failed reality-checking for many.
Bushmaster carbines are being pulled from the shelves by retailers nationally. The company that makes them is up for sale. For some buyers, though, they are a gotta-have.
Since Newtown, a killing anywhere is a killing everywhere. One multiple killing after another is now being reported nationally. Multiple killings are a national problem, not local news.
~~ Addendum February 4, 2013 ~~
A month after the shooting, the madness has settled a bit. The NRA, personified in the news by its intentionally(?) wacky leader, Wayne LaPierre, has become a magnet for the crazies. This probably makes them easier to find. The NRA has flipped their position on background checks for gun buyers, accepting the idea that it might be good to screen out those who are both angry and mentally ill. States are thinking about restoring funds for mental health.
New York has enacted a new gun control law, one of the nation's toughest. It joins nine other states which are working to strengthen their gun laws.
Today, February 4, 2013, the President will be visiting Minneapolis, a city that has made gun control laws work. He will discuss his 9-point plan for controlling gun violence and find out from local police and sheriffs what more the federal government can do.
Meanwhile, in Alabama, a mentally ill man shot a bus driver, abducted a 5-year old boy as a hostage, and has sat for 5 days now in his survival bunker with his hostage.
May God have mercy on this community. And on this larger one, where we are all children.
The shooter's first victim was his apocalyptic mom. She knew he had mental problems, but she left her gun cabinet unlocked.
The National Rifle Association sprang to the defense of gun manufacturers by calling for armed guards in all schools. The Bushmaster carbine used in the shooting shoots a bullet that can penetrate a steel helmet at 500 yards. The school guards would have .38 revolvers. The concept failed reality-checking for many.
Bushmaster carbines are being pulled from the shelves by retailers nationally. The company that makes them is up for sale. For some buyers, though, they are a gotta-have.
Since Newtown, a killing anywhere is a killing everywhere. One multiple killing after another is now being reported nationally. Multiple killings are a national problem, not local news.
~~ Addendum February 4, 2013 ~~
A month after the shooting, the madness has settled a bit. The NRA, personified in the news by its intentionally(?) wacky leader, Wayne LaPierre, has become a magnet for the crazies. This probably makes them easier to find. The NRA has flipped their position on background checks for gun buyers, accepting the idea that it might be good to screen out those who are both angry and mentally ill. States are thinking about restoring funds for mental health.
New York has enacted a new gun control law, one of the nation's toughest. It joins nine other states which are working to strengthen their gun laws.
Today, February 4, 2013, the President will be visiting Minneapolis, a city that has made gun control laws work. He will discuss his 9-point plan for controlling gun violence and find out from local police and sheriffs what more the federal government can do.
Meanwhile, in Alabama, a mentally ill man shot a bus driver, abducted a 5-year old boy as a hostage, and has sat for 5 days now in his survival bunker with his hostage.
May God have mercy on this community. And on this larger one, where we are all children.
posted by Dan McIntyre at 9:25 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home