It’s hard to come up with anything insightful to say about yesterday’s tragic mass murder in Texas. There’ll be the cries for this not to happen and here’s how, the drummed up outrage at the idea of politicizing the murder by actually proposing legal changes to prevent it from happening, some conspiracy-theorists will try to lump it in with the Sandy Elementary Shooting as never having happened, etc. It’s all becoming depressingly predictable.
It’s a rut we’re in, and I don’t know how to get out of it. One side thinks the other side is taking advantage of this for political gain, while the other sees an incomprehensibly lax regulation of the means for killing our fellow citizens.
Meanwhile, all us normal folks are just pigeons being shot out of the air.
From my libertarian readings from years ago, I know the gun rights advocates believe that arming the populace is supposed to stop these things from happening. My personal observations so far culminate in the conclusion that this theory is a primitive application of shallow reasoning to a scenario full of potential nuances. It’s becoming apparent that he who gets off the first shot wins – he may still end up dead, but it’s damn well clear that mankind is not a rational species, as anthropologist will tell you. The shooters are not rational people, they’re madmen looking for a personal escort to Hell.
Since I woke up with this on my mind, I suppose I’ll dispense the same political script as everyone else concerned with the NRA’s control of the issue. This is for my benefit, to blow off steam and anger.
For each and every GOP Congressperson up for re-election in 2018 who did nothing in Congress to respond to tragedies of this sort, the same rough script should be employed.
Since the last election there have been N mass shootings. (Populate with appropriate sad images of people mourning.)
Has our Congressman XYZ proposed legislation to prevent madmen from gaining access to guns?
No.
Is this failure irresponsible?
Yes.
When you elect me, ABC, the first thing I will do is begin work on gun-control legislation that will make it difficult for madmen to get their hands on guns. I will submit it for consideration within a month of taking office. And then I will push for it to passed.
Why? Because if one day I hear on the radio that some of my own family have been killed by a madman with a gun, how can I possibly hope to look my family in the eye?
How can I hope to look my constituents in the eye?
This is how responsible governance takes place, and Congressman XYZ doesn’t understand this.
I do. Vote ABC.
And if the GOP screams that this is a coordinated campaign, everyone answers You’re damn well right, you murderous morons. This is a national problem and you’re not addressing it.
I don’t really feel better, but at least I tried.
