Tuesday, March 28, 2023

Nashville

There was another shooting at a school yesterday.  There have been 131 mass shootings in the United States since January.  There have been 376 school shootings since Columbine in 1999.  The highest cause of children's deaths in the United States is not auto accidents, not cancer, it's death by shooting.  Compared to other countries we have the highest child and teen mortality rate in the world.



We are raising a generation of children who expect that it's possible for them to be killed when they go to school...and what is that going to do for their adulthood?



The Republican politicians I've heard comment on the shooting talked about how their prayers and good wishes went to the victims' families, but that there was nothing that could be done to stop the murders if someone wanted to murder and was willing to be killed by the police

Connecticut enacted strict gun control measures a couple of years ago  Basically Connecticut

  • Bans the open carrying of firearms in public
  • Limits the sale of handgun purchases to one per month
  • Makes updates to the state’s ban on unregistered “ghost guns”
  • Closes loopholes in the state’s assault weapons ban
  • Increases the age to buy firearms to 21
The latest polls show a 40% reduction in gun homicides.

And yet, to date, congress will not even consider enacting gun laws.  You have to be a certain age to drive a car and you have to have training, but asking you to do those two things before you can buy a gun is an infringement on your freedom,

McConnell has kept proposed bills from discussion in the senate for years.  Maybe now that he's no longer in charge, senators can at least talk about gun laws and vote on them.

From CNN:

Congress remains gridlocked on gun control measures in the wake of the school shooting in Nashville that killed six people, including three children. President Joe Biden has said that he's done all he can do to address gun control and urged members on Capitol Hill to act. "I can't do anything except plead with the Congress to act reasonably," Biden told CNN Tuesday. But the shooting, so far, has not compelled lawmakers in Washington -- particularly Republican leadership and some Tennessee lawmakers -- to push forward gun control. The House, where Republicans are in control, has rejected Biden's calls for an assault weapons ban. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy also would not answer questions Tuesday on whether any congressional action should be taken on guns after the latest mass shooting. Meanwhile, Democrats in Congress are slamming House Republicans for their disinterest. "All we're going to get are thoughts and prayers out of their Twitter accounts, and that's not enough," Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar said. 

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