Editorial

If you want gun control, you’ll have to use ballot box

ACHTUNG: This is not a “fair and balanced” article, it is an editorial by the editor.

Though many have asked me for my take on the recent mass school shooting in Texas and the grocery killings in Buffalo, N.Y., I feel as helpless as the feckless politicians we elect and re-elect despite not agreeing with their positions.

So yes, I suggest we once again have met the enemy and he is us.

I hear tell from pretty reliable sources that most Americans want gun control. But it’s hard to believe it since 2012 when 20 elementary school children were gunned down and nothing has changed since.

One observer not ago suggested nothing will ever happen if what happened at Sandy Hook didn’t prompt some kind of action, nothing will. Of course, we are outraged by the senseless slaughter of children, but we won’t step up to make these feckless and bribed politicians pay for their inaction and unconcern.

At the very least, I would support restoring the assault weapons ban that was left for dead in 2004 and I would support background checks. The two changes would not eradicate these all-too-common atrocities, which seem to happen only in the U.S. rather than the rest of the world, but I’m sure they would be reduced.

The only power we common, everyday folks have in our so-called free country is the vote. But just about the only time in generalized history we collectively made such a difference was in 1933, when U.S. voters tossed out those dominant Republicans and replaced them with FDR and the New Deal. Not all goals were met and the Republican Party, starting with St. Ronald Reagan in 1980, began the process of slowly rolling back the New Deal and the Great Society. In just 40 years, they have been amazingly successful in using marking, advertising and public relations, beginning with the Moral Majority’s assault on abortion rights.

So now we have a deeply divided government that isn’t likely to get much of anything done or change anything that whittles away the consent of the governed.

They have been successful in packing the court system, rolling back civil rights for people of color, fiddling around and doing nothing about climate change, which seems get more real more real every day to those who pay attention. Inaction on gun control is just one of many issues in which the people have some blood on their hands over 42 years. It’s like comedian George Carlin said, “Nobody seems to notice., nobody seems to care.”

I am horribly pessimistic about chances for change because the American people have shown me too often they are easily misled and easily distracted. Meanwhile, the GOP will continue to make hay on culture issues such as “God, Guns, Gays, Guts and abortion.”

Our day in the sun is nearly over. And we just let it happen.

If you really want to protect abortion rights, rational gun control, a plan to lessen climate change trouble, a fair and inexpensive health care system and fix whatever problems exist for Social Security, your best shot very simply is to throw the rascals out in November.

16 Comments

  • I tried to respond to your commentary, but couldn’t post my comments as I was blocked by your spam filter. It didn’t say what the problem was that had to be corrected.

  • For those uniformed folks as is the author, everyone wanting to purchase a firearm is required to pass a background check. This isn’t an option, it is required.
    You , Miss Arizona Sunshine, and others of liberal persuasion can stop misinforming the readers

    • DTOM once again no remorse or empathy for the 30-plus people massacred in the last two weeks. And yep, you are right, you need to do a background check only when purchasing a new weapon from a business and about 90 percent of the heinous acts of murder are people who totally passed the simple background check.

      • They also had mental issues. Start at the root of the problem Mental health, the rewards will last a life time.

  • As the owner of several guns (.22’s, 12 gauge shotguns, 2 bolt action hunting rifles). They are all stored with trigger locks. They were purchased to hunt deer, rabbit, pheasant, long ago squirrel and targets to make sure the sights were correct before hunting. The US has more guns per capital than any other country by far so no one should be surprised we also have more crimes and murders than other countries. I am enough of a realist to know there will never be effective legislation to take away all guns no matter the alarmists and NRA might tell you.

    A new ban on AR-15 style rifles and a ban on the manufacture and sale of magazines larger than 10 rounds for all guns would be acceptable.. If you are moved to turn in your weapons like may did in Australia over 30 years ago after 35 lost their lives in a mass shooting, go ahead. Australia has had one mass shooting since. I’d like to see a voluntary program instituted at the county level and if your county doesn’t participate you can take the guns to a county that does.

    Here in the US since Sandy Hook Elementary school mass murder where we’ve saw 26 killed, we’ve seen mass murders at schools, churches, movie theater, a nightclub and a parking lot turned concert venue in Las Vegas.

    However, the current GOP is being dominated by elected officials and people wanting to hold elective office who buy into American Exceptionalism along with the idea that somehow owning guns is a God given right that’s been blended into the American Exceptionalism narrative. That’s a dangerous blend of guns and religion.

    The author is correct in his observation that electing legislators who don’t believe in American Exceptionalism, don’t believe the US Constitution 2nd amendment means unfettered free market for all weapons, ammunition and accessories like large capacity magazines and bump stocks for rapid fire would be a move to make Michigan and the US a safer place.

  • Once again I ask, What is an Assault Weapon? AZ, 2030, Longstreet and Basura haven’t defined it yet. Give it your best shot, pun intended.

    Cheers!!

    • Ticky-tack semantics over gun spec jargon is just played out obfuscation. Let’s have a greater emotional connection to our schoolchildren than to our guns, please.

    • Mr. Wilkens, I would not take the time to define the facts of life to you. An ASSAULT rifle is designed to kill many people in a short time, which just happened!

      • Well based on both of your responses you can’t define an Assault Rifle. I realize CNN uses terms like this as talking points, that’s all they are.

        Here is one more for you boys. What type of weapon is used for more homicides in the USA?

        Lastly, do you guys really think more gun laws will save lives? You might want to talk to your progressive liberal judges that are letting these gang banging felons walk.

        Have a great day!

        Cheers!!

    • There certainly needs to be some consensus on the term but that doesn’t negate the need for a ban on these types of weapons. I’m not sure what point you are trying to make. Seems silly at this point

      • Deb,

        I would like to know what qualifies as “these type of weapons” I have a deer rifle that has a beautiful walnut stock, nice blued barrel, and a leather sling. It has a semi automatic action, that has a magazine to hold as many rounds as needed. You MIGHT say I have no problem with this……..So now I strip off the walnut stock, the blued barrel, the leather sling. I then bolt on a black synthetic stock, add a matte black barrel, install a black nylon sling and add a banana style magazine. So now it’s not ok…………..The point is there is virtually no difference using the same action to deliver the projectile. Do yourself a favor and see what type of gun is used in more homicides…………

        Cheers!!

  • This is an argument where I have skin in the game and very strong opinions. We have owned guns and I used to be a pretty good skeet shooter. I was also an elementary principal for many years that encompassed Columbine to Sandy Hook, the year I retired. I remember that day vividly and the Texas shooting last week brought it all back. To all of you who think the answer is more armed guards, fewer entries, armed teachers, etc., I say NO! No child should have to practice lockdown drills and know where to hide so you can’t be seen through a window or door. I was responsible for door and entry checks during those drills and I would not have hesitated to try and stop someone attempting to hurt the children in my care but I guarantee you that was not part of my job description when I took the job. I would gladly give up every gun my husband and I ever owned to bring back even one child lost. What are those of you fighting any attempt to curtail the violence willing to do?

    • Mary, I empathize with your viewpoint, however the 2nd amendment assures everyone the right to defend themselves and use weapons for hunting. The tragedies of mass shootings, the shooter is always after the fact a known evil doer but nobody has the fortitude and backbone to identify these creeps.

      • And none of the proposals take away those rights. Banning assault style weapons (done before) and magazines that hold over a specific number of rounds, red flag laws, mandatory background checks, raising the age to purchase to 21…..none of those things will take away your right to have guns. I would also love to see mandatory training and license renewal requirements for purchase and ownership. Any one of those things could have prevented last week. What about the proposed Michigan law holding parents responsible if a child is able to access a gun they own (talk to the parents of the 13 year old killed this week by friends playing with a gun they found). We will always own guns and none of these proposals anger or scare me in any way.

        • Mary,

          I think we both would agree that Chicago has the toughest gun laws in the Country………Yet another bloodbath this past weekend on Ms. Lightfoots watch. More gun laws I believe will not change the outcome. Thugs, felons and folks with mental health issues don’t obey the laws and never will. More laws will only effect law abiding citizens. Just my opinion……

          Cheers!!

  • So if these mentally diminished “kids” that committed these heinous crimes had been armed with Grandpa’s semi automatic 12 gauge shot gun, the one with the beutifully blued barrel and gleeming walnut stock (and our illustrious president suggested this as an alternative for home defense), would we be seeing the same uproar? This gun loaded with buck shot would be just as if not more devastating in my opinion. Why don’t we switch gears and look at what a lot of our children do with their spare time. How many of you have bought your children “call of duty” for Christmas. How about “grand theft auto” for their birthday or any of the other disgusting violent video games? Awwwwe you say, these don’t have any bad effect on young impressionable kids. What is the choice of firearms in almost ALL of these all to realistic time wasters? Wow, that’s a cool gun, they say. Hmmm, do you think there may be a connection to recent events? Where is the uproar on that front. I haven’t yet heard about it yet but I would be willing to bet these killers had exposure to afore mentioned games. But again where is the uproar. I am a responsible gun owner and proud and defiant about it. My fear on the gun regulation issue is once a certain sector of our left leaning leaders get their foot in the door they won’t quit until we have been stripped of everything they can possibly get. ( does Australia ring any bells?) Yah farmboy, your full of crap. Maybe so but as I filled up my truck the other day and couldn’t help but think of fhe “green new deal” and wonder if this stupidity isn’t part of the ill conceived master plan to get us to embrace electric vehicles, and the rest of the malarkey we have had shoved at us,in the past ( how much coastal real estate have we lost due to melting polar ice caps). There are many other issue’s in the past 40 years this very thing has happened. The ability to displine our children as we as parents see fit, the ability to choose to wear a seat belt or not and the list goes on and on. This is why I say I am defiant. I have little, closer to NO faith in our current leaders. And I am talking both sides of the aisle. Something to think about.
    Just saying.

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