Bang!!! Bang!!!

Posted on by under guns, Law and justice, Political commentary, Rants, Social commentary

A few of yesterday’s headlines …

  • At least 150 people fatally shot in more than 400 shootings over the Fourth of July weekend – CNN
  • More than 90 shot in Chicago on Fourth of July weekend – Chicago Tribune
  • Shootings at two Indianapolis shopping malls over July 4 weekend – WTHR News
  • Chicago weekend shootings: 92 shot, 16 fatally in Chicago since Friday night – Chicago Sun-Times
  • At least 140 people died in shootings across the US over Fourth of July weekend – Business Insider
  • At least 150 killed in nationwide shootings this July 4th weekend: data – New York Post

There are more, but … you get the picture, right?  In case you don’t quite get it, let me paint it for you.  In the

Most of the

Think their right to own a

is greater than our right to

I’M SICK AND DAMN TIRED OF THIS, FOLKS!!!  Give the fucking guns up … throw them in the ocean for all I care but get them out of the hands of ordinary people who tend to be fools and idiots from time to time, and as my mother-in-law used to say, “Ain’t got no sense.”

Take your 2nd Amendment and shove it where the sun doesn’t shine!  For that matter, you can put your guns there too!

{Filosofa takes 10 deep breaths}

Okay, let’s talk about this calmly now that I’ve gotten my fury out of my system.

Fact:  guns outnumber people in the United States

Fact:  humans sometimes get angry and act out of emotion rather than coherent thought

Fact:  guns kill people … or rather, people kill people WITH GUNS

Fact:  the 2nd Amendment does NOT guarantee that every person has the right to own a gun and carry it in public, nor does it address such things as automatic weapons that have the capacity to kill hundreds within minutes

Fact:  gun violence in the United States surpasses that of any other nation on earth

We can no longer feel safe going to the grocery store, much less a shopping mall on a holiday weekend.  We cannot feel safe in a movie theater, restaurant or bar.  We are not safe walking down the street, even in broad daylight.  We are not even safe in our own homes.  Something needs to change and it needs to change NOW!

Republican members of Congress, who are largely owned by the National Rifle Association (NRA), have long resisted even the most moderate legislation that would affect gun ownership, such as expanded background checks.  They have absolutely refused to even discuss a ban on assault weapons such as the AR-15 and AK-47.  I think the family of every single victim of gun violence from this point forward should file a federal suit against every Republican legislator who has naysaid gun legislation.

A favoured talking point of the NRA is that “guns don’t kill people, people kill people.”  Yes, but to the stupid who buy into that phrase, might I remind you that people kill people WITH GUNS!  Rare in the U.S. is the killing with fisticuffs or Swiss army knives.  Almost every damn murder is committed with … a gun!  Just how damn hard is it to understand that people who don’t have guns generally don’t kill?

Yes, I know I’m spitting in the wind, preaching to the choir, and the gun nuts will go on being just that … NUTS.  But I cannot be silent on this issue!  This is one of the three biggest issues that is threatening to destroy this nation from within, the other two being racism and money in politics.  And yes, I know that I’ve already said all of this before, more than a few times.  But PEOPLE!!!  WAKE UP AND SMELL THE GUNPOWDER!!!  It’s right outside your door!  Two of the fatalities this past weekend happened within a few miles of my home, likely a couple happened near you, too.  Our children are not safe in their classrooms, and we are not safe even in our workplaces.  How can the gun nuts even begin to justify this?  More to the point, how can our elected officials, men and women who are supposed to have our best interests at heart, justify taking bribes from the NRA and refusing to even discuss laws that might save lives?  Does anybody have an answer?  Hell no, for there is no logical answer.  It’s all about profit … profit for the gun industry, corporations such as Smith & Wesson, Glock, Beretta, Remington et al, and profit (money + power) for our not-so-illustrious elected officials whose salaries, I might remind you once again, WE PAY!

The right of a person to own a gun is about as far down on the priority list in my mind as anything could ever be.  And yet, it is the defining ‘right’ of far too many fools in this country.  The next holiday weekend will be the three-day Labour Day weekend, September 4th thru 6th.  Anybody want to make any bets how many of us will end up dead by guns at the end of that one?

51 thoughts on “Bang!!! Bang!!!”

  1. Agreed. It’s disgusting that this is always in the back of my mind…when I go someplace public, when my loved ones go someplace public…will there be a shooting? We shouldn’t have to live with this…..

    Liked by 1 person

    • It is in the back of my mind, as well, even in the grocery store any more. No, my friend, we shouldn’t have to live like this … no other country in the world has our gun freedom such that innocent people cannot even walk down the street. Sigh.

      Liked by 1 person

  2. Pingback: Anarchist news from 300+ collectives 🏴 AnarchistFederation.net

    • Thank you, my friend, for both the re-blog and the kind words! I don’t foresee any positive changes in my lifetime, but I hope I’m wrong. I hope people learn to resolve differences and issues without weapons. Words can be powerful too, and nobody has ever died from a tongue-lashing!

      Liked by 1 person

    • Thank you so much for your encouragement, my friend! No, I don’t get it either and we never will, for it isn’t about values, or common sense, or even the Constitution. It is about bending the minds of the weak, the fearful, the ignorant, to convince them they NEED guns and thus keeping the gun industry rolling in dough and having proud ownership of our elected officials. Sigh.

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  10. Reblogged this on Thar She Blows! and commented:
    A wake up call for Americans, another one, yes but a heartfelt, well-reasoned, strong one!
    Pls people, read Jill Dennison’s post that I stole from her blog.

    Liked by 2 people

  11. Thank you for bringing these headlines and facts together into what feels like a scary wake up call. I like your idea that “the family of every single victim of gun violence … should file a federal suit against every Republican legislator who has naysaid gun legislation. I wonder what republicans (and some Libertarians) think we should do about these killings. I have a couple of libertarian friends who I might ask. I believe there are compromises that could be made and/but the problem is also a symptom of deeper issues.

    Liked by 2 people

    • It is a scary wake-up call … not the first and not the last. Until we start hitting the members of Congress who are taking bribes where it hurts — their wallets and their reputation — then nothing will change, but it will only get worse. Even the majority of gun owners support more strict gun legislation, but the members of the Republican Party are in the pockets of the NRA and are ignoring the will of the people. Yes, please do ask your libertarian friends their opinion … I’d be interested to hear it. I realize that we won’t make large strides quickly, but we must start somewhere! Recently, Texas and other states passed laws such that now people can carry a gun in public without a permit, without a license! We’re going in the wrong direction here!!! Sigh.

      Liked by 1 person

    • How do you compromise on gun ownership or use, unless it is to stop producing metal or hard plastic bullets, and only produce soft rubber or nerf bullets. But our cops and armies would never go for that. And you can bet gunnuts would work around a law like that. There would be DIY programs on how to make your own metal or plastic bullets. People want to feel in charge, and guns let them feel that way, even though if they have to rely on guns, they will never be in control of anything.

      Liked by 2 people

  12. That is such powerful eloquent piece of writing. As an outsider, (Australian), don’t really feel like I can comment on this except to say I find the staunch refusal to address gun violence mystifying.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Thank you, Sharon! As I told Mike from the UK, quite often I find that readers outside the U.S. can see our situation more clearly than we can, so never hesitate to offer an opinion! I, too, find the entire gun situation here ridiculous, tragic, and unconscionable. I don’t understand it and never will.

      Liked by 1 person

    • ‘Twould never work. Even if they took the deal, you can bet they would keep back a few of their guns. There are so many unregistered guns around today that we have no idea where a good portion of them are. Plus … remember the couple that gave up their kids in order to keep their guns? That’s an extreme example, but the fact is that the gun nuts here would give up a lot to keep their guns. Sigh.

      Liked by 2 people

  15. As an outsider, I am wary of commenting on another country’s issues – and we all have problems. But most of us in the UK simply don’t understand why your wonderful country has such a love affair with guns. It seems bound up with a misguided view of freedom and money (aka corruption). I’m grateful we somehow managed to take another path, but our histories are different. On a related issue, I watched a fascinating documentary – The Violence Paradox; you might find it interesting.

    Liked by 1 person

    • I often find that outsiders can see our situation more clearly than we can, so never hesitate to opine! The answer to the question about why the love affair with guns is complex. To a large degree, the love of guns, the view that they are necessary for safety, has been manufactured by the gun industry and fed to those who always seem to live in fear of something. Thing is, the statistics show that very few killings by gun are actually done in self-defense. Most are killings of passion, or stress, or somebody who was angry and decided to end his own life and take 20, 30, or 40 with him. I have lived in this country all my life, and I do NOT understand the gun complex, either. I wouldn’t touch one if you paid me to, don’t allow any in my home, and if I see one sticking out of somebody’s belt while I’m in a store, I exit the store after informing management. I’ll check out the Violence Paradox … thanks, Mike!

      Liked by 1 person

      • As a young teenager, about 13 or 14, my father made me join Air Cadets, thought it might teach me discipline or some such foolish thing. Mostly we marched around and saluted people and learned how to identify airplanes, but one day we were forced–read commanded–to go into a rifle range and learn how to shoot a rifle. I actually fired 3 shots at a target, even hitting the target two times. I was supposed to fire five shots. I refused to shoot the last two shots. That was the day I quit Air Cadets, to the great ridicule from the other cadets, but even worse from the officers. I was put on charge but I did not care. I had no need to learn to shoot. They were trying to teach me to kill people, and I had no desire at all to learn how.

        Liked by 2 people

      • I have an antique gun, but it’s deactivated; I wouldn’t want it in the house otherwise. More guns on our streets (and, let’s face it, the UK has them too) and a perceived need to carry a weapon represents a failure of law and order. The Violence Paradox suggests we’re getting better – so there’s hope!

        Liked by 2 people

        • I have to hope that the UK never … EVER … adopts a gun culture similar to what we have here. It’s insane, and yet unlikely to ever end. I hope you’re right that we are getting better. Here, we are going rapidly downhill. Sigh.

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  16. When the Earth is parched and mankind is dying off , those who didn’t believe in climate change and wouldn’t give up their guns can listen to the cockroaches laughing as they know that guns are of no use against their numbers.
    Cwtch

    Liked by 2 people

  17. Jill, these posts go beyond breaking my heart. To be frank, our country’s inability to even try to deal with this problem and measure results shows how incompetently we are run. The funders do not want any action as that is what they pay for. Responsible gun owners will accept a number of common sense changes, but folks like Mitch McConnell will only offer insincere thoughts and prayers, yet do nothing. Keith

    Liked by 3 people

      • Wow. I hadn’t ever heard that Beatles song! I had to go look it up, but didn’t listen … didn’t think I could stomach it. Yes, for some here I’m sure they would say just that. Sigh.

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    • Yes, they are heartbreaking and … and enraging when you realize that so much more could have been done to prevent such tragedies, but once again, money is placed above human lives. From what I’ve read, most gun owners support certain gun regulations, but obviously this isn’t about what We the People want. How do we break this? The only way I can see is take the money out of politics, overturn Citizens United, and vote for people with a conscience.

      Liked by 1 person

  18. As long as everything is about money, we all are at the mercy of the me’s out there that just don’t care about the whole of our nation. I am the only one that counts. The attitudes in this country are squed, and the rest of us are screwed.

    Liked by 2 people

    • You’re so right. I thought that maybe when Congressman Steve Scalise was shot, it might turn the tide on gun laws, but nope. They won’t even talk about something as non-threatening as expanded background checks. I don’t foresee a day when guns are taken out of the hands of civilians, but they should be.

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