There is also the freedom to remain stupid, watch mass shootings taking place time after time without doing anything about it aside of yammering on social media platforms.
The obvious and most decisive act to tackle the lunacy is a complete ban on assault weapons. A ban was passed by the US Congress in 1994 during Clinton’s time and it expired ten years late. The flawed law was limited only to weapons manufactured after the date of the ban’s enactment thus still allowing a huge amount of deadly military rifles to be left in private hands.
Unfortunately the public does not realize its power and fails to act on it despite the fact that there is a large majority favoring the ban.
If every citizen for the ban had contacted his or her congressman to let them know that without supporting the law they will loose their vote, and if hundreds of thousands bothered to demonstrate in the capitol, week after week, the message would be very clear that any elected official not fighting actively for the cause would be committing a political suicide. That’s when things will start moving fast.
I find it too easy to blame the “Leaders”. They are in many cases elected after all. Obama witnessed mass shootings while he was in the Oval Office and Ive not heard people describe his politics as hatred, vilification, bigotry and racism.
As for Trump? I don’t think he is the topic here either.
One thing I do agree with in principle is the saying, “guns don’t kill people, people kill people” If removing or limiting access to the method of killing is a way forward then I agree with that also.
The guns don’t kill people thing I find a little misleading. If my grandchild was hitting someone with a stick the first thing I’d do is removed stick. It’s true it’s not the sticks fault, but the easy access to the stick (gun) that’s the problem.
If you don’t believe that the rhetoric of some “leaders” enables hatred and bigotry, and other leaders’ statements and actions do not, then we likely have nothing more to discuss. How dare you compare the politics and values of these two people. One a fine, educated and kind human being, and one a stupid, selfish, cruel, wilfully ignorant oaf who has done nothing other than to tear down the social fabric of the nation. I just can’t even comprehend the level of your false equivalence. You need to go away.
This is a nonsense comparison from the typical Fox News consumer in the states. Obama governed from a place of inclusion and didn’t spend his days inciting racial violence as Trump has. The two are not even comparable.
Let’s keep this conversation about the topic and respectful of each other’s opinions. Regardless of our political leaning I think we would all agree we’d like to see an end to this gun violence. It would be nice to be able to have an open discussion without Richard having to shut us down.
Apart from the Fox News comment isn’t this what my post stated? Obama could never have been labeled as Trump has been yet his administration witnessed some terrible mass shootings as well. Im merely stating my view that Its too easy to blame the Leader when it suits.
I feel the solutions lay elsewhere, Im just not sure where.
To clear things up, I don’t live in the States and don’t watch Fox News.
You’re conflating issues. Yes there’s a tendency to blame leaders for things that are beyond their control. Blaming Obama for mass shootings falls into this category.
Blaming Trump for the mass shooting a man committed against people Trump has been verbally demonizing and encouraging violence against does not fall into this category.
For me the answer is simple, the NRA has far too much power. It has the ability to derail any politician that questions gun ownership in any form. It exploits the paranoia that unfortunately seems to thrive in some people for its ultimate goal, to sell more guns.
In Your Opinion.
But yes, I can see now what you are meaning.
My position doesn’t change however.
Time for me to humbly hook a lefty out of this thread.
Don’t do that, the only way any of this will change is if we all talk. The goal of any opposing argument/opinion is to encourage the our side to see another point of view. This will never happen if we all run to our respective corners.