If you listen to Fox News, today’s fake Republicans, or the NRA gun lobby, you are not only in denial, you are rejecting every fact about gun violence ever reported by legitimate journalists who have the courage to tell the truth.
Our country has become an armed fortress where anyone can purchase a weapon of mass destruction, virtually without restriction. In 2022 and 2023 many tragic events proved beyond a doubt that it is unsafe to leave your home in the 21st century.
Washington Is Mired in Corruption and Therefore Mistrust Is Pervasive Among the People
It is clear that our government is the most corrupt and incompetent in the free world. The facts prove that the inmates are running the asylum. Mass shootings, more than the number of days on the calendar, and the loss of human life in general related to gun violence, could be reduced and eventually become an anomaly if our government would simply do the right thing. However, the NRA gun lobby, representing gun manufacturers and gun sellers, owns every right-wing politician in Washington, and their only response continues to be hot air: “thoughts and prayers.” Profit before people remains our national motto.
The Second Amendment Protects Criminals
I believed in protecting the second amendment for more than 70 years. However, those who consider the profits involved by the gun industry of greater importance than public safety have changed my mind. They hide behind the most ambiguous and poorly constructed amendment in the Bill of Rights. I now believe that it must be repealed or at the very least rewritten. The Second Amendment is ambiguous with the exception of clearly stating that this amendment was intended to protect the existence of a militia.
Truthful and Frightening Facts
A fact which is very upsetting and reveals the insanity which possess a small percentage of Americans.
Just 3% of all America’s adults own about one half of all civilian guns, approximately 130 million.
However, one fact above all explains the escalation of gun violence and the subsequent number of deaths and injuries for gunshot wounds. Both handguns and military-style assault rifles, AR-15s, were created for a single purpose: to kill other human beings. They are not used for hunting or any other reason which protects the right of ordinary citizens to own them. The truth is, when handguns and single shot rifles failed to kill a large number of humans fast enough, these military weapons were invented to alleviate the problem.
Hiding the Truth Behind the Second Amendment
America’s gun nuts hide behind the Second Amendment. However, while it vaguely protects the right to possess firearms, it does not guarantee the right of anyone to own the type of weapons which exist in the 21st century. The Second Amendment was written while antique rifles and some pistols were the only weapons available.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, more than 11,523 Americans lost their lives from the use of a gun as of 4/10/23. About 57 percent of these deaths were attributed to suicide. There have been at least 132 mass shootings. Of those who died from these incidents, 398 were teenagers and 71 were children. 378 were the result of officer involved shootings, and 409 were the result of “unintentional” shootings. More than 40,000 Americans lose their lives from gun violence each year, the majority being women and children.
Personally, I find it extremely sad that I know many of the statistics related to gun violence by heart. I have written far too many articles about this insanity. Of greater importance is the fact that politicians in Washington do nothing. They refuse to do the right thing while stuffing their pockets with money from the NRA. Public opinion is on the side of sensible gun reform, but not one Republican is listening.
Let them know you are paying attention and vote them out of office.
Op-ed by James Turnage—The Wise Old Fart
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Sources:
ABC News: More than 11,500 people killed in gun violence so far in 2023
The Guardian: Meet America’s gun super-owners – with an average of 17 firearms each
New York Times: In a Nation Armed to the Teeth, These Tiny Missteps Led to Tragedy
Top and featured image courtesy of Paul Sableman‘s Flickr page – Creative Commons License