I didn’t pay much attention to the news this weekend, so it was just today when I heard that 14 people were injured, and six killed in Arizona at a political rally. One of the poor souls killed was a 9 year old girl who accompanied a neighbor to the event because she, as a member of her student council, was interested in going to the event. I can’t imagine getting that call. And to tell the truth, it’s the biggest reason I don’t have children. I doubt I would survive it, personally.
What is more disturbing to me than the shooting is the reactions to the event. Evidently the political junkies on both sides are in no short supply of stupidity. All of a sudden gun control advocates of the Nut Job Fleet are taking to task Rep. Gabrielle Giffords on her belief that gun ownership is a God given right. I admit that this is where my conservative side comes out. I doubt more gun control would have changed the day here. This shooting had nothing to do with control. I can pretty much say that “control” was not a factor. Blaming this on where someone stands on gun ownership rights is just retarded. Perhaps we should look at where people stand on mental health rights? If ever there was an argument for Universal Health Care…I think this is it!
In turn, having the right wing of the Nut Job Fleet come out and say that this tragedy could have been prevented if we had a different President, and different policies that this would never have happened is equally ridiculous. That’s like blaming Bush for 9/11. It’s stupid. Also, arming everyone in the crowd would not have had the effect all these pundits think it would have. I’m sure the number of bodies on the deck would have been far greater. If you think I’m wrong, just go spend a day at the DMV and look at the people on YOUR side of the counter. Do you really want these morons armed? I saw one guy espouse that all college aged kids should be given hand guns for protection. Now there’s a kegger I’m never attending!
I fully believe that gun ownership is a right that should be availed to all law abiding citizens. However, I think that gaining access to such arms should come with some type of mental check (and a silencer. I like quiet in the forest). I think parenthood should come with some type of registration test as well, but that’s another article. What I don’t think is that this had anything to do, no matter how you want to spin it, with anything that’s going on outside this shooters head. He would have found a reason to go to the farm no matter what was going on in the world around him.
Using this event as a launching point for your agenda, not matter what it is, makes me wonder what type of human being you are. I think it’s safe to say that you have no scruples. You definitely have no morals, and blaming the victims in this shooting is like blaming the raped for the rapist. Perhaps we should spend more time trying to eliminate the problem rather than the symptom. Make no mistake. The symptom here is the shooting. The problem…is us.