In the days following the President’s big speech outlining his intentions to do something to curb gun related murders, and after taking some time to think about who really wins and loses if any kind of changes in law really occurs, and then marveling at how crazy some folks get on both sides of gun control, I had a few questions plaguing me.
I decided to throw a few questions out there for consideration.
Such as:
- How many Senators and Congress persons are in the NRA’s pocket?
- When will we get a full time ATF head, and in fact, a more robust ATF?
- How the heck did we get to the point that it is standard practice to run all legislation past an industry’s lobbyists for approval and notes, prior to nomination?
- Why is a right to own an object more precious and sacred than protecting American lives?
- Is the NRA objection to Universal background checks more to prevent a slowing in the growth of gun sales, rather than a defense of the second amendment?
- What can the voter do against the NRA’s indisputable sway over Congress and the Senate?
I can’t answer most of those questions, but maybe there is something more tangible to achieve in the near future, particularly by voters. I received an email from our friends at Daily KOs about a seat up for grabs in the Illinois 2nd congressional district, right now, in a special election. The Democratic primary is in only three weeks, on February 26. The frontrunner in the crowded Democratic primary is former Rep. Debbie Halvorson, who has a lifetime “A” rating from the NRA.
This is, in my humble opinion, another case of soul selling by a Democrat. Less NRA puppets are needed in Congress, now more than ever! To that end, Daily KO’s suggests Robin Kelly as an alternative choice to fill the seat. She’s made gun reform a central issue of her campaign, and says that she “could not be more proud” of her lifetime “F” rating from the NRA. If you’d like to put your two cents in, then click here. If lobbyists can influence policy to protect profits, maybe we can do the same to protect people.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-williams/chicago-gun-deaths_b_2618607.html
Chicago has the strictest gun laws in the nation, yet the most homocides. Most of the homocides are drug/gang related. CRIMINALS BREAK THE LAW, MORE GUN LAWS WILL JUST BE BROKEN. END prohibtion and the "War on Drugs" and let everyone be armed to level the playing field and gun violence will go WAY DOWN. History has proved this over and over again.
Other cities where firearms ownership is not restricted nearly as much have MUCH LOWER MURDER/CRIME RATES.
check this out… Joe Biden admits the new federal gun control proposals WILL NOT PREVENT MASS SHOOTINGS/LOWER GUN MURDERS… THEN WHY PUSH FOR THIS LAW? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbIX1CP9qr4
No magic answers to mass shootings at one stroke, no cure for societal indifference to the suffering of others is there. That doesn't mean that changes should not be made.