Open wide and swallow:
Guns don’t kill people- people (with guns) kill people
Mentally ill people (with guns) kill people
Careless stupid people (with guns) kill people
Unarmed people enable people (with guns) to kill people
There- that was easy.
Say a prayer to the dead
Offer condolences to those who mourn
We are a decent, caring people
It’s a great day in America to be a gun.
Ed. Note: The title refers to Jay Carney’s remarks on behalf of the White House.
“Carney was asked during a White House press conference whether today’s violent incident raises “limiting gun violence” on President Obama‘s priority list for the second term.
“We are still waiting for more information about the incident in Connecticut,” Carney replied. “As we do, I think it’s important, on a day like today, to view this as I know the president, as a father, does, and others who are parents certainly do: which is to feel enormous sympathy for those families affected and to do everything that we can to support state and local law enforcement and to support those who are enduring what appears to be a very tragic event.”
He concluded: “There is, I am sure, will be, rather, a day for discussion of the usual Washington policy debates, but I do not think today is that day.”
Anna Daniels
Latest posts by Anna Daniels (see all)
- Bob Dorn: Rest in Power! - December 3, 2018
- The Urgency of Transgender Safety, Legal Protections - November 27, 2018
- Chaos and Cruelty at the Border - November 26, 2018
I love you Anna, but I completely disagree with you.
If not today, when do we talk about gun laws? It’s only when something like what happened today in Connecticut happens that we have the attention of the American populace focused on the issue. Americans have the attention span of a gnat. Two days from now, when it’s “more appropriate,” we’ll have moved on, and gun laws will no longer be a pressing matter. Today, gun laws matter. Moreso than any other day except for the day that Eric Harris and Dylan Kliebold revealed their true evil; or the day that Seung-Hui Cho unleashed his demons; or when Andy Williams decided to shoot up Santana High School right here in Santee.
Three days from now, a week from now, no one will care, and the NRA and their Republican toadies will once again have the upper hand. Today EVERYONE cares. So as distasteful as it may be, today is the BEST time to talk about gun laws.
Andy- the title is refers to the remarks that Jay Carney made today on behalf of the White House. You are absolutely right in your push-back against that title.
If today is not the day, there will never be a day! The President has just spoken for himself and said, tearfully, that we must have this conversation and it must be meaningful. The NRA, as a lobby, must go! These are our babies!
Assault weapons availabilty must be addressed. Gun shows must be addressed and psychiatric histories must be readily available before guns can be bought.
The medical community is also to be indicted in this, as well as access to and continuity of medical care, which includes psychiatric care and clear, concise documentation of records which indicate instability.
I do not know this shooter’s history, but I will bet that he had a history of psychiatric issues that were not readily available that could have blocked his purchase and/or ownership of multiple guns through gun shops, but not gun shows.
This has to stop!
I don’t give a damn about the President’s personal anguish as a parent: I want him to work as the Persuader-in-Chief with a Bully Pulpit to push through legislation that protects the
American people from themselves. Pull out all the stops. Get us legislation that limits easy access to guns and ammunition and has special provisions to prevent easy access for
people who are mentally ill. Such legislation in no way needs to impinge on our beloved Second Amendment rights.
Is this the new normal? : “How parents can talk to their children about CT school shooting tragedy.” Tell me it isn’t so.
This is so profoundly sad that I know, for me, and perhaps Anna sees it too, how the rage I feel fogs my thoughts. To that end to hell with the NRA and the culture they promote. And to the rest of us, there’s no hiding from the truth that we have helped. Like the speech from the “American President”, Obama, go after the guns.
JEC- until we are will to take on the NRA in a smart effective way, the talk about sane guns laws won’t amount to much. “The NRA’s gun agenda helps protect and expand the market for the firearms sold by the weapons companies that bankroll its multi-million dollar lobbying and influence operations.” Corporate interests, lobby and political influence- sound familiar ?
Yes- to hell with the NRA
We need to be relentless and untiring in defeating assault weapons in the marketplace. Call all the offices of the politicians. Write letters. Don’t stop. And let’s recognize that the mythology surrounding guns is the concoction of violence junkies who are missing hormones and brain ganglia. If you want to see their illness displayed, just go to the Washington Post blogs.
I agree wtih Andy, Frances, Bob, et al., that the time to deal with gun violence is when it occurs, as it really did in Connecticutt, when the nation’s attention is on it, and before the gun lobbyists excuse it as an isolated incident. The President should, immediately, set a team of people to work at coming up with the most sensible and practicable legislation possible to submit to Congress, and then use his bully pulpit to force them to deal with it, just as he tried to do with health care. Half a loaf may be better than none.
Agreed! The NRA must go!
Go to Mother Jones magazine and look at the article called “Guide to Mass Shootings in America” for a review of 61 cases in the last 30 years in which four or more people were murdered. According to this chilling research, there have been seven incidents in 2012 —
and we’re only half way through December.
While you’re sick at heart or mad as hell, write to Obama and your legislators to get an assault weapons ban and a waiting period to check on the mental health/criminal records of purchasers of guns and ammo.
I say Fuck the Second Amendment and the NRA. Until we are willing to go all out to get rid of all guns and wage war on the second amendment, we’ll still be stuck with this bullshit. No other country has a “right” to own a gun. To say we have a right to own a gun for any purpose makes our protests wishy-washy. To say we have a right to own a gun because it’s a time honored thing to go out and kill defenseless animals much less human beings is a travesty of our humanity. What we should have a right to is health care and a roof over our heads. We should have a right not to go hungry.
The only thing we should be talking about is gun control. But look at the media. All you see on TV and in the movies is the glorification of guns and violence.
What a fucking sick society we live in. Pardon my French.
What a sad commentary when ignorant statements such as “Guns don’t kill people- people (with guns) kill people; Mentally ill people (with guns) kill people; Careless stupid people (with guns) kill people; Unarmed people enable people (with guns) to kill people” are repeated and perpetuated, inadvertently or by design.
Were it not for advocates of the ultra rightist NRA who also profess an inflexible religious right wing mentality, people (mentally ill or not, careless stupid or not, Unarmed people enabling armed people or not) would NOT have access to guns who DO KILL people.
THE TIME IS NOW TO PUT AN END to open access to guns, relaxed or negligent enforcement of gun sellers/dealers, as well as violence promotion via video games. The only ones gaining benefit from the sale of their deadly weapons (of mass destruction – the death of 20 children caused by shootings + the death of all others for the past umpteen year is mass destruction) are the gun designers and sellers, violent video game designers and sellers, and the political, favor-monger NRA.
The questions remain who what how can be done from our end besides responding to or reacting to a blog site?
Here is one petition I signed from Daily Kos
Wouldn’t hurt to call or email the White House
Ditto for our Coungressmen & women.
If not now then when, exactly – A week? A month? A year? Come back to reality, Anna Daniels. You should be asking, instead, why there is no outrage. No one seems to be mad about it or asking why it happened. Instead, we’re being told to quiet down and stop asking questions when we should be asking Who was Adam Lanza? Was he under the care of a doctor? And if so, who is it? Why isn’t he coming forward to talk about his patient, now dead? Was the patient taking psychotropic prescription pills that are known to cause homocidal/suicidal rages? No, we’re seeing none of that because the corporately consolidated media is too busy telling you that if you get angry and ask questions, it’s disrespectful to the families of the victims. This is mind control, folks. You’re being programmed to numbly accept that mass shootings just happen and the best we can do is ban firearms from law abiding citizens because that will just make all crime magically disappear. Wake up!
Prattle On- I posted the article because it IS the day to talk about gun laws. I owe you and other readers an apology for failing to write a clear post to that effect. Each line reflected a pronouncement from the people who don’t want to talk about ease of access to guns and the legal availability of assault weapons. Yesterday, the “Guns don’t Kill People” argument went into high gear. We were told that the problem is with the mentally ill, not gun ownership. We were told by the president’s spokesman that it was not the day to talk about guns. I offered all of those up, in the hopes that those statements would be examined, rejected and generate discussion. I failed in not creating the linkage to the statements made by people who really do not want to have a conversation, but do want to keep their guns- at any cost. Again, I posted the article because it IS the day to talk about gun laws.
Anna,
I did not misunderstand the meaning of your post-knew exactly the point you were making, just think people are so distraught by this horrific tragedy, that they did not see beyond their own anger, sorrow, shock, and disbelief. Everyone is in shock and everyone seems to be thinking a little less clearly than usual—-
Thank God, though, that all of the comments have displayed outrage at the thought of retaining the status quo…
Anna, Thanks for the opportunity to respond to an intolerable situation. Let’s turn this around. The outrage is clear and the bloggers are all about stopping this wild mankind hunt as if we were wild game to claim as trophies.
Fran Zimmerman suggested we write to the president and all of our elected politicians. Is there anyway that 1) we can send this particular post to all elected officials from feds to local? 2) start a petition drive to go nationwide? others……
Hey, Prattle On, Boyo don’t kill the messenger.
Although not stated, Anna’s message is clear. It’s time to react. And reacting, we are doing. Instead of spewing agains each other, we should find a way to create a united front to go full speed ahead to undo the gains that the NRA and its advocates have bought through political contributions given to their right wing politicians for so many years.
As the former, former, former Speaker of the House Tip O’Neil once said, “All politics is local”. If we apply that maxim to this evil of owning guns to protect against imaginary enemies hiding under the beds of the citizenry then what we need first is a San Diego gun control law. Lets start with the new mayor! Wash the city of its weaponry and set an example that cannot be ignored.
You are absolutely right Jim- start locally. Bob Filner should become a member of Mayors Against Gun Violence, and immediately push for background checks at gun shows. (40% of all guns are purchased through gun shows, & background checks aren’t required)
On December 21, San Diegans can exchange their guns for a gift card- no questions asked:
Black Ministers of the United African American Ministerial Action Council (UAAMAC) Sponsor 5th Annual “Gift Card for Gun Exchange”. The program offers Gift Cards for Guns, NO Questions Asked!!!
WHAT: A news conference and ‘Gift Card for Gun Exchange’ event in Southeast San Diego. The United African American Ministerial Action Council (UAAMAC) will partner with elected officials and law enforcement offices to offer gift cards in exchange for guns. Participants will receive $50 for rifles and shotguns, $100 for hand guns and assault weapons, only one gift card per vehicle no matter how many guns. No questions asked. Details on the success and history of the program will be discussed at the news conference.
WHEN: Friday, December 21, News Conference begins promptly at 8:00 a.m. Gun exchange will start at 8:30 a.m.
WHERE: 415 Euclid Avenue
San Diego, CA 92114
Great idea, Anna. Ask Filner to become a member of Mayors for Gun Control. We should ask the City Council to take some action too, pass a resolution or something.
Anna,
The picture that you posted is quite powerful. I am writing an article for DKos and Opednews and would love to use it- will link it to your article- is that a possibility?