And not just 'clever actors' but 'collateral damage' according to some. Conspiracy theories seem to be more and more prevalent and hitting the mainstream instead of being ignored as deluded ramblings by racist bigots.
I've seen articles about the man who did nothing but offer shelter to some of the kids who escaped and I'm appalled that he can receive hate mail and threats over it. But I'm appalled that people still whine about the need for a citizen militia "like in the Constitution", and that an unarmed populace is just "a slave to Govt tyranny".
I wonder why the Aurora theatre shootings didn't receive such treatment (or at least it wasn't so prevalent). The only thing I can come up with is that most of the victims at the theatre were adults and "not important", whereas most of the victims at Sandy Hook were children and "precious" enough to finally change some people's minds and have them support gun control. Worse still is that Obama is being accused of using children as props in promoting gun control, even as anti-abortionists use stillbirths and baby pictures on their placards. Hypocrisy, lies, and hate; truth doesn't enter into it at all.
The wording of the 2nd Amendment provides for a citizen's militia, which the extreme gun enthusiasts interpret as "we demand our assault weapons whose only purpose is to kill as many people as possible, and you will pry them away from us at your peril."
Of course, the reality of a citizen's militia in this day and age is ridiculous. The dark undercurrent of this movement is that these people want these weapons because they really believe that they will have to take up arms to overthrow the government -especially that Kenyan, socialist, fascist, tyrant currently occupying the White House.
The Aurora shootings are part of the conspiracy theory, too. The "victims" were actors, it was all a staged plot to take people's guns away, blah, blah, blah.
The American assault gun culture is really so extreme at this point that it's almost impossible to have a rational conversation with them. I'm not talking about the many people who own guns for hunting, or might have a gun in the house in case of a break-in, but those who believe they have a right to an arsenal of weapons that are engineered for warfare for the express purpose of killing large numbers of human beings.
You may or may not realize how commonplace mass shootings in the U.S. have become, and how much we've become de-sensitized to them. There have been at least 3 such shootings since Sandy Hook - one over this past weekend where 5 people were killed.
*Sorry for the rant* This topic gets me very wound up.
I've just been reading some really good Daily Kos articles about gun control - this one is particularly good at deconstructing all the arguments against it. There are so many people desperate for change - just, it seems, not where it matters, in the Senate, in local government, and on the news networks.
After the massacre at Dunblane, Britain outlawed handguns and severely restricted other firearms. That diary I rec'd looks at how a major incident in Australia led to severe restrictions. Yet in the US, the NRA and their like refuse to change or act, no matter how terrible and frequent incidents become. You have every right to be wound up about it. It's terrible to think there's little the public can do aside protest loudly and peacefully. Of course there's hope: Obama is in office, and with public opinion moving on this issue, he may be able to finally act.
I'll check that DK diary out. There have been so many vitriolic diaries about gun control lately - even at DK - that I've tended to avoid them
Great Britain and most of Europe are so ahead of us on the issue - much more civilized. I don't really know why the United States is so regressive- whether it harkens back to the days of the "Wild West", the paranoia that seems to run rampant in this country; the attitude that having more guns makes us safer - I just don't know the reasons. I just know that there is a very deep sickness in this country about it.
I wish I could be more optimistic that we are now on the verge of starting to change. I know Obama is trying. Unfortunately, I can remember that the same thing happened after the attempted assasination of President Reagan. We did change our gun laws. Then, a couple of decades later, the Supreme Court, bowing to NRA influence, struck down the laws as unconstitutional.
Referencing the atrocity that you mentioned in Britain - I remember that clearly. Unfortunately, I imagine the general attitude towards firearms in the hands of individuals was already much more progressive than ours even before it occurred.
And, most depressing of all, Americans have woefully short memories about these incidents. They tend to be outraged for awhile, and then the memory fades until the next massacre, when we go through the same cycle again.
I've seen articles about the man who did nothing but offer shelter to some of the kids who escaped and I'm appalled that he can receive hate mail and threats over it. But I'm appalled that people still whine about the need for a citizen militia "like in the Constitution", and that an unarmed populace is just "a slave to Govt tyranny".
I wonder why the Aurora theatre shootings didn't receive such treatment (or at least it wasn't so prevalent). The only thing I can come up with is that most of the victims at the theatre were adults and "not important", whereas most of the victims at Sandy Hook were children and "precious" enough to finally change some people's minds and have them support gun control. Worse still is that Obama is being accused of using children as props in promoting gun control, even as anti-abortionists use stillbirths and baby pictures on their placards. Hypocrisy, lies, and hate; truth doesn't enter into it at all.
Reply
Of course, the reality of a citizen's militia in this day and age is ridiculous. The dark undercurrent of this movement is that these people want these weapons because they really believe that they will have to take up arms to overthrow the government -especially that Kenyan, socialist, fascist, tyrant currently occupying the White House.
The Aurora shootings are part of the conspiracy theory, too. The "victims" were actors, it was all a staged plot to take people's guns away, blah, blah, blah.
The American assault gun culture is really so extreme at this point that it's almost impossible to have a rational conversation with them. I'm not talking about the many people who own guns for hunting, or might have a gun in the house in case of a break-in, but those who believe they have a right to an arsenal of weapons that are engineered for warfare for the express purpose of killing large numbers of human beings.
You may or may not realize how commonplace mass shootings in the U.S. have become, and how much we've become de-sensitized to them. There have been at least 3 such shootings since Sandy Hook - one over this past weekend where 5 people were killed.
*Sorry for the rant* This topic gets me very wound up.
Reply
After the massacre at Dunblane, Britain outlawed handguns and severely restricted other firearms. That diary I rec'd looks at how a major incident in Australia led to severe restrictions. Yet in the US, the NRA and their like refuse to change or act, no matter how terrible and frequent incidents become. You have every right to be wound up about it. It's terrible to think there's little the public can do aside protest loudly and peacefully. Of course there's hope: Obama is in office, and with public opinion moving on this issue, he may be able to finally act.
*hugs*
Reply
Great Britain and most of Europe are so ahead of us on the issue - much more civilized. I don't really know why the United States is so regressive- whether it harkens back to the days of the "Wild West", the paranoia that seems to run rampant in this country; the attitude that having more guns makes us safer - I just don't know the reasons. I just know that there is a very deep sickness in this country about it.
I wish I could be more optimistic that we are now on the verge of starting to change. I know Obama is trying. Unfortunately, I can remember that the same thing happened after the attempted assasination of President Reagan. We did change our gun laws. Then, a couple of decades later, the Supreme Court, bowing to NRA influence, struck down the laws as unconstitutional.
Referencing the atrocity that you mentioned in Britain - I remember that clearly. Unfortunately, I imagine the general attitude towards firearms in the hands of individuals was already much more progressive than ours even before it occurred.
And, most depressing of all, Americans have woefully short memories about these incidents. They tend to be outraged for awhile, and then the memory fades until the next massacre, when we go through the same cycle again.
Reply
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