(Note: This column was written before a June 19 deadline, so the outcome of a possible congressional vote on gun-safety proposals was not known yet. The vote was expected to happen as early as June 20.)
The excuses are growing lamer by the day for not passing laws regulating the sale and access to certain kinds of guns.
It’s an established fact the National Rifle Association owns the U.S. Congress lock, stock and barrel, and it calls all the shots any time the subject of gun safety comes up. And that subject has come up a lot lately, what with the horrifying frequency of massacres by vile haters.
An explosive combination of factors causes these haters to go berserk and slaughter people: mental illness, especially a mania to seek revenge because of perceived slights or the hater’s own inadequacies; sick propaganda by hate groups that helps the mentally-ill individual feel empowered and/or connected to a “higher” cause; and last but not least, ready access to guns – especially assault-type weapons.
Time and again, after every massacre, good senators and representatives try to pass gun-safety laws and laws either restricting access to, or outright bans on, assault-type guns. And time and again, their efforts are defeated by their colleagues’ slavish adherence to the powers of the NRA.
For decades, the NRA leaders have perpetrated and nurtured excuses that too many people adopt in knee-jerk fashion. But first, a few good words about the NRA: Its members are overwhelmingly good people who promote gun education, gun-safety programs, and responsible hunting and gun recreation. What’s more, most of its members are strong advocates of commonsense gun legislation. It’s the national NRA leadership that’s the problem because just as they hold Congress hostage to their demands, NRA’s top leaders for years have played lackey to the gun manufacturers’ lobby. The tail wagging the dog.
Here are some of the lamebrain excuses against gun legislation, as promulgated in the Gospel of Wayne LaPierre, the current head honcho/propagandist of the NRA:
- If they pass any kind of gun-control legislation, it will become a slippery slope and next thing you know, they’ll be at our doors demanding to take away our hunting guns.
- Banning or denying access to certain kinds of weapons won’t do a bit of good. The haters will steal the guns, or use knives or make homemade explosives.
- The Second Amendment, the Right to Bear Arms, is sacred. It allows us to have all the guns we want, and passing even one restriction to that amendment is therefore unconstitutional.
- If they pass restrictions on gun access, how will we be able to protect ourselves?
The trouble with those excuses is that none of them is true. Yes, haters have used knives and bombs, but does that mean passing restrictions on assault weapons is therefore futile?
Thankfully, polls indicate those excuses are wearing very thin, indeed. Ninety-percent of Americans want to expand background checks and are in favor of passing legislation that would limit and/or ban war-like assault weapons and any guns that hold multiple-bullet clips.
Thank goodness for the political courage of Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut who staged a 15-hour filibuster last week to force Republican Party leaders to allow votes on two proposed gun measures. One measure would forbid people whose names are on the government’s terrorist watch list from obtaining gun licenses. Another would expand background checks at gun shows and for Internet sales.
Both measures are not only eminently reasonable; they are long overdue.
Murphy ended his marathon filibuster by referring to the heartbreaking story of Dylan Hockley and Ann-Marie Murphy. Dylan was a dimpled, blue-eyed sweetheart to everyone who knew him, including teaching aide Mrs. Murphy, who helped him deal with his autism at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. We all know all too well what happened there one day. A deranged gunman barged into the school and began firing his assault rifle with its clip of 30 bullets. Later, officials found Dylan and Mrs. Murphy dead. She had wrapped her loving arms around him just seconds before the crazed killer shot them. They were two of the 26 dead – 23 of them little boys and girls.
In his filibuster speech, Sen. Murphy praised Mrs. Murphy’s fearlessness, her fierce love while staring down a barrel and knowing she would die within seconds.
Murphy ended his long talk by challenging his Senate colleagues to demonstrate with legislation that political courage: “If Anne Marie Murphy could do that,” the senator said, “what can you do to make sure Orlando or Sandy Hook never, ever happens again?”
It’s a question we should all ask ourselves. We should remind ourselves even if gun legislation cannot prevent massacres (of course it can’t completely), that is no excuse to do absolutely nothing. And yes, let’s remember always that assault-type weapons and instant access to them is a big factor in just about every massacre.
Most of all, let’s remember Dylan Hockley and Mrs. Murphy when we demand our political leaders pass the proposed gun legislation.
Enough excuses.
