Immediately after the latest massacre in Orlando early Sunday morning, the NRA and the Republican Party joined forces. They failed to fully denounce racism, bigotry, and homophobia, but they did defend the “rights” of Americans to own military style weapons, and high-output magazines.
Their argument is vehemently voiced in the article attached to this writing, and it would be humorous if 49 lives had not been taken by a crazed individual.
The NRA is a gun lobby, not a second amendment advocate. It hates statistics which prove the need for changes to our gun laws, unless they appear to support the position of their owners; gun manufacturers and gun sellers. It doesn’t want you to know that 33,000 innocent Americans die from the use of a gun each year in the United States; most are women and children. It ignores the fact that more than 100 children kill someone, or kill themselves after obtaining a loaded weapon each year.
It does love the statistic which proves that only a small percentage of homicides involve the use of an assault weapon. Logic dispels this ignorant statement.
The fact is that if the shooters in Aurora, Colorado, San Bernardino, California, or Orlando, Florida, had used conventional rifles or pistols, fewer lives would have been lost. Weapons which fire dozens of rounds in seconds must be reserved for the military.
The claim that assault rifles are used by hunters is the greatest fallacy of all. Professional hunters would never use such weapons of mass destruction, and state that any individual who uses such a weapon to hunt animals should cease, and ‘go play a video game.’
In some states, assault rifles can be purchased without a background check or a waiting period. In all states American citizens who are on the FBI’s ‘no-fly list’ are allowed to purchase killing machines. The NRA defends their “rights.”
Since the tragic attacks on September 11, 2001, politicians have controlled the American people through fear tactics; using human’s greatest weakness, emotion, and forcing them to shun logic and common sense.
The NRA claims that Americans must be armed to protect themselves and their families. Here are the facts. Few handgun owners could accurately hit a target ten feet away. Rifles are more accurate than handguns. Assault rifles are ineffective for home protection. The most effective weapon to protect your home is a shotgun; it’s difficult to miss your target.
The key here is once again the falsehood that gun ownership is intended for ‘protection.’ In 2015, at least 380 mass shootings where four or more people were killed with the use of a gun occurred.
The right wing uses altered statistics to mislead the American people about gun deaths. When it is not safe to go to a nightclub, attend a movie, take part in a business conference, or send your child to school, action must be taken. Most Americans fear their neighbors and strangers on the street far more than “criminals.”
There is no excuse for denying comprehensive background checks for all gun sales. If one life is saved by denying a purchase by a man or women who is mentally challenged, that would offer proof that the system was working.
Op-Ed
By James Turnage
The Truth With No Restrictions 