President Obama ruled that mentally challenged Americans would not be allowed to legally purchase lethal weapons. In February of 2017, just days after the new congress was sworn in, Senate Republicans reversed the rule.
The NRA is a gun lobby. It has a single purpose, to increase gun sales. It has no interest in public safety or even gun safety. If gun manufactures and gun sellers experience increased profits, they have accomplished their only goal.
The NRA is one of the principal owners of the Republican Party. The gun lobby donates millions of dollars to Republican candidates each year to help them win local, state, and federal elections. This is more important to GOP politicians than the loss of 33,000 lives each year from the use of guns. They have no morals; doing the right thing is not in their playbook.
Yesterday was the 18th day in which a shooting occurred in one of our schools in 2018. A 19-year-old young man, carrying a military style assault rife, and multiple high output magazines, killed 17 and wounded 20 more. Most of the victims were high school students.
As it happened with Sandy Hook, Aurora, Colorado, Las Vegas, Nevada, a small church in Texas, and every where else a mass shooting occurs, Republicans place all of the blame on the shooter. The fact that literally any American can walk into a gun shop and purchase an assault rifle which is able to end the lives of dozens of people in just minutes, has nothing to do with the murders of innocents. Allowing mentally ill men and women, or individuals on the ‘no-fly’ list to legally buy weapons presents no danger to our country’s people according to these criminals on the right wing. Really?
Here is a part of Lyin Paul Ryan’s response this morning. He was asked a simple and direct question; ‘should law enforcement be allowed to confiscate guns from mentally ill individuals.’
“This is not the time to jump to some conclusion not knowing the full facts. We’ve got a lot more information we need to know. But if someone who is mentally ill is slipping through the cracks and getting a gun, because we have laws on the books—we have a system to prevent people who aren’t supposed to get guns from getting guns—and if there are gaps there, then we need to look at those gaps.”
Ryan is a liar and America’s biggest hypocrite. He favored the effort to repeal President Obama’s order forbidding the sale of lethal weapons to mentally ill individuals. The current rules are vague and forbid questions regarding mental health being placed on the background check form. People with guns kill people. There have been more mass shootings in the United States by white terrorists in the last three years than days on the calendar.
Let’s tell the truth; Republicans won’t like it; but I’m used to this fact. GOP politicians place profit before people in every issue. They do not serve, you, me, your family, or your friends.
They are the party of special interests and are violating our trust by lying to get your vote. November 6th offers the working class an opportunity to win the war waged on the working class. If the candidate has an “R” next to his or her name, vote them out of office. Vote for yourself; vote for someone who will work for you.
Op-ed by James Turnage
Image courtesy of DonkeyHotey
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