12 innocent people have lost their lives, and six were injured when a lone gunman, armed with a .45 caliber pistol and multiple extended magazines, walked into a municipal center in Virginia Beach, Virginia and began firing indiscriminately.
The shooter, whose name has not been released, was a longtime employee at the center which employed about 400 people. After a lengthy gunfight police killed the assassin.
What will Republican lawmakers do about the situation? They will offer their usual “thoughts and prayers,” and then celebrate with their friends in the NRA gun lobby. After every mass shooting, the sale of weapons of mass destruction increases.
I consider myself a “Constitutionalist.” Unlike Trump and his hypocritical party, I believe in and support every word of the Law of the Land. When the gun manufacturer and gun seller’s lobby, the NRA, and the party they own shout “second amendment rights,” they are lying.
In 1789 weapons of mass destruction did not exist. Only Isaac Newton could have conceived the type of weapons which exist today. Changing our gun laws to protect the American people would not violate the second amendment. Removing military assault rifles and high output magazines would not take guns away from those who feel a need to possess them. Comprehensive background checks have no relationship to the second amendment.
I stand with the students of Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. “Thoughts and prayers” don’t mean a f**king thing. Words do not protect the American people from future mass shootings.
There have been 198 mass shootings in America in 2019. Mass shootings are defined as four or more individuals harmed or killed with the use of a gun. While the NRA and the Republican Party celebrate this fact, real Americans are demanding that our government takes action.
Ask yourself one question. 61% of Americans favor stricter gun control; 87% of Democrats, 31% of Republicans support tougher gun laws; 28% of Americans support a handgun ban; so why haven’t our laws changed? The answer is sad but true; Republican politicians are bought and paid for by the NRA. These Republicans in name only do not care what the American people want, they are more concerned with the size of their bank accounts and campaign funds.
It’s time for change. When zero Republicans remain in Washington our country will have an opportunity to become a great nation.
Vote on November 3, 2020.
“The Truth Lives Here.”
Op-ed by James Turnage
Source
Read “The Holiday Killer,” by James Turnage on Amazon’s free Kindle app