By Brigitte L. Nacos
Just as disheartening and shocking as the latest mass-shooting in and around a High School in Parkland, Florida, is the usual reaction refrain by the whole line-up of Republicans, including President Trump. Their” thoughts and prayers” are, as they assure in seemingly caring tweets and statements and interviews, with the victims, their families, and first responders. As always, these so-called leaders tell us that right after another mass-shooting the time is not right to talk about any kind of gun control (Who dares to do so anyway, is accused of being “political”).
Instead, Donald Trump and GOP Senators and Representatives and their supporting casts play the old record that blames mass-shooters’ “mental health issues” for these kinds of massacres.
Indeed, many of these shooters are in one way or the other deranged but if they would not have easy access to these killer weapons, there would not be such mass shootings—at least not as many.
For Trump and his GOP the buck never stops in the Oval Office or in the U.S. Congress--instead, they pass it.
Following the Florida massacre, the president tweeted,
“So many signs that the Florida shooter was mentally disturbed, even expelled from school for bad and erratic behavior. Neighbors and classmates knew he was a big problem. Must always report such instances to authorities, again and again!”
Seems that Mr. Trump blames the students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and others in the South Florida Community for not alerting the police!
If you want to know the real reason why the GOP rejects any reasonable gun control, such as more effective background checks or the ban of assault weapons, follow the National Rifle Association’s (NRA) money trail. You will find that the GOP’s Senators and Representatives and Governors who were so quick with “thoughts and prayer” assurances were all recipients of very generous campaign donations by the NRA as a detailed list compiled by the Washington Post shows. Add to this that the NRA invested more than $20 Million in Mr. Trump’s 2016 campaign in form of donations and pro-Trump advertising.
In short, it is all about money and not at all about the common good.
And it is certainly not about the will of the American people. Opinion surveys show that a majority of the public at large and a plurality of Republicans agree to stricter background checks and the ban of assault weapons.
As long as NRA money finances election campaigns of (mostly GOP but also some Democratic Party) candidates, there will not be any gun control.
Just thoughts and prayers—and blame of others…
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