We were out of the country last week when the shooting occurred in San Bernardino, and it was difficult to get information about what was happening. Because of the scope of the horror, I didn’t know that there was another mass shooting the same day in Savannah, which is near my hometown. What does it say about America that four people can be shot and no one notices because it is only a minor and SECOND mass shooting that day?
This epidemic of gun violence has become the new normal in America. It is so very common that we don’t even notice if only four people are shot. Again and again, I have posted graphs to my Facebook page that show how radically more violent America is than any other Western nation, but this comparison seems to get totally lost in the conversation. People instantly move to talking points dictated by the fearmongering NRA, so no rational discussion can be had because we just want to “take their guns away.”
Well, I am almost at that point. I am almost ready to elect a president who will confiscate ALL the guns in America because they damn sure aren’t making ANYONE safer. How many people have to die before we realize that this is the most dangerous nation on earth in terms of gun deaths?!? Politicians in places like Georgia brag about their NRA ratings, but we need to make that the very reason to vote against them. In the end, a small minority of Americans actually turn out to vote in off-year elections. If minority and progressive voters were the ones who did we could throw out the gun-mongers and elect people who really are PRO-LIFE.
I’m not really advocating the confiscation of all guns, but I DO believe that we need politicians who are not OWNED by the NRA and who can do more than pray about us being the most gun-violent civilized nation on earth. Treat guns like cars: Require gun education (driver’s education) classes; pass a test (driver’s test); get a license (driver’s license); license the weapon (We license cars to know when drivers violate the law.); and tax every gun (We tax cars to pay for roads; tax guns to pay for safety.). Why, if we can have common sense traffic laws, can’t we have common sense gun laws?
There are two answers: politicians have sold their souls to the NRA, and we haven’t demanded more than their “thoughts and prayers” in exchange for our votes.
Blessings,
Rev. Michael Piazza