This is a gun problem.
This is a mental health problem.
This is a social media problem.
This is an American problem.
Nowhere in the world, other than here, does this never-ending story exist.
We have the power and ability to stop this nightmare.
We don't have the WILL or the COURAGE to do it.
IS THIS THE AMERICA YOU WANT?
Our leaders are massive failures.
We, the people, have failed.
And now a loud voice on the far right is murdered.
No one should be shocked at this next-level violence.
Everyone should be afraid.
POLITICAL MURDER OR ANOTHER RANDOM LUNATIC?
The Charlie Kirk murder will be like all the other killings.
In time, it will fade away. Nothing will change.
Unless we finally grow up and change it.
Look at where we have been and ask yourself how this all ends.
*1999 COLUMBINE H.S., Colorado
12 students and 1 teacher were killed
Result: outrage, hand-wringing, copycats to come
*2007 VIRGINIA TECH
33 dead and 23 injured
Result: better college campus security, more mental health services
*2012 AURORA, COLORADO (movie theater)
13 killed, 70 injured
Result: some stronger state gun laws, better emergency response for public spaces
*2012 SANDY HOOK ELEMENTARY, CT
26 murdered, 2 hurt
20 -six and seven-year-old first graders, and 6 adults are dead
Result: major lawsuit against gun makers, enhanced public school security, and the beginning of the end of Alex Jones
*2016 PULSE NIGHTCLUB, Orlando
50 died. 58 injured
result: LGBTQ+ unity and awareness, increased activism
*2017 LAS VEGAS (music festival)
60 died, over 400 injured
Result: the State of Nevada responded with Universal Background Checks, Red Flag laws, and ghost gun bans
*2018 PARKLAND, FLA
A former student killed 17 and injured 18 more at his old High School
Result: High School activism
*2018 PITTSBURGH
11 killed, 7 injured at a synagogue service
Result: increased awareness of antisemitic violence
*2019 EL PASO, TEXAS
23 dead and 22 injured at a Wal-Mart. The gunman targeted Hispanics
Result: Texas state government actually EXPANDED gun rights - BUT Walmart stopped selling handguns and ammunition
*2022 UVALDE, TEXAS
The killer went to his old elementary school and opened fire
22 dead. 18 injured
Result: UVALDE proved to be the trip lever for the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act
Details here..
https://www.everytown.org/what-is-the-bipartisan-safer-communities-act/
BIG TALK, SMALL CHANGES
While some action was taken in each of the circumstances above, there was always pushback to do nothing by gun rights fanatics.
In summary, the patterns always repeat themselves;
1) mass shooting
2) The public demands change
3) - The far left says take away the guns
- The far right offers thoughts and prayers and waits until the story goes away
4) The media moves on
5) nothing changes
Even with those few events in a disgustingly long list - the progress has been slight and blocked by politics in each tragic case.
The most crushing to me is Sandy Hook, 20, six, and seven-year-olds murdered.
First graders...precious, innocent children... shot and killed.
And we're still here waiting for the fix.
Not even the murders of little kids were enough to move these soulless elected reps to make sweeping changes so this could never happen again.
The answer to the question, What's it going to take for Congress to act - is still unanswered.
We know it's not killing children. That's not enough.
It's nauseating.
THE CHARLIE KIRK STORY
I met Charlie Kirk when he was still in high school. I was impressed that he wanted to fire up his generation about politics.
Time passed. I disagreed with almost everything he said - but he didn't deserve to die for his words.
A coward with a gun fixes nothing.
God bless his kids too.
Charlie died in Utah, the only state that explicitly bars colleges from banning guns.
He died by the gun freedoms he refused to compromise on.
On gun violence, Kirk said,
"I think it’s worth it to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the second amendment to protect our other God-given rights. That is a prudent deal. It is rational."
No. It's irrational and insane.
But he didn't deserve to die.
Could Charlie Kirk have been saved?
No law specifically guarantees a murder will be prevented, but that doesn't mean doing nothing.
BUST A MYTH
***Gun violence is a mental health issue - not a gun issue. WRONG!
Mental health is only a small part of the story.
The truth is, mental illness does not make someone violent, but violent people may be mentally ill.
That distinction matters. More help is needed before someone goes off the rails.
***Chicago proves gun control doesn't work. Nonsense!
Cities with strong gun laws are barraged by guns that come in from states with weak gun laws.
More people with more guns means more violence. The fact is that strong gun control laws have taken millions of guns off the streets.
***Expanded background checks only stop law-abiding citizens from getting guns.
Attempts to buy guns are stopped every day by laws preventing them from getting those guns.
Law-abiding citizens are NOT stopped. Background checks work.
***More people with guns would mean more safety. If more guns made us safer, we would be the safest nation on earth - not one with a gun homicide rate 26x higher than other high-income countries.
What truth and common sense tell us is that there are things we can do that MIGHT slow this horror show for now.
HOW?
1) BE BETTER
Within minutes of the murder of Charlie Kirk, the graphic video was being shared everywhere.
The same thing happened when UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot.
The dead were mocked. People couldn't wait to say they had it coming.
It's not OK. DO NOT SHARE that poison.
You may have a legitimate reason to hate what Charlie Kirk said, and you may hate the healthcare system.
When you share their murders and celebrate their death you make everything worse.
BE BETTER THAN THAT.
2) VOTE. The pathetic chicken-shit members of Congress who have stood by and watched this carnage happen have got to go.
Social media's free pass must stop. Cyberbullying, trust-crushing, hate-amplifying as a business model is directly responsible for the erosion of decency we are seeing everywhere.
REGULATION must happen. End Section 230 protection. Mandate transparency. Pass legislation like the EU's Digital Services Act.
The Washington acceptance of what the gun lobby has shoved down their throats is all you need to know.
Need help finding the worst-of-the-worst in gun support? Check here...
*OpenSecrets https://share.google/AWACeccZlAMgaHMIf
2) YOUR STATE MATTERS
It's not just Washington that matters.
Your State Reps can fight this fight so stay on them and tell them what you want.
That includes telling your Governor to work with your border state's Governors to stop the flow of guns.
It also includes demanding new legislation in your state on all aspects of the problem.
3) GOOGLE IT!
Educate yourself.
Here are things that we all should be asking for...NONE of which infringe on the 2nd Amendment.
- Revive and pass the FFLA, the Federal Firearm Licensee Act https://share.google/iMJKdIVVsOIqvjpw0
- Bring back the assault weapons ban
- close the Charleston loophole
- support and pass extreme risk laws
- fully close the boyfriend loophole
- stop 3D printed guns and ghost guns
- end high-capacity mags
The kids who died at SANDY HOOK deserve a better legacy than the ACTIVE SHOOTER DRILLS for little kids today.
IS THIS THE AMERICA YOU WANT?
WHAT IF IT HAPPENED TO YOU?
Finally, here are two sites very worthy of your support.
