Wednesday, February 21, 2018

The Gun Problem


Trump had a "listening session" today with some devastated, hurting people who have been involved in school shootings (victims, parents, friends) and some assholes (Mike Pence, Betsy DeVos). This was pretty remarkable given that Trump SUCKS at listening.

Trump, having no actual policy ideas of his own, parroted the Republican talking point that the solution is to put MORE guns in schools, because they think handing some poor teacher a gun and expecting them to make life or death decisions amidst the terror and confusion of an active shooter event and being responsible for shooting one of their own students is something we should ask of educators. Trump also indicated that he might favor expanding background checks. At the same time, he endorsed overriding state laws and enacting nationwide concealed carry, meaning people could carry concealed guns everywhere in the U.S. To say that that would loosen gun control is an understatement.

Here's the thing. No matter what Trump says about gun control. No matter what reasonable position he might suggest -- DON'T BELIEVE HIM.

Trump is a liar and a con man. He'll say something today and contradict it today (he's too impatient to wait until tomorrow). He's speaking to the conservative wank-fest CPAC this weekend. Do you think he'll side against conservatives and have the courage to call for greater gun control? Right.

If you think that turning our schools into armed camps with fortress-like security methods is a price we should pay in America, then you're part of the problem. Kids in high school today have never known a day in school without fear of a shooter. They were all born AFTER Columbine. Active shooter drills have been part of the curriculum since kindergarten. This is insane. This is wrong.

The ONLY way we're going to get any gun control measures passed in this country is to vote the Republicans out in November. That's the only way we can end at least some of this madness.


4 comments:

Democrats spread hate daily said...

You sir are one of the crazy people who would put a no guns allowed sign on the outside of your store then wonder why you keep getting robbed. If your gun control measures are so great why does Chicago with some of the strictest gun control laws have one of the highest murder rates? By the way Chicago is home to your great Obama and is ran by his lacky Rahm Emmanuel. The city has always been ran by liberals and is known as being one of the most corrupt cities in America with large amounts of violence on minorities. But go ahead and tell the rest of the country that the way to end violence is to eliminate guns. It's not like people in other countries are renting large vehicles then driving over people to cause as many casualties as possible.

Ipecac said...

Questions! Oh fun!

If your gun control measures are so great why does Chicago with some of the strictest gun control laws have one of the highest murder rates?

- First, Chicago does NOT have some of the strictest gun control laws. Facts matter.
http://www.politifact.com/illinois/statements/2017/oct/03/sarah-huckabee-sanders/chicago-toughest-gun-control-claim-shot-full-holes/ and http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/glanton/ct-met-gun-control-chicago-dahleen-glanton-20171003-story.html

- Second, even if it did, are you aware that Chicago is not an island in the middle of the ocean? Its own gun laws are somewhat irrelevant so long as the surrounding states have lax gun laws and people can just carry guns into Chicago.

- Finally, states with looser gun controls have higher homicide rates. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/02/21/states-most-and-least-gun-violence-see-where-your-state-stacks-up/359395002/
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/08/the-states-with-the-most-gun-laws-see-the-fewest-gun-related-deaths/448044/

Your hatred of Chicago is noted. Can't you be more positive? The Twinkie and the zipper were invented in Chicago!

I'll take the number of people killed by terrorists using cars over America's home-grown gun death toll any day of any year.

Democrats spread hate daily said...

So let me get this straight Chicago's high murder rate is due to the states around it having lax gun laws? Why aren't those states even worse than Chicago then? And yeah let's put an article from the Chicago Tribune going no we really don't have strict gun laws as your evidence.

Last I actually really like Chicago and live in one of those crazy surrounding states that allows guns. I visit Chicago several times a year and was just pointing out what I get to see on the news on a regular basis.

Ipecac said...

The high murder rate in Chicago is "contributed to" by the lax gun laws of the states around it, not "due" to the states around it.

You don't believe that the Chicago Tribune is an unbiased source on Chicago gun laws? Why would they have a position one way or another? Your own bias is showing.

Face it, the only reason conservatives (and you are included) focus on Chicago is because Obama lived there. It has nothing to do with the reality of gun laws and how states with stricter gun laws have less gun violence, a point you ignored.