I had another post ready to go, but yet again, our country has faced more violence. Not just violence, but a terrible hate crime as well.
And yet again, I see the flood of #prayfor(the latest shooting), and the “our deepest sympathy” blah, blah, blah, that does absolutely nothing.
This man legally — let me repeat that — legally purchased an assault rifle to commit this heinous act.
In fact, it was this rifle:
It’s an AR-15. Look at it. Just look at it. The NRA says this is used mostly for hunting. Yeah right. I don’t know a single hunter who takes this out into the woods.
You know who actually uses this assault weapon? Let’s see, the Sandy Hook shooter, the Aurora movie theater shooter, the shooters in San Bernadino, and now Orlando. We can’t hide our heads in the sand anymore. The 2nd amendment was never meant to protect this. I would imagine our forefathers would be absolutely horrifed.
You want to have a shotgun and go hunting? Fine. I have no problem with that. And I guess a small firearm for personal protection if that’s your thing.
But who the hell needs a weapon like the above? Who needs something like this? And did you know this is the most wanted gun in America? What the hell?!?!
We’ve got to stop the hand wringing and work stop the insanity. Write your congressman/woman. Write to the White House. Be heard more and more. Vote out the naysayers on banning assault weapons this fall. The only way shit is going to get done about this is if the people make it happen.
I agree. People need to make this change happen. When I heard on NPR just how these guns are being sold from the USA ( our gov’t) to other countries such as Isreal I was sickened. How can our President & Congress pay the lip service about assault weapons than manufacture & sell these types of weapons for profit? I have never understood the desire to own a gun. I am sure that even with all guns removed the violence would continue but it would be a step in the right direction toward peace. Letter is in the mail.
I agree that those weapons should not be on the market. It sickens me that people think its okay to protect this as “our right.”
At the same time, I know we will never be able to stop evil in this world. I am very sad today.
I had so much hope that Sandy Hook would change things. We are going to keep having these discussions if we can’t get common sense gun reform. The rest of the world thinks we are all gun-toting idiots.
I know. If killing children isn’t enough to cause action, what will?
I’m horrified. I can’t even process thoughts well enough to express them. But you are right Lori, about your call to action.
I share your anger and sadness. I have been grieving all day, unable to really think of the right words to even express it. I just don’t understand why this keeps happening. And why it happens so often. Like Kim said, I thought Sandy Hook would be the tipping point and things would change…but nope. Weekly shootings now. And it happens so often now that people don’t even really notice. It’s a blip in the news and then gone.
We had a mass shooting at a mall near our house a few years ago. A coworker was there with her two kids, thankfully in the parking lot, when they saw people running out of the mall screaming. Thankfully they weren’t inside. These things happen way too much. In this instance the shooter was schizophrenic. (HOW can mentally ill people get guns and licenses?!?!) But in the Orlando shooting? That was not mental illness. That was hate, evil and terrorism and something has to change.
I’m not a gun person, never have been and never will be. I don’t think guns should be taken away. BUT I do think it should be SO HARD for people to get guns that it makes it too difficult for the majority of people to get them.
I don’t have a problem with people owning guns. I actually had a hunting rifle when I was younger. I just decided I personally don’t like them anymore and don’t want to own one. My family hunts and that’s fine, but they certainly don’t use assault weapons to do it.
Why this person was fairly easily able to obtain a gun legally with the fact that he had been under FBI surveillance in the past is what needs to change. It’s far, far too easy for people to get guns. Still.
I follow the gun discussion a little from the sideline since I live in Europe. I know Obama is for a gun law and I hope that the one that will the next president continues to fight for that law. It’s different here, you just can’t buy a gun here (of course it happens in the illegal circuit) without a permit.
You know we had our share of terrorist attacks in Europe lately and I have always wondered when it would happen in the US. And I’m sorry that it happened. So many losses for nothing.
It’s not just terrorism, but the shooting from ‘home-grown’ citizens killing children and other people. It’s ridiculous. Here you do have to go through a screening process to purchase a gun and it has to be registered, but apparently all of the things that are supposed to keep guns from falling into the hands of unstable people are either not being followed or not strong enough.
The gun sellers should be charged as well. If they didn’t notice this guy had been on an FBI surveillance list in the past, then they should not be selling guns. They can’t do their basic job of proper screening. Probably all in the name of the mighty US dollar. Ugh.
nothing but YES YES YES here in TEXAS where the gun toting has gone a bit crazy with the open carry as well.
<3
I work with a bunch of gun toters and IMHO they take the second amendment way too far. I don’t give a crap WHO you are, there is no one on the face of this earth who needs to personally own these types of assault rifles. No one.
Yes, I read a great thing yesterday that said the debate for gun control was over once we did nothing after children were killed.
I can’t even get into the assault rifle discussion because TEXAS. Ugh. There is no reasoning with people and their stinking precious need for an automatic weapon. I’m just very very sad at the killings in Orlando – those poor people, and their poor families.
Yeah, that discussion doesn’t work well within my own family, either.
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS & vote for Hillary!
Lori is the AR15 an automatic or semiautomatic or capable of both? I can just look it up but i thought you might know. deb
Semi
Couldn’t agree with you more Lori!!! I truly, truly hope for change in gun laws for the States!
very succinct and on point, very well put. terrible tragedy, yet once again. Thanks for posting this.
Due to the sorry state our country is in we ourselves have guns and we have permits to carry them…..however…..the fact that any joe blow can obtain (I’m sorry what did you need this gun for again?) an ASSAULT RIFLE is unfathomable… for the love of God it is called an ASSAULT rifle??? if you’re not military or law enforcement you should NEVER be able to purchase this type of weapon EVER what is wrong with us that this is ok?? We as a country are so “off” on so many things it is hard to see how we could ever gain control again……
I agree with you Lori.
We have to contact our representatives and keep telling them how we feel about this even though they don’t do anything. Then, when it’s time to vote, we have to vote them out – that’s the only thing that seems to matter to them so that’s where we have to make it count.
I agree Lori, with all that you have said. I has always stunned me that the everyday police officer only carries a handgun to protect the public but any bat@$!/ crazy person can buy an assault rifle and kill and injure mass numbers. Pretty backward.
I know I’m late to this conversation but I completely agree with you! I’m in Australia and the whole concept of being able to buy this sort of weapon blows my mind! We had a gun amnesty after our one (and only) mass shooting (that was 20 years ago) and we have had small amount of gun crime since. Yes, people will still get hold of guns illegally but I do feel safer knowing that these weapons are not freely available. Most people here can’t fathom that your government simply can’t do something about this. The NRA certainly has a lot to answer for!!