UPDATE:
In the most eloquent and powerful words I have heard thusfar on the Newtown tragedy, conservative Republican Joe Scarborough, “a conservative Republican who received the NRA’s highest ratings over four terms in Congress,” said, “I come to you this morning with a heavy heart and no easy answers. Still, I’ve spent the past few days grasping for solutions and struggling for answers — while daring to question my own long-held belief on these subjects.”
Urging for action, he said:
I knew that day that the ideologies of my past career were no longer relevant to the future that I want, that I demand for my children. Friday changed everything. It must change everything. We all must begin anew and demand that Washington’s old way of doing business is no longer acceptable. Entertainment moguls don’t have an absolute right to glorify murder while spreading mayhem in young minds across America. And our bill of rights does not guarantee gun manufacturers the absolute right to sell military-style, high-caliber, semi-automatic combat assault rifles with high-capacity magazines to whoever the hell they want. It is time for Congress to put children before deadly dogmas.
Watch below, via MSNBC:
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You can read some of the more stirring excerpts here
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Original Post:
Twenty beautiful children, twelve girls and eight boys, all of ages 6 and 7, and six adults mowed down by bullets fired from the semi-automatic rifle of a lone gunman.
“They’re wearing cute kid stuff…I mean, they’re first-graders,” said Connecticut Chief Medical Examiner Dr. H. Wayne Carver II.
Noah, the youngest of the children, had just turned six on November 20.
But, but, guns don’t kill children; psychopaths and sadists do.
Ana was only six.
But, but, if they take our guns away, only the criminals will have guns.
Olivia was only six. She was to have had a role in her church’s nativity play.
But, but, I am sick and tired of people always wanting to exploit a tragedy to take our guns away, to push their gun control agendas…
Dylan was only six.
But, but, if the teachers had been armed, this would not have happened.
Madeleine was only six.
But, but, our schools have become a place of carnage because we have systematically removed God from our schools.
James was only six.
But, but, a larger percentage of people die in motor vehicle accidents, suicides, falls, poisonings, drowning and choking on an ingested object.
Catherine was only six.
But, but, as gun ownership has expanded over the past decade, crime has gone down.
Jesse was only six. “He loved working on his mom’s farm.”
But, but, we cannot disarm honest, law-abiding citizens and leave our children and ourselves vulnerable to these psychopaths.
Benjamin was only six.
But, but, the total violent crime, homicide, robbery and aggravated assault rates are higher in the restrictive states than in the less restrictive ones.
Allison was only six.
But, but, the slippery slope…
Caroline was only six.
But, but, people have always killed people.
Avielle was only six.
But, but, a law-abiding citizen plus a firearm does not a criminal make.
Jack was only six.
But, but, we can’t do anything about mail order gun purchases, they are protected under the Constitution.
Charlotte was only six.
But, but this tragedy only underscores the urgency of getting rid of gun bans in school zones.
Jessica had celebrated her seventh birthday on Tuesday.
But, but, we must enforce the laws that are currently on the books before suggesting new gun laws.
Chase was only seven.
But, but, there are at least eleven other countries with worse gun violence rates than in the U.S.
Grace was only seven.
But, but, there is no real evidence that gun bans reduce gun violence.
Daniel was only seven.
But, but, making schools “gun-free zones,” has made schools safer for the shooters.
Emilie was only six. “She was always smiling…She always had a kind thing to say about everybody.”
But, but…
Sometimes there are no more buts available, no more reasons left to make sense of such tragedies.
Let us at least agree that the slaughter of our most innocent demands fewer “buts” and more “hows” by both sides in order to even begin to “take meaningful actions to prevent more tragedies like this, regardless of the politics.”
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EDITOR’s NOTE: But after the school shootings Washington remains quiet on gun control.
