American Gun Owners Continue to Prove They Love Guns More Than Their Children

Thirty-four percent of Americans admit they own guns, however, 44 percent say they live in a household with guns, according to a 2020 Gallup poll.

On Valentine’s Day, four years ago, 17 students and faculty were slaughtered at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. This tragedy was planned and implemented by a single gunman who purchased a military assault weapon with the intent of murdering as many people as possible in a short period of time.

Later in the year, young men and women from Parkland were joined by thousands of others to protest the refusal of Congress to take action which would protect the lives of school children and educators. As they have for at least six decades, the old men and women in the House and Senate turned their backs on this nation’s future, and did nothing but collect more money from the NRA gun lobby.

In October of 2017, 58 innocents were shot down by a lone gunman who possessed 12 military assault rifles with bump stocks in Las Vegas. Later in that same month, 26 men, women, and children were murdered in a small church in Sutherland Springs Texas. The list of mass murders continues to grow, and no one in Washington gives a damn.

The trend continues; there are more mass shootings. This is when four or more individuals are shot or shot and killed in a single incident than there are days on the calendar. Americans do not hear about most of them; they have become “normal.”

This author is tired of writing about this issue. This is another reason why it is so difficult to trust anyone in authority. If the people who are hired to protect and serve our nation’s people, and those the people elect to serve American’s wishes and needs, cared about the safety of 330 million people they would have done something to stop the carnage many years ago.

There is no excuse for the loss of life by gunfire exceeding 33,000 each year. It requires only a few steps to make sure the United States is safer for all. However, America is no longer a country, it is a business. The profits of gun manufacturers and gun sellers take precedence over human life. The American government is more concerned with winning elections than doing their jobs.

First, end once and for all the sale of military-style weapons, and the high output magazines used to kill as many of the enemies in the shortest period of time. This is not self-defense, it is either war or murder, and nothing in between.

Second, require comprehensive background checks for the purchase of weapons of mass destruction whether in gun stores, gun “shows,” or online.

These simple and sensible changes would save thousands of lives annually. But right-wing politicians will continue to protect their owners. Lobbyists control every action by today’s fake Republicans and fake Democrats, Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin.

Until people become more important than profits, America will continue to be one of the worst nations in the world. Rankings in the quality of life for all citizens put America in the 20th position. This is unforgivable, considering this country is the richest in the world per capita. America has 788 billionaires, and 22.3 million millionaires, and yet about one-half of the people of this nation live in the low-income level or below the poverty line. I call BULL!

Income inequality has become the nation’s most serious problem.

Plutocrats do not give a damn about gun violence. They have the funds to pay for personal security, including private security guards. The super-rich does not care about others, they only care about the next billion dollars they will add to their offshore accounts.

Not one issue of importance to the majority in January 2017 has been addressed by the government today. The current American government is not only dysfunctional, but it is also useless.

“The Truth Lives Here”

Op-ed by James Turnage
Edited by Jeanette Vietti

Daily Kos: Four years after the Parkland murders, America still loves its guns more than its children
US News: Gun Deaths Continue to Rise in America’s Cities
Gallup: What Percentage of Americans Own Guns?; by Lydia Saad

Featured and Top Image Courtesy of VCU Capital News Service’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inline Image Courtesy of Daniel Mennerich’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License

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