Yesterday, I watched a bunch of news shows, all of whose opening story was about the gun massacre in Boulder. Many of them spent 40 minutes of their hour on the tragedy. The theme of them all was that outrage was so high that perhaps this time Congress will act on some kind of "common sense" gun legislation, any kind, especially after there being two gun massacres this week alone..
As generally optimistic as I like to be, I don't see that happening. It didn't happen after Columbine. It didn't happen after Sandy Hook. It didn't happen after Las Vegas. It didn't happen after Parkland It didn't happen after Aurora. It didn't happen after Virginia Tech. And it not only didn't happen after any one of those national heart-sickening gun massacres, it didn't happen after all of them together. Nor did it happen after the Pulse night club Tree of Life Synagogue El Paso Walmart Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, Umpqua Community College Lafayette, Louisiana movie theater. It didn't happen after all of those. And honestly, Sandy Hook alone would have been enough. It also didn't happen after 31 mass gun shootings in 2019. Or after "only" 17 mass gun shootings in 2020 when Americans were sheltering at home. For the record, a mass gun killing is when four people are dead, not including the shooter. Three dead doesn't count. So, if it didn't happen after all of that -- and Sandy Hook wouldn't have been more than enough -- I just don't think anything at all will happen after Boulder and Atlanta, even though they both happened the same week. Especially with the Senate split 505-50. Yes, that's very pessimistic But -- I do think that if three things happen (together, or in combination, or maybe even just one), then maybe possibly conceivably there could be a change, and Congress might take some kind of action. Those three things are: 1. The corporate-owned terrorist organization NRA went bankrupt and out of business, and were unable to make political donations to Republicans in the Senate. 2. Enough Republicans in the Senate got defeated to give Democrats a super-majority. 3. The filibuster rule got changed. If a combination of those happen, or arguably even only one, then I do think it's remotely possible for Congress to pass some positive legislation. The thing is, all of them are major hurdles. And right now, I just don't think it's likely that anything will happen. Not if nothing happened after Sandy Hook. Or after Parkland. Or after Columbine. Or after...oh, you know. You know them all. Sadly. But I live in hope of at least one of those changes for the better.
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AuthorRobert J. Elisberg is a political commentator, screenwriter, novelist, tech writer and also some other things that I just tend to keep forgetting. Feedspot Badge of Honor
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