If you know me personally, I'm almost confident you are familiar with my disdain for the National Rifle Association (NRA). My name has become synonymous with the gun control movement. I have an unreal capacity for empathy, and every mass shooting has hit me like a ton of bricks. Those who know me (or have deleted me on Facebook for my views on guns) know every mass shooting affects me badly, and I have been a very vocal proponent for sensible gun legislation. My home state of California has been a leader for gun legislation, and I worship politicians like Chris Murphy who fight the good fight in Washington. I knew a Trump presidency paired with a Republican congress would be a nightmare for gun control, and a field day for the NRA. Though I knew we'd be fucked, I never imagined Republicans would stoop as low as to do what they did today. Because of the NRA & their lobbyists lining the pockets of Republican congress men and women, today they decided that mentally disabled people who can't handle their own finances can handle owning a gun, and that's a slap in the face to the victims of gun violence. Not just that, it's a huge risk to those who are suicidal.
Mass shootings in America follow the same cycle every time they happen. We mourn the victims for a minute, think to ourselves "wow, we should really do something about this because we have mass shootings and literally every other Western country does not", do nothing, then act surprised when another one follows shortly. The Left blames the availability of guns, while the Right claims these people are mentally unwell. Guns don't shoot people, mentally unstable people shoot people!! The same rhetoric is thrown in our faces by the Right every damn time, and there is a good reason for it. The NRA is paying our congress men and women thousands of dollars per person to keep sensible gun legislation from passing, in order to keep guns in the hands of literally anyone, because profit over people always wins. That is why the Right are so anti-gun laws. Not because they care about your Second Amendment right, they absolutely couldn't careless. They are making an unreal amount of money from the gun lobby. They scare you with the idea that background checks and other sensible legislation will lead to your guns being taken from your precious Republican hands and in return, you buy into this hysteria that ups gun sales, putting money in the pocket of the NRA.
The Right's go to for why mass shootings happen has always been that people are mentally unwell, and that's why they become mass murderers (which is not always the case). Today they decided that even if you cannot handle caring for your own finances, you can instead handle a gun. Virtually spitting on the graves of the victims of Sandy Hook and Aurora, whom the original legislation passed by Obama was inspired by. What will be their scapegoat for our inevitable next mass shooting now that they claim those who are mentally unwell (the only people who participate in mass shootings in their eyes) are actually suitable for gun ownership?
I'm not writing this to paint those with mental illness as being inherently violent. That is absolutely not the case. People who suffer from mental illness are not monsters. This new legislation sits at the intersection of multiple issues. Yes, mass shootings have been carried out by people suffering from mental illness. Yes, there is a chance people suffering from mental illness will probably participate in mass shootings even more now. But what about those who are suicidal? Or those who will purchase a gun not knowing how to properly operate it and kill or harm themselves or someone else? What about the people who are easily manipulated due to their mental illness, and get conned into purchasing a gun for someone who can't pass a background check on their own, leading to violence? This legislation is LAYERED, and every layer poses a new risk.
This is bullshit. This is dangerous. This is scary. So much has happened this week alone. From the Muslim Ban, to the SCOTUS nomination, to Betsy DeVos, I have had a lot on my mind. I wanted to write about all of these things, but when I woke up to this news I knew I had to write about it. Gun control is near & dear to my heart, and this is one of the scariest things Trump has done. Here's how we fix it. Vote the NRA ran politicians out of office. In two years, some of these seats will be up for reelection. Please vote them out. Vote for justice. We as Americans deserve to feel safe in our country. I am fearful every time I'm in public because of guns.
One last thing, THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY BLACK HOLE OF A HEART FOR ALL THE POSITIVE RESPONSES ON MY FIRST POST. Hot damn! Y'all made me feel so good. Thank you for sharing and commenting. Keep doing it if you want. Or don't, that's fine. I'll just cry about it.
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