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Gun Control mass murders Politics

Gunshot Victim’s Dad to Politicians – “I don’t give a sh@t that you feel sorry for me,”

Richard Martinez

It’s something we’ve seen far too often. Mass shootings in our so-called “civilized” society by a gun-crazed lunatic, then more lunatics come forward to defend the right of the shooter over the rights of the multiple innocent victims he killed.

Survival of the fittest. Kill or be killed. Their definition of American civility!

Then the politicians, those entrusted with the task of leading this nation and protecting the rights and wellbeing of all Americans as laid out in the Constitution, do nothing except to offer their condolences. And in doing nothing, they validate the right of the lunatic shooter and the lunatics defending his rights.

Well, after yet another mass murdering spree in California where multiple innocent people lost their lives, and where lunatics rushed forward to defend the shooter, politicians are once again poised to offer their condolences. But the father of one of the victims is not hearing it. He’s not going to be satisfied with them calling him with the usual, sorry for your loss, but the shooter has his rights too!

I don’t care about your sympathy. I don’t give a s— that you feel sorry for me,” Richard Martinez, the father of Christopher Michaels-Martinez, told The Washington Post.  “Get to work and do something.

“I’ll tell the president the same thing if he calls me,” Martinez added. “Getting a call from a politician doesn’t impress me.”

He went on to urge Obama and Congress to take “immediate action” to implement new gun control laws.

“Today, I’m going to ask every person I can find to send a postcard to every politician they can think of with three words on it: ‘Not one more,’ ” he said Tuesday. “People are looking for something to do. I’m asking people to stand up for something. Enough is enough.”

Carney defended Obama’s actions and said he had done all he could without congressional action.

Obama had “acted on every item the administration has contained within the report provided by the vice president to the president on measures that can be taken administratively to help address this challenge,” said Carney.

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Domestic Policies Gun Control mass murders News Politics shooting

Guns. Again.

I started watching Elliot Rodgers’ online twisted manifesto about how women ignored, belittled and frustrated him and how, obviously, his only appropriate response was to kill as many as he could, but after two minutes, I had to stop.

This is madness.

We keep asking the same questions. How does a person such as this get legal access to guns and ammunition? Can killings like this be prevented? If the answer is no, then why not? We seem to be able to address, debate or even stop other types of anti-social behavior, but in the present political climate, where the Second Amendment seems more sacrosanct than the First, the answer we keep getting is that no, there’s nothing we can do. I can’t accept that.

Perhaps the country’s tolerance for gun violence and murder has not been tested enough, even with the killing of students in public schools and colleges, and that we need even more killing before we’ve finally had enough. I can’t accept that either. I’ve had enough. No more.

Maybe we’ll get a more liberal Supreme Court that will undo the terrible mischief of the Heller decision that completely obliterated the militia clause in the Second Amendment and made gun rights a personal right. I understand that many gun owners from across the political spectrum believe that this was the correct decision, but a more specific historical analysis shows that the Framers’ intent was not to make sure that everyone could have a gun for personal use, but rather so they could join the state militia quickly in case it was necessary for public defense. The Framers distrusted a too-strong national army and put the militia clause in the Second Amendment for a reason. It was there that Mr. Justice Scalia, the high priest of Original Intent, found that the Framers obviously did not mean for it to have legal weight and told us in Heller that we could ignore it. Go buy a gun. It’s your personal right.

And so here we are, shrugging our shoulders and repeating the old script that says that guns are not the problem, mental illness is the problem. Or society is the problem. Or anger is the problem. Or the president in the problem. But guns? Access to guns is never the problem.

You want more? That’s easy. Simply go to www.facebook.com/WhereDemocracyLives or Twitter @rigrundfest

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Featured mass murders Politics sandyhook shooting

Gabby Giffords Again Urges Congress to Act on Gun Violence

Gabrielle Giffords and her husband, Mark Kelly
Photo: AP

I am of course, a supporter of Gabby’s efforts to get something done on the issue of gun violence. But the fact is, she was a member of Congress, she got shot in the head and you would think that if nothing else caused the gun lovers in congress to act, seeing one of their own suffer would prompt them to do something. But Gabby’s calls for action from her former co-workers have fallen on deaf ears!

In a letter to her SuperPAC, Gabby once again begged Congress to do something to curb gun violence. “These mass shootings are too often followed by stories about the perpetrator’s history of severe mental illness,” Kelly wrote, “Thankfully, taking action on mental health and protecting women from gun violence are issues that Democrats and Republicans can agree on — despite the filibuster of expanded background checks last year.”

“Congress must stop hiding behind the excuse of politics and take up this issue to ensure the dangerously mentally ill don’t have easy access to guns and to protect women from gun death and intimidation,” she said.

Gabby is not giving up. And it is my hope that something will be done before the next mass murder happens. But then again, I’ve had this same hope after the last eight mass shootings.

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