“Unimaginable”, “Thoughts and Prayers”, be Damned!

When there’s a mass shooting incident involving ‘weapons of mass destruction’, we listen to “Thoughts and prayers”, and “this isn’t the time for a political discussion”, or “unimaginable tragedy.”

Photo by STNGR LLC on Unsplash

• At what point is the right time to have the debate?

• What will be the right time to start discussions about solving this issue?

• Are we really still going to say that guns kill people?

• When do we put the “thoughts and prayers” back in the can and start saying “it’s high time we figure out a solution to this problem?

The most recent shooting at the high school in northeast Georgia, about 43 miles from Atlanta, left 4 dead. Two-4 year old students and two educators. Along with the deceased, there were 8 injured.

A 14 year old student left his classroom. Upon his return he knocked on the door. The person who went to the door to let the student back in noticed he has a weapon and didn’t open the door. At that point the 14 year old turned to an adjacent classroom and started firing.

Fortunately, thanks to the clear thinking of the person refusing to open the door to allow this armed student back in, and the rapid response of the law enforcement agencies, and the immediate response of the school resource officer, this student who was shooting gave up peacefully and was taken into custody. This could’ve been a whole lot worse. This could’ve had 30 or more killed and who knows how many injured.

Immediately after the shooting, here come the politicians.

A Republican representative from that district immediately offered their “thoughts and prayers”.

After assigning all state resources to get to the school for assistance, the Republican Governor, Brian Kemp, stated in his statement that “now isn’t the time for discussion on the issue”.

Senator Rick Scott, Republican from Florida, made a statement. “Our hearts break for the families of two students and two teachers in Winder, Georgia, who suffered an unimaginable loss today because of a deranged monster.”

You know, this washing machine has already been through this cycle, numerous times. All we are doing is listening to the same spew from a group that refuses to do a damn thing to solve the issue. We don’t need “wash, rinse, repeat” anymore. We need something done.

• We need ALL of these elected officials to tell the NRA to take a flying leap.

• We need ALL of these elected officials to sit down and get some serious gun legislation written up and passed.

• We need a serious look at who can own/carry/possess firearms, at what ages, after a battery of cognitive exams, psychological testing, a serious ‘waiting period’ (not 3 or 6 days). I’m talking about a 30 day minimum waiting period.

• No firearms would be able to be purchased until a class on firearm safety and use is given, and passed.

• No bullets for any firearm can be purchased at the same time a firearm is purchased.

• ‘Open carry’, ‘Concealed carry’, would be abolished. No private citizen needs to carry a firearm, ever.

• A PERMANENT BAN on the manufacture, sale, and possession, of any Semi-automatic weapon will be illegal. No citizen has any reason to own, possess, or carry, any weapon of these types.

We do not need “Thoughts and Prayers” from the elected officials. We need good, solid, results. Good, strong, legislation. And yes, the ability to go across the aisle and talk with the other party about getting this done!