Quote:
Originally Posted by u crank
(Post 2817435)
And if you think that it is going to make any difference maybe you should watch the news occasionally. There are about 20,000 murders annually in the USA. That rate rose almost 30% in 2020. Almost all of the murders that occur in large cities happen in cities controlled by Democrats. Tell me again how they are going to solve the problem? People like Robert Crimo and Payton Gendron could give a flying fig about any gun control legislation. Psychopaths as a rule don't see laws as a deterrent. The problem is and has always been at the smart end of the gun. What's the plan for that?
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I don't really see your points; the DEMs pushing for and succeeding in getting at least some legislation passed that even attempts to address the problem sure beats the NRA-buttwhipped GOP and their "Thoughts & Prayers" rubber stamp BS; and the DEMs are actually trying to solve the problem of guns in their cities, but, you know, something always seems to want to stop them -- now who could or what that be? Oh, yeah, the GOP and the NRA and the other Far Right gun fetishists who have bupkis in the way of their own 'solutions' and seem to be more preoccupied with deflection, distraction, ducking and otherwise just sitting on their thumbs; its true psychos don't see laws as a deterrent, but it is also true that existing laws have served as a known deterrent against other potential situations of mindless violence; imagine just how bad the murder situation would be if there were no restrictions at all on irresponsible gun ownership and use; the problem is at the smart end of the gun? Then how about doing all that is possible to assure the 'noon-smart' don't have ample opportunity to arm themselves due to lax and/or nonexistent laws and regulations; the guy who slaughtered those poor kids in Texas literally bought his weapon hours before his murder rampage due to lax gun purchase laws and regulation and, probably because, hey, its Texas...
Even though I don't don't find substance to your "points', please know you have my "Thoughts & Prayers"... :03:
Just recently I had a past childhood brush with the effects of the 'non-smart' use of a gun brought back to memory; I was browsing on Google maps, looking at my childhood neighborhood in San Francisco and discovered that an old one block alleyway I thought had no name was actually listed as a street an, indeed had a name; I was surprised, since, when I lived in the neighborhood, there were no street signs at either end of the alley; I Googled the alley/street name and found a site where the alley was discussed; also discussed was an infamous tragedy that occurred in the alley...
There was a kid in my neighborhood named Mark King. Mark was well known around the neighborhood and was always called "Doc" (for reasons I never knew or now now). He and his bother Mike both went to the same Catholic school I attended; Mike was in the same grade and classes as myself. They had lost their mother at a young age for both and were being raised by their widower father, a stern, gruff blue-collar ma who worked very hard to support his motherless sons. Mike never really got over losing his mom and and retreated into a psychological deterioration and isolation; the nuns at the school tried to help him cope, but he became more and more detached. I had sister in the same school who was suffering from a number of disabilities, who I had to often defend from the bullying and insults of the 'good Christian' other students; Mike's deterioration was not unnoticed by those 'god Christians' either and Doc had to defend Mike against the rest. Doc developed into a sort of street tough and was feared by many of the kids, and not a few of the adults, in the neighborhood who transgressed his path or raised his ire, but Doc was also a very fair person and was known as basically a good kid; he was sort of our neighborhood's "Fonzie". To the kids of my age, he and his gang were the 'Big Kids" and we were appropriately in awe and fear of him, but I do have memories of him extending to me, on two separate occasions, greatly appreciated and unexpected acts of humanity that I never would have otherwise expected of him; I somehow have come to think, perhaps, he sensed I was in a similar situation with my sister as he was with his brother, and maybe he knew I had also defended Mike on occasion, so he extended his aid in reciprocation...
One day, in a house along the alleyway, a young Navy sailor, home on leave, got beered-up and decided it was a really good idea to have some target practice, shooting at a tree growing in front of the fence adjoining the alley. He fired of a shot, missed the tree, and put a round through the fence. He also put that round through the body of Doc King who was, like all of kid's did, taking a short cut through the alley. Mercifully, it was reported Doc died instantly. Now this was in 1960, and the times were different; gun deaths and gun violence were very rare in cities at the time and the news of Doc's murder stunned the whole city; it was front page news in the city's major newspapers and was headline news on TV and radio. (Nowadays, it would have just been a short blip in the news.) There was huge outcry by the public and was the closest I have ever seen to a potential for a lynch mob; people, most of whom really had no idea who Doc even was, were livid. The police were concerned and put the sailor under extra protection. The saving grace was Doc's father: he made it publicly known he did not wish any harm to come to the sailor and everyone backed off, out of respect for his grief. I don't remember what ever became of the sailor, but I still vividly remember the day Doc died and the impact it had not only on me, who had benefited from his unexpected kindnesses, but on everyone in the neighborhood and in the city. I never walked down that alleyway again after Doc died; it seemed almost like walking over an open grave; and the funny thing is, when I found that site talking about the alley, there were comments from others who remembered Doc and his death and who also, over 60 years later, had fond memories of that kid and his impact on the neighborhood; there were even comments about some others of us kids who would never walk down the alleyway again...
I had made reference to McConnell perhaps finding common sense with the midterms looming; I also wonder if, perhaps, he may also have been stunned when at least 10 GOP Senators broke ranks and participated in the bipartisan effort with 10 DEM Senators to pass the latest gun legislation; 50 DEM votes and 10 GOP votes would be just about enough to put the kibosh on McConnell's filibuster ploys; as time goes on and more tragedies occur, it will be interesting to see just how solid that GOP wall remains...
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