I find most members of the Republican Party in the USA (aka conservatives) very dangerous indeed. For if their philosophy is to be believed, when young children who are raped or have been the victim incest, they must be reminded of the horror every day by being forced to carry an unwanted child for nine months.
On the other hand, if anyone wants an assault weapon to murder innocent children or anyone, they must be allowed to get it.
For why else would a civilian want an assault weapon except to commit mass murder?
I am not at all anti-gun, for in my book if someone wants to have a gun to protect themselves or their family, or to go hunting, they should, by all means, be allowed to do so.
However, there are guns for various types of activities. So, for example, some people tell me that assault weapons should be allowed for hunting. But my understanding of hunting is that it is a sport, so shouldn’t the poor animal have some kind of a chance of survival?
According to the U.S. Department of Justice (in a 1994 debate,) “assault weapons are semiautomatic firearms with a large magazine of ammunition that were designed and configured for rapid fire and combat use.”
I think the most relevant word above is combat, for that is really what they are designed for.
That means war.
Is it this love for weapons of war among a significant proportion of the Republicans in my book, which have caused America to start so many wars against far less armed nations too. For example, recent incursions into places like Iraq and Libya.
It seems to me, too, that American philosophy is really built on bullyism… I have better weapons so I will kill you and take what you have.
Wasn’t that the entire foundation of the nation as they tried to wipe out the native Americans? And they have carried on that tradition over the years with non-whites being the targets under Jim Crow and ever since. (Heard of the Tulsa Massacre etc?)
According to the National Library of Medicine, assault weapons and other high-capacity semiautomatics appear to be used in a higher share of firearm mass murders (up to 57% in total).
Would you believe the majority of decent Americans oppose having assault weapons in civilian hands?
According to Gallup, between 57% and 61% of persons polled in the USA think assault weapons should be banned, but the legislators have consistently ignored these facts.
So why are most Republican legislators opposed to the banning of assault weapons when their constituents want them to be.
Corruption, it would appear.
In the USA, there is a well-entrenched method of bribing legislators called lobbying.
This is how Wikipedia begins its description of lobbying;
“In politics, lobbying, bribery, persuasion or ‘special’ interest representation is the act of a legally sanctioned attempt at influencing the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies.”
Among the richest organizations which use lobbyists in the USA; are gun manufacturers and the National Rifle Association (NRA). Why, you may very well ask? The answer lies in the piece published by the Huffington Post in 2017 entitled ‘Assault Weapons Sales Boom Fuels Gun Industry Profits, And Tragedy’.
It is therefore my view that until the USA addresses the corrupt system of lobbying, that country will forever be sheddingtears and saying prayers for victims of mass murders, be they mere infants, Texas May 24th; black people two weeks before in Buffalo; or people in churches, cinemas, malls, etc.
Yes, every country suffers from crime with which violence is often associated. For humans will forever reach for weapons with which to harm others, be they sticks, cars, guns etc.
But must the USA continue to make it easy for anyone with a grudge to kill people by the dozens in the flash of an eye, simply because that is what the NRA and gun manufacturers want?
