This weekend there was another shooting. This time it was at a mall. A couple of weeks ago, there was a senseless shooting at a movie theatre. I shake my head at this news and grieve for the children. I grieve for the child of the single mother killed this weekend. I grieve for the 2 year old toddler of the man shot at the Florida movie theatre. I wonder what will become of these children without their loving parents. Or do we even care? Have we become so use to it that we just turn a blind eye?
And I, like much of America, blame the government for doing nothing about gun violence. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I understand politics. I understand the right to bear arms. I understand the GOP is in bed with the NRA. I understand why nothing happened. In all honesty, I didn’t expect anything to happen with gun control. I was a lose-lose effort from the beginning. The NRA may be the most powerful lobby in the world. However, there were other things that could have been done to address the violence besides gun control but weren’t.
The conversation always starts and stops with the guns. Why is that? The conversation should not even be about the guns in the first place. The guns are not the problem; the guns are just a means to an end. The problem is MENTAL HEALTH AND THE LACK OF SERVICES AVAILABLE TO EVERYDAY PEOPLE TO GET HELP!!!!!!
Did I say that loud enough? Do I need to say it again?
Until we start talking about and dealing with mental health issues the same way we talk about physical diseases, we are going to have this happen again and again and again. And more children are going to grow up without their parents. Every single one of these guys have serious mental health issues. EVERYONE WITHOUT EXCEPTION. Most likely they suffered at the very least from depression which is a serious but treatable disease. How many people would be alive if we had this conversation last year instead of the conversation the POTUS TRIED to have about gun control? How many children would have been saved from having to deal with gun violence in their everyday lives?
The POTUS could have talked about this instead of the guns. When he couldn’t get gun legislation passed, he could have started talking about mental health legislation that would make it easier for people to get help with anger, stress, and depression so their problems don’t build up like a pressure cooker and explode in violence that takes the lives of innocent victims. But he didn’t. Why was that?
Dems in Congress could have found a way to come up with bi-partisan legislation to address mental health issues. But they didn’t. GOP in Congress could have changed the conversation from the guns to mental health, but they didn’t. Why didn’t they? Somehow they manage to come together when they are under the gun to do so. Why couldn’t they do something to save lives, to protect the children?
Most likely, they didn’t care. Everyone knows that the GOP doesn’t care about everyday Americans and their lame propaganda to make American’s think differently isn’t working. Americans are more apathetic today and less likely to participate in elections because from their perspective, it doesn’t matter who gets elected into office. Nothing matters. Nothing changes. And No one ever listens to the will of the people. So why should they vote if nothing ever changes? And Dems are seen as just as responsible as the GOP.
In our society, there is no way to keep guns out of the hands of crazy, depressed, angry people if they haven’t broken any laws. There is no way to read someone’s mind about their intentions when they buy a gun. They only way to stop this violence is to empower people to get help and provide services that makes it easier for them to get help than it is to go buy a gun and go outside and start shooting people.
But politicians won’t even talk about it. Why is that? Maybe because if they did, then we would have to do something about it. And this Narcissistic Congress doesn’t do anything that isn’t in their own best interest.
But when people don’t participate, special interests dominate, and money rules. When money rules, people are screwed.