I'm new to DK, and this will be my first diary. I'm trapped in a small Mormon farming town in the southeast corner of Arizona. My resources are limited, financial and automotive. I am able to stay in contact with the real world only through the internet. I've viewed the reports about the mass shootings that have become inevitable, apparently. I listen to the NRA's resident lunatic rave about the 2nd amendment and proclaim the need for more people with more guns, the 'good guys'. I was appalled when, after Sandy Hook, the gutless, corrupt scumbags in Congress defeated every attempt to impose even minor changes to our out of control gun laws. I was finally motivated to speak up by Richard Martinez. His "Not One More" campaign was a touching and impressive response to this plague we're dealing with. He said "What about Chris's right to live?" It is unfathomable to me that people think their right to own guns supercedes safety and life. What is wrong with this country? Why do we sit here, helpless to intervene in the ongoing, insane episodes of death and destruction? Why do we continue to allow Wayne LaPierre to bully elected officials and the rest of us in the name of the 2nd amendment? Why do we allow corrupt politicians to go on ignoring the will of a majority of citizens and yield to the guys with all the money? I'm guilty of the thing I deplore - doing nothing and waiting for someone to step up and take charge. It finally dawned on me that I can step up and at least say what's on my mind without hesitation or reservations. People, we can't allow this to continue. There are many more of us who deplore the availability of deadly weapons and the power of the NRA than there are 2nd amendment fanatics. My ideas may seem untenable or impossible, but we could at least make an effort. I want an end to the senseless deaths and the power of the NRA.
What is needed is a unified, determined organization, with a name that describes our goal. My view is this: Military Combat Weapons & high capacity clips were originally designed for use in war. They are portable, deadly, efficient killing machines. They should never have been sold to individuals, and stopping the sale of these weapons is essential. That will require a law, which means replacing the current office holders with new ones who are concerned about public safety and the welfare of innocent, helpless children. (I'm a writer, and I like alliteration. SAFE SANE SECURE SOCIETY appeals to me for a name, but you can't get an acronym out of it. SASO, maybe.) There is also a dire need for either rescinding or drastically altering the 2nd to reflect today's reality. It looks like our first step needs to be replacing numerous office holders, mostly Republicans. (I live in AZ, mis-represented by John McCain and Jeff Flake. Flake took over $85,000 from the NRA for his first campaign. I'm going to search for their Democratic replacements. Not an easy task in this state.)
There are some realities that have to be accepted. Americans have always owned guns, and they always will. My personal estimate is that there are 75 million gun owners holding around 300 million guns. There is no possibility of confiscating the guns that are out there. Establishing new, very solid restrictions on sales might be a future possibility, and making background checks more thorough is a good idea. For now, a complete and permanent ban on the sale of MCWs to individuals is the first priority, and it should be understood that high capacity clips are included.
The Constitution is one of the most awesome documents ever created. I'm real tired of Wayne LaPierre and his minions relying on the 2nd amendment to justify their lunacy. I think they're defiling a document that deserves respect and reverence. They're using it for a selfish, self-serving, amoral purpose. And speaking of the Constitution, I believe all elected officials swear an oath to abide by it when they take office. I'm pretty sure there's nothing about allegiance to the NRA in that oath, and since they aren't abiding by their oath, that is grounds for removing them from their cushy little seat. I'm going to read the Constitution and see what I can find. (I keep a copy within reach.) In fact, I'm going to see if there's something about bribing and intimidating elected officials. I don't think it would be much of a stretch to have the NRA designated as a terrorist group. We pay the salaries of those Congressmen. It's their job to do what's in the best interests of the majority. Basically, Wayne LaPierre is stealing votes from the American people by bribing and intimidating politicians. I resent that, and so should everyone who voted for any of those guys. (I didn't, but I resent it anyway.) It's time to clean up the Congress.
I'm serious about a group or a movement or whatever. We need a web page. I don't know anything about that stuff. If anyone who knows about computer stuff reads this and is interested, I'd love some help. We need to get people involved. I know, I have a lot of time on my hands, and some people have jobs and/or kids, or other things that take up time. We need numbers. We need to be able to demonstrate that interest in fixing our out of control gun laws is shared by a large number of citizens. We need to demonstrate diversity - age, race, occupation, status, location, politics. I know there are many, many people out there who were as affected as I was by the Sandy Hook tragedy. And as pissed off at the cavalier indifference shown by politicians. Let's hook up, let's show the NRA who really has the power. And we don't need guns to make us feel tough. We've got heart and integrity.