I would normally write an article immediately after the incident, but more and more details continue to emerge as time passes. Here are just a handful of new facts that we learned about the Parkland high school shooting:
- The police were called at least 39 times regarding the shooter prior to the incident.
- The shooter had personally contacted the police at one point - no response
- He shot a chicken in his neighborhood - never charged
- He held a gun to a person's head on multiple occasions - never charged
- He assaulted someone - never charged
- Many students of the high school stated that they believed he would be a school shooter.
- The shooter posted online saying "I'm going to be a professional school shooter"
- The shooter used 10-round magazines.
- The on-duty officer did not enter the school while the shooting was occurring.
- There are reports that a total of 4 officers had set up (and did not enter the school) while the shooting was in progress - they did nothing.
- The county Sheriff is not taking any responsibility for the inaction of his officers.
So here we are. By the time these facts were uncovered - gun control groups had already called for sweeping gun control measures - ranging from raising the age limit for rifles to 21 to banning all semiautomatic firearms. The NRA has taken a majority of the criticism for this tragedy - for a reason that nobody can adequately explain to me.
Needless to say, those on the anti-gun side of the isle have had a bill ready to go...just waiting for the perfect time when emotions were high enough to possibly carry this bill to the President's desk.
This particular bill doesn't have much of the nonsensical gibberish of the 1994 bill - its much more thorough and covers many rifles by name. This time, there is no sunset date. Here are just a brief summery of what is restricted in this bill:
- "Assault rifles" - defined in the bill as a semiautomatic rifle with a detachable magazine that can accept one of the following:
- Pistol grip
- Forward grip
- Barrel shroud (lol - YouTube this if you don't know why this is funny)
- Folding, telescoping, or removable stock
- Grenade launcher or rocket launcher (this is not a joke)
- Threaded barrel
- Standard capacity magazines (or large capacity according to drafters of this bill) that hold more than 10 rounds
- No sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession
- Does not apply to magazines prior to AWB
- Gun Buyback clause - Literally on the last page. No doubt this is modeled after Australia.
This bill does state that it does not apply to the possession, sale, or transfer of any semiautomatic "assault weapon" or magazine otherwise lawfully possessed under Federal law on the date that are lawfully owned prior to the AWB's enactment. It also will not apply to any firearm that is manually operated by bolt, pump, lever or slide action.
This is bad - and Trump doesn't seem to be helping. Lately, he's taken a left-leaning position on firearms. He's backed the idea of raising the age to purchase a long gun to 21, backed a motion to ban bump stocks (which I don't really care about - still a slippery slope), and most significantly - he's stated that he would want to strip firearms away from people without first going through due process. Bad POTUS! That being said, he has also brought up the concept of letting adept teachers (that have gone though training) to conceal carry on campus. While the thought of guns in schools makes people nervous, I believe that allowing willing teachers to carry is a better option than just waiting for police officers that may or may not even enter the building and attempt to save lives - as we've seen with Parkland.
There. I covered all the bad stuff. Now for some good news.
Delegate Nicholas Freitas is a member of the Virginia House of Delegates and is a candidate for the US Senate in 2018. He gave a passionate speech where he condensed the entire Parkland gun debate in seven minutes. Freitas brought all the facts to the floor, with the sole purpose of wanting to have a discussion based on those facts, not feelings. During his short speech, many Democrats were so upset that they walked out of the room. Nicholas Freitas did nothing but give facts - and he exposed many lawmakers on the Left as bigots and cowards who were completely unwilling to have a reasonable discussion on this issue. Give this man a beer! Many sitting Republicans could learn a lot from him.
How would I stop mass shootings? While I believe that evil people will always be able to perform evil acts, regardless of what the laws say, I would still do two things:
This is bad - and Trump doesn't seem to be helping. Lately, he's taken a left-leaning position on firearms. He's backed the idea of raising the age to purchase a long gun to 21, backed a motion to ban bump stocks (which I don't really care about - still a slippery slope), and most significantly - he's stated that he would want to strip firearms away from people without first going through due process. Bad POTUS! That being said, he has also brought up the concept of letting adept teachers (that have gone though training) to conceal carry on campus. While the thought of guns in schools makes people nervous, I believe that allowing willing teachers to carry is a better option than just waiting for police officers that may or may not even enter the building and attempt to save lives - as we've seen with Parkland.
There. I covered all the bad stuff. Now for some good news.
Delegate Nicholas Freitas is a member of the Virginia House of Delegates and is a candidate for the US Senate in 2018. He gave a passionate speech where he condensed the entire Parkland gun debate in seven minutes. Freitas brought all the facts to the floor, with the sole purpose of wanting to have a discussion based on those facts, not feelings. During his short speech, many Democrats were so upset that they walked out of the room. Nicholas Freitas did nothing but give facts - and he exposed many lawmakers on the Left as bigots and cowards who were completely unwilling to have a reasonable discussion on this issue. Give this man a beer! Many sitting Republicans could learn a lot from him.
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| CLICK HERE to watch video |
How would I stop mass shootings? While I believe that evil people will always be able to perform evil acts, regardless of what the laws say, I would still do two things:
- Stress the importance of family values.
Of the 27 worst mass shooters in America, only one was raised by a biological father. That's a solid correlation.
- DO NOT publish the name or picture of this shooter.
I don't care what this person looks like. I don't care what his/her name is. I don't care what race they are. I DO NOT CARE ABOUT THIS PERSON. While Americans have the right to know who committed the crime and some may genuinely care, the media glorifies these shooters by posting their name picture on every news segment. This only emboldens would-be violent offenders thinking that they can become "famous" by performing such a heinous act.
Have I missed anything?
We cannot let our emotions get the better of us during times of tragedy. Laws need to be based on facts - and the facts show that the police department failed on every level.
Call your representatives and tell them to vote "NO" on the Assault Weapons Ban of 2018. The Parkland shooting proved that the government cannot be trusted to do its job - why would we ever let them tell us how we can defend ourselves?
Call your representatives and tell them to vote "NO" on the Assault Weapons Ban of 2018. The Parkland shooting proved that the government cannot be trusted to do its job - why would we ever let them tell us how we can defend ourselves?
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