Gun via Wikimedia Commons images

The school shooting in Texas was awful, just absolutely horrific. These acts of evil are always gut-wrenching and exacerbated by overheated political rhetoric. The public demands Congress just do something. Republicans scream that Democrats want to take guns away. Democrats scream that Republicans are OK with kids dying. The GOP is closer to the truth. The media sides with the Democrats.

The reality is any measure needs 60 votes to get through the United States Senate. Democrats tend to go immediately for gun control. That will not pass the Senate. Gun control restrictions cannot get 60 votes. Democrats use that as a rallying cry to argue against the filibuster and an expanded Democrat Senate to scrap the filibuster.

Do Democrats want the issue, or do they want a solution? It almost seems that Democrats screaming about Republicans wanting kids to die is projection because Democrats rush in while bodies are still warm to vilify their opponents, attack them for offering thoughts and prayers, and then offer their own empty platitudes and empty solutions.

The bottom line is gun control will not pass the Senate. So, do Democrats want more dead kids or do they want to join Republicans in making some progress? There is no panacea here. Guns will not be confiscated because of the Second Amendment. Guns will not be banned for the same reason. Restrictions more often than not will not stop a school shooter even if this school shooter might have been stopped or deterred. The shooter at Sandy Hook Elementary School murdered his mother and used her guns.

In Uvalde, Texas, a school officer was armed, but there are lingering questions about how quickly he responded to the shooter. The Left is screaming that the good guy with the gun did not stop the bad guy with the gun, so we need to take all the guns. There are questions about timeliness of the response. There is no question gun confiscation will not enter American law.

Using one failure to suggest we should abandon efforts to provide officers at all schools seems foolish. That could get 60 votes in the Senate. Providing a well-trained public servant in schools would more likely than not serve as a deterrent. It might not stop all cases but could stop many. Why let perfect be the enemy of the good?

Republicans and Democrats may yet find some common ground on mental health reform. Overwhelmingly, these shooters suffer from mental health issues. The gun genie is out of the bottle and will not be contained. But well-armed retired veterans at schools would be better than waiting for the police to show up. It appears the shooter in Uvalde was in the school for most of an hour.

What about fortifying school doors? Provide one entry and ample exits. Control access to the building with security doors that can be opened only from the inside in case of emergency. Congress loves to spend on infrastructure. Democrats could get bipartisan support for school upgrades.

The voters clamor for Congress to do something. I suspect Congress will do very little and most of what I have suggested will not get done. Democrats need an issue to campaign on. They would prefer no solution so they can run on gun violence over getting a solution that forces them back to defending President Joe Biden’s economic record.

Reality will soon dawn on Democrats. Running against former President Donald Trump, Jan. 6, the Supreme Court or shootings will not save them from inflation, high gas prices, empty store shelves and high grocery bills. They might as well find common ground with Republicans and work to upgrade schools and their security before students return in the fall.

Expand school safety personnel, recruit retired veterans, expand school counselor programs and upgrade school building security. Those are doable. Gun control is not because of the filibuster. If the urge is to do something, these can pass. But I suspect the urge is stronger to use the issue to vilify Republicans. This is chiefly why Washington is broken. The incentives are to hold power, not to use that power to pass doable things.

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1 year ago

Absolutely, racism is a pandemic. Why can’t we just say “people” instead of “that Black Person” ?

charles A wilkins
1 year ago

TWO MILLIONS ILLEGALS IN THE COUNTRY,NO JOB, NO MONEY,NO FOOD, NO TRASPORTATION, JUST CELL PHONES, GIVE UP YOUR GUNS???Let’s be honest here. Joe Biden is unwell. He’s unfit for office. He’s incoherent, incapacitated and confused. He doesn’t know where he is half the time. He’s incapable of leading and he’s incapable of carrying out his duties. Period. Everyone knows it. No one is willing to say it. But we have to, for the sake of the country. Joe Biden can’t do the job.” – Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott said this of President Joe Biden on 5/10/22 Joe Biden is unwell. He’s unfit for office. He’s incoherent,incapacitated and confused,BIDEN UNFIT for office,incoherent joe,joe biden is not well,rick scott joe biden,biden gaffes,biden gaffe.FINALLY THE TRUTH EMERGES,THROW THE BUM OUT IT’S IMPEACHMENT TIME, ALL CORRUPT BIDENS HAVE TO GO

Trebor Retsbew
1 year ago

charles A wilkins
Your comment is quite interesting in so many ways, the fact is there are about 13 MILLION illegals in this USA and they all have jobs or family support costing the USA nothing and according to the facts available from OMB those illegals actually added over $650 BILLION to the economy and over #30 Billion to Social Security trust fund and $65 BILLION to the IRS bank account. Why is it so many 90% conservatives are so afraid of everything in this society, Blacks, South of the border, and manty others I could name.
So if Biden is so unfit, please tell me how he put NATO back together after Trump’s run at destroying NATO, for the sake of Russia,
We do agree on one thing corrupt politicians should go. Lets discuss this, the Constitution says that every Senator and every Representative is suppose to represent ALL the people, not just the people in their party, now when say 70% of the population want something and the politicians do just the opposite, that is not following the Constitution of this USA, a very good example is present at this time, Abortion, when about 70% want Abortion to stay legal at the 15 week stop point yet the minority politicians are forcing those laws through against the peoples wishes, then there is gun control where almost 80% want gun control, 68% want military style weapons done away with, yet the 32% are not even willing to enter into any negotiations about that.
Another fact is that Impeachment is only the same as an indictment in the civilian world and then there has to be a trial and 67 yes votes to throw any person impeached out. Do you think the Republicans in the Senate have enough votes for that.

1 year ago

Boy, are November elections important!! We’ve got to “right” the ship. Otherwise we’re sunk. Compulsory 2 year military service for all high school graduates. Only free country in the world without it. Respect and love of country must be restored.

Trebor Retsbew
1 year ago
Reply to  Bud Hodge

Bud Hodges
I do think you should do some further checking only about 29 countries have compulsory service and all those except Israel are former or presently what was called Communist countries.
I totally agree that 2 years compulsory service would do so many so good on their self-discipline, which so many lack. I am also a true believer that the true history of this USA should be mandatory in every school public or private, then a lot of the lies told would be exposed.

1 year ago

Guns of any type are not the problem. The problem is people like pelosi and waters and most of all aoc. You took God out of schools. The demonic democrats dictatorship liars stealing cheating is the problem. Teaching our children that rules are ok to be broken and get cnn and the others who follow suit to lie. All the murdering games they put on the CD’s teaching the children to kill. More people die in car wreaks from the movies the children watch on tv about running from cops and street racing. You don’t hear the demonic democrats dictatorship because guns stop demonic democrats dictatorship liars stealing cheating. They can’t get their nwo as long as we have a means to protect ourselves. Every body knows groping joe didn’t win the election. It was a coup so they could push nwo. Americans don’t want Islam rule and sharia laws. LBGT should vote Republicans Party, because sharia law would murder LBGT people. I’m Republican and I have LBGT friends. Their nice people who don’t want trouble. It’s not my place to judge them. I’m Baptist and leave it up to God to decide what sin is greater than another sin. Leave the elections clean and quit changing laws and Binding laws to cheat and steal. Under sharia law you won’t be killing babies. So ladies you better vote Republicans Party. SEMPER FIDELIS

Trebor Retsbew
1 year ago

The one fact in evidence is that the 2nd Amendment no long applies in any way, When that 2nd Amendment was written by Madisin, every man was required to train in the Militias and that training was done under the control of an active duty Military member. Today we have the State National Guard that is the Militias of yesteryear, and fulfills every part of that 2nd Amendment. The next thing was when the Constitution and its Amendments were written everyone in the militia or the military had to supply their own guns, today in that State National Guard or Military you are assigned a gun. Now where exactly is this well regulated militias, which every one that wants the 2nd to apply to in a time when it is no longer relevant.
So many t actually think at some point they are going to overthrow the Federal Government, write a new Constitution and have full autocratic control over this USA, there is one problem that those who think of that happening do not consider they are in the smallest minority in this USA only about 20% or less.

1 year ago

THEY JUST WANT US TO GIVE UP OUR GUNS SO THEY CAN CONTROL US AND TAKE OVER!!! NEVER EVER GIVE UP YOUR GUNS OR YOU WILL BECOME THEIR SLAVES!!!! ALWAYS STAND UP TO THESE MENTALLY CHALLENGED FOOLS AND REFUSE TO BOW DOWN TO THEM!!!

1 year ago

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