For the past few days, I've been thinking what to say about the shooting death late last week of former The Voice performer Christina Grimmie after a concert in Orlando, Florida. Every beginning point each seemed so empty. "Pointless" didn't cut it. Neither did "pathetic." Or meaningless, sad, senseless, tragic, horrific, gut-wrenching, sick, awful, pointless, inexplicable, heart-breaking, outraged, add whatever words you want. It didn't do it. The shooting death wasn't inherently worse than any other of the shooting deaths that happen relentlessly every day for a reason or no reason. But traveling specifically to kill someone who by all accounts was a lovely person and talented because they were on television for a few weeks just swirls such a convoluted range of pounding thoughts that, in the end, seemed hollow.
So, I hadn't written anything yet, and didn't know if I would because I didn't know if I had the words. And I still don't have them. And then yesterday there was the next headline. A mass shooting in an Orlando nightclub. And 50 people were killed. Fifty people were killed. Fifty. The most deaths in a mass-shooting in U.S. history. Fifty people. And who knows, it might become more.
I still don't have the words. None that are proper or mean much of anything. But thoughts do come to mind.
For those who call on prayers for the victims and their families, a request that while you're at it to please also pray that would-be killers don't get their hands on guns.
Whenever the corporate-own NRA and Far Right gun advocates can get around to it, please let the rest of society know when enough time has passed that gun control can be discussed. We'll hold on until you get back to us. Thanks!
Guns don't kill people -- people with guns who shoot them kill people.
The corporate-owned NRA is not a Second Amendment defender, it is corporate lobby owned by gun manufacturers to push gun sales, and does so to achieve its aims by trying to scare the public, which is also one definition of a terrorist organization.
There is a scholarly research and evidence that the Second Amendment was not written as a way to allow the public to defend itself against government, but rather to let slaves owners arm themselves and form militias to protect themselves against slave revolts.
Rather than sending "thoughts and prayers" to the victims and their families, how about instead sending outraged support, too, and push for gun legislation so that massacres and single deaths like these don't happen again to others? Do something before the fact, rather than wait until it's much too late after and just continue saying you're sorry.
The gun manufacturer-owned NRA is right that it is not time now to talk seriously about gun control -- the time to talk seriously about gun control was before the 50 people were killed in the nightclub, before Christina Grimmie was killed, before Virginia Tech, before Sandy Hook, before Columbine, before, before, before, before before...all the rest. And all those to come.
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To read more from Robert J. Elisberg about this or many other matters both large and tidbit small, see Elisberg Industries.