Democrats Politicize Tragedy

Just before 5pm yesterday, I received an email from MoveOn.org requesting yet again that I take action on something in the news – this time the massacre in Aurora, CO. When I first saw the item pop up in my inbox, I cringed, thinking that it might be yet another request for money for yet another ad. Thankfully, it wasn’t that, but it did request that I sign a petition.

Dear MoveOn member,

We all woke up to the tragic news of the killing of at least 12 people and the wounding of many more at a late-night screening of the new Batman movie in Colorado.

Reports indicate that the disturbed individual who committed this horrifying act had a bulletproof vest, used some kind of gas canister, and had multiple guns when he opened fire in the crowded theater.1 A three-month-old is among the injured.2

We are immeasurably sad for those who lost their lives, those wounded, and their families—and for all those who experienced the horror of those terrible moments. Let our thoughts and prayers go out to them today.

We’re also so angry. From children’s lives lost in school shootings, to Trayvon Martin, the Representative Gabrielle Giffords attack, and this latest slaughter of innocents, we are not safe from gun violence.

Mayors Against Illegal Guns has been campaigning to put a stop to senseless gun violence like this with commonsense measures, like fixing gun checks to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people. They’ve started a petition in SignOn.org to demand action on ending gun violence.

Sadly, it often takes moments like these to bring politicians to their senses about guns. And while signing a petition seems so inadequate in the face of what happened last night, it’s important to do what we can. Today that means taking a small step toward preventing this kind of tragedy from happening again.

Sign the Mayors Against Illegal Guns petition to our leaders: “Join me in standing with the victims and families of the Aurora, Colorado shooting and pledge to end gun violence.”

The people who died at the Colorado theater last night are only 12 of the 34 people statistics tell us will die from gun violence today—and among 19,000 murdered with guns since the attack on Representative Giffords in Tuscon.3

And yet today isn’t about statistics. It’s about the pain of human loss—the loss suffered by the community of Aurora, Colorado. And the losses to gun violence suffered today and every day by other communities, whose tragic stories won’t be covered on the news.

It’s in the power of Congress to greatly reduce these senseless shootings and make tragedies like today’s far less possible. They can start by enacting commonsense measures, like fixing giant loopholes in gun checks, that are supported by the vast majority of Americans—including gun owners.4

Let our anger today help give them the courage to act tomorrow.

Sign the Mayors Against Illegal Guns petition to our leaders: “Join me in standing with the victims and families of the Aurora, Colorado shooting and pledge to end gun violence.”

The strength and support we draw from our friends, families, and communities are never more important than on days like today.

Thanks for all you do.

–Justin, Robin, Ryan, Elena, and the rest of the team

Sources:

1. “Gunman turns movie into surreal horror: ‘This is real,'” CNN, July 20, 2012
https://www.moveon.org/r?r=277858&id=46725-10103528-3wr0qGx&t=3
2. “Gunman turns Batman screening into real-life ‘horror film,'” CNN, July 20, 2012
https://www.moveon.org/r?r=277863&id=46725-10103528-3wr0qGx&t=4

3. “Background Checks,” Mayors Against Illegal Guns, accessed July 20, 2012
https://www.moveon.org/r?r=277860&id=46725-10103528-3wr0qGx&t=6

4. “Poll: Majority Of Americans, Including Gun Owners, Support Tougher Restrictions,” The Huffington Post, January 18, 2011
https://www.moveon.org/r?r=277861&id=46725-10103528-3wr0qGx&t=7

I’ve quoted the email in its entirety above, primarily because there is more than enough nonsense over misquotes and out-of-context statements. Of course this was entirely predictable, because the left simply never understands the problem isn’t lack of gun control. We can say until we’re blue in the face that these laws are meaningless to criminals and crazy people – if these individuals really want guns, they will get them one way or another, no matter what the laws are.

Contrary to what the left might like to make people think, the above is true – police do not tend to prevent crime. They occasionally do, but for the most part, they respond after the fact. And an armed citizenry remains the best defense against attacks. Today, it’s from the enemy within – criminals – as opposed to the potential invaders the Founders had in mind. While it’s logistically unlikely that any armed citizen could have prevented the massacre in Aurora, that does not help to make the case against creating more gun laws in response to this tragedy. The fact remains that the man who committed this act would have gotten the weapons he wanted regardless what the laws were.

As you can see above, the insane logic of the left knows no bounds. Of course, if the man in Colorado hadn’t been white, perhaps the Muslim card wouldn’t have been played in this way. The implication is that he was one of those “gun-clinging angry white men from the right wing.” That’s not a surprising assumption, since it had already been made by ABC’s Brian Ross. It was irresponsible, but probably irresistible for Ross. Talk about giving his left-wing bosses an issue on a platter! Wouldn’t it have been grand if the shooter had been a member of the Tea Party? It’s what left-wing media wet dreams are made of. But the truth may very well turn out to be a nightmare for them, if the rumors about the shooter being involved with the Occupy Movement turn out to be true. Now, that came from a private investigator as opposed to a journalist. Time will hopefully tell whether or not that one is accurate.

The fact is that right now, we do not enforce the current gun laws we have. Adding more laws will not change the situation. They will just end up being more words on the books that we don’t have the personnel or money in law enforcement to enforce in the first place. It might make people feel safer, or satisfied to make tougher gun laws, but that will end when the next tragedy comes along. I’ve avoided saying the name of the shooter in Aurora for a reason. He did this to get notoriety, and I refuse to give it to him. The vast majority of crazy people that don’t end up killing themselves after mass murder want the attention of the masses. You want a law that will have any hope of deterring their actions? Try stomping a little bit on the First Amendment, and forbid the press from giving mass murderers air time, kilobytes, and ink. Don’t give them what they want, and maybe – just maybe – they won’t do it. Of course, we’re dealing with insanity here, so it’s anyone’s guess what they’ll actually do anyway. But don’t give in to the liberal delusion that gun laws will save us from the crazies. They won’t. Sure, concealed carry couldn’t have helped in Aurora, unless someone happened to have a laser sight on their weapon – even that’s unlikely, though. But, there will come a time when the attack won’t be in the pitch black of a movie theater with hundreds of innocent people that could get hit by mistake. If the law-abiding citizens don’t have guns, they can’t stop that next crazy person. After all, gun laws don’t apply to criminals and crazies. So, just remember the following: