Forcing the issue
After Sandy Hook, it looked like we would finally have the motivation to get on the right path. But the gun lobby was even stronger than we imagined. They virtually elected Trump and he was happy to banish Obama-era gun legislation, especially that against assault weapons.
AR 15’s are responsible for most of the mass shootings. It’s a no-brainer to ban them and most Americans favor heavier gun regulations. But that is not the problem. Propaganda is the problem. The NRA has sold gun culture to America and it’s far harder to counter a mindset than to pass a few more laws. We’ve been deluged with messaging from the gun lobby for decades. Republicans can bow down their heads and send thoughts and prayers at the latest horrific shooting, but they will block any legislation to curb such things from happening again. Because their hearts and minds belong to the NRA. The NRA literally coaches them on talking points and those talking points of late have come directly from Russia. And Russia loves us shooting ourselves because chaos is the only weapon they have against our fine democracy.
Every time an American votes Republican, they are mindlessly buying into lies. But this is ceasing to work. The Russian links to the NRA have been exposed and their funding is being drained without Russian oligarch money. As David Hogg pointed out, the NRA is the weakest it’s ever been. More and more young people are becoming politically active and voting. Our President is motivated to enact gun control legislation.
Sadly, Uvalde won’t be our last mass shooting, but hopefully it will mark the turning point where our eyes have been opened to the lies of the Republicans and the NRA. America is the land of the free and being free means free from hostile foreign propaganda. Let’s set out on the determined path to make such things never happen again by voting blue and rejecting the propaganda from the right.
TR Kenneth is the author of the thriller, A ROOM FULL OF NIGHT. You can read all about her at trkenneth.com and on Twitter