I keep imagining that somewhere in the USA a gun lobbyist rolls into work every single morning with a coffee, an unhealthy breakfast and a smartphone in one hand while they scroll Twitter. “Where’s the shooting today,” they probably ask a co-worker as they slide behind their laptop, already prepping a bevvy of arguments against gun control legislation with multiple references to Second Amendment rights. Pause that and consider that on Monday, March 27, Fox News aired a clip of Retired FBI Special Agent Nicole Parker that got posted onto Twitter with the following transcription. “We need to remember, the side door. I don’t know the exact facts of this moment but from what I understand a side door was unlocked. That seems to be a common pattern in many of the these shootings. A side door.” The side door scapegoat identification must have come as a welcome relief to the gun lobbyists. No longer would people blame weak gun laws for senseless school violence. Hold that thought. Honestly I don’t believe blaming gun control laws or screaming at politicians helps at all anyway. The USA does not seem inclined to change them. The lobbyists are holding the line. The shooter who killed three children and three adults at The Covenant School in Nashville used three legally purchased firearms. There’s no doubt that it’s easier to get guns in the USA than Canada, but that’s not to say we don’t have our problems here too. One need only remember the Nova Scotia Portapique rampage three years ago or the storming of Parliament hill by a gunman to realize that. That’s not taking into account any of the non-firearms related violence, like the recent stabbing death of a teenager in a Toronto subway. So is mental health to blame? I’m not pretending to know much, but I do enough research to know that we need more and better resources when it comes to healthcare, especially when it comes to mental health. But even then, can we truly ever know what drives a person to such levels of violence against strangers? Far too often lately, watching the nightly news or reading a national news article feels like an exercise in grief. I share a lot of these articles, not only because they reflect our world, but because for the most part I struggle to wrap my mind around why this bloodbath continues, and is it all just because of a law written way back in 1791? Will tougher gun laws help? Do you really need rapid fire assault rifles to hunt? We’ve had hunters in my family for generations. They use their granddaddy’s trusty old rifle to bring down a bull moose, so what exactly are you hunting down in the USA with that anyway? Keep your guns if they mean that much to you, because apparently the children don’t. Just make sure the side doors are locked from now on I guess, since that’s the latest culprit.
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