The NRA Is On The Side Of Terrorists, Not Responsible Gun Owners

Once again, there has been another mass shooting here in the United States. According to Vox.com, more Americans have been killed in the last fifty years by gun violence than all the wars in our history. This should press lawmakers to do something to keep guns out of the hands of suspected terrorists and criminals, but the NRA has blocked nearly every gun law across America.

Just today, the Republican-controlled United States Senate voted to block expanding background checks, which comes almost 24 hours after the massacre in San Bernardino which left 14 people dead and even more wounded.



Two police officers were also injured in the shootout with the two suspects who died in a furious battle with police. According to law enforcement, both suspects were armed with assault rifles, handguns, and had thousands of rounds of ammunition.

As bad as this attack was, it could have been even worse. Despite the fact that this is the worst attack on American soil since Sandy Hook, the NRA and their GOP puppets continue to advocate further loosening gun laws across the country.

The NRA does not represent gun owners like myself and the millions of other people who use responsibly use firearms for recreation or personal protection. The NRA does represent the gun lobby and the hucklefuck dumbassery of the most paranoid, delusional conservative base which laps up their constant propaganda about how President Obama and liberals want to take all of their guns.

As long as they continue to block sensible gun legislation which could reduce the number of incidents like San Bernardino, it's safe to say that the NRA is on the side of terrorists, not responsible gun owners.

Paul Ryan

Bring on the Apocalypse

The "Tea Party" is nothing more than a rebranding, a reformulation of the religious right movement that was losing patience with the GOP; a fact which became apparent in the 2006 and 2008 elections when the GOP lost big. So if they could no longer dogwhistle people with "social conservatism", what better way to drum up votes again by blaming the current economic downturn not on hedge fund managers and speculators, but instead on all of those social safety net programs, especially on those not popular with the religious right. The Tea Party is the same old formula as before. Religious fundamentalists, chickenhawks, armchair patriots, nativists, separatists, conspiracy theorists, Neo-Confederates, Neo-Nazis and grumpy old people who just want the welfare kids to get off their damn lawn, these are the usual suspects but this time they're driving the bus. They're driving it towards the cliff and the likes of Boehner and the establishment party members are sitting in the back of the bus as it hurtles to the brink like a suicide bomber's vehicle, except they don't know it is social and political suicide. They're gonna get what they want or they're gonna take everyone down with them.

If the government ceases to exist, they'll be happy then too. No public schools? That's fine with them, they wanted those gone years ago. I remember listening to the likes of Ralph Reed and others saying how Christian schools and homeschooling were the only way to go and they would be more than happy to abolish public education. No public safety? No worries, they have enough guns. Bring on the Apocalypse, that's what they REALLY want.

When the revolution comes

It won't be the vegans, the hippies and all the other people the right wing pundits like to paint as enemies who will take up arms when political and social upheaval comes. In the US, most of those people wouldn't even know how to click off the safety, let alone know the difference between a 5.56 and 7.62mm round or what semi-automatic versus a 3 round burst is.

There are however, people anxiously waiting on the sidelines to use their caches against people they dislike. The liberals, the Jews, the Muslims, the intellectuals, immigrants, or union members. Don't believe me, check out sites like Stormfront (if you dare) and any other white supremacy/right fringe/conspiracy site and see the number of people who are just biding their time to open fire. Every once in awhile, one of them jumps the gun and goes off prematurely. No puns intended. Afraid of "jihad"? Have you heard of the people who anticipate the coming of the "RaHoWa (Racial Holy War)"? Those are the people I'm really worried about. Combine that kind of hatred with the militant useful idiot status they hold and that is a true recipe for massive bloodshed. It is only a shame that those people can't be placed on an island with the most militant jihadists while the rest of us get on with our lives.

Not all are the same

In recent conversations, as well as overall life experience, I've found that people love stereotypes. I know that's about an obvious statement as "the sun comes up each morning" but there is more to it than that. We rely on stereotypes because honestly, it makes it easier to compartmentalize people. It makes it easier to put others at a distance and sometimes, it makes it easier to hate or distrust. All of us are guilty of it to some extent, it's just the human way of doing things. However, it is especially wrong and dangerous when it is used to provoke or justify violence or bigotry towards others.

For example, not all Southerners are pickup driving, dip spitting, NASCAR loving idiots who have sex with first cousins. On the flip side, not all Californians are gun hating, tree hugging, vegan illegal aliens who want to gay marry you. There are white people who can dance and there are black people who can't. There are Asian people who are good drivers and Jewish people who can't handle money to save their lives. There are Irish people that aren't alcoholics, British people who have great teeth, and French soldiers who are complete badasses. Yet we rely on stereotypes because it makes the world simpler for lazy thinkers.

Now let's dip this momentarily into the cesspool that is politics and the same thing applies. Not every liberal is an elitist, atheist vegetarian who is afraid of guns just as not every conservative is a Fox News viewing, gun-toting homophobe. On top of that, there are those like me who try to look beyond the constant barrage of rhetoric and who vote for who they think is the lesser of two evils, regardless of whether there is a "D" or an "R" after the candidate's name.

So with stereotypes and fear-mongering, we manage to see each other not as neighbors or fellow countrymen but as rivals or worse, enemies.