Clock Ticking

When will it happen again? The clock is ticking. The grief experienced by a Houston area family stemming from five of their loved ones being killed by the next-door neighbor has to be overbearing after hearing about the latest Texas mass shooting in the Dallas area. The latest mass shooting in Allen, TX, again underscores that the nation must somehow come together and do something constructive regulating guns. Some will say that this is “a Second Amendment” issue, while others can rightfully say that this is a “right to live” issue. Eight people are not coming home anymore, something that we all do on a daily basis; not thinking that could be our last time walking out of our doors. Texas governor Gregg Abbott had to once again go before the media cameras and try to explain away another mass killing under his watch. This time he couldn’t lay the blame on “illegal” immigrants living in Texas. Nor could Texas Senator Rafael Edward “Ted” Cruz, who did again offer up his “thoughts and prayers” for the victims. So did President Joe Biden. At least, President Biden is pushing Congress (Republicans) to do something relating to gun control. As usual, the president is talking to a brick wall. Republicans are using their same old tactic of running out the clock in hopes that public outrage will dissipate after a period of time if another mass shooting does not occur. These two Texas incidents are very closely related as far as time is concerned, as the memories of the Houston shooting are still raw. Republicans in Congress and in state legislatures continue to ignore polls that show a majority of Americans favor some form of gun control/regulations, but they are not listening to their constituents. Maybe they are listening to those who say that Democrats want to take away everyone’s right to arm themselves, not possess a gun, because armed carries a more masculine meaning to gun ownership. When one sees photos in campaign ads of conservatives with their guns, the message is that they “are armed”, not that they have a gun in their possession. Then there are the “defenders”. Those who will not change their minds if there is a mass shooting every day of the week in this nation. The shooting in Allen is about the 200th in 2023 and this is early May, only about 135 days in the new year. One such defender appears to be Kevin Sorbo, the guy who played Hercules on the old tv show, who is now into “Christian” films and reportedly right-wing conspiracy theories. Sorbo, in the aftermath of the Allen shooting, put a tweet that read: “Assault weapons aren’t real. Just like there’s no such thing as an assault car or assault pencil. Stop blaming objects when the person is at fault”. The response Sorbo got from those who are tired of the killings wasn’t kind, especially on the “real” part. One respondent said that if assault weapons are not real as assault cars are not, regulate them as we regulate(insurance) cars. Another said if assault weapons are not real, then what are those things that police departments use in urban protests? Even the publisher of a magazine devoted to gun enthusiasts wrote an article called “Buyer’s Guide to ASSAULT Weapons”. We should agree that there are some people who should not have access to guns. Mental health issues are the reasons, not assault weapons, as to why there are so many shootings. We have seen a gradual and steep decline in providing services to those who need it. Texas is a prime example of that. Texas, headed by Gov. Abbott cut back dramatically on funding for those with mental health issues. So have other state legislatures under Republican control. It always happens somewhere else we were led to believe, except when it happens where we live. As this writer said in previous articles, if shootings can happen inside a church, we are not safe anywhere. That’s the state of the nation that we are living in. We live by the sword; we die by the sword. It doesn’t have to be that way. The clock is ticking. Remember the world is watching. So is God.