I’m as cynical as the next guy, BUT …
Many have accused politicians of using this tragedy as an “opportunity” and I take issue with that.
Anyone who knows anything about my views on these matters probably knows this, but I should start with a few things.
- I distrust government in a big way. I distrust any institution that exercises authority over large groups of people who have little or no influence in the process.
- I have always been suspicious of the wording of gun control legislation. The president is speaking as I write this and when I hear things like “keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people,” it scares me just a little bit.
- I hate guns.
With that out of the way …
In this case, I firmly believe that politicians are not using this as a political opportunity. I’d like to think that many, if not most or all, are reacting to the tragedy in good faith. They want to save lives.
But it IS an opportunity – THE opportunity – to take some reasonable action that could save lives. This is EXACTLY the time to have this debate. It’s on our minds. We are all sickened by this tragedy. Let’s get together and find a way to prevent as many of these tragedies as we can.
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