Preventable Gun Violence Deaths - When Victims are Victimized

All gun violence deaths are preventable, so, let's do more to prevent them.

Gun violence deaths are more easily preventable than treatments and interventions for bacterial infections, viruses or chronic illnesses  There's only one cause of gun violence deaths - and it's a highly visible vector.  Guns.  If guns were bird flu viruses,  would they be outlawed? 

Nevertheless, many Americans have adopted gun ownership as an inalienable right under our US Constitution's Second Amendment, regardless of how many innocent people are murdered as a result of  wrong minded or mentally ill gun owners who deliberately inflict harm. 

Compounding the tragedy of gun violence is the "in your face" attitude of those who want to protect gun ownership rights, regardless of the consequences of unbridled and unregulated access to weapons intended to murder humans.
 
Moreover, the tragic distress caused by gun violence is exacerbated when families of preventable death victims are, themselves, victimized by zealots who simply don't want anybody to infringe on their right to own guns, regardless of the pain it causes to others. Brave parents of the innocent Sandy Hook Elementary School children, who were murdered on December 14, 2012, in Newton CT, went to the public and the US Congress to petition for expanded background checks, prior to gun purchases. But their petition was overruled by the Senate. While these families grieved and witnessed the US Senate vote to defeat the background checks legislation, some other right wing commentators gloated, while a majority of the nation mourned.  It defies our democratic "gravity" that a majority of Americans supported expanded background checks prior to gun purchases, yet our elected political leaders voted against the will of the people!

There are political consequences for the politicians who voted against the will of the people and defeated the background checks legislation.

Even if some who opposed common sense regulation of gun ownership somehow manage to escape political retribution, their legacy will forever be tainted as a result of their "no" vote. In fact, they'll live their lives  knowing they compounded the victimization of at least 20 grieving families of Sandy Hook Elementary children by defeating the legislation in full view of the victims families, and a nation that largely supported the regulation. 

Americans support expanding background checks for gun owners.

The 45 Senators who voted "no" have twice victimized the victims of preventable gun violence

Every one of the 45 must be voted out of office and here are their names:

REPUBLICANS who voted against the Gun Background Checks

 

Lamar Alexander (R-TN) (isn't he a pro-life Republican?)

Kelly Ayotte (R- NH) (shame on her!)

• John Barrasso (R-WY)
• Roy Blunt (R-MO)
• John Boozman (R-AR)
• Richard Burr (R-NC)
• Saxby Chambliss (R-GA)
• Dan Coats (R-IN)
• Tom Coburn (R-OK)
• Thad Cochran (R-MS)
• Bob Corker (R-TN)
• John Cornyn (R-TX)
• Mike Crapo (R-ID)
• Ted Cruz (R-TX)
• Michael Enzi (R-WY)
• Deb Fischer (R-NE)
• Jeff Flake (R-AZ)
• Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
• Chuck Grassley (R-IA)
• Orrin Hatch (R-UT)
• Dean Heller (R-NV)
• John Hoeven (R-ND)
• Jim Inhofe (R-OK)
• Johnny Isakson (R-GA)
• Mike Johanns (R-NE)
• Ron Johnson (R-WI)
• Mike Lee (R-UT)
• Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
• Jerry Moran (R-KS)
• Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)
• Rand Paul (R-KY)
• Rob Portman (R-OH)
• James Risch (R-ID)
• Pat Roberts (R-KS)
• Marco Rubio (R-FL)
• Timothy Scott (R-SC)
• Jeff Sessions (R-AL)
• Richard Shelby (R-AL)
• John Thune (R-SD)
• David Vitter (R-LA)
• Roger Wicker (R-MS)

DEMOCRATS WHO VOTED AGAINST THE PROPOSAL

• Max Baucus (D-MT)    
• Mark Begich (D-AK)    
• Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND)    
• Mark Pryor (D-AR)    
• Harry Reid (D-NV)  (Voted "no" as a procedural move to preserve option to reintroduce the bill.)

Terrorism and the National Rifle Association

Even non-religious people believe in evil, especially when so many people are visibly the victims of  misfortune or suffering as a result. Evil can't be ignored, which is the point for the evildoers.  In fact, the evildoers would hardly commit dastardly deeds without the accompanying publicity they create. 

Therefore, we're all spectators at evil's theater.  Moreover, it seems like evil acts are exacerbated by modern methods of rapid communication.   

Unbelievably, some of our own American people are enabling evil.

An argument can be made that evil was enabled when 45 US Senators voted "no", in opposition to an amendment to expand background checks for people who purchase guns. These cowardly Senators stood with the un-elected National Rifle Association (NRA) and against the will of over 85 percent of Americans who support expanding background checks prior to gun purchases.  Background checks are enforced for professional licensing and before accepting some employment, but most gun sales go undetected. 

By misplacing their votes, the 45 "no vote" Senators enabled the  evil that accompanies the preventable deaths of people who could be saved if expanded gun safety screening were enforced. 

Even worse, these 45 Senators would not stand together after their incredulous vote to explain why they made the choice to put the NRA interest over public safety.

Let's meet the names of these 45 enabling Senators: (published in Mother Jones)

Democrats Who Voted Against the Proposal

• Max Baucus (D-MT)    
• Mark Begich (D-AK)    
• Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND)    
• Mark Pryor (D-AR) 
• Harry Reid (D-NV) (Voted "no" as a procedural move to preserve option to reintroduce the bill. 

Republicans Who Voted Against the Background Check Proposal:

LaMarre Alexander (R-TN)

Kelly Ayotte (R-NH)  - this is so disappointing shame on her!
John Barrasso (R-WY)
Roy Blunt (R-MO)
John Boozman (R-AR)
Richard Burr (R-NC)
Saxby Chambliss (R-GA)
Dan Coats (R-IN)
Tom Coburn (R-OK)
Thad Cochran (R-MS)
Bob Corker (R-TN)
John Cornyn (R-TX)
Mike Crapo (R-ID)
Ted Cruz (R-TX)
Michael Enzi (R-WY)
Deb Fischer (R-NE)
Jeff Flake (R-AZ)
Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
Chuck Grassley (R-IA)
Orrin Hatch (R-UT)
Dean Heller (R-NV)
John Hoeven (R-ND)
Jim Inhofe (R-OK)
Johnny Isakson (R-GA)
Mike Johanns (R-NE)
Ron Johnson (R-WI)
Mike Lee (R-UT)
Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
Jerry Moran (R-KS)
Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)
Rand Paul (R-KY)
Rob Portman (R-OH)
James Risch (R-ID)
Pat Roberts (R-KS)
Marco Rubio (R-FL)
Timothy Scott (R-SC)
Jeff Sessions (R-AL)
Richard Shelby (R-AL)
John Thune (R-SD)
David Vitter (R-LA)
Roger Wicker (R-MS)

Appreciation to all Senators who supported the proposal for expanded gun sales background checks, including our two Maine Senators, thank you: 
Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine)
Senator Angus King (I-Maine)

Entire families, communities and our nation are subjected to evil through the home grown terrorism enabled by access to guns. Americans have a second amendment right to own and bear arms but no constitutional right to health care! Our citizens have more access to guns than we do to health care.  

Furthermore, the National Rifle Association is complicit in the preventable deaths of people who are murdered by guns.  While the NRA controls the enabling "no vote" Senators, they're enabling violence they have the power to mitigate, by simply supporting common sense gun safety regulations. 

Our national obsession with guns is fueling terrorism in our streets, schools, neighborhoods and public events.  There aren't enough public safety  people to protect us against the expansion of evildoers who are intent on killing.  But, we have the power of the ballot box - the critical mass of voters who are justifiably outraged by the cowardly "no" votes of 45 Senators can throw all of them out of office as soon as possible.

America can't continue our perpetual state of mourning over preventable death, murders and domestic terrorism perpetrated by easy access to guns.  We're wasting our energy in litanies of memorial services. It's time we bravely stand along side the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary massacre. It's time we join with former Congresswoman Gabriel Gifford, a victim of a 2011 Arizona shooting where her constituents were murdered while she was seriously injured. We must fight terrorism caused by guns and enabled by the National Rifle Association.

Americans must take our voting rights as seriously as the National Rifle Association enshrines our second amendment rights.  Let's vote out the 45 Senators who enable the NRA rather than protect the American people from preventable gun violence.