The Republican non-reaction to the horror of the Uvalde, Texas murder of 21 innocents, including 19 little children, makes it clear beyond any doubt that they have no intention of doing anything to rein in America’s lethal gun culture. This 29th school shooting of 2022, the worst since Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut, made no impression on the Party of Death. At this writing, several of its leading low-lights, including Donald Trump and Texas Senator Ted Cruz, were scheduled to speak at the NRA convention the same week as the Uvalde massacre.
The predictable, no-longer-Grand Old Party’s response to the bloodbath: we need more guns to add to the 500 million already in U.S. circulation. Everyone needs to be armed to the teeth in order to protect us against the next cohort of monsters intent on killing sprees. These Republican NRA puppets cannot possibly believe that an individual armed with an assault rifle and high capacity magazine is going to succumb to an open-carrying Joe or Jane Citizen. To quote Bush 41: “Not gonna happen.”
We cannot wait any longer for politicians to take action. Increasing contributions to gun control advocates won’t accomplish much. Neither will lobbying federal, state and local representatives from gun-obsessed red-states. Lawsuits against gun manufacturers have some promise, but usually get nowhere. The handful that have succeeded have taken years to reach a decision.
If anything effective is to be done about the mass killings of innocents of all ages in supermarkets, schools, movie theaters, workplaces and elsewhere, it is going to be up to private citizens and private sector businesses. Moreover, any action taken is going to have to be more creative than anything that has been attempted to date.
What follows are a few proposals designed to out-flank legislative polarization:
Privately-sponsored gun buy-back programs. The Second Amendment appears to inhibit government from instituting a gun buy-back program, such as the one that worked so well to reduce gun deaths in Australia. However, there is nothing to prevent private sector corporations from doing this as a public service. Companies are always on the lookout for places to make donations that generate goodwill. This is a perfect place to do this. It could begin with assault rifles.
Insurance Industry Initiatives. There is a lot of potential for insurers to make a significant impact on the gun problem. They could, for example, refuse to write liability policies for gun manufacturers and dealers, or to insure public entities in states with lax gun laws.
Other Private Employer Initiatives. Companies contemplating business expansions or relocations could incorporate considerations of state gun regulations in their decision-making. Also, professional and college sports leagues could refuse to hold championships and all-star games in states that fall short of common-sense gun regulation. Corporate hiring decisions could be made contingent on whether prospective employees’ possess assault weapons.
In sum, there is a lot of opportunity for the private sector to have a huge impact on the gun problem. Some of these proposals may at first glance appear extreme, but we are confronted with an extreme situation. Why not try something new and innovative?
The so-called public servants affiliated with the Party of Death are perfectly willing to sacrifice America’s children in order to maintain the unwarranted sanctity of the Second Amendment. The time has come to do an end-run around their obstructionism.
In addition, recognize that a vote for any Republican is a vote for more school shootings. By not legislating ways to protect them, they choose to let the blood of our children be on their hands.
Dick Hermann
May 27, 2022
The predictable, no-longer-Grand Old Party’s response to the bloodbath: we need more guns to add to the 500 million already in U.S. circulation. Everyone needs to be armed to the teeth in order to protect us against the next cohort of monsters intent on killing sprees. These Republican NRA puppets cannot possibly believe that an individual armed with an assault rifle and high capacity magazine is going to succumb to an open-carrying Joe or Jane Citizen. To quote Bush 41: “Not gonna happen.”
We cannot wait any longer for politicians to take action. Increasing contributions to gun control advocates won’t accomplish much. Neither will lobbying federal, state and local representatives from gun-obsessed red-states. Lawsuits against gun manufacturers have some promise, but usually get nowhere. The handful that have succeeded have taken years to reach a decision.
If anything effective is to be done about the mass killings of innocents of all ages in supermarkets, schools, movie theaters, workplaces and elsewhere, it is going to be up to private citizens and private sector businesses. Moreover, any action taken is going to have to be more creative than anything that has been attempted to date.
What follows are a few proposals designed to out-flank legislative polarization:
Privately-sponsored gun buy-back programs. The Second Amendment appears to inhibit government from instituting a gun buy-back program, such as the one that worked so well to reduce gun deaths in Australia. However, there is nothing to prevent private sector corporations from doing this as a public service. Companies are always on the lookout for places to make donations that generate goodwill. This is a perfect place to do this. It could begin with assault rifles.
Insurance Industry Initiatives. There is a lot of potential for insurers to make a significant impact on the gun problem. They could, for example, refuse to write liability policies for gun manufacturers and dealers, or to insure public entities in states with lax gun laws.
Other Private Employer Initiatives. Companies contemplating business expansions or relocations could incorporate considerations of state gun regulations in their decision-making. Also, professional and college sports leagues could refuse to hold championships and all-star games in states that fall short of common-sense gun regulation. Corporate hiring decisions could be made contingent on whether prospective employees’ possess assault weapons.
In sum, there is a lot of opportunity for the private sector to have a huge impact on the gun problem. Some of these proposals may at first glance appear extreme, but we are confronted with an extreme situation. Why not try something new and innovative?
The so-called public servants affiliated with the Party of Death are perfectly willing to sacrifice America’s children in order to maintain the unwarranted sanctity of the Second Amendment. The time has come to do an end-run around their obstructionism.
In addition, recognize that a vote for any Republican is a vote for more school shootings. By not legislating ways to protect them, they choose to let the blood of our children be on their hands.
Dick Hermann
May 27, 2022
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