Republicans Have Thoughts And Prayers For You
(Brian Kemp gives his thoughts and prayers to the victims of yet another school shooting).
There was another school shooting in the United States. It will likely quickly fade out of the public eye as the countless mass shootings in the United States so often do. But for the moment, it has provided a clear view at how broken our politics are when it comes to gun policy.
Brian Kemp, the somewhat Trump skeptical Republican governor of Georgia gave a press conference with some specifics as to the Apalachee School shooting, and some political pablum. The pablum is the same “thoughts and prayers” and “it’s too soon to talk about that” bullshit that permeates Republican talking points after a mass shooting.
It’s Always Too Soon To Talk About Gun Policy
After every mass shooting, but most pronounced since Sandy Hook, Republicans are quick to poo-poo any policy talk. It’s always too soon, it’s politicizing a tragedy, we need to be there for our community, thoughts and prayers, whatever the line is, it’s always a shameless attempt not to discuss the real issue, the incredible availability of guns for basically everyone in this country.
This case in particular where the suspect was approached by the FBI almost a year ago and there was a tip prior to the shooting highlights the need for a broader structural remedy here. There are 300 million plus guns in this country. If someone wants to get one and commit a mass shooting it is very easy to do so. Plain and simple until the number of guns is reduced, these events will keep happening. For their part, real reductions of those numbers aren’t on the Democrats policy radar either.
If Sandy Hook Didn’t Bring Change, Nothing Will
The fact is that these events happen regularly and have for over a decade. Hundreds of children have been slaughtered in that time. Sandy Hook was most likely the most shocking and brutal such an event will ever be, though they all are, and nothing happened. Republicans shut down any policy change. Democrats gave a rhetorical fight but didn’t push too hard. Our current status quo was born.
It’s frustrating but this is an issue where it feels like nothing will change. The Republicans are too devoted to a hardline view of the 2nd Amendment and more importantly the interest groups who pay for that devotion. Democrats don’t want to lose one of their most sensational fundraising issues by actually doing something to solve the problem. It’s unclear what steps could even be taken in light of the Supreme Court and their current interpretation of the 2nd Amendment.
All that is to say, there are a lot of barriers to change and events like this are an incredibly depressing reminder of each one of them.