There have been 11 US school shootings between the 1st of January and January 28th 2018 alone. For instance a classmate opened fire outside a school in Benton, Kentucky, a town of just 4,500 residents, killing two children and injuring 11 others. The 15 year old gun child, Gabe Parker, was arrested at the scene. His mother, Mary Garrison Minyard, editor of the local Marshall County Daily Online, was one of the reporters who arrived at the school to get footage, only to find her son being taken in to custody .... the prosecutors want to try him as an adult.
Anywhere else that dead and injured figure alone, would cause lawmakers to act .... instead it wasn't even the headline news on most national news channels.
Even in the written press it was not a main story, prompting one commenter on the New York Times website to write that "Americans have accepted these common atrocities as part of life here. Another day, another shooting spree, and no political will to do anything about it."
Except he is wrong .... In Kentucky, a local Republican State Senator Steve West was finally prompted to turn to the law .... he filed a bill that would allow Kentucky schools to have armed school marshals patrol them. State Democratic Senator Ray Jones supports the move, and said that "We need armed officers in every school in Kentucky. That is a small price to pay if it saves one child's life."
Kentucky is not alone in this madness ..... in Michigan, the State Senate have authorised teachers at primary, middle and high schools to carry a concealed handgun in class. Similar bills have been filed this year in Florida, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Mississippi, South Carolina and West Virginia. I seem to recall discussing this issue a couple of times, so I wont rehash those arguments again.
............ But as they say 'only in America'.
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| Saint To Sinner .... Killer |
Anywhere else that dead and injured figure alone, would cause lawmakers to act .... instead it wasn't even the headline news on most national news channels.
Even in the written press it was not a main story, prompting one commenter on the New York Times website to write that "Americans have accepted these common atrocities as part of life here. Another day, another shooting spree, and no political will to do anything about it."
Except he is wrong .... In Kentucky, a local Republican State Senator Steve West was finally prompted to turn to the law .... he filed a bill that would allow Kentucky schools to have armed school marshals patrol them. State Democratic Senator Ray Jones supports the move, and said that "We need armed officers in every school in Kentucky. That is a small price to pay if it saves one child's life."
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| Armed Response or Gun Free Zones? ... plus illiteracy 'STAFF ARE ARMED' Dummies. |
Kentucky is not alone in this madness ..... in Michigan, the State Senate have authorised teachers at primary, middle and high schools to carry a concealed handgun in class. Similar bills have been filed this year in Florida, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Mississippi, South Carolina and West Virginia. I seem to recall discussing this issue a couple of times, so I wont rehash those arguments again.
............ But as they say 'only in America'.
If you've not seen it I can recommend the film Runaway Jury (2003) which might go some way to explaining why nothing changes.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen that movie. I'll keep an eye out for it but I am not a netflick type of customer, so it may be a while.
DeleteThere'll be a John Cusack or Dustin Hoffman season on Freeview one of these days, catch it then.
DeleteWill Do.
DeleteAnother 17 young lives mowed down today.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-43066226
By tomorrow this will be yesterday's news in the US. At least it's headline today. Trump will no doubt blame everything except the gun laws. Maybe the marines will be sent to every school?
Only the US would tolerate these culling of their children
Parkland, Florida. Another American Tragedy.
DeleteSadly you and the other commentator are both correct. Thanks for the comments.
DeleteDonald Trump repealed the Obama legislation that stopped psychotics getting guns. Then he announced that the latest killer had mental problems and something should have been done by the Obama administration to have stopped people with mental illness getting guns.
ReplyDeleteWhen you have a man like this in charge of your country there is little hope.
You have called it about right I reckon. Thanks for the comment Charlie.
DeleteAs everyone is no doubt now aware. President Donald |Trump (still cant get used to that phrase), has now publicly backed the NRA policy of 'armed response teachers' after the school massacre. It is hard for outsiders to understand that hold the NRA has over politicians in the USA.
ReplyDelete