100,000 Americans wounded or killed each year by guns. THIRTY 9/11's each year. Where's the outrage from the right attacking this evil menace in the homeland? Why isn't Glenn Beck cowering in the corner, fearful that the devil has taken over?
According to the Brady Campaign, which advocates gun control, around 100,000 Americans are wounded or killed by guns each year. One of its studies showed US murder rates are almost seven times higher than rates in 22 other populous high-income countries who have similar rates of lower level crime. The same study showed that America's firearms homicide rate is almost 20 times higher.
For years now the argument coming from the rightwing and the NRA in this country concerning gun violence has been the same, choreographed message handed down verbatim: Just buy more guns.
Every time another tragedy happens, like at Virginia Tech, or Aurora, CO., or.....the response from the rightwing and the NRA is, Just Buy More Guns.
Just Buy More Guns. That's all they say. And if someone brings up the idea that more guns won't help the situation and actually might lead to more injuries and death, well then the response from the rightwimg and the NRA is: 2nd Amendment. Or, insanely enough, god.
States across America have passed laws allowing more and more conceal and carry laws, often using gun violence as a reason, arguing once again, if we just had more guns well then this kind of horrible act (mass shootings) wouldn't happen.
Now they're trying to pass laws allowing guns into our schools because again, more guns means less violence to this side of the barren mind.
[_BLANK__] number of guns are sold in this country each year. Yeah that blank is on purpose because we don't know how many are sold because the gun industry doesn't report their sales. How convenient. The only thing we can go on is the FBI's background check numbers but that doesn't tell us how many guns are sold. So we just have to estimate. Let's go to a gun group to see what they say:
The $4 billion firearms and ammunition industry stands apart from other industries that are struggling in the slow economy. Demand for guns has continued at a robust pace since late 2008.
YEAH!!! Slap each other on the back. Sorry. We we're looking for info about gun sales in America:
Indicators such as background-check statistics, firearms production and importation, firearm-retailer surveys and on-the-ground reports from retailers nationwide reveal that interest in firearm ownership is high. "More and more Americans are choosing to exercise their Second Amendment rights, and they are doing so in a safe and responsible manner," said NSSF President and CEO Steve Sanetti.
Safe and responsible manner. Right. Anyway, notice anything? Yeah, no numbers on sales. Even the gun, ahem, (pause, deep breath)
enthusiasts don't know.
A not so small portion of this 4 billion dollar industry is funneled to the NRA, which is really nothing more than the marketing arm of the gun manufacturers. Even the Koch Bros have their hand in the pot. How much? Again, we don't know. Because they won't tell us. That alone should be an indicator that the sum is great.
Tens of millions of dollars (at least) are being funneled into the NRA who in turn, use it to scare its claimed 4 million members about some fantasy government gun raid that's just about to happen any day now and if you don't send in your dues you can kiss your precious guns goodbye.
They also use this money to lobby lawmakers at the state and national level to relax gun laws and make it easier for anyone to go and buy a gun (increasing sales for the gun manufacturers they represent). The money is used to inject into our conversations following mass shootings the idea that we just need more guns America. Just buy more guns. Because, god.
The NRA and the gun manufacturers they represent want each and every American to stockpile weapons of mass shootings. That's their dream. That's their goal. Profits demand it.
This is how they have orchestrated the New American Arms Race. They create the problem and then magically they have the answer to it: Just buy more guns America. They will certainly play the same tune following the tragedy in Newtown CT. They've already started in with this insanity. The answer, god fearing Americans, to these increasingly horrible tragedies is always very simple.....more guns. And if that message starts to fail for them, well then, 2nd Amendment.
The "amend" in amendment should probably be used to clear up that grammatically incorrect amendment and set things straight. (In my opinion if we absolutely must have guns in this country well then one shotgun per citizen ought to do it. No more handguns, no more semi-automatic, no more combat style high volume clips, no more sniper rifles, no more AR-15s, just a shotgun or single action hunting rifle. If you need anything more than that you're either not a hunter or you are a fetishist. For the latter I suggest seeking a good therapist.)
It's time to take down the NRA. It's time to take down the gun manufacturers. it's time to take down the rightwingers who parrot the more guns talking points and relegate this cesspool of ignorance into the political wilderness. We need to hang the shame of the NRA and the gun manufacturers around the neck of the republican party and drown it in the proverbial bathtub.
Please Join this group here at dailykos.
Call your legislator. Sign this petition to tell Obama to take on gun control for christ sake.
But more importantly don't let the gun manufacturers' talking point that we just need more guns go unanswered. Fight back. And be bold about it. Enough is enough. It's time to take the fight to them. We will not let them continue their arms race against America.