Before all the bodies had been identified in the Colorado mass murder, the rhetorical crossfire had commenced.
Representing unadulterated reason, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg was advocating for a national campaign against gun violence, and Sen. Diane Feinstein was pining for the federal assault weapons ban that she sponsored and that Congress let lapse in 2004.
“It’s time for the presidential candidates to step up and tell us what they’ll do about guns in America,” urged Bloomberg. “Americans really have to begin to show some outrage at this, “underscored Feinstein in a fit of frustration.
After a quick bridge from the requisite “thoughts and prayers” reference, the usual NRA shills and Founding Father channelers were citing the Aurora massacre as Exhibit A for why we should all be armed in self defense. They were also reminding us that those same forefathers presciently adopted the Second Amendment knowing full well that a freedom-venerating, automatic-weapon-armed citizenry would be in America’s best interest. And as for that “well-regulated militia” context, well, if Antonin Scalia has seen fit to disregard it, who should quibble?
U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) said this on Fox News: “You simply can’t keep these weapons (including high-capacity magazines) out of the hands of sick, demented individuals who want to do harm. And when you try and do it, you restrict our freedom.”
No, that wasn’t an NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre quote. Johnson actually said that. And, yeah, that sort of disingenuous, politically pandering logic and sacrilegious use of “freedom” continues to prevail because too many of those who know better are politically intimidated or co-opted. By the NRA and their lobbyists. By the Tea Party and their stand-your-ground, “Deliverance” minions. By polls that show a polarized public, increasingly given to cherry-picking their favorite ideologues, divided on the issue.
How unconscionably disgraceful that we can’t find societal consensus on this: No civilian, even the ostensibly non-deranged, has a (freedom-extension) “right” to an assault weapon or high-capacity magazine. Why the hell would you need them? And if you can prove how much you really, really need them, then you really shouldn’t be allowed near such weaponry. And, no, the “once-they-take-away-your-AK-47, they’ll-next-be-coming-to-confiscate-every-patriot’s-guns” shouldn’t carry the rationalization day in a sane society. And why is there even such a thing (Smith & Wesson M&P 15) as a “civilian version” of the U.S. military’s M-16 that Colorado shooter James Holmes could legally buy? It holds 100 .223-caliber rounds.
No White House Help
Would that President Obama could–or would–help on this one.
He was never about to add to his burgeoning political-enemies numbers by pushing for the reinstatement of the assault-weapons ban. And that didn’t change even after U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was nearly killed–and six others were–in 2011. And it didn’t change after the murder-abetting, border-crossing weapons connection with notorious Mexican cartels, a national security threat, was publicly aired by Mexican President Felipe Calderon. Of course the president also knew he had a spineless Congress that would never have his back on this one.
The president’s weekend statement–as conveyed by Press Secretary Jay Carney–spoke volumes in a few, code-conscious words.
President Obama, said Carney, “believes in the need to take steps that protect the Second Amendment rights of the American people, but that ensure that we are not allowing weapons into the hands of individuals who should not, by existing law, obtain those weapons.” Hell, Florida NRA icon Marion Hammer could have said that–including mentioning the Second Amendment first.
While the critical issue here is obviously assault weapons and high-capacity magazines too easily available–including to the deranged–it would be remiss not to note any other contributing factor.
There is no market for your parents’ “Batman.” Quirky, action-comedy parody would not have earned the $160 million that “The Dark Knight Rises” reportedly did over its initial weekend. That’s a 2-D film record, by the way. No, Christopher Nolan doesn’t do harmless, villain-driven spoofs.
Holy nihilism and anarchy, Batman. Angst for the anxiety reminders. Escape a 9/11 and 1-percenter world into special-effected depravity and mayhem that includes a shooting and bombing rampage at a packed football stadium. Angst again for the mainstream entertainment.
Coincidence that this well-planned and orchestrated mass murder happened at a packed theater for the “Dark Knight” premier? Maybe as coincidental as the finding of that Batman mask in Holmes’ apartment.
And a final thought on what is no longer the unthinkable. One of the 12 murder victims was Veronica Moser, 6. Somebody brought a six-year-old to this midnight PG-13 (intense sequences of violence and action) showing of “Dark Knight?” It’s the times we live in.
Wholly tragic parenting, Batman.
I miss Adam West and Burt Ward, even if not enough others do.