GUNS, THOUGHTS, & PRAYERS [2-15-18]

American democracy is founded on “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Get that? Not a word about guns. Or thoughts. Or prayers.

If you do not value the right of a child to have a life more than you value the right of anyone to have a gun, you are not a human being.

It is the day after another one—another shooting. A school shooting. A church shooting. An outdoor concert shooting. They’re all alike. They’re all followed by “thoughts and prayers.” That’s all. Just “thoughts and prayers.

I wrote a thoughtful column for today, the day after Ash Wednesday, the day that starts a Christian’s Lenten season of repentance for sin. It is thoughtful and slightly clever and a bit humorous, with a neat twist. It is well-written. It is totally irrelevant.

Don’t give us that crap about “It’s complicated.” No, this issue of gun murders is not complicated. There are people who have the power to do something to stop this. All they have to do is commit themselves, to say, “I shall not stand for this. The lives of children are more important than guns.” Then do one simple thing. Vote for common sense gun restrictions. No hunter, nobody at all, needs a gun that can kill and kill and kill, murder and murder and murder, take so many lives in so little time.

Don’t give us that crap about “guns save lives.” Even you don’t believe that. It’s just your habitual snowflake reaction. At least have a little pride; don’t act like you really believe that.

Don’t give us that crap about knives and clubs. Sure, people murder with knives and clubs. But not a dozen or two dozen or three dozen at a time.

Don’t give us that crap about “people will still murder with guns regardless of how many laws we have against it.” Part of that is because you have put so many guns into unsteady hands that it is hard to keep them away from those trigger-happy hands. But we don’t use that stupid argument against any other crime and sin. We have laws against rape and robbery. Men still rape. People still rob. But we don’t say, “All we can do is offer thoughts and prayers.” We say it’s wrong and we combat it the best we can.

That’s all I’m asking about these gun murders. Say they’re wrong and do the best you can to make sure they don’t keep happening.

Don’t give us that crap about how it’s wrong to say crap. Don’t you dare get judgy about my “tone,” how I’m being unreasonable, how I don’t understand the complications, how I'm being "extreme." You DO something about this, or have the human decency to get out of the way of those who will.

Don’t give us that crap about “thoughts and prayers.” If that’s all you have to offer, may God have mercy on your dead soul.

John Robert McFarland