No One in America Is Safe

If you go to a mall, go out to dinner, attend a concert, decide to attend a church service, or send your children to school in 2022, you are placing your life and those you love in jeopardy. Domestic, white terrorism is why the American people are in greater danger than at any other time in modern history.

Our nation, which was once admired for its compassion and understanding for those who were less fortunate, has become a country dominated by a plutocracy that values financial success over the quality and safety of life for the majority. Sixty years ago, the Republican Party placed the safety of our nation’s people as priority number one. Unfortunately, they no longer exist. Today’s Republicans have replaced them in name only who value campaign contributions from the gun lobby, the NRA, more than human life.

One Democratic governor refuses to ignore the danger to the people of his state.

Democrat Gavin Newsom called the shooting deaths of 6 and 12 injuries a sign of crisis in the U.S. and urged the public to “resolve to bring an end to this carnage.”

Because my bride and I are septuagenarians, I fear for her safety every time she leaves our home to go to a store or to visit her brother. Older Americans have always been the most vulnerable in our society. However, after three consecutive years when our nation experienced more mass shootings than days on the calendar, my fear level has risen.

Innocent Americans may not be under attack from a foreign nation, but we are under attack by political extremists, white supremacists, and other hate-filled bigots.

Courtesy of Gilbert Mercier (Flickr CC0)

“The truth lives here,” and that truth is that our government can end this unnecessary slaughter of men, women, and children.

However, Republicans consider the profits of gun manufacturers and gun sellers of more importance than your life or the lives of those you love.

One of their owners is the NRA. Until 1976 this was a gun safety organization. It has abandoned its original purpose, choosing to accept millions of dollars each year from profiteers whose wealth increases after every reported mass shooting. Propaganda, unrelated to the truth, has a single purpose, to increase gun sales.

The NRA propagates slogans to stimulate fear and hide the facts. “If guns are banned, only criminals will have guns.” “Guns don’t kill people, people kill people.” “The best defense against a criminal with a gun is a law-abiding citizen with a gun.”

This latest mass shooting occurred in Sacramento, California. But it could have happened in any city or town in America. Anyone living in the United States can purchase a military assault rifle, a high-output magazine, and the ammunition used in this weapon of mass destruction anytime and anywhere they choose. Sales of handguns at gun shows and online seldom require background checks.

Two facts should make the men and women on Capitol Hill get off their useless derrieres and do something, although I doubt it.

At least 33,000 Americans lose their lives each year after being shot by a gun. Most are women and children.

About 200 children lose their lives or take the life of another after gaining access to a loaded weapon every year.

The United States is the only country in the world with a serious gun problem. I am surprised that America continues to be a tourist attraction for visitors from any nation. It’s not safe to go anywhere or do anything in this country.

Op-ed by James Turnage

Sources:

HuffPost: California Governor Decries ‘Scourge’ Of Gun Violence After 6 Killed in Sacramento; by Andre Ellington
KSL: Police: At least 2 shooters kill 6, wound 12 in Sacramento

Featured and Top Image Courtesy of Sean Savage’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of Gilbert Mercier’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License