Butcher’s Bill

Old News

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the number of mass shootings in the past few days.  The “Butcher’s Bill” for this weekend:  twenty dead.   No part of the Nation was safe:  three “incidents” in Mississippi, two in Missouri and California, one in Maryland, New Jersey, and one right here in Columbus, Ohio.  And Saturday, eight killed in an Allen, Texas shopping Mall, just outside Dallas. 

There are so many that we have to carefully define “mass shooting”.  According to the Gun Violence Archive, mass shootings, “…have a minimum of four victims shot, either injured or killed, not including any shooter who may also have been killed or injured in the incident” (GVA).

Almost 15,000 are dead this year due to gun violence.  Over half of those are gun suicides, the rest are homicides or unintentional/accidental deaths.  For comparison, estimates put the number of car accident deaths at around 12,000 so far this year.  Of course, there are “only” 278 million vehicles in the US.  There are over 400 million guns.

Hearts and Prayers

One politician is embroiled in the argument, “is sending ‘Hearts, Thoughts and Prayers’ enough?”  For those who say it’s not, Texas State Representative Keith Self says,  “Well, those are people that don’t believe in an almighty God who, who has, who is absolutely in control of our lives. I’m a Christian. I believe that he is (Newsweek)”.

What else can he say?  Texas is offering no solutions to mass shooting, except to make sure guns are even more available.  Texas politicians, from Representative Self to Governor Abbot, are doing everything they can to talk about prayers, or mental health, or California’s strict gun laws.  The home to mass shootings in El Paso, Santa Fe, Midland, Uvalde, Cleveland, Sutherland Springs, and now Allen; is sending it thoughts and prayers; and greater access to semi-automatic weapons.

Symbol of Our Time

There is no solution for America.  We cannot, will not, take the appropriate action and gain control of the weapons and/or ammunition that makes us fear schools, churches, malls, theaters, or just driving down the road.  We are even past blaming the NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION, the bankrupted, Russian financed backers of unlimited gun rights.  It’s not about their political clout anymore.  It’s just another “sign of our times”. Possession of a “AR-style” rifle is part of many Americans’ political identity.  They have been sold the “idea” that guns represent the “keys” to a “lost American culture”.  

Who’s winning the “gun” issue? It’s the gun manufacturers.  Sig Sauer is marketing a “civilian” version of their new military weapon, the XM7.  It’s called the MCX SPEAR (cool name, right?) and here’s what they say:

X SPEAR – the civilian version of the Army’s XM7 rifle – is now available for purchase. The first runs will include 7.62×51 and 6.5CM with the .277 SIG FURY (6.8) version due shortly thereafter. Following a multi-year test and evaluation process, SIG Sauer took home the winning contract for the Next Generation Squad Weapon (NGSW) program that includes a the MCX-SPEAR, the SIG Light Machine Gun, suppressors, and SIG’s hybrid case 6.8 ammo (Firearm Blog).

Follow the Money

In All the President’s Men, the book and movie (Robert Redford, Dustin Hoffman) about breaking the Watergate scandal story, the shadowy source in the government “Deep Throat” told the reporters to “…follow the money”.  The money is right here, in the new MCX-Spear, $3000 to own one.  Gun manufacturers are having record sales, and profits; an estimate $9 Billion a year (Everytown).  That money finds its way into political campaigns, developing close “ties” with the government that somehow cannot control guns.

It’s an American tradition, in the tainted steps of the tobacco industry and the manufacturer of Oxycontin.  The “gun party-line” is simple.  We need better mental health.  We need God to hear our prayers.  And we need a new MCX-Spear SIG Light Machine Gun, to protect us from those who want to take away our guns.

Don’t hold your breath.  Just make sure you, and your kids, know what to do when (not if?) there’s an “active shooter”.  Say a prayer.

Guns

Guns

• Guns and Sadness                   10/3/17
• A Teacher with a Gun              2/23/18
• Don’t Change the Subject       3/25/18
• Again                                       4/15/18
• Staying Small                           5/3/19
• Saving Lives Is Not Politics      8/4/19
• The Pain Becomes too Great  8/5/19
• Who’s Your Daddy                  8/21/19
• A Good Guy With a Gun         9/1/19
• Rights and Guns                      5/17/20
• Pittsburgh                               6/17/20
• Our Choice                              12/1/21
• Toxic Mix                                 5/16/22
• Apple Pie                                 5/25/22
• Prairie Dogs                             6/9/22
• The Will to Do It                      7/6/22
• Hanging Together                   8/12/22
• Swatted                                   9/23/22
• They Aren’t Pro-Life                9/23/22
• Motive, Means, Opportunity  1/25/23
• Accepted Losses                     2/14/23
• German Rights                         3/28/23
• Fear Itself                                3/30/23
• The Gravel Pit                         4/16/23
• Butcher’s Bill                           5/8/23