{"id":6327,"date":"2023-05-08T09:51:55","date_gmt":"2023-05-08T13:51:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/?p=6327"},"modified":"2023-07-13T11:25:01","modified_gmt":"2023-07-13T15:25:01","slug":"butchers-bill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dahlman.online\/index.php\/2023\/05\/08\/butchers-bill\/","title":{"rendered":"Butcher\u2019s Bill"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Old News<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I would be remiss if I didn\u2019t mention the number of mass shootings in the past few days.  The \u201cButcher\u2019s Bill\u201d for this weekend:  twenty dead.   No part of the Nation was safe:  three \u201cincidents\u201d 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are so many that we have to carefully define \u201cmass shooting\u201d.  According to the Gun Violence Archive, mass shootings, \u201c\u2026have 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\u201d (GVA<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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 \u201conly\u201d 278 million vehicles in the US.  There are over 400 million guns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hearts and Prayers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One politician is embroiled in the argument, \u201cis sending \u2018Hearts, Thoughts and Prayers\u2019 enough?\u201d  For those who say it\u2019s 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<\/a>)\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Symbol of Our Time<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s not about their political clout anymore.  It\u2019s just another \u201csign of our times\u201d. Possession of a \u201cAR-style\u201d rifle is part of many Americans\u2019 political identity.  They have been sold the \u201cidea\u201d that guns represent the \u201ckeys\u201d to a \u201clost American culture\u201d.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who\u2019s winning the \u201cgun\u201d issue? It\u2019s the gun manufacturers.  Sig Sauer is marketing a \u201ccivilian\u201d version of their new military weapon, the XM7.  It\u2019s called the MCX SPEAR (cool name, right?) and here\u2019s what they say:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

X SPEAR \u2013 the civilian version of the Army\u2019s XM7 rifle \u2013 is now available for purchase. The first runs will include 7.62\u00d751 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\u2019s hybrid case 6.8 ammo (Firearm Blog<\/a>).<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Follow the Money<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In All the President\u2019s Men, <\/em>the book and movie (Robert Redford, Dustin Hoffman) about breaking the Watergate scandal story, the shadowy source in the government \u201cDeep Throat\u201d told the reporters to \u201c\u2026follow the money\u201d.  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<\/a>).  That money finds its way into political campaigns, developing close \u201cties\u201d with the government that somehow cannot control guns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s an American tradition, in the tainted steps of the tobacco industry and the manufacturer of Oxycontin.  The \u201cgun party-line\u201d 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t hold your breath.  Just make sure you, and your kids, know what to do when (not if?) there\u2019s an \u201cactive shooter\u201d.  Say a prayer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Guns<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Guns<\/p>\n\n\n\n