In the mass murder at Santa Barbara we saw yet again a familiar pattern: a mentally unstable individual was able to easily acquire guns and ammunition despite supposed gun control laws. The take away? We need to get quick firing guns out of the hands of non-police and non-military personnel. Sportsmen and hunters do not need the types of weapons that time and time again are the choice of those out to commit mayhem. The father of one of the shooting victims puts the ultimate blame where it belongs: on the NRA - a front organization for gun manufacturers - and the politicians who prostitute themselves to it. Here are highlights from a piece in The Raw Story:
Addressing the media, the heartbroken father of one of the victims of Eliott Rodgers’ shooting rampage in Santa Barbara blamed “craven, irresponsible politicians and the NRA” for being complicit in his son’s death.
Richard Martinez, father of 20-year-old Chris Martinez, said he was speaking for the family and told the assembled reporters, “Our son, Christopher Martinez, and six others are dead. Our family has a message for every family out there: You don’t think it will happen to your child until it does.”
“Why did Chris die,” Martinez continued, his voice rising. “Chris died because of craven, irresponsible politicians and the NRA. They talk about gun rights. What about Chris’s right to live?”
“When will this insanity stop,” he said. “When will enough people say ‘stop this madness, we don’t have to live like this.’”
Martinez said he spoke with his son by phone 45 minutes before he was shot inside the IV Deli Mart by Rodgers.
Police say that Rodgers owned three legally purchased 9MM semi-automatic handguns and over 400 rounds of unused ammunition was found in the car after Rodgers shot himself following a police chase.
As is increasingly the case on many issues, on "gun rights" the Republican Party supports the rights of the selfish few, in this case gun nuts, over the rights of the majority. Be it the selfish, self-centered Christofascists, the irate angry white supremacists, or NRA supporters, the GOP is always on the wrong side of the issues.
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