Tom Toles for October 05, 2017

There is no rational need for more than 5 rounds in a civlian rifle, as all state hunting regulations agree. That’s one regulation on magazine capacity that makes total sense. But the NRA isn’t a “rifle” organization anymore, or for hunters, it’s about short barreled guns, high capacity,, silencers, armor-piercing bullets, and pistols.

They did not respond to the slaughter of kindergartners and first graders. They are sure as shootin not going to respond now.

Its always the right time to discuss any issue. We would probably have a greater ability to stop sensational attacks it we started by regulating the coverage of them.

For Congress, now is never the right time to speak of anything of importance for “We the People”. For Congress the time is right to speak of " how much are we going to get to keep this issue on the back burner"? “How much can we wring out of the NRA to keep from having to do something this time?” For Congress now is never the right time to DO anything of importance.

Recall that long-ago Thomas Hobbes wrote about a society reminiscent of what-WE’re-fast-becoming: “…continual fear and danger of violent death; and the life of man [is] solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.” We’d object to the consequences which Hobbes described in his book, “Leviathan” {a fierce regime which folks’d prefer to fear rather than fear-each-other}: – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leviathan_(book) .

This is the time. Please e-mail your Congressman and Senators. If enough people do maybe we can get something done.

Not doing anything IS politicizing the issue.

As usual, it’s all about profits. The NRA is just an extension of the gun manufacturers to promote their sale and wide distribution. Buy more, bigger, destructive guns to protect your paranoia and have “fun” blasting stuff.

The idea of banning bump stocks turns out to be useless. I saw a video yesterday of someone “bump firing” an AR-15. The advanced tool they used to spray bullets at high speed was …. their belt loop. I suspect that many, if not all, semi-autos can be used this way. Maybe the 2 Republicans who are “considering” banning bump stocks will consider simply banning semi-autos. (Cue the right-wing version of Howard Dean’s yell).

Time to talk about repealing the 2nd. amendment.

It’s never time to talk about slowing down the gravy train.

The only way that things will ever change is to stop voting for Republicans.

http://www.businessinsider.com/las-vegas-shooting-steve-scalise-fortified-view-2nd-amendment-2017-10

Republican Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, who on Thursday returned for his first full day of work in the House since being wounded in a shooting this summer, said the mass shooting in Las Vegas on Sunday had only “fortified” his position on gun control.

“When there’s a tragedy like this, the first thing we should be thinking about is praying for the people who were injured and doing whatever we can to help them,” Scalise told Fox News host Martha MacCallum in an interview on Tuesday. “We shouldn’t first be thinking of promoting our political agenda. I think we see too much of that, where people say, ‘OK, now you have to have gun control.’”

the face of the clock should have “NRA” across it in big gothic letters, dripping with human blood….just a thought

Nuff said. Is it time yet to get back to discussing failed supply-side tax cuts to the 0.1% at the expense of the middle class and working poor?

There is more than one mass shooting per day in the U.S., so if we’re never allowed to discuss gun control after a mass shooting …

Other bad times to talk:Can’t talk about disease prevention during an epidemic.Can’t talk about firefighting while the neighborhood is on fire. Can’t talk about lifeboats whole the ship is sinking.Can’t talk about food safety in a restaurant kitchen.

Instituting background checks at roving gun shows, the same as for permanent gun shops, would not be considered (by any rational, intelligent person) to be “gun control.” Problem is, more than a few members of Congress should be instituted in the appropriate institutions……….

When you find a policy that will actually eliminate Mental Illness…

I think it’s rude to identify Congresses by number (e.g.) this one would be better remembered as “Neverland”.

They’ll get to it after they tackle the environmental issues going on in the world. But that will have to wait for them to fix healthcare. Which they won’t do until they solve our budget problems. I’m sure they’ll get to the budget after they fix racism. Of course the racism fix will be right after they discuss gun legislation.

@vorpal7

Reagan already did that to the nation.

http://www.nytimes.com/1984/10/30/science/how-release-of-mental-patients-began.html?pagewanted=all

The policy that led to the release of most of the nation’s mentally ill patients from the hospital to the community is now widely regarded as a major failure.

Sweeping critiques of the policy, notably the recent report of the American Psychiatric Association, have spread the blame everywhere, faulting politicians, civil libertarian lawyers and psychiatrists.

A detailed picture has emerged from a series of interviews and a review of public records, research reports and institutional recommendations. The picture is one of cost-conscious policy makers, who were quick to buy optimistic projections that were, in some instances, buttressed by misinformation and by a willingness to suspend skepticism.

Great one, Tom! 10/10!

What McConnell and his henchmen on the Right are REALLY saying when they say, “Now is not the time…” is “We have no justification for not discussing this issue but we’d just rather not, at this time! It’s upsetting to our voter base and most especially to our Donor Base!”

“That’s the right time!”   

– Wayne LaPiere

Watch Republicans and their benefactors at the NRA now roll out a bump stock ban so they can say “look we did something, time to move on”.

Gov Ronald Reagan was all for gun control after the armed Black Panthers marched on Sacramento.