STOP KILLING OUR CHILDREN

By Rachel Maddow

Something OUTRAGEOUS happened in the Judiciary committee this week and to say I am infuriated is an understatement. Why are we trying to protect the 2nd amendment when it is taking people’s lives? CHILDREN ARE DYING, MINORITIES, MOTHERS, DAUGHTERS, SONS, FATHERS, UNCLES, AUNTS, PEOPLE ARE DYING. Why is it so important for these ignorant, selfish, narcissistic

republicans to have their guns? WHY DO YOU NEED THEM? You already got your police funding to “protect us” so why do you need to protect yourself? It makes no sense to me or anyone who is sane. Do you understand that people abuse this right and are killing our children? You don’t because you are simply an idiot. Let me break this down in the most simple way I can so maybe you will understand. The right to bear arms was not intended to be used in the way we are using them now in acts of terrorism and violence.

In the Judiciary committee, representing the NRA, Lobbyist Natalia Talleda talked about how “We should not be prejudiced toward those with mental illnesses.” However I would like to remind everyone that serial killers, school shooters, and people that abuse this right to bear arms are, “more likely to plead Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity than other criminals.” (Psychology Today) Most of the time you also like to say that there is no way a white man could shoot up a school unless he was mentally ill. Yet, if a minority did it… it’s because they are a drug dealer or terrorist. It’s insane how this is the world we live in. You would do anything to protect something that can cause so much harm if put in the wrong hands. Yet, you don’t care. You preach for protecting the 2nd amendment yet, you are hypocritical when something happens to your own. Why do we excuse people who are killing innocent people because they got their hands on a gun and they were not mentally okay? Why do we not want to exclude them? They are the danger when handed guns, and you make that clear when you allow serial killers and school shooters to plead not guilty due to insanity.

I am a very big activist for mental health. My wife and I even went through a lot of mental health issues during the lockdown. However, I do believe that there should be more regulations for guns to prevent those who struggle with severe mental illness from getting a firearm. Allowing them to get guns can lead to mass shootings, they could use it to kill themselves, or to kill their families. It can be used for the wrong reasons, and with anyone, not just those struggling with a mental illness. I think the Republicans want our children to get killed when we drop them off at school. I think they wanna see these kids and even adults use these firearms to kill themselves and hurt others. Nothing in my own experience in life will make me understand why they want this.

The lobbyist testifying also made the claim that the 2nd amendment is a foundation of our country. It is a foundation, but do you really think the founding fathers thought we would abuse that to kill our own people? To kill our children? No. I don’t think anyone could have predicted how cruel people would become in the future. When the founding fathers were alive there were no killings of their own children, or any acts of violence like that. They would not send their kids to school worried they may never see them again because someone would shoot them while they were learning simple math or how to write. It’s ridiculous how this is even a debate.

The lobbyist also stated that it was a violation of the 2nd amendment. Let’s break this down. The bill is not trying to take your right away to bear arms, it simply is just trying to make it harder and safer for people to get them. This is in no way trying to take your rights away so don’t go throwing a little fit like a

baby. It is simply trying to prevent these mass shootings from happening around the nation. We have more school shootings in a year than other countries do in 5 years. That has to mean something to you. And if it doesn’t I will make sure you will never have a career in leadership or politics ever again.

We cannot stop illegal gun exchanges, but we can at least try to control the legal ones. In the recent school shootings of Oakland, Ca and Ulvade, Tx the shooters had purchased the guns legally. LEGALLY. This is an issue because the people abusing this right are using it through our system. We just want to make this system more thorough when letting people purchase firearms. We are not taking them from you, we are just trying to make it as safe as possible. Natalia Talleda stated that, “{She thinks} the background check system we have is more than enough”

and Senator Tester responds “Well obviously not.” That response made me laugh solely because he said what we were all thinking. If it was enough we would not be having an issue about it. If everything was efficient WE WOULD NOT HAVE INNOCENT CHILDREN AND PEOPLE BEING MURDERED. It is simple, we make it harder to get guns, AND you still get to keep your right to bear arms.

Lastly, I would like to add how horrible the lobbyists testimony was. Not only was she saying the same thing over and over again, but she also was trying to avoid actually answering the questions. The republicans did the same. All I heard was taking away our guns, nothing major about suicide, mass shootings, nothing. I will give her credit for being loud and confident that she was able to trick people to think that she was actually saying something important. She had a very empty response to all questions and I think she was not being honest at all. She solely was trying to stress the fact that she wanted to keep their guns and that was it. I honestly think it was horrible and that she kept saying the same thing over and over again. I think at one point I started losing brain cells hearing her try to be factually correct. I think it’s funny how she was so convincing to others, but she did not fool me or any of my colleagues and other senators. She was confident, but that cannot mask your dishonesty and little knowledge of the big picture. I want to point out that this part of the article was repetitive and that was intentional. This is exactly how her responses went, repetitive. I made one point and it was that her speech was horrible, but I stated it in many different ways just like how she stated she wanted to go pew pew in many ways.

I want to say this. Republicans, especially those in the Judiciary committee, any supporters of protecting the 2nd amendment at all cost even when it costs the lives of innocent people, dont cry when it’s you. When you send your kid or wife or husband or anyone you love somewhere and they get shot, even if they are carrying their own firearm, don’t come crying because it is your fault. Surprises happen, they may not be as prepared as you think they are. You don’t want your kid carrying a gun. How will they protect themselves when the teachers shielding them with their bodies can’t even do that? How do you think we

can combat this if you don’t want to help make it harder for guns to be around? When it is your own, and one day it could be, don't blame anyone but yourself. Any loss that we have had and will continue to have will be in your hands because you refuse to help stop this problem. “Guns don't kill people, people kill people. '' (Lobbyist Natalia Talleda) Yeah the ones you claim are mentally ill, but you don’t want to be prejudiced against them because it’s “wrong and not fair”. Yeah okay tell that to those you all are trying to prevent from entering the country or from marrying their same sex or another race. You are hypocrites don’t say you don’t want to discriminate when all you do is discriminate. Support this bill, come to a compromise, stop killing our children. If you don’t, when it’s yours I do not want to hear it because it's all your fault.