Politics Thread

[STL_XUfan]

Really whY is everyone surprised here? Everyone said mental health issues would dramatically increase due to the stupid covid lockdowns. Now we expect the govt to fix the problem they created? Good luck with that

Sure, because this wasn't a problem before Covid. The one constant in all of these incidents is easy legal access to weapons designed to carry out these mass shootings.

[Masterofreality]

Really whY is everyone surprised here? Everyone said mental health issues would dramatically increase due to the stupid covid lockdowns. Now we expect the govt to fix the problem they created? Good luck with that

Crazy that the Democrats had total control of the Senate, House and Presidency for a full two years but all they did was bloviate about guns and it was never a priority to legislate. They prioritized hearings about a deposed President and spending trillions on “climate change” trash.
Why is that???

[Xville]

Ah and here comes the finger pointing. Precisely why nothing ever gets done. Well done guys, you’re a direct reflection of our current repugnant political climate

[paulxu]

Crazy that the Democrats had total control of the Senate, House and Presidency for a full two years but all they did was bloviate about guns and it was never a priority to legislate. They prioritized hearings about a deposed President and spending trillions on “climate change” trash.
Why is that???

Senate filibuster rules prevented a House bill from becoming law.

[GoMuskies]

Ah and here comes the finger pointing. Precisely why nothing ever gets done. Well done guys, you’re a direct reflection of our current repugnant political climate

I hear you, but don't be part of the "Do Something" caucus. Doing "something" ends up with the Patriot Act. I'd love to have someone lay out a rational plan that might actually make a difference.

[Xville]

I hear you, but don't be part of the "Do Something" caucus. Doing "something" ends up with the Patriot Act. I'd love to have someone lay out a rational plan that might actually make a difference.

It seems pretty simple to me to at least start:

—-universal background checks, red flag laws, extremely long waiting periods, gun trafficking laws . Basically getting a gun should be one of the hardest things in life to get.

—— mental health facilities and properly fund them from the people that work there, to the facilities themselves etc.

——regulate big pharma… stop dosing our kids with everything under the sun and masking issues.

Not government but a cultural issue—- parents stop raising their kids with participation trophies and helicopter parenting. Allow your children to experience disappointment, failures and teach them to deal with those challenges.

[GoMuskies]

I'm not sure I disagree with any of that....but other than maybe #1 and #3 I don't think that's "simple". I mean, changing a culture is pretty damned difficult. Particularly for middle-aged whities.

[Xville]

I'm not sure I disagree with any of that....but other than maybe #1 and #3 I don't think that's "simple". I mean, changing a culture is pretty damned difficult. Particularly for middle-aged whities.

Oh I agree with the cultural thing. #1 and 3 to me are no brainers yet nothing ever gets done.

I mean ffs kentucky is a conceal no permit, no waiting period and I’m pretty sure limited or no bkgd state. Insane.

I think 2 is a simple solution as well to be honest. Money just needs to be diverted from pet projects of politicians that don’t accomplish anything. I’m sure there is plenty of that.

[Masterofreality]

Senate filibuster rules prevented a House bill from becoming law.

But the BiPartisan “Safer Communities Act” did pass the Senate 65-35 with 15 evil Republicans voting for it.
It addresses red flags, mental health assistance and additional background checks.
Seems like common sense Laws that are Constitutional can pass. Partisan unconstitutional bills can’t pass.
Which side points more fingers?

[paulxu]

In 1994, 6 "evil" Republicans voted for the law commonly known as the Assault Weapons Ban.
The vote was 61-38. So, just one vote prevented it from being filibustered.
These people were for it:

In May 1994, former presidents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and Ronald Reagan, wrote to the U.S. House of Representatives in support of banning "semi-automatic assault guns." They cited a 1993 CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll that found 77 percent of Americans supported a ban on the manufacture, sale, and possession of such weapons.

If it wasn't for the NRA and other groups and their $ support, perhaps Republicans wouldn't have blocked (even up to today) this law from being in place again.
There's no question we need work on all fronts; mental health is very important, but we use it as an excuse for every mass shooting to deflect from our obsessive gun culture. We are the only country in the world, by a large margin, where the number of guns owned by civilians outnumbers the number of civilians.