Bäng bäng! Feuer frei, Amerika.

[Preface: This blog post will likely offend some people because I have opinions. Tough shit. Suck it up.]


The date is 18 May 2018, and as I turn the TV on, I see that there's been another shooting in a school. This was in Santa Fe, Texas, and as I'm hearing now, there have been 8 fatalities, and the shooter was arrested. Yesterday, there was a shooting in a school in Dixon, Illinois. Thankfully, no students were involved.

The reactions I have read are the same as always; thoughts and prayers, conspiracy theories, trolls, pro-second Amendment, pro-weapon regulation, and mental health advocates. The fear I have is that the end result will be the same as always: not a fucking thing will be done.

One thing I see a lot is this thought: "This wouldn't have happened if they hadn't taken God out of the schools!" This refers to the 1963 decision of the Supreme Court that ruled against public schools mandating students to pray at the start of the school day, as this would be a violation of the First Amendment, re: separation of Church and State. What these people forget is that there have been school shootings throughout the history of the United States of America. Yes, even when "God" was "allowed" in schools, it would seem that "God" couldn't be bothered to stop those tragedies. This would suggest that either "God" doesn't give any fucks, or "God" doesn't exist.

Along that line are the streams of "Thoughts and Prayers." Well, guess what good that did? NONE! It did exactly fuck-all, and it will happen again and again and again, no matter how many thoughts and prayers people "send" to the affected. It didn't stop Laurie Dann from killing a kid, wounding five more, and shooting another man before killing herself. It didn't keep Columbine from happening. It didn't prevent Sandy Hook. Let's go beyond schools, and think about the other mass shootings that have happened: Las Vegas, the Luby's Restaurant shooting, Orlando...the list goes on and on.

Of course, the usual conspiracy-theory lunatics have come screaming out of the shadows to rev up the "false flag" machine and claim that this is yet another attempt to "take away our guns!", or some such bullshit. People, teens, children have died, been injured, had lives forever altered, but these cunts will claim that these people are "crisis actors", and that no-one really died. Hell, you don't even need this narrative to get the NRA/pro Second Amendment morons screaming themselves blue in the face because they oppose any form of regulation, no matter how sensible. The narrative "The solution to bad guys with guns is good guys with guns" is a false dichotomy, because there are other options, and the good guys with guns are often not around to do anything.

You will also get trolls, but I can't be arsed to discuss them further.

So, what is the answer to this? What can be done to sharply reduce the probability of these shootings? I'm all for sensible regulation and mental health considerations, but there's the problem getting anything passed through the Government at any level. "Banning guns won't work, because only the law-abiding citizens will lose their guns. The criminals will still have guns!" Yeah, no shit, Sherlock. Has no-one considered taking pointed action at the underground gun trade? If you want to get firearms out of criminal hands, you attack the source of the firearms and how they get them!

"Regulation only means that they want to TAKE MAH GUNZ!!!" Nnnno, it doesn't. If you are willing to prove yourself a law-abiding citizen, then you will follow the process that is mandated. Get your permits, licensing, training, mental health assessment, and you get to keep your guns---provided you pass the process. If you have a legitimate mental issue that could provably lead to being a danger to self and others, then you don't get guns. If you are under a certain age, you don't get guns. If you sell or buy at a swap meet or in private, you must file the proper forms and the firearm must be registered. I really don't see the problem in this.

These are just the opinions of one random guy on the infinite expanse of the internet. I don't have a perfect solution. I just want this insanity to end. I don't want to turn the news on and see another mass shooting.

Kids shouldn't be scared to go to school.
People shouldn't be afraid to go anywhere.

Let's not allow another tragedy.

I know, I know...I'm shouting into the void here. I don't care. I just don't know what else to do at this point.

--Nerikull