NWA LETTERS

BASS TRUMBO Fayetteville

Manufacturers drive U.S. gun control debate

When you read about terrorists killing thousands of innocent people you may wonder how the wrongdoers could sleep at night, knowing what they had done. Yet those who survived what usually were suicide missions, had been so radicalized by their leaders that they were proud of the killings done in the name of their faith. Their actions remind me of the Japanese Kamikaze pilots who flew airplanes into allied ships during World War II and were willing to die for their cause.

This mindset is similar to those who continue to support the NRA, their lobbyists and the manufacturers who continue to fight all reasonable restrictions on firearm arms. They are willing to stand by and see the slaughter of innocent people continue in order to protect their Second Amendment rights which they believe, among other dangerous ideas, allows for citizens to own semi-automatic assault weapons. Their argument that people should have more firearms rather than less to defend themselves and that mental illness is the real cause of the killings are so lame you wonder if they would be willing to say such to a victim’s family. Nevertheless, apparently they are not going to change their attitudes, especially with President Trump continuing to throw cold water on further firearm restrictions. When you see that he also questions the global warming issue, you have to wonder if he will ever take a position that is contrary to the interest of big business such as oil companies, automobile and firearms manufacturers. This is what you get when you elect a corporate billionaire your president.

If you believe that politicians will jump into this fight against the NRA and the firearm manufacturers who are getting rich in flooding the country with these weapons, you must still believe in the tooth fairy. They are such a bunch of cowards that even the thought of supporting legislation to place reasonable limits on firearms would cause them to have a nervous breakdown. You need to keep in mind a politician’s main priority is self-preservation and sticking your neck out on a controversial issue is definitely a no-no. Let somebody else play the role of a hero.

While discussing the firearms issue it is interesting to note that no other industrialized nation allows for such a proliferation of firearms, and their criminal activity is much less than in the United States. I suppose you could argue that our system is still the best for our citizens, but this argument flies in the face of commons sense, which unfortunately many no longer believe to be relevant.

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