Thoughts, Prayers And GOP Obstruction Are Not Going To Stop Gun Violence

To qualify as a mass shooting requires at least four victims -- including the shooter -- who are either wounded or killed.  One would like to think that such incidents are rare.  But according to the Washington Post, San Bernardino's tragedy becomes the 355th mass shooting this year.  That's 355 mass shootings in 336 days. 

This is madness.

And while Democrats continue to push for gun control measures, the response of every Republican candidate to this latest mass shooting consists of nothing more than an offering of "thoughts and prayers" via tweets.  Meanwhile, their compatriots in the House of Representatives successfully blocked a bill today that would have allowed the Attorney General to bar sales of firearms and explosives to those on the no-fly list.

This is madness.

Then there was the mass shooting at the Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs last week by a man who was heard to utter "no more body parts," a direct reference to the false and incendiary blithering of Ted Cruz, Carly Fiorina and the other leading lights of the Republican Party/Anti-Choice Movement.  It is precisely this kind of hateful rhetoric that has contributed to an unprecedented level of violence against reproductive health care providers.  But these pious folks deny any responsibility and instead offer thoughts and prayers (and additional slander against Planned Parenthood).

This is madness.

As of this writing 14 people were killed today in San Bernardino.  This is the deadliest mass shooting in the U.S. since December 12, 2002 at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.  Nothing has changed since Sandy Hook.

We must stop the madness.  Think about the shooting victims.  Pray if that is your thing.  And then take action.  You can join Everytown for Gun Safety, a movement that is working to end gun violence and build safer communities.  You can give to the Violence Policy Center, which conducts critical research and investigation aimed at stopping gun violence.  And you can work to kick Republicans out of office and replace them with progressive-minded Democrats who will buck the NRA and pass way overdue meaningful gun control laws.