Takeaways on the Umpqua
College shootings:
· --
I
saw a Facebook posting featuring the National Rifle Association’s circular logo
with the words, Not Relevant Anymore.
· --
Another
Facebook posting said that in an emergency, people without guns inevitably call
people with guns.
· --
I
don’t think President Obama said in his speech that he was going to go
door-to-door collecting rifles and handguns. I think he said it’s up to the
American people to make changes to the gun laws if they want to.
· --
The
South seems to howl loudest about taking away their weapons, whether the
tragedy had anything to do with them of not. The biggest example of that came
earlier this year, when Texans became convinced the president was going to
invade Texas. Texans weren’t clear on why the president was going to invade,
but they knew he was going to. We’re still waiting for the invasion.
· --
The
NRA has been at its most vocal during the past 8 years, setting fires about
President Obama taking away their guns. It just hasn’t happened. Move on.
· --
I
agree with those who think Chris Mintz, the U.S. Army veteran who was shot
seven times trying to take down the gunman, is a hero.
· --
Fear
isn’t working for us. There have been 11 shootings similar to the one at Umpqua
College this year alone. I can only wonder what might have happened if at any
of these shootings, a roomful of people had charged the lone gunman.
·
-- We
are programmed for flight or fight in a dangerous situation. It’s very
difficult to think during such a highly stressful time, hence the built-in
response. That has to change. It takes a lot of effort to make that change, but
if someone were about to kill me, I wouldn’t just sit there and let it happen.
·
-- Donald
Trump has it half right. He said shooters in these circumstances are mentally
ill. He didn’t say that if elected president, he would do one thing to make it
more difficult for the certifiably mentally ill to get guns.
· --
“Look,
stuff happens, there’s always a crisis and the impulse is always to do
something and it’s not always the right thing to do.” Jeb Bush said that after
the shooting. He also said, after the shooting, that there’s no need for better
gun control.
· --
Not
saying the shooter’s name won’t undo anything he did. Know your enemy. His name
was Christopher Sean Harper-Mercer.
