"National Rifle Association officials couldn't be reached for comment Sunday. The group takes the position that citizens have a basic right to keep and bear arms, a right rooted in the Second Amendment of the Constitution that gun advocates don't believe should be altered even in the case of shootings such as those that have occurred recently."
This comment- or lack of comment- has been appearing ever-so frequently these days as mass killings here in America seem to be on the upswing. Three policemen in Pittsburgh; 14 dead in Binghamton, N.Y; six dead in Washington state; father shoots five of his children, ages 7 to 16, using a rifle; four police officers fatally shot in Oakland, California.
Regarding the Pittsburgh massacre: The 22-year-man who shot and killed three Pittsburgh police officers over the weekend had been stockpiling guns and ammunition, buying and selling the weapons online "because he believed that as a result of the economic collapse, the police were no longer able to protect society," according to a court report. He had an AK-47.
No longer able to protect society, he said. And therefore he decided to kill those very police officers? What's wrong with this message? I don't get it.
Why don't I get it? Let me take a self-inventory: average IQ, late 60's, been around the block lots of time, fairly well educated, family man, worked 35 years, no arrest record, volunteer my services, care for the elderly and the disadvantaged in society, pay my taxes, vote in every election, protested the war in Iraq, keep up with the latest events, traveled to Europe several times, know American and world history, grandparents on both sides were immigrants, love my children and grandchildren, loved my dog until she died, took care of a goldfish for 12 years.
What did I miss along the way?
I never shot a gun.
Is that what I missed?
I've never had a gun.
Is that it?
Why do I not feel the need to own or shoot a gun now or ever in the past?
Was that some sort of right-of-passage for the American male in order to become a fully-functioning adult male in American society? The bullet resembling the male penis?
Why does America have an armed forces, National Guard, and state, county, and local police departments?
Enlighten me.
