Mother Jones Indicts

The following came through the email newsletter I get from Mother Jones, a preface to today's newsletter:

"We don't know his motive yet, but authorities believe he acted alone"…"it was a lone gunman"..." the shooter acted alone…"

No, he didn’t.

Whatever we learn about the Uvalde shooter, or any future ones—because there will be more—don't say they "acted alone," which is largely media code for "this doesn't appear to be Islamic terrorism." No matter the particulars, these "lone" gunmen all have scores of accomplices. Here is a wholly incomplete list of those who bear direct responsibility in this slaughter of 19 children and two teachers, and the brutality visited on those still in the hospital, all the families, and the community and country at large:

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott: A relentless cheerleader for gun extremism, last year he gleefully signed seven bills rolling back gun regulations—including abolishing licenses for handguns.  In the aftermath of this he blamed mental health issues, a go-to tactic to distract from the gun debate, despite having cut $21 million dollars from state mental health services.

Rupert Murdoch, for translating the El Paso, Buffalo, and Pittsburgh shooters’ manifestos into prime-time programming.

Senator Ted Cruz, a leading recipient of gun lobby money, who now suggests the solution is forcing students and staff to enter and leave through one door. Scholars of military "kill zone" tactics and the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire beg to differ.  

Every politician—looking at you, Elise Stefanik—fueling "replacement theory" hate to raise money and get more Fox air time.

Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, who will not override the filibuster even to prevent the slaughter of school kids, shoppers, or churchgoers—even for HR 8, which is essentially the bill Manchin championed for years.

Every politician who declares they are "pro-life," yet is wantonly indifferent to the carnage of their gun policies and positions. They’ll force you to have a child, and then lead that child to slaughter.

The list goes on. 

Yes, the anti-majoritarian Senate and state legislators are pushing the ideas of an extreme minority onto the rest of us, on this subject and so many others. Yes, there are millions of guns out there already. That only means we have to fight harder, and for longer. But change can come if we are willing to put in the work. 

—Clara Jeffery, Editor-in-chief

And we are complicit if we vote for the party that obstructs gun reform.

sch 5/27/22