Dear readers, the Captain did not expect to be addressing
the issue of guns again so soon. And yet, somehow I knew I would have to.
While vacationing in (not-) sunny Southern California last week,
news broke of yet another mass shooting, this time at the Pulse nightclub in
Orlando, a popular site for the GLBT+ crowd. Forty-nine people were murdered,
53 more were wounded.
As most of the nation mourns for the victims of this
senseless tragedy, Tennessee’s state Rep. Andy Holt announced plans for his
first annual “Hog Fest and Turkey Shoot” – at which he would give away an AR-15
as a door prize.
Yes, the gun misidentified as what the Orlando shooter used.
Because, you know, Second Amendment.
The shooter actually used an MCX Sig Saur, but… WTF!?!
And mateys, while we’re paused here for a moment of factual information,
let me caution those on both sides of the debate to speak the truth in their posturing. A pro-gun activist announced on FOX News that trying to outlaw the AR-15 was a "war against women", because the AR-15 is the "woman's weapon of choice."
Seriously? "War against women?"
On the other side, I heard one congressman say we need to ban assault rifles that can fire 500
rounds per minute. Another embellished that to 700 rounds per minute.
Mates, this is simply not possible with a semi-automatic
rifle. The shooter must pull the trigger for each shot fired, and 45 rounds per
minute seems to be the fastest.
Not to mention that a typical magazine on an AR-15 only
holds 30 rounds.
Try hauling around 700 rounds of ammunition for a single minute of mayhem...
That said, the Captain is pleased to present his “Jackass of
the Year” award to Rep. Andy Holt of Dresden, Tennessee.
But Rep. Holt does not stand alone in his bad taste. Sadly,
in the days that followed this latest mass shooting, no less than two
“Christian” pastors praised the shooter!
One proclaimed, “The good news is that at least 50 of these
pedophiles are not going to be harming children anymore. The bad news is that a
lot of the homos in the bar are still alive, so they’re going to continue to
molest children and recruit people into their filthy homosexual lifestyle.”
Another “Christian” pastor proclaimed, “Are you sad that 50
pedophiles were killed today? Um no, I think that’s great! I think that helps
society. I think Orlando, Florida is a little safer tonight.”
He went on to say the U.S. government should gather up all
the gays, line them up in front of a firing squad, and shoot them all.
It is at moments like these that the Captain is embarrassed
to be associated with “Christians”.
I know this will fall on deaf ears, but listen up, you
assholes: pedophiles and homosexuals are not the same thing!
And where in the Gospel of Jesus Christ does Jesus ever - EVER! - rejoice
at tragedy or suggest lining up ANY group of people and executing them?
Brothers, you need to repent of your hard-heartedness before
you lead too many more people astray with your angry, homophobic rhetoric!
As is the Captain’s policy, the name and face of the shooter
will not be shown here. Such persons should not be glorified for their heinous
acts.
But in the days that have followed, more information about the
shooter has come to light. And the facts are not as clear-cut as the knee-jerk
reactionaries immediately wanted us to believe.
Although the shooter was of the Muslim faith, he was born in
New York.
And his father, an immigrant from Afghanistan, insisted his son was “not religious”.
And he had no significant connections to terrorist
organizations (the FBI interviewed him twice in the past), despite his
last-minute claim that his action was for ISIS.
That takes away the “radicalized Muslim terrorist” story
line, on which Donald Trump (OMFG!) immediately tried to capitalize.
 |
| OMFG! |
So, what then? Why did he do it?
Some people believe answering the “why’ question will bring
healing. It often does not.
But here goes…
The shooter has been described as an angry and abusive man.
His ex-wife said he was physically abusive to her.
His father wants us to believe his son’s anger was kindled
against the GLBT+ community when his three-year-old son saw two men kissing in
the park.
A hate crime then?
Perhaps. But his present wife/widow admitted she went with
him when he purchased a gun and ammunition. She claims she also went with him
to Pulse and to Disney World to consider possible targets.
What? Disney World?
So then it WAS terrorism!
Not necessarily. More information has come out (so to
speak). Several employees and patrons of Pulse reportedly saw this man visiting
the club on several occasions – not for surveillance, but rather drinking
heavily and bemoaning his strict family upbringing. Others recognized him from
gay websites, and one man said he had been propositioned by the shooter on one
occasion.
So he was a closeted gay man, frustrated and suppressed by a
strict religious upbringing?
Very interesting…
Something to consider as Christian churches continue to draw
a line in the sand concerning GLBT+ people, and their pastors continue to spew forth their
hate-filled rhetoric.
So naturally, the debate concerning gun control rages again.
Since the Sandy Hook shooting in 2012, in which 20 children and six adults were
gunned down at an elementary school, the government has done nothing to try to
stop similar tragedies from occurring.
It seems we have simply accepted mass murders as a part of
American life now, and we pray to our gods, “Just don’t let it happen here.”
Second Amendment activists insist the shooter’s access to a
firearm had nothing to do with the crime.
In fact, the shooter had previously been a security guard
with license and training. There is no reason to believe he would not be sold a
gun even with more strict laws and background checks in place.
Which is also interesting. He was previously the “good guy
with a gun” that the NRA keeps lifting up as our only hope and salvation.
Captain’s Note: As
I have pointed out before, every gun owner is a “good guy” until the day he
becomes the “bad guy”. Unfortunately, we can’t tell one from the other until
the “Breaking News” banner crosses our television screen.
And while we are on this subject, there were “good guys with
guns” at the club – security guards – but they were unable to stop the shooter.
Some would argue, ‘Well, if more people in that club had
been armed, the shooter could not have killed so many, and might even have
chosen a different place to commit his particular crime.’
No offense to people who frequent nightclubs, but a dark
crowded room where people are drinking and dancing is the last place I would
want more guns. If others in the crowd at Pulse had been armed, how many more patrons
would have been shot by accident? Mis-identified or caught in a cross-fire?
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| Let me run this by you again... |
No, rather than more guns, the Captain believes we need less
guns. Australia reports a marked reduction in gun violence after strict gun
laws were put in place. In Ireland, few citizens own guns; even the police
conduct their business of protecting the people without the ever-present
side-arm.
But, the argument continues, ‘Outlawing so-called assault
rifles will only punish law-abiding citizens. The criminals will still have
them.’
The Captain believes this is a good thing. As they say, “If
guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have them.” This would allow us to easily identify
who the criminals are. And then we can deal with the problem as the crime
problem that it is.
Think of it this way: If you are sitting in a meeting or cheering
at a sporting event or dancing in a nightclub, and someone walks into the room
carrying an AR-15, would you think, ‘Ah, a like-minded supporter of the Second
Amendment’? Or would you become concerned that this was the beginning of
another possible mass shooting?
Friends, this is not an easy issue with a simple answer,
despite what so many would like to think. But let’s recap:
-This shooter was in legal possession of his guns, and there
was no cause to deny him them.
-Although born into a Muslim family, he was not an
immigrant. And his reason for committing mass murder was most likely not in
response to a jihad or holy war; he was not “radicalized”.
His actions were apparently the result of the suppression of
a sexual orientation that his religious parents could not abide.
In saying all of this, I don’t want to make him a
sympathetic character. He is a mass murderer. What he did on Sunday morning is
unacceptable for any reason.
But the Captain can’t help but wonder if the current
political and religious climate in America is preparing the ground for even
more hate crimes like this one.
Something to consider.
