Michael Adkins
I am sick and tired of hearing the remarks of Republican elected officials following every mass shooting in America. Frankly, their “thoughts and prayers” just won’t cut it. It is wisely said that God helps those who help themselves; therefore, I believe, when the GOP actually takes action and commits to common sense gun reforms, the Good Lord may intervene.
Following the Covenant School killings in Nashville, the comments from Tennessee Republican officials were more of the same, in some cases even worse than usual. Representative Andy Ogles, who represents the area that includes Covenant School and had posed himself and family for a Christmas card in which they all were bearing weapons (a Christlike image to celebrate His birth), responded to the killings with the traditional GOP’s “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families.” Those families would prefer he keep those thoughts and prayers to himself and actually serve to protect his constituents. Tennessee Rep. Tim Bouchert called the shooting a “horrible, horrible situation” but then declared “we’re not gonna fix” the gun violence issue. Another brilliant Tennessee Republican went a step absurdly further by proclaiming there “is no gun violence problem.”
In 2021, Tennessee’s current Governor, immediately following the Uvalde Texas mass killings, called for his state’s legislature to make it easier for citizens to obtain a gun. The Tennessee Sheriff’s Association opposed that bill, whereupon a GOP representative declared the Association was “wanting to infringe upon the rights of a people.” The very same day the killer struck the Covenant School, a federal judge signed off on allowing kids as young as 18 to purchase guns; an age when their frontal lobes have not yet fully formed. For those not familiar with the brain’s impact on maturity, until the frontal lobe is fully formed, a human is not fully capable of making serious decisions. Hence, the reason teens act the way they do. In Tennessee, anyone can carry a gun, open or concealed, without a permit, sans training or special background checks. In fact, the Covenant School killer legally owned each and every weapon she owned, even though she was under medical care and her doctor advised her parents she should not own a gun.
The Republican Party is quick to blame anything other than guns for our gun violence problem. The Covenant School shooting was carried out by a transgender individual. That led Sen. J.D. Vance to blame the shooting on the testosterone and medicines the shooter had been taking. House Speaker McCarthy’s statement was tellingly irresponsible, because the shooter was transexual, “Everyone can stop blaming guns.” Who is going to remind the Speaker that none of the other mass shooters were trans people? Of course, we had to put up with the idiocy of Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene who called for “vengeance” against transgenders.
The GOP’s usual suspect for mass gun violence is, of course, mental illness. If they truly believe this, then they must ponder why mental illness is a global problem while mass shootings occur almost singularly in the U.S.? It is an easy answer; the proliferation of guns and especially assault-style weapons in America, where there are more guns than people. If they truly believe mental illness is the culprit and not guns, then now is the time to put their money where their mouths are. The GOP has been cutting spending for mental illness for decades across the country. Texas Governor Jim Abbott is a perfect case in point. Following the El Paso mass killing, he said, “Bottom line is mental health is a large contributor to any type of violence or shooting violence.” Yet he had already cut over $200 million from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, the very agency responsible for overseeing that state’s mental health services.
I cannot believe the majority of local Republicans oppose common sense gun control measures. If I am correct, please inform your elected officials to stop praying and start acting.
Michael Adkins is a former Chair of the Hancock County Democratic Party.
