The Covenant School Mass Shooting Event

 The Covenant School, in Nashville Tennessee, now takes it place in a long line of sorrow. The United States of America witnessed its 129th mass shooting on Monday, March 27, 2023, with three adults and three children gunned down, and then the shooter killed by Nashville police. (A mass shooting is defined by the FBI as an incident in which four or more individuals are murdered by firearms involving one or more shooters.)

Where is the public outrage?

Covenant School, a private K-6 institution, instructs about 200 students. Now three students are dead. The shooter, who apparently planned the attack with some degree of accuracy, was armed with an assault-style rifle, an assault-style pistol, and a handgun, according to police on the scene.

Why does this keep occurring?

A friend of the shooter has told police she received a text about 1 hour before the event, in which the shooter explained she was going to die by suicide today, and it would be in the news. The friend called Nashville police to report the incident. It has not been made public yet how the police responded to that information.

The President and other government officials have, as usual offered "thoughts and prayers."

Three 9-year old children and three middle-aged adults are dead. Shot by a person who may have had some mental instability, armed with assault-style weapons and "a massive amount" of ammunition.

Jim Jordan wants to investigate Hunter Biden's laptop.

There are no simple one and done solutions to the gun violence issue in the United States of America. It is inconceivable to me in a country with the ability to divide the atom, put a man on the moon, and lead the world's democratic nations, we cannot even begin to have a logical, solution-oriented discussion on this subject.

In stark contrast to the Uvalde shooting last May, the police were on the scene and killed the shooter within 14 minutes of the first active shooter phone call. Truly, a remarkably fast and effective response; they deserve congratulations for a job well done, in a very difficult situation.

What is so difficult to understand? The American public is tired of mass shooting events.

The typical, reliable, non-effective non-responses will be forthcoming. Thoughts and prayers will come from every politician's lips, and empty promises of action. Some will proclaim it is a mental health issue, others will proclaim it a gun control issue, and nothing-absolutely nothing-will be done. Congress, in a fashion we are well schooled in, will not upset its donors or vocal minorities.

It's of paramount importance to defend America against woke ideologies.

As I said earlier, there is no one and done on this issue. There are definite, concrete steps forward that will begin to reduce the mass shootings in this country; they sadly will require two items Congress currently doesn't have.

Leadership and testicles.

It "only" took 15 ballots and 4 days to elect Kevin McCarthy Speaker of the House. According to Speaker McCarthy, this shows that republicans know how to govern. WHAT?

You all know I have opinions, some of which you might not agree with, but I encourage and look forward to that polite dissent. So here is my laundry list of items for Congress to enact.

The Second Amendment states, and I quote; "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

Nothing I propose here is designed to interfere with the Second Amendment, nor do I propose to interfere with that document.

All of these should be introduced as single line bills, that is, the only issue on the bill is (this one). In this manner, a Congressman's constituents will be able to judge where he or she sits on each issue.

Just prior to the voting on each bill, the Congressman or woman will state for the record the total amount of money he or his campaigns have accepted from any gun lobby, weapons manufacturer, sporting groups, or any pro-gun organization, for the entire time he/she has been in politics.

The first item on Congress' to-do list is to mandate health insurance companies to provide, at the same rate as physical health, mental health checkups and treatment.

The next item would be to enact national red flag laws; this would alleviate a person not eligible to own a gun in one state from purchasing one in another state.

Next, institute universal background checks, including gun shows and individual sales, to refuse the sale of firearms to those not qualified to possess them.

Congress shall mandate all weapons manufactured after the enactment of this bill shall have biometric trigger locks installed at the time of manufacture.

Trigger locks shall be required on all pre-owned firearms sold by any person or firm.

Repeal the "Firearm Owner's Protection Act" of 1986; then institute a mandated national registry of firearms sold by any source from this date forward.

Liability insurance shall be mandated for all firearms owned.

Renew the assault weapons ban, and place a ban on high-capacity magazines.

Well, there you have it, my partial solutions to the gun violence issue in this country. I am not supportive of confiscation of firearms (except under lawful mandate of the court); nor am I anti-gun-ownership. I enjoy target shooting, have enjoyed hunting, and see not reason for others not to enjoy the same. I am also realistic enough to understand the probability of any of the above happening is slim to none. But, what the heck, I thought I'd put it out there anyway.

Thanks for reading, I am looking forward to your responses. To leave a comment, just click the word "comment" in the space below.

R.M. "Bob" Hartman

The Dialogue, Part 2

 Ok, let's talk about abortion. Put down the gun and pitchfork, let's just talk. Here's some facts: Abortion peaked in 1990 with 1.6 million abortions legally performed. In 2019 (the latest year complete data is available) the number was between 630,000 and 890,000, depending upon who you ask- the CDC or the Guttmaker Institute. Either way, the number is down 50%. The raw number is down, even as the population continues to increase. To me, that shows the effectiveness of sex education, the availability of contraceptives, and the involvement of both partners. That's all good news.

The bad news, in my opinion, is all of this talk about "right to life" and "protecting unborn children" that comes from the mouths of Republican politicians is so much bull byproduct as to make one puke. The Republicans are no more interested in right to life than they can fly; if you want evidence look at all the attempts to destroy the Affordable Care Act. You are likely to suffer greatly from the lack of medication or die a from easily preventable disease if you don't have insurance. Review the Republican efforts to keep the minimum wage artificially low; if you can't afford to buy food and pay the rent, well, that's too bad for you. If you are a veteran of the U.S. Armed Services (thank you for your service), only 1 Republican Senator (Marco Rubio-FL) has your back-all the rest are against the Honoring Our PACT Act, relative to the damage caused by burn pits. Right to life, indeed. One plan discussed by Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) would cut benefits to Social Security by 1/3, raise the eligibility age, and threaten Social Security with defunding every five years. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) fearing the wrath of Senior Citizen Voters, took that page out of the bill.

Right To Life?

I'll skip the fine print and go right to the heart of the matter: in 2022, there have been 218 mass shootings, with a sad total of 221 dead and 831 wounded but survived. This data covers January 1, 2022 to May 29, 2022, and include the shooter if wounded or killed. Congress moans, prays, and sends condolences; but nothing of value happens. Congress could act, but no, this is not abortion we are talking about here. It's only 221 living people -you know, the ones already born- dead because Congress won't do it's part.

My point? Abortion is not a right to life matter for the hypocritical morons in Congress; it is much more important than that. It is a control issue; the mostly white, mostly male congress demands to control what a woman does, or does not do, with her own body. Please don't bother to mention religion in reference to this issue, the 1st Amendment to the Constitution takes that off the table. Don't try to tell me that a woman cannot be responsible for her own choices; women are no more or less responsible actors that males.

No, it is a control issue; and as long as the voters elect these same sad Republican congressmen hypocrites, they will continue to demand control over a woman's body, and the right to make her own choices. Now that Roe vs Wade is in danger of being overturned, the choice of our Congressmen will become more important than ever.

Personally, I don't want Congressmen hypocrites making decisions for my wife, children, and grandchildren. They are smart enough to make their own decisions.

Thank you for reading; as always, your comments, thoughts and opinions are welcome. Please click on the pencil below to make a comment.

R.M. "Bob" Hartman

The Dialogue, Part 1

 In our lives there are times, events, and phenomena which, while we may understand why they occur, cannot be reconciled with any aspect of truth or even reality. They are of such magnitude and depth that comprehension is impossible.

Events like these destroy our underlying beliefs in a number of ways; the shattering of norms, of concepts of human dignity and compassion; an abrupt changing in the rules of law we have come to accept and adopt as human rights.

Perhaps it is our own fault, for we have come to believe and trust in an America where right prevails over might; where the individual matters; where we celebrate freedom of thought and action (violence towards others not included).

America's system of government, slow, laborious, and time-consuming as it is, works as well or better than any other; yet it is a relative newcomer to the world stage. If it is viewed on a timeline progressing towards Jefferson's "more perfect union", we can see progress; not so much on a daily or even yearly basis, but as an overall effort, moving inexorably toward a time and place where all mankind will be equal, one toward another.

Our current elected officials, on every level of government, are failing us; the violence, hatred, and fear consume every news cycle, the senseless killing continues unabated. No, there is no one size fits all, one bill will fix everything solution; the problems are of great magnitude and will require great statesmen to begin the process of correction.

With minute exception, "our" elected senators and congressmen are not ours, they are owned lock, stock, and opinion by the despicably wealthy donors they have courted. This, in and of itself, is more than adequate reason to void the Supreme Court's ruling on Citizens United; an action that can only be undertaken by Congress itself. But, that is a discussion I will hold for another post.

The murder of 21 human beings in Uvalde, Texas has brought out the best, I suppose, in our public leaders. They have all offered sympathy, condolences, prayers, and tears. But, and it is a big BUTT, that is all they are going to do. Until such time as voters make Senators, Representatives and Governors feel the danger of not moving gun control forward, nothing will change.

So, you might ask, why won't voters make congressmen take action? Three words, alphabetically:

Abortion

God

Guns

These three immovable planks of the Republican party are the great dog whistles of our times. The mere mention of any of the holy trinity of politics will rile up the base; get them out and voting, not for any one candidate in particular, but against "them;" the ones who will put an abortion clinic on every corner, abolish all religion, and take away your guns. The Republican party has been very adapt at focusing American voters on fear, without ever using the word; they provide on our television screen, a dismal picture of the future if we elect "them."

Short of the reversal of Citizen's United, it will take a strong, principled, self-funded Republican to stand up to the gun lobbies millions and do the hard work demanded to pass meaningful gun control regulation in the United States of America. Frankly, I don't see Congress wiling to take on Citizen's United in the near future; and I am not holding out for a true statesman to come forward from the Republican party.

The most demanding work in politics is always left to the American voter, that is, you and I. Only by studious attention to detail and records, can we filter out the good from the spoils. We must decide what we want America to look like, not only to the world, but to our children and grandchildren and then act in accordance to our decisions. We must decide how many more human beings we want sacrificed on the alter of "gun rights"; how many more lives we can afford to lose as a poor example to the world of American Greatness, as an example of democracy at work.

Thank you for reading; as always, your comments, opinions, and thoughts are welcome. Click on the pencil below to leave a comments.

R.M. "Bob" Hartman

Ten Hot Summer Days

Ten hot summer days. In that space of time, 34 people were killed in mass shootings, and another 63 were injured. The alleged (?) shooters were white males, between the ages of 19 and 24. Two of the shooters are dead, the third is in jail. Although different guns were used, they all were high-capacity "assault rifles," and all were purchased "legally;" however, there is some evidence they may have been illegally transported across state lines. We may never know if the three gunmen knew each other, though some evidence suggests the killer in the El Paso murders may have been influenced by the Dayton shooting. Certainly, we will never positively know what factors drove the Dayton and Gilroy shooters to commit their crimes, as they are dead; but we may gain some insight into the thought patterns of the El Paso killer; he is still alive.

None of the above facts will bring back the 34 victims of these killers, nor will they erase the images captured in the minds of those wounded or who witnessed the shootings. And none of the above facts will do anything to stop the carnage that seems to be overwhelming our country.

There are things that can be done to reduce the risk of these types of mass murders re-occurring, and while they are small steps, they may be a beginning to some solutions. I'd like to express my thoughts on some of those ideas. You may say, after reading this, these ideas won't work, and I agree they will not solve all the problem. But, what we have been doing so far certainly hasn't worked very well, has it? It's time for some critical thinking.

The first, and perhaps the easiest one to implement, is to require national registration at the time of purchase or transfer of any and all firearms. This includes sales at gun shows, pawn shops, and sales by private individuals, including collectors. Believe it or not, only six states and the District of Columbia currently require firearm registration; and not all firearm types need to be registered, even in those states. Currently, seven states completely prohibit the registration of firearms. The other 37 states neither require or prohibit registration. This legislation should also include an insurance clause; that is, you must be able to prove liability insurance for the firearm. The legal age to purchase any firearm should be the same in all 50 states, and the District of Columbia. This does not mean that young Sally and Johnny cannot learn how to handle a firearm, or hunt; it just means they cannot purchase or own a gun.

I said this idea would be easy to implement, but the "Firearms Owners' Protection Act" of 1986 prohibits a national registry. So, this portion of the Reagan-era law would have to be overturned.

Some say this is the first step toward confiscation of privately owned firearms. Get real, people. You are required to register and insure your vehicles, which are also capable of killing and wounding people. It's not that different after all.

The three shootings under discussion meet the federal description of domestic terrorism, to wit: they are a)"dangerous to human life"; b) intended to "intimidate or coerce a civilian population;" or c) influence government by "intimidation or coercion" or "mass destruction, assassination or kidnapping." While federal law defines domestic terrorism, it does not make it a federal crime to commit acts of domestic terrorism. Wait a minute, we have a law defining acts of domestic terrorism, but no federal penalty for committing such acts? Yep, you got it. The FBI can become involved to assist state agencies, but the individuals responsible for these acts can only be prosecuted under state laws. Why does this matter? First, the FBI does not have to get involved in cases of this type, although I understand they are involved in these three. Second, the FBI can look beyond state borders at the relationship these types of criminals may have with other like-minded individuals, and bring charges where appropriate. Third, if domestic terrorism is a crime under federal law, stiffer penalties are a distinct possibility.

The second thought I propose then, is to pass a law making domestic terrorism a federal crime. Congress, can you stop pointing fingers at each other long enough to get this done?

Third, and this thought strikes very close to home for all of us: every person in America should demand of our elected officials that they do not denigrate populations of social backgrounds, wealth, country of origin, race, or sex as a whole. That is to say: Our President, and other elected officials, should never say or imply that all people from Pluto are murderers, rapists, or thieves; or that those with green skin are low-lifes, losers, or pathetic. This type of speech is antithetical to American ideals.

Besides, speech of this nature makes simple-minded people self-righteous, and then they do bad things. Very bad things, which can affect all of us in ways we cannot fathom.

Thank you for reading; as always, your comments are welcome.

R.M. "Bob" Hartman

Data on firearm registration taken from https://ballotpedia.org/Firearm_registration_requirements_by_state

Retrieved August 6, 2019; it is "as of Jan 1, 2019"

USA PATRIOT ACT, 2001

Massacre in San Bernadino

Another day, another public massacre, more mass hysteria.

“Round them all up.” “Get search warrants for every Muslim living in the United States and search all their homes for guns and bombs.” These were the comments I heard in the lunch room at work today. (The day after the San Bernadio Massacre.)

Well, people, guess again. Syed Farook was born in the United States, in Chicago; and his wife, Tashfeen Malik was born in Pakistan and as a child moved to Saudi Arbia, with her father, then back to Pakistan, where she obtained a college degree. We don’t know yet what radicalized them and led them to conduct the action, this massacre. As they are dead, we probably will never really know.

But mass discrimination, based on place of birth, is nothing new to America. In the 1830’s, help wanted signs stated “no Irish need apply.” It was disgusting then, and it is just as vile today. We should not discriminate against a person based upon birthplace.

Nor should we, as some have suggested, discriminate on the basis of religion. Not everyone who follows Catholicism is a child molester, nor is every follower of Islam a terrorist. Yes, the ISIS/ISIL group has declared war on the United Kingdom, the United States, Russia and now China. It is ISIS that we need to defeat. It is ISIS that is radicalizing these so called lone-wolf terrorists. It is also ISIS that is using social media to spread its agenda around the world.

ISIS needs money to operate. That is a fact we need to address. Recent news coverage from France shows French fighter jets destroying row after row of tanker trucks at oil facilities, oil that is sold on the open market to fund ISIS’s operations. As a world hopefully united in stopping the spread of ISIS terrorism, we should concentrate on destroying their ability to refine and move oil, and also to stop companies and countries from purchasing that oil. There is a coalition of countries, lead by the United States, which is making some progress in achieving that step.  Great Britain has now committed to air strikes against ISIS targets.

ISIS also needs its social media. There are people, in the United States and abroad, who are geniuses with social media. Perhaps it is time to bring them together, to charge them with the duty of shutting down the social media sites ISIS uses, both on the common internet and the deep web. In doing so, they can also trace back to the source of the ISIS media, and then use ground forces, or air strikes, to shutter these physical sites. They can also trace who is looking at this social media, and then determine if they are casual viewers or more dangerous in their intent.

Yes, we need to take action regarding ISIS/ISIL. We need to defeat them, to deny them the ability to radicalize people and encourage those radicalized to commit murders for ISIS’s sake, in ISIS’s name.

But we shouldn’t, and don’t need to, discriminate against an entire religion because of the crimes of a few.

Of course, this is just my opinion, and I am open to discussion regarding this issue!

Thanks for reading.

R.M. “Bob” Hartman

Eighty One Thousand, Three Hundred and Ninety Six

The world’s one remaining superpower has the dubious distinction of being the most dangerous. America has a gun fantasy, a dream built on death and destruction. In America, you are more likely to be a victim of gun violence than in any of the other developed countries.

You are twenty times more likely to be killed by a gun in the United States than in Spain, France, or Switzerland. Or Finland, Norway, Syria, Turkey or any of the other OECD countries. 20 times more likely to be killed by a gun. It bears repeating: Twenty times more likely to be killed by a gun, in the United States of America. Only motor vehicle accidents overshadow this figure, and not by much.
Why?

In 2010, homicide/suicide by gun was the 2nd largest cause of death in the United States. Are we, are you, proud of this figure?
I am not. But, sadly, it gets worse. Much worse, in fact.

In 2012, 81,396 Americans were injured in firearm-related accidents. Injured, not killed. Nationally, 25.93 percent of the injuries treated in ERs were gun-related. More than ¼ of our ER injury incidents are firearm related. Eighty one thousand, three hundred ninety six; were any of them your friends or neighbors? And, this has a cost, a cost you and I are paying.

Dead people do not use hospitals. But, the wounded do. They do, to the incredible amount of $632,000,000 in 2010. No misprint, there: six hundred thirty two MILLION dollars in ER/hospitalization was spent in 2010 for gun-related injuries. In America, the land of the free, and the home of the brave. $632,000,000.

Who pays for this 632 million dollars? Well, you and I do. 52%-327 million dollars- was paid by Medicaid. Our government insurance program for the poor paid for 52% of the gun related injuries in America. What could we do with 327 million for education, or to feed the poor?

Guns are big business, make no mistake about that. The firearm industry in the United States has 233,000 employees, more than GM has worldwide. The ancillary business -not the sale of firearms- accounts for $32,000,000 dollars in business annually. The gun business is good (?) for the American economy.
America manufactures 6.5 MILLION guns (non-military) each year, and if that was not enough, we import 3.5 million from other countries.
Why?
The trend is not in hunting rifles, that has fallen 20% over the last 10 years. We are buying assault weapons, pistols, and shotguns.
Why? What, or who, makes us so paranoid?

It is time, America, to deal with this issue. This is not a Second Amendment issue, this is a social disaster. It is not about your right to bear arms, it is about 81,396 of your friends and neighbors. It is about $632,000,000 in hospital costs; costs fueled by guns. It is time, past time, for America to sit down, discuss, and then work to solve the issues that fuel gun violence; poverty, discrimination, drug trade and the stigma of mental health issues. It is time to roll up our sleeves and go to work. America put a man on the moon in 10 years, can we not donate 10 years to solve our firearm violence problem? Are we so beholden to the gun industry, to the NRA, that we cannot overcome this problem?

Let’s talk, America; let us put the guns down and get to work.

Disclaimer: I own two sport rifles, locked up in a gun cabinet.
Second disclaimer: This article does not include bb/pellet gun injuries.

As always, I appreciate your views, and your discussion. Please post your comments, let us have a discussion.

Sources, not in any particular order:
CDC http://webappa.cdc.gov/sasweb/ncipc/nfirates2001.html on jan 16 2014

Data Source: NEISS All Injury Program operated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission for numbers of injuries. Bureau of Census for population estimates.

Urban institute. http://www.urban.org/publications/412894.html
article http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/13/taxpayers-gun-violence_n_3915434.html

United Nations: Source http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/data-and-analysis/homicide.htmlus

Source: http://www.gallup.com/poll/150353/Self-Reported-Gun-Ownership-Highest-1993.aspx

CDC http://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/pdf/10lcid_unintentional_deaths_2010-a.pdf

Source: ATF