NOW is not the time!

By Pastor Norm Omodt, Retired

Chatfield, MN

That’s what we hear from many politicians in Washington.  Now is not the time to debate the issue of gun violence!  Just wait until other concerns overwhelm our life….and people try to forget the problem!  Just wait maybe for several  years then politicians may care enough to

act.  NOW we have only a few that care that much about the lives of children!  We are the only country in the world that has these massive school shootings often done with military assalt rifles.  I guess we actually are not as civilized as other industrialized nations.  Unlike them, we don’t even have universal health care for all people in our country. 

We often hear some politicians say the shooters are cowards to kill innocent students.  Well, of course they are cowards, but I think the greater cowards are the Congress and President who will not respect the deep concerns we have for the safety of the children.  No, they have to OBEY the will of the NRA.  Do they work for us, the people, No,  they work for the NRA.

It is so shameful and disgusting that the politicians we elect don’t care!  I don’t want to see this happen, but I think if 30% of Congressmen’s children were in a school where they were shot (not killed) then MAYBE they would do something about the gun violence in our society.

They almost passed a law to stop the manufacturing of the “bump stock” to make rifles automatic, but many said, no, no, remember the first commandment in politics — obey the will of the NRA.  Senator Rubio of Florida, yes of Florida, received $3,000,000 from the NRA to support his campaign,  so of course it’s easy for him to be a coward and not stand up for the lives of children, after all his children were not in that school.

We know that the NRA is the most powerful lobbying organization in our country, and we remember the first commandment in politics in Washington.  It’s obvious to me that the leadership of the NRA and many of its three million members are what I call paranoid, so full of fear that they will someday lose the privilege of owning 10 or 20 or 30 guns.  I want them to have all the hunting guns they want, but people don’t need big military guns to kill people.

And if there are “mentally troubled kids” monitored by other kids, parents and teachers, et al., the police should have the right to confiscate their weapons!  Absolutely!

I’m tired of hearing some people say, “Guns don’t kill people!”  It’s just an excuse to defend the powerful NRA.  I think quite a number of people will agree with my words, but  the politicians in Washington, DC, sadly, will not care enough to do something about it.  If there’s anything we all have learned about politicans when they arrive in Washington,  they become cowards, because money is always much more important for themselves, than the lives of the ones, including the children, they were elected to serve ! — I wonder when and where will the next school shooting be?  Isn’t that awful to think about it?  Well, there have been 35 school shootings since the one at Colombine.  It’s not yet enough to move the politicians to action.

The only possible cure might be elect all new Congress people, especially mothers. They care!