Female shooter. Seven (7) dead in private religious school (K-6 grades); 2nd Fl. -- Nashville, TN

• 3-- staff members
• 3-- students
• 1- the shooter (teenager)

Semi-automatic weapon

When will this country ban these guns? CM

An average citizen (not a cop or member of a militia) in his home or yard, can kill a man, he's lauded for "standing his ground". A Christian who can act as judge, jury, and executioner because he has a gun; yet a doctor who's trained, licensed, and recognized is looked down upon for performing an abortion, with the woman and family consent, is viewed with shame and derision, why?

Shooting a man ("outside the womb", grown, breathing on his own) is an abortion of life? If America so concerns about life, why does she allows, almost anyone, who wants one, to purchase or carry a gun? Everyone knows that guns are instruments of death and were made to kill. Why would the American government and many "so-called" Christians" purchase, own, and use guns? Why is it that more states have more restrictions on Abortion than they do on guns?

If the Second Amendment allows a person to purchase, own, carry and use a gun as he deems necessary, Christians are silent. The U.S. Supreme Court says a woman has a right to abortion (clean/safe) in consultation with her family and doctor, Christians and states have much to say. They want to impose draconian laws, measures, and restrictions upon the abortion doctors and interferes in a private matter of a woman and her family. Can you smell the stench of hypocrisy emanating from the church's bell towers and steeples? Can you perceive the blood-soaked hand of the American government over the gun-shot dead under the guise of "enforcement ", "rights", "Second Amendment", intruders, and "I feared for my life"?

Christians "you can't have your cake and eat it too". Take a stand for life. All life. Get rid of guns. Have you forgotten, they were made to kill more than under undeveloped tissue? CM

Published by Statista Research Department, Nov 27, 2020

 In August 2020, around one million handguns were sold in the United States. In August 2020, handgun sales in the United States grew by 66 percent when compared to the same period in the previous year.

What is this madness for America's need to buy more guns? Has she not learn that Firearm ownership leads to Firearm production and sale, Firearm related crime, deaths and injuries, and increase of deaths by accident, etc., in the U.S.? See the footprints of this madness. CM

The most important statistics

• Gun ownership in the U.S. 1972-2020
• Gun ownership in the U.S. by gender 2020
• Gun ownership in the U.S. by ethnicity 2020
• Gun ownership in the U.S. by age 2020
• Gun ownership in the U.S. by education level 2020
• Firearm ownership rate, by proximity to urban centers U.S. 2017
• Gun ownership in the U.S. 2017, by region
• Gun ownership, by party affiliation U.S. 2020

Further Content: You might find this interesting as well

STATISTICS

• Monthly sales growth of guns in the U.S. from 2019 to 2020
• Number of pistols manufactured in the U.S. 1986-2018
• Public perception of gun crime in America 2013
• Homicides with firearms in Latin America and Caribbean countries, 2009
• Number of non-fatal firearm crimes U.S. 2000-2019
• Non-fatal firearm crimerate in the U.S. 2011, by ethnicity
• Brazil: handgun import value 2016-2019
• Brazil: handgun import volume 2016-2019
• Wholesale sales of sports firearms in the U.S. 2007-2019
• Reasons for firearm ownership U.S. 2015
• Methods of firearm acquisition U.S. 2015
• Number of firearms processed U.S. 1990-2019
• Comparison: easy access to guns to blame for mass shootings in the US, 2011 and 2013
• Canada: number of individual firearms licenses held, by type 2019
• Number of federal firearm dealers U.S. 1975-2019
• Canada: reasons for firearms license revocations 2019
• Distribution of handguns imports into Denmark 2016, by country

Guns were made to kill. A Christian SHOULDN'T buy, owned or need a gun. Should not a people seek their God for protection? CD Christians don't be deceived or join this American madness -- buying a gun. Choice ye this whom you would rely upon for safety and protection, a gun or Christ? If you have a gun in your home, remove it immediately! CM

To be perfectly clear:

I call on all families and Christians to remove GUNS from their homes. Let heaven's abiding angels protect and keep you and yours safe. CM

Use a gun and now these will pay for it the rest of their lives.

The Second Amendment may give one the "right to bear arms", but not the right to go around shooting people.

• Gregory McMichael, Travis McMichael and William "Roddie" Bryan Jr. were charged with malice and felony murder in Arbery's death, which sparked national outrage after a video of his shooting was made public.

This, @reformed and @Truth, is murder! This "is reprehensible"!

Guns were made to kill! CM

CD Readers,

Please watch the video. This clip shows how one can stop a shooter in a church. If the Pastor had a gun, things could've turned out badly for many people. Clear-headed thinking and swift actions, not another gun, saves lives. If guns were not so available, so many lives would not have been threatened. Evil intent is a given after the fall and this side of the return of Jesus. Do we have to make guns so available for one to carry out sinister desires? Don't you agree?

Looking ahead, should churches be equipped with metal detectors, cameras, and/or armed guards? CM

PS. Guns are instruments of death. They were made to kill. CM

See the Gun Violence Tracker: Week: Oct. 21 - 27, 2021

Years 2016 - 2021

• 393 deaths and 711 injuries over the past week
• 20,671 deaths and 40,399 injuries over the past year
• 97,773 deaths and 193,947 injuries over the past 5 years

Why the Second Amendment may be losing relevance in gun debate

Experts said legislatures are doing the work in setting the landscape on guns. 

ByLibby Cathey -- October 28, 2021, 5:06 AM

Do you really love life? Do you really want to protect the innocent? The Christian Community needs to wake up and step up. The gun deaths are NOT maybe people. They are real people. CM

Source: Gun Violence Archive:

* All data is lagged by three days. Full methodology

* Figure is current month-to-date. All data is lagged by three days. Full methodology

* Figure is current year-to-date. All data is lagged by three days. Full methodology

This is good news for the many families who loss loved ones to an organization that promotes the purchase and the usage of guns, an instrument that has no other purpose than to kill (man/animals). It's a first step, but a good step. God has heard the cries and have seen the tears of-the-many, over guns and this organization.

The NRA, plans to reincorporate in Texas, is currently being investigated by New York’s attorney general, who is seeking to dissolve it. They can run, but they can't hide. I agree with Ms. James, that “The N.R.A.’s claimed financial status has finally met its moral status: bankrupt”. This organization need to be brought to it knees and die a painful death like so many have done by the weapons they promoted and endorsed over the years.

The NRA days are numbered, like Mr. Trump. I take comfort in knowing that the wheels of the law maybe slow, but its rulings are effective.

To all CD Posters,

Guns were made to kill, can't you see;

That's why the NRA is filing for bankruptcy.

I call on all families and Christians to remove GUNS from their homes. Let heaven's abiding angels protect and keep you and yours safe. CM

Black woman shot and killed after Kentucky police entered her home as she slept, family says

Louisville Metro Police Department officers were looking for a suspect at the wrong home when they shot and killed Breonna Taylor, according to a lawsuit.

May 12, 2020, 5:51 PM CDT / Updated May 13, 2020, 6:13 AM CDT

A black woman was asleep in her Louisville, Kentucky, home when three police officers forced their way inside, "blindly fired" and killed her, according to a lawsuit filed by the woman's family.

Breonna Taylor, an EMT worker, died on March 13 after officers with the Louisville Metro Police Department executed a search warrant at the wrong home, the suit states.

Police at the time said the officers knocked on the door several times and “announced their presence as police who were there with a search warrant.” The officers forced their way in through the door and “were immediately met by gunfire,” Lt. Ted Eidem said at a March 13 press conference.

Breonna Taylor was a qualified EMT. 

Taylor's death gained national attention this week after the family hired attorney Ben Crump, who is also representing the family of Ahmaud Arbery, the black man in Georgia who died on Feb. 23 after being pursued and shot by two white men.

Gregory McMichael and his son Travis McMichael were arrested last week and charged with murder and aggravated assault in the Arbery case.

Crump called Taylor's death a "senseless killing."

"We stand with the family of this young woman in demanding answers from the Louisville Police Department," he said in a statement Monday on Twitter.

The attorney called out the police department for not taking responsibility and not providing "any answers regarding the facts and circumstances of how this tragedy occurred."

Crump joins Sam Aguiar and Lonita Baker in representing the family.

The lawsuit states that Taylor and her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, were asleep in the bedroom when police in plain clothes and unmarked vehicles arrived at the house around 12:30 a.m.

The officers were looking for a suspect who lived in a different part of the city and was already in police custody.

The three officers entered Taylor's home "without knocking and without announcing themselves as police officers," the suit states.

The lawsuit says Taylor and Walker woke up and thought criminals were breaking in. Walker called 911 and, according to The Courier-Journal, police said he opened fire and shot an officer.

"The defendants then proceeded to spray gunfire into the residence with a total disregard for the value of human life," the lawsuit alleges. "Shots were blindly fired by the officers all throughout Breonna's home."

The suit states that Walker had a license to carry and kept firearms in the home for protection.

Taylor, 26, was shot eight times and died. Walker, 27, was arrested. According to jail records he's been charged with assault and attempted murder on a police officer. An attorney for Walker could not immediately be reached.

"Breonna had posed no threat to the officers and did nothing to deserve to die at their hands," the suit says, adding that she was unarmed.

"Neither of the two had any criminal history for drugs or violence," it states. No drugs were found in the home.

The gunfire from the officers struck objects in the living room, dining room, kitchen, hallway, bathroom and both bedrooms, according to the lawsuit.

"The officers failed to use any sound reasonable judgment whatsoever when firing more than 25 blind shots into multiple homes and causing the wrongful death of Breonna," according to the suit.

Taylor's mother, Tamika Palmer, filed the lawsuit in April in Jefferson Circuit Court alleging wrongful death, excessive force and gross negligence.

A spokesperson for the Louisville Metro Police Department said, "Due to an ongoing internal investigation into this situation, we are not able to comment at this time."

The officers were identified by the police department at the March 13 press conference as Jonathan Mattingly, Brett Hankison and Myles Cosgrove. All three were placed on administrative reassignment pending the outcome of an investigation.

Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said in a statement Tuesday that he was monitoring the case and talked to the police department's chief to ensure a thorough investigation.

"As always, my priority is that the truth comes out, and for justice to follow the path of truth," he said in a statement posted on Twitter. "The Breonna Taylor case is currently under investigation. Therefore, expansive comments are not appropriate until all the facts are fully known."

This is shame! Guns kill. CM

Guns

This is shameful and sick people wanting to kill more beyond the virus. This ruling above is further proof the "Second Amendment" is garbage and needs to be abolished. Crime is way down yet, more guns are needed to kill people before the virus get to them. Forget Coronavirus, guns and their owners should be declared a pandemic. CM

NRA sues California Gov. Gavin Newsom and other state officials over gun store closures

(CNN) — The National Rifle Association and other gun owner groups are suing California Gov. Gavin Newsom and other officials after gun stores were deemed non-essential businesses and ordered to close during a statewide stay-at-home order to curbcoronavirus infections.

The lawsuit seeks to have gun stores declared essential businesses. It was filed Friday by the NRA, a Los Angeles-area gun retailer, and other gun owner groups in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.

But the gun violence prevention group Brady said the NRA's lawsuit is misguided, saying the group cares more about profits than public health. 

Source:

Gun owners have a virus, but it's not "Corona". Guns were made to kill! CM

POSTED 2:38 PM, FEBRUARY 26, 2020, BY KATIE DELONG, UPDATED AT 09:00PM, FEBRUARY 26, 2020

Reformed,

Today, five people are dead! Was the shooter protecting his property or saving a life? Gun were made to kill! The NRA should be a shame themselves.

CD must take a stand and speak out against guns! The little girl, in another thread, carry an AR-15, makes me sick! CM

Once again, here it is in questions and answers format. The voice of history is so loud on the subject matter, a deaf man can hear. I further stated:

You say, "where is the beef" (Proof)? What was the original intent of the Second Amendment?

Why did the Founding Fathers create the Second Amendment?

What is the exact wording of the Second Amendment?

The Second Amendment was birth "to destroy insurrections or slave rebellions"! The then, U. S. Government was in stalk violation of God's will and commands. She held men slaves when God made them free. Who is the "animal" and the "savage"?  The Second Amendment is a memorial of greed, EVIL, hate, slavery, oppression, FEAR, and religious hypocrisy.

America, your soul is black within, and your hands are bloody! From a purely historical point of view, what race of people supported the slave-trade industry, made laws to maintain control, and solid the "land of freedom" with the blood of Native Americans and African slaves? The number killed far exceeded the six million Jews killed during the Holocaust. The cry of justice can still be heard today.

Please don't get mad with me. Get rid of the Second Amendment and don't support the NRA. America, break with the sins of the past. God called you into existence to be a blessing to all, not just the land and gun owners. CM

• "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore, Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

SOURCE:

• History of the second amendment
• Statue of liberty poem

Gov. Ralph Northam delivers the State of the Commonwealth address at the Virginia State Capitol on Jan. 8, 2020 in Richmond. On Wednesday, Northam declared a state of emergency ahead of a planned gun-rights rally next week.

Fearing potential violence, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam is declaring a state of emergency and banning firearms and other weapons on the capitol grounds in Richmond ahead of a gun-rights demonstration planned for next week.

"We have received credible intelligence from our law enforcement agencies that there are groups with malicious plans for the rally that is planned for Monday," Northam said during a press conference Wednesday afternoon. 

Gun rights supporters are preparing to converge on Richmond for a lobbying day and pro-gun rally Monday morning. They're opposed to efforts by Virginia Democrats — who've just taken over control of the Virginia legislature following the November 2019 elections — to pass a slate of gun control bills backed by Northam. 

The event, hosted by Virginia Citizens Defense League, is expected to draw thousands of armed demonstrators, some from out of state...

... reports of "out-of-state militia groups and hate groups planning to travel from across the country to disrupt our democratic process with acts of violence" who he said "are coming to intimidate and to cause harm."

Northam is raising concerns about a reprise of the deadly violence surrounding the white supremacist march in Charlottesville in August 2017. He said state intelligence analysts have identified threats and rhetoric online that mirrors the chatter they were picking up around that time.

"Please know that we have been preparing extensively to protect public safety at Monday's rally. But no one wants another incident like the one we saw in Charlottesville in 2017," Northam said...

Northam asked organizers of the event to "disavow" any groups who would threaten violence.

******************************* ****************** **********************

It's a high probability the NRA is behind this rally. "Weapons of war" on display in the streets. What's wrong with gun owners? I fear for the peace-loving Jews of Virginia. Who will protect the children? CM

SOURCE:

https://www.npr.org/2020/01/15/796666321/virginia-governor-declares-state-of-emergency-ahead-of-pro-gun-rally

For part one on "guns, guns" of 2018, see https://www.christiandiscourse.net/discussion/145/guns-guns-guns-through-the-eyes-of-a-child/p5

Because of the recent shootings in America, I felt compelled to continue to point out the dangerous effect of guns on a child, especially in the classroom in Guns, Guns, Guns -- Through The Eyes Of A Child—Part-2

# 6.  The Teacher gave Us A Little Booklet Today

The Teacher gave us a coloring Book today.

It was stories of Boys and girls in a cartoon form,

Gun safety is no child's play.

In the back were some pages with names black and gray, 

that with guns, there should never to be horseplay.

All GUNS MUST BE STORED the right way.

I thanked my teacher as I have been taught to say;

she said, Oh, no, not me, it’s from the NRA.

# 7. Guns, Guns, Guns -- Through the Eyes Of A Child

Back in the day, little girls like pretty clothes and dress ups;

putting on aprons and cooking stuff.

They enjoy going on vacation; 

Drinking spring water and eating Oreos.

America, a beautiful nation!

On the other hand, little boys like guns, but the little girls just want to have fun.

Why parents have to spoil everything by bringing a gun?

# 8.  We Had A Drill Today

We Had A Drill Today.

No, it wasn't for fire, tornado or to go to play;

It was no fun. It was the teacher's gun. 

At the teacher's signal, we're to run to the back of the room;

To the inner wall next to the hall.

Behind the bulletproof shield, strong and tall.

Everyone is to be quiet; as my teacher got her AR-15 from the cupboard on the wall.

Some of my classmates think Ms. Aldler was cool like a gun moll.

She pushed a button and a steel plate covered the door;

No matter the pings and bangs implore, until the school's signal, we remain for.

We heard the all-clear bell; my teacher said, we've all done well.

Our teacher removed the clip from her gun, we return to our studies of William Tell.

But not before the teacher gave us all zinfandels*, played music and gave each a hug. CM

*Zinfandel (also known as Primitivo) is a variety of black-skinned wine grape.

• Within hours of the new decade, many people had lost their lives, including two juvenile boys.
• Several of the shootings happened at nightclubs and bars.
• Two men were fatally shot when a gunman opened fire at a 2020 celebration at a club in Orlando, Florida, sending nearly 250 partygoers running for safety, local news outlets said.

At a nightclub in Lubbock, Texas, a gunman killed two men, 17 and 24.

In Huntington, West Virginia, at least seven people were injured after being shot inside a bar early New Year’s Day. More than a dozen shell casings were found outside the bar and in a parking lot across the street.

Four people in St. Louis were shot to death in the early morning hours. Three were found dead in one location, where a fourth person was shot in the leg but survived. One person was fatally shot and another wounded in a separate incident...

Guns were made to kill. CM

This post is not the beginning of a return to consistency in posting as I have in the past. Continue to pray for my family and me. However, your comments are expected and welcome. It's the tragedy in El Paso, TX, and Dayton, Ohio that has compelled me to say a word to the Christian Community, in general, and members of Christian Debate, in particular. I promised to check in from time to time. This event is one of those times. Christians, on any level of his journey, must not keep silent on the recent massacres and America's inhumanity to man. One must speak up and condemn hatred (quasi-Federal pogrom) and give voice to decency and a better way.

My thoughts are not to lend support to the Democrats or the Republican Party. I don't subscribe to either party. They both seem to be opposite sides of the same coin. The Democrats, on the one hand, seem to be more concern about winning. They are too afraid of losing.

On the other hand, the Republicans seem to lack morals, heart, compassion, lack of respect for the American rule of laws. In short, they are political chameleons and are too beholding to the narcissistic U. S. President Donald J. Trump, whom many, full-throated, believed to be a "White National Racist." The Republicans have lost their soul and surrendered any moral high ground, they once held.

I have resurfaced to repeat a truth spoken, in the past, in these forums. It's unfortunate, America had to experience this reality in lost lives in two places within 13 hours of each: Guns were Made To Kill! No, it's not a mental illness that kills. Guns do. I have written much on this topic in these forums. Here we go again:

Guns were made to kill: Back to the Future

You may ask again why more of the same?

Loved ones are dead, and it's not a game.

Without warning, bullets flew, piercing glass, walls, and flesh;

Rupturing backs, heads, eyes, hearts, legs, and chests.

Whether, in one or two places, the carnage is the same.

Spent shells, bloody bodies, broken bones, wounds too deep; for life, what a bloody shame?

Why so graphic, one may say;

Common sense gun laws are needed right away.

Mental illness, many politicians claim;

Ninety percent of Americans want background checks, and seventy percent wants a ban on assault rifles, bump-stocks, high caliber magazines; can politicians be justly blamed?

Who benefits from these weapons of war, anyway?

History says extreme gun owners and the NRA.

You have heard this all before;

A lack of action, America; prepare for a whole lot more.

Yesterday is today and today was yesterday, many are reluctant to believe so;

Enough is enough; commonsense gun laws would hopefully, stem the status flow. -- by CM

The bill passed on strictly partisan lines -- 21 Republicans supported it and 19 Democrats opposed it. But the debate was turned heated. The bill would repeal a law that reportedly dates back to colonial times, which makes it a misdemeanor to carry "a gun, pistol, bowie knife, dagger, or other dangerous weapon, without good and sufficient reason, to a place of worship while a meeting for religious purposes is being held at such place", in the state of Va.

             ------------    -------    ------------    ------------

Why are we making the place of worship and "Houses of God" War Zones? God is not enough? Guns Were Made To Kill. Who doesn't know that? CHURCHES BE "GUN-FREE ZONES". It appears Republicans everywhere, don't know what to do with power, shows signs of ungodliness. "More guns, in more places, in more hands", leads to more carnage, deaths, the massacre of the innocent, seniors, and children.

Who is behind this foolishness of weaponizing churches and the arming of pastors? With some research, it may prove that the NRA is behind it and the encouragement of gun sales. After all, handguns are more popular than before. At the same time, more children and family members are killed. Today's Christians seem to be spiritual stooges for extreme right-wing politicians. See my past threads and posts on guns. God has not called Christians out of darkness to be promoters and executioners of societal wrongs.

Bibles belong in the pulpit, not guns! CD Users, speak up and speak out about the desecration of churches, traumatizing members, and the deputizing deacons and ushers. Our churches should be a fortress of truth with the Word as its shield and protector. God will take care of His people. Let's not put our trust in guns and bullets, but in prayer, praise, fellowship, and heavenly hope. Stand for truth, safety, and the presence of a holy God. CM

A gunman kills Jews in the Tree of life Jewish Synagogue in Pittsburgh, USA. FBI Leading Investigation As Shooting Deemed A 'Hate Crime'. What's becoming of America and hate? This is a shameful act to attack people at worship on the Holy Sabbath. This is a cowardly act. We're saddened. The peaceful Jews of America don't deserve this. See below earlier news clips: https://cbsloc.al/2D7cXUG

Pray for the families and injured. I would hold my peace and allow my warm tears to flow freely to speak for now. Guns are no friends to religion. Jews are Americans too. CM

Nearly one mass shooting a day, according to the Gun Violence Archive’s count.

By German Lopez@germanrlopezgerman.lopez@vox.com Updated Sep 20, 2018, 3:33pm EDT
https://www.vox.com/2018/9/20/17882888/mass-shootings-us-aberdeen-maryland

Multiple mass shootings have occurred in just the past two days — at a courthouse in Masontown, Pennsylvania; a business in Middleton, Wisconsin; and a Rite Aid distribution center in Aberdeen, Maryland.

This is, apparently, not abnormal for 2018. According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been nearly as many mass shootings so far this year as there have been days.

“There have been 262 American mass shootings (4+ shot or killed in the same incident, not including the shooter) in the 263 days of 2018,” the Gun Violence Archive tweeted.

This is roughly in line with what we’ve seen in recent years. In all of 2015, there were 335 mass shootings. In 2016, there were 382. In 2017, there were 346.

In total, there have been more than 1,800 mass shootings in the US since 2013. Here’s the full map of mass shootings going back to 2013:

As the tweet noted, the Gun Violence Archive defines mass shootings as events in which four or more people, excluding the shooter, were shot but not necessarily killed in a similar time and place.

This is different than other definitions of mass shootings. Some definitions consider an event a mass shooting only if four or more people were killed. Others, like Mother Jones’s tracker, exclude certain types of shootings, such as gang and domestic violence, even if there were mass casualties.

Regardless of whether Gun Violence Archive’s count fits everyone’s definition of a mass shooting, the point is the same: The US regularly — almost daily — has shootings in which multiple people are wounded or killed.

America has a lot of gun violence
Beyond mass shootings, the US has a lot of gun violence, including homicides, suicides, and accidental events. A study published in JAMA found that the US is one of six countries that make up half of gun deaths worldwide; the other countries were Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, and Guatemala.

The US had a rate of 10.6 gun deaths per 100,000 people in 2016, which dwarfed comparable developed countries: Switzerland’s rate was 2.8, Canada’s was 2.1, Australia’s was 1, Germany’s was 0.9, the United Kingdom’s was 0.3, and Japan’s was 0.2.

The good news is that crime and murder have generally trended down over the past couple decades in the US. The bad news is that the US, based on the numbers from the JAMA study, continues to see far more gun deaths than other developed nations.

That’s not because America is completely helpless in the face of these tragedies. The reason other developed nations have less gun violence in general is because they have stricter gun laws and fewer guns. (For reference, the US had 120.5 guns per 100 people in 2017 — more guns than people — while Canada had 34.7 per 100 people, Germany had 19.6 per 100 people, and Australia had 14.5 per 100 people, according to the Small Arms Survey.)

Good research backs up the link between more gun control and fewer gun deaths. A 2016 review of 130 studies in 10 countries, published in Epidemiologic Reviews, found that new legal restrictions on owning and purchasing guns tended to be followed by a drop in gun violence — a strong indicator that restricting access to firearms can save lives. The review suggested that no one policy seems to have a big effect by itself, but a collection of gun restrictions can produce a significant effect over time.

Similarly, a recent review of US studies by the RAND Corporation found some evidence that stricter gun laws, like background checks, reduce gun deaths and injuries, while permissive gun laws, like concealed carry, increase gun deaths and injuries.

But in a political and cultural environment that’s made it difficult to pass almost any new gun control law at the federal level, Americans have by and large just gotten used to the regular pace of tragedies. As Sheriff Donny Youngblood of Kern County, California, said at a press conference after a mass shooting in Bakersfield, California, last week, “This is the new normal.”

               *****************************************************************

A map of all mass shootings in the US, going back to 2013. To explore the data, click here for Vox’s full map

What will it take to change your mind? Guns were made to kill! CM

The bus driver's or the maiden's gun may be opened or concealed;
for some, it's not a big deal.

The guns placed in locked boxes around the school, in the halls;
Encased like a safe, along with the freshly painted walls.

Guns carried by the teachers, principal, and janitors;
Proud to cover the parameter.

Guns at the gate as soon as one into the grounds or the compound;
When told, we get off the bus to look around.

Guns by young, cute, and oversize security guards-
They are like the swimming-pool bodyguards.

Guns examples are shown during active-shooter and safety drills;
They always make several students ill.

And then, there is the actual shooter, with a gun;
We may encounter him/her in the classrooms, halls, grounds, or bus;
Remembering the safety plans, a must!
Regardless, too many will be left nonplussed. CM

On the road, we drive and enjoy the breeze;
but as soon as someone cuts us off, we become uneased.
Hand gestures, shouts, and blaring horns, we will have none;
We'll show who's boss, with one flash of the gun.

More guns, we cry, for marshalls on flights, shows, and county fairs;
Hunting, practicing, get in a few fights over beers and dares.
If I am injured in my affairs, my gun carrying son would set it right, as bagging bears.
Many would say prayers and share baby tears.

When I hear of gun fired, drive-bys at schools, theaters, malls or grassy knolls;
Not to bear arms is what I fear most;
I am sorry for the poor soul, but I don't want any gun control.
Reserving the Second Amendment is what's utmost.

When Americans hear of a gun shooting, far or near, on the news;
We wonder who was out of place or needed to be schooled.
We say words of care for hearts with grief succumbed;
In a day or so, there will be another one--bum, thrum, thrum, thrum. __by CM

Here is how I will answer you in words, in your mind, I hope it would stay. You may call it what you may. You may call it poetry, a poem, or something underway. You can read it any time, anyway, any day.

Guns Were Made To Kill by CM

Guns Were Made To Kill, rather big, long or small if shot in the woods, malls or schools' halls.

Guns Were Made To Kill, although many say they collect them just for fun, even by the tons.

Guns Were Made To Kill, even if you like the feel, shape or sound;
Oh, into the air, you just like to get off a few rounds.

Guns Were Made To Kill, you love the smell of gunpowder and the power in your hands; ignoring the spent shells that litter the ground.

Guns Were Made To Kill, whether opened carried or concealed;
Once shot, what it hits is real.

Guns Were Made To Kill, rather in the home, churches or the battlefield;
they shatter hearts, knees, and windshields.

Guns Were Made To Kill, whether made long ago or today;
no fabrications would be acceptable from the NRA.

Guns Were Made To Kill, despite the lobbyists' passionate bifurcation;
"We need more guns" they cry, for recreation and protection.

Guns Were Made To Kill, regardless of the voluminous mendacious good they can do;
heartbreak comes when death takes a loved one close to you.

Guns Were Made To Kill, I am not saying anything new;
I am just reminding you of what hospitals, churches, policemen, and cemeteries long knew.

Guns Were Made To Kill, seven lives were taken not far from Capitol Hill.
Guns Were Made To Kill, and the shooter was not mentally ill.

Guns Were Made To Kill, don't try to say it's for something else;
everybody knows it's false because guns were made to kill. CM

Let's keep focused, Guns Kill. They kill small and large people, outside the womb and long afterward. Why would a Christian support to put guns into the hands of so many who don't fear God or man? A man of God should not support the NRA or any institution that manufacture guns or sell them. CM

Now, is the time to talk about guns before the next mass shooting. This way, we wouldn't be accused of the following:

1. "Playing politics"
2. "Knee-jerk reactions"
3. "Exploiting people's grief"
4. "It's not the time to discuss gun control or laws"

What's being done since the last mass shooting?

The truth be told, it's just a matter of time before the next mass shooting. No, I am not a prophet of doom. America is washed in guns with very weak and un-uniformed requirements for carrying and usage. Tell me:

1. What happened to the Texas Governor's (Abbott) townhall report and recommendations?
2. What are the current gun safety laws on the books?
3. Can they be strengthened?
4. What measures are in place to protect our children, schools, and students?
5. What about the usage of guns in movies and television?
6. A check on video games of gun violence?
7. A ban on those with documented verifiable mental health issues?
8. A special tag or detector attached to all guns.
9. All bullets are, serially, marked like medicine or tablets.

"Come, now, let's reason together".

If America Must Have Guns -- CM's Proposal:

1. Every gun (including collectors) must be registered and licensed (like cars/driving).
2. Mandatory training for each type owned (users expense).
3. No large magazines private citizens (only law enforcement).
4. Mandatory lockbox or case (combination or key) monitored like the ADT Systems in homes.
5. All guns must be insured ($ 100,000 per gun/ $ 1 million for AR-15s).
6. Gun stolen, the owner is held liable for all damages, the cost of ownership.

Besides target practicing, shooting clay pigeons, and just collecting, what are the main purpose for guns? Answer: The undeniable truth-- To KILL! Any other non-lethal usage, guns are not required for man's survival. Manufacturers don't produce nor the NRA promotes gun ownership just for the above three uses. Killing is its heart, drive, and theme. Rather it's:

• At war (killing women, men, children, and families).
• Animals -- Food or sports--God's beautiful creatures of his creation are slaughtered.
• *"So-called" protection -- taking of a life.

The three main reasons for guns usage takes us back to the old post above-- Guns Were Made To Kill. CM

At least 5 dead: A shooting inside the newsroom at the Capital Gazette newspaper office in Annapolis, Maryland has claimed the lives of at least five people.

Shooter in custody: **A law enforcement official tells CNN that one person, believed to be the shooter, is in custody.
**"It's bad": A crime reporter for the paper tweeted the "gunman shot through the glass door" and added, "It's bad.”

Guns Kill! NRA Supports guns. Gun dues support the NRA. Commonsense gun laws and accountability must be required of all gun owners. Pray for the families... CM