This commentary is by Bob Stannard of Manchester, an author, musician and former state legislator and lobbyist.
“That’s just horrible, so surprising to see it here, but we have to get over it,” Donald Trump said. “We have to move forward.”
Well, 2024 is off to a rough start. Campaigning in Iowa, the day after another shooting in America, the former president, who is running again in hopes of staying out of prison, offered these words: “We have to get over it. We have to move forward”.
We have been waiting for decades for our elected leaders to “move forward” on the issue of near daily mass shootings. Of the two political parties one party has steadfastly stood in the way of any kind of legislation that might help save lives. They’ve been relegated to taking a knee and kissing the ring of the National Rifle Association. Is this about to change?
“Jan 5 (Reuters) — “Wayne LaPierre resigned as leader of the National Rifle Association on Friday, ending a long career that saw it became one of the most powerful lobbies in Washington, only to have its prestige tarnished by graft accusations and a bankruptcy filing. LaPierre, 74, chief executive since 1991, steps down just as New York state Attorney General Letitia James brings a corruption trial against the NRA, due to begin in state Supreme Court on Monday. Kris Brown, president of the gun violence prevention group Brady, mockingly said, ‘Thoughts and prayers to Wayne LaPierre,’ referring to a phrase often repeated by those who show support for victims of mass shootings but decline to call for stricter gun laws.”
“Thoughts and prayers” stopped cutting it years ago. Now according to a presidential candidate we’re supposed to “just get over it.” It seems like such a callous thing to say, yet it’s music to his supporters’ ears.
On the third anniversary of the worst insurrection in our nation in modern times we learned that when the former president was informed that his vice president had been moved to a secure location as rioters stormed and destroyed our nation’s Capitol while chanting, “Hang Mike Pence,” he had two words to say: “So what?”
Is this what America has become? Are we now a nation that says to the parents of a child who has been senselessly killed “Get over it? Move forward?” Have we morphed into a nation that couldn’t care less if radical rioters actually murdered our vice president? We saw with our own eyes what happened three years ago on Jan. 6. We know what happened and thanks to the investigation that followed we know why it happened. It happened because the loser of the election couldn’t accept the fact that he lost. Instead, he has continually lied to us saying that the election was stolen. It wasn’t. Most Americans know this, but what’s sad is that there are still a lot of Americans who believe his lies.
I was raised around firearms. I’m rather proficient in the use of firearms. I was taught by my dad to have great respect for guns and to never, ever point a gun, even a toy gun, at another human being unless you fully intend to use it. The terms and conditions for the use of a gun were simple. They are to be used only for hunting and only for self defense. Guns are made for one reason and that’s to kill. I hunted most of my life, but have since retired from doing so. Age has been one factor. The other is that I have lost my desire to take the life of an animal. (Mice are still the exception to that rule). I’ve been here for 72 years and have never felt threatened enough to need a gun for protection. I refuse to live in fear and feel it necessary to walk around carrying a gun. The problem with guns is that they go off and sometimes the person who pulls the trigger regrets doing so instantly.
Perhaps now with Mr. LaPierre about to go on trial for corruption, and with any kind of luck at all spend the rest of his days behind bars, our nation can “move forward” and actually do something about gun violence. My guess is that we won’t. Those who are in a position to do something about gun violence are scared to death of those who believe that they are entitled to have military grade weapons simply because they want to. Some believe that they have to get ready to attack our Capitol again and destroy our democracy and stockpiling an arsenal is not only their right, but their duty.
Sowing hate, discontent and violence against each other is not what America has ever been about. We are a nation that comes together for the common good and lends a hand to those less fortunate, so that they have a better life. We were never meant to be a nation that feared each other, but that’s where we now find ourselves.
As a free people we have the choice to NOT get over it and do the right thing. Here’s hoping we choose wisely.
