“I did what I had to do to stop the person who was attacking me by killing them.”
– Kyle Rittenhouse, trial testimony
Since America has chosen violence, today’s topic is self-destruction, we’re headed for self-destruction.
According to a recent Forbes article that bullet points this year’s gun-related statistics, last month “was the gun industry’s third-busiest November since record-keeping began in the late 1990s.” In addition, Black Friday was the industry’s most active day, based on FBI reports of executing more than 187,000 background checks.
On Dec. 3, a Colorado county sheriff’s office was under fire for tweeting a picture of a gentleman dressed as Santa Claus applying for a concealed handgun permit while boasting of the high number of applications processed.
This came four days after a school shooting in Oxford, Michigan, received extended national attention, in part because the shooter’s parents were also arrested (after a short stint on the lam) and charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter.
Oh, did I mention the gun used in the shooting was purchased on Black Friday?
Also, soon after the Oxford school shooting, two Republican House Representatives sent mixed messages of peace/piece on earth and goodwill toward men when they posted holiday photos of their respective spouses and kids brandishing assorted assault rifles in front of their Christmas trees.
One of the gun-toting politicians was Rep. Lauren Boebert.
Did you know she’s a born-again Christian and owner of a restaurant called Shooter’s Grill located in Rifle, Colorado? Yet, there was no mention of Jesus in her post.
She was also under fire for giving fundraiser speeches using an anecdote describing a questionable encounter with fellow House Rep. Ilhan Omar where Boebert was relieved Omar wasn’t wearing a backpack, hence implying her being a potential suicide bomber due to her Islamic faith. Boebert also affectionately referred to Omar’s staff as the “jihad squad.”
I wonder if all those who defended the Boebert family’s right to bear arms would have extended the same Constitutionally-based support had Omar posted an identical image with her family.
One of the biggest spikes in guns sales occurred the year after former President Barack Obama’s re-election. Could you imagine if that was the Christmas card the Obama family sent out in their first year of office? The Republicans probably would’ve sent child protective services to the White House to take Sasha and Malia. I couldn’t find the ages of Boebert’s children because three out of four of them are apparently minors. Judging by the photo, her youngest son looks around 10 years old. I’m sure there’s no need to do a welfare check but I wonder whether any of the guns they’re holding were purchased on Black Friday.
Oh, did I mention that, apparently, Boebert made false statements regarding a violent incident taking place outside her Shooter’s Grill restaurant in order to qualify for a conceal-carry permit? No deep diving discovery, that’s according to her Wiki page. Another relevant fun fact is she also encourages her restaurant’s wait staff to wear holster sidearms – it’s promoted on the homepage of its website.
The way open and concealed carry laws are expanding, I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before banks will gift guns with new accounts. [For younger readers, it used to be common for banks to give out toasters, which is also slang for a gun so…oh nvm]
I recently read an interactive article from CNN entitled “How US Gun Culture Stacks Up with the World.” It lists American gun statistics and allows you to compare it with any country.
It’s sad.
Our insanity is beyond debate. All the blood spilled in our schools makes us accomplices…Wait, as I use the word “our,” I can’t help but think of all the times white America pointed the finger at Back people when using the term “senseless violence.”
Somewhere between justifying a skateboard as a lethal weapon and the inevitable day when Kid Rock remakes Onyx’s “Throw Ya Gunz” for a Christmas Carol, white people are self-destructing, they’re headed for self-destruction — but they don’t see it as such.
White Republicans seem willing to let the lives of their young be taken senselessly just to scream “freedom.” This is a sacrifice of flesh we’re all forced to endure and it feels sadistic, like it’s setting the stage for the day when whites are the minority in America. By making “Stand Your Ground” > “smoking gun,” they’re establishing precedents for normalized double standards and fascist exemption where rule of law applies only to challengers of white supremacy, even if you’re white.
White Santa can see exactly what’s going on from the North Pole. White Santa sees you killing Breonna Taylor while she’s sleeping, he knows when you’re making straw purchases and guns with 3-D printers. White Santa ain’t worried about his safety in Chicago. White Santa got himself a gun because he knows the same people accusing liberals of trying to cancel Christmas are the same people who will shoot him in the chimney and get acquitted for self-defense. Sadly, the shooter is likely to be a child who still believes in him.
This is America.
Trevor is a creative mercenary and ethical lobbyist born and raised on Beale Street. Follow him on Twitter @trevbetter.
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