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HuffPo asks 9 GOP Sens what Congress can do to stop mass shootings, all said nothing

K

KSweeley

Member
The Huffington Post actually asked some GOP Senators the question of what Congress can do to prevent mass shootings? The responses from many show that American voters who want gun control, the first step would be to vote out the GOP in the 2018 midterm: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry...hat Congress Can Do To Prevent Mass Shootings

Here’s how the GOP senators responded to the question of what Congress can do to prevent mass shootings:

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.): “I think it’s particularly inappropriate to politicize an event like this, it just happened in the last day-and-a-half. It’s entirely premature to be discussing legislative solutions, if any.

“We’re in the middle of an investigation. We’ll see what that reveals. And at the end of that will be an appropriate time to discuss it. In the meantime, our priority is on tax reform, as my colleagues have indicated, we’re going to press ahead with that in the Budget Committee this week.”

Cruz : “The facts are still developing, but it appears this was a crazed madman and sadly violence will always be part of our lives. But it underscores the need for more effective law enforcement and more effective measures to prevent domestic terrorism. And I expect in the coming days the facts will develop as to whether there were warning signs that should have led to further investigation of this individual before he carried out this horrific attack.”

Graham: “I don’t know, I mean, let’s find out, see if you can establish a motive. I mean, I don’t know why he did it. Any laws he broke, any loopholes and laws he took advantage of? Other than that I’m just at a loss. I don’t think this is a problem a law is going to fix by itself.”

Sen. Richard Shelby (Ala.): “I don’t know if legislation can [prevent mass shootings]. We cry that everything is a government problem and a government solution. But everything is not. That was a terrible thing that happened, the worst thing I’ve ever seen. But from what I read and seen on TV ... the man didn’t have a prior record, had no problems, [passed] a background check [when buying weapons], had no apparent obstacles to him.

“So, we’re dealing with the human condition, sometimes it doesn’t manifest itself very well. I don’t know why anybody would want to kill anybody like that. But I don’t know that the government can ― I tell you what we could do, is more checks in hotels, you know, just like it’d be hard to take a gun [into Congress] because people are checking. I suppose, in the future when they build new buildings, they’re going to have to think about security.”

HuffPost: Do you want metal detectors on the doors of casinos?

“That’s up to them, but I would think of any way to protect my clientele.”

Sen. Johnny Isakson (Ga.): “First of all, you never accept the fact that you can [prevent mass shootings]. So I’m not even going to address answering that question. The second thing you ask is what you can do to help prevent them, and that’s why we have a Congress and I’m on my way to debate those issues. But you should never accept the fact that you can do it.”

Sen. Cory Gardner (Colo.): “I just met with a group of Colorado behavioral health providers, something that has had great bipartisan success ― working on mental health needs and finding out what’s happened. Look, I mean, we need information on what happened in this terrible tragedy in Las Vegas, I think, to figure out really what can be done.”

Sen. Pat Roberts (Kan.): “This is a rather unique situation. I don’t know all the facts and I don’t think we will for the next couple of days until we figure out what was behind all this. This is not your typical person ― to do something as heinous as this. At least today, it’s my understanding, that every firearm that he used is already illegal.”

Sen. Bob Corker (Tenn.): “I don’t know, I really don’t. I’m all for looking at reasonable ways of ending mass killings. We always jump to something that has nothing to do with the event that just occurred.” ...

“I’m like everyone else in our nation, I’d like to see it stop. ... I’m not in any way indicating that I know of some change that needs to happen, but hopefully the Judiciary Committee and Homeland Security Committee hearings will enlighten us. It always seems that what comes out legislatively had nothing to do with the last incident. It’s an impetus for something to happen that’s unrelated. I do hope we’ll have a fulsome discussion about the threat that we have. You can imagine this happening at a [Southeastern Conference college] football game. I know nothing about the background of this person, or what it was that drove him to do this. But it’s a problem in a country that has the freedoms like we have, and so many mass events like that one was. I don’t have the solution but I’d be more than glad to listen to some.”

Thune: “It sounds like he used conversion kits and other things, you know, to make these weapons more lethal. ... We’ll look at the facts when we get them all in here. I think that all of us want to do everything we can to prevent tragedies like that from happening again. You know, it’s an open society. And when somebody does what he wants to do, it’s going to be hard to prevent anything. But I think people are going to have to take steps in their own lives to take precautions to protect themselves and in situations like that, you know, try to stay safe. As somebody said: get small.”
Click to expand...
 
R

Randolph Freelander

Member
DLPWqgxWAAYn1JT.jpg


https://twitter.com/KevinSiers/status/915311185809068032
 
F

Famassu

Member
Yes, being able to perform such mass shooting acts with such devastating weapons, it surely is a mystery where the problem lies or what on Earth could be done about it.
 
S

shnurgleton

Member
Guess being murdered at a Jason Aldean concert is the price we have to pay for freedom huh

These weak ass republicans are going to hell
 
K

KSweeley

Member
We need to get rid of the NRA as well, they are the ones who are fighting against gun control in the U.S. and they have been known to pay off Republican lawmakers in exchange for their commitment to fight against gun control.
 
T

titiklabingapat

Member
There is one thread connecting all these mass shooters: they all poop. We need to monitor our toilets to see who poops a lot. I'm sure we will get into the bottom of this soon.
 
C

cameron

Member
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.): “I think it’s particularly inappropriate to politicize an event like this, it just happened in the last day-and-a-half. It’s entirely premature to be discussing legislative solutions, if any.
Click to expand...
How original.
 
K

Karkador

Banned
The victims who would seek justice against dysfunctional gun policy in this country are either dead or in mourning.

The GOP tactic of underscoring these events as "senseless, random tragedies" that we need to give time and space to, are really just capitalizing on the tragedy to promote inaction.

We need to respect the dead and the families, but someone needs to speak up.
 
A

Afrodium

Banned
“So, we’re dealing with the human condition, sometimes it doesn’t manifest itself very well. I don’t know why anybody would want to kill anybody like that. But I don’t know that the government can ― I tell you what we could do, is more checks in hotels, you know, just like it’d be hard to take a gun [into Congress] because people are checking. I suppose, in the future when they build new buildings, they’re going to have to think about security.”

HuffPost: Do you want metal detectors on the doors of casinos?

“That’s up to them, but I would think of any way to protect my clientele.”
Click to expand...

We need full body scans for anyone entering any building in order to preserve an American's freedom to bear arms.
 
D

Devilgunman

Member
Children got shot. Nothing happened.

Their own people got shot. Nothing happened.


Do you expect anything different this time?
 
G

Grimm Fandango

Member
There was literally a shooting event with GOP congressmen at that softball game and that didn't do shit. I'm convinced nothing will ever happen with these asshats in congress.
 
B

Bad_Boy

time to take my meds
And when would it be a good time for us to talk about it?

When another one happens? These fucking idiots.
 
G

Guess Who

Banned
Every single GOP lawmaker needs to be stripped of power and never again given any authority over any government decision in this entire country. The entire party needs to burn to the ground. There is no redemption for it.
 
T

The Albatross

Member
Randolph Freelander said:
DLPWqgxWAAYn1JT.jpg


https://twitter.com/KevinSiers/status/915311185809068032
Click to expand...

While I'm pro-gun control, anti-NRA, the NRA's power is not actually with contributions, it's with mobilizing voters. The NRA gives comparatively little in lobbying money and contributions, but it's ~5million members are incredibly politically active, and the NRA -- like NARAL and NRLC -- are more effective at motivating voters than motivating dollars.

The NRA has given about $3.5m to sitting members of congress over the last 20 years (WaPo), which is relatively little. Gun control organizations need harness their political activity to counter balance the gun "debate" in cogress.

Oh, nm, it's $10,000 (I originally thought the cartoon was a $10m check) :) Still. The NRA's power is voter mobilization, and political action groups for gun regulation need to mobilize voters in the same way, or else the NRA Will always control political action (or inaction in this case)
 
F

Figboy79

Aftershock LA
These people are god damned idiots. There’s a lot that can be done to mitigate horrific tragedies like this, but they’re so afraid of losing political ground by upsetting their constituents, that they’ll hem and haw and tapdance around the obvious answer.

Gun control reform isn’t as insurmountable as they think it is. It won’t be easy, but not being easy doesn’t mean impossible. They’re just too cowardly to take that first necessary step, and I’m not talking about banning guns. There are a plethora of checks and balances that have proven to work for other developed countries.
 
S

SpiralZilla

Member
People protesting for equal rights: "Let's criminalize protesting! Don't let those thugs disrupt our way of life!"

Mass shooter kills dozens and injures hundreds: "Look, there's nothing we can do about it. Let's not drag politics into it."

Sen. Johnny Isakson (Ga.): ”First of all, you never accept the fact that you can [prevent mass shootings]. So I'm not even going to address answering that question. The second thing you ask is what you can do to help prevent them, and that's why we have a Congress and I'm on my way to debate those issues. But you should never accept the fact that you can do it."
Click to expand...

What is this? Is he admitting that something can be done while admitting to being in denial?
 
A

Afrodium

Banned
Are there any other tragedies where Congress acts horrified at the expectation of a swift legislative response?
 
T

titiklabingapat

Member
Look at all these gold medals. That is some awesome show of mental gymnastics in full display.

Incidentally, using it as 'random acts of violence that cannot be prevented' is the same language that many people use for car accidents. The USA also has a higher tray if car fatalities compared to other developed nations as well.
 
L

Linkstrikesback

Member
plagiarize said:
Look, gun owners can't give up their freedoms, so everyone else has to. Obviously.
Click to expand...

Look, nowhere in the constitution* does it say you have the right to life, unless you're a fetus **, in which case, we will fight you to the death*** for the right for women to not be able to choose to have an abortion ****

*Never read the constitution
**What are you, a baby killer?
***Potentially literally, at least until the baby is born, at which point it can starve for all we care
****After all, if we're going to reverse womens rights entirely, we need to start somewhere
 
R

Randolph Freelander

Member
The Albatross said:
While I'm pro-gun control, anti-NRA, the NRA's power is not actually with contributions, it's with mobilizing voters. The NRA gives comparatively little in lobbying money and contributions, but it's ~5million members are incredibly politically active, and the NRA -- like NARAL and NRLC -- are more effective at motivating voters than motivating dollars.

The NRA has given about $3.5m to sitting members of congress over the last 20 years (WaPo), which is relatively little. Gun control organizations need harness their political activity.

Oh, nm, it's $10,000 (I originally thought the cartoon was a $10m check) :) Still. The NRA's power is voter mobilization, and political action groups for gun regulation need to mobilize voters in the same way, or else the NRA Will always control political action (or inaction in this case)
Click to expand...


(But does WaPo know how much the NRA has given to Super PACs.)
 
L

LegendofJoe

Member
I don't understand what Senator Isakson was trying to say at all. I guess it's too much to expect even a coherent response from some of these corrupted cowards.
 
B

balladofwindfishes

Member
The Albatross said:
While I'm pro-gun control, anti-NRA, the NRA's power is not actually with contributions, it's with mobilizing voters. The NRA gives comparatively little in lobbying money and contributions, but it's ~5million members are incredibly politically active, and the NRA -- like NARAL and NRLC -- are more effective at motivating voters than motivating dollars.

The NRA has given about $3.5m to sitting members of congress over the last 20 years (WaPo), which is relatively little. Gun control organizations need harness their political activity to counter balance the gun "debate" in cogress.

Oh, nm, it's $10,000 (I originally thought the cartoon was a $10m check) :) Still. The NRA's power is voter mobilization, and political action groups for gun regulation need to mobilize voters in the same way, or else the NRA Will always control political action (or inaction in this case)
Click to expand...

It's a political cartoon
 
H

HazySaiyan

Banned
Not only are the GOP doing nothing, they’re making it worse by trying to legalise fucking silencers and armor piercing rounds and shit.

The GOP are the scum of the earth, the absolute lowest of the low. There aren’t words to describe the level of contempt they must have for the American people
 
K

KSweeley

Member
Randolph Freelander said:
(But does WaPo know how much the NRA has given to Super PACs.)
Click to expand...

Also how many Republican lawmakers have been essentially paid off by the NRA in exchange for their commitment to fight against gun control?

I've read that the NRA is known for paying off Republican lawmakers in exchange for their commitment to fight against gun control on all levels of government, municipal, state and federal.
 
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