Dimensionally Barrett

The Onion nailed it sometime ago. We will continue to hear politicians and the NRA bullshit about “what to do about this?” Ad nauseam. And no, this is not a two-sided argument:  Democrats have repeatedly submitted commonsense gun legislation and the Republicans have repeatedly stonewalled or shot it down. This is not going to be a post written in measured tones. No deep analysis of facts, arguments or figures. We’re way past that. I should be writing in all caps. This, and every article that has anything to do with shootings, gun control, lives lost because of the one and lack of the other, should all be posted in ALL CAPS, like so many primal screams. No, what follows is going to be declarative and judgmental- often harsh - about this country and our society as it is. We are not a particularly smart, or brave, much less, free country. We are not brave, if we feel a need to own guns too. We are not smart: we can’t even pass decent legislation, even if or rather, particularly when ...

  Texas Gun Sense is making this Friday, April 18, a day of action to help get meaningful gun legislation passed in post-Uvalde Texas. From the email they sent out: “April 18 marks two years since the Uvalde families sat at the Texas Capitol for 13 heartbreaking hours, waiting to testify in support of HB 2744—the Raise the Age bill. They showed up for Texas. They showed up for their children.   The bill never passed.   Since then, the Texas Legislature has failed to take meaningful action to prevent future tragedies like Uvalde. It's been nearly three years since 19 children and two teachers were killed with an AR-15-style rifle purchased legally by an 18-year-old. The only thing their families want is to prevent this from happening to someone else. This Friday, April 18, we are showing up for them.   Join our Day of Action and help flood lawmakers with calls and emails demanding they support  HB 1556 —this session’s Raise the Age bill. Here’s what you can do: ...

It is far too easy to get upset, angry, and apoplectic every time a politician, a so-called “elected leader” offers “thoughts and prayers” for the victims of the latest mass shooting and the bereaved and then, in nearly the next breath, declare that “the other side” is guilty of politicizing the issue when the subject of gun control is brought up. It is also exhausting. I live in Houston where there is permit-less conceal carry. My situational awareness spikes whenever I’m out, although so far, not to the point of dread. However, for someone who enjoys movies and writing about them, I sometimes wonder if someone is going to go off in a theater. Or if I’m strolling down the street on a walk, is someone having a bad day going to decide one white bearded guy is less necessary or when I’m grocery shopping, what are the chances that someone else is going to lose their shit or decide to take out a store out of grievances along a spectrum (maybe racism, political orientation, gender orientat...