Robert ReichMass shootings in the US:
2014: 273
2015: 336
2016: 383
2017: 348
2018: 336
2019: 417
2020: 610
2021: 690
2022: 647
In the first seven weeks of 2023: 67
We do not have to live like this. No other country on the planet does.
Bruce Johnson ✅@rbreich To be fair, no other country on the planet faces the challenges to NOT live like this that the US does. Most countries don't have reverence for weaponry enshrined in their constitution. And, for good or bad, that limits the options that the US has to address mass shootings. I'm not convinced there's a reasonable suggestion for improvement that doesn't immediately run afoul of 2A, before even considering whether there would be sufficient political will to implement.
Eaton
CaptainSmartass
Stefan@IngenieurStefan @eaton @LACanuck @rbreich explain to the class, in simple terms, why you think Australia was able to pass a constitutional amendment to outlaw guns while the US has not been. What's different between those countries' legal systems?
@captainsmartass @IngenieurStefan @LACanuck @rbreich please read the above comments; the current regime of gun maximalism is not inherent in the constitution or the second amendment, and its purported unassailability is a historically novel imposition by the right wing. This is a simple fact.
The events you describe (court challenges, etc) are not imagined, but the idea that they are inherent to our system of government — as opposed to our current cultural consensus — is.
@eaton @IngenieurStefan @LACanuck @rbreich it doesn't really matter what either of us think. SCOTUS has ruled that gun ownership is an individual right. Until that ruling gets overturned, which is impossible with this court, that remains the reality we live under.
Stop deluding yourself that half measures will work. We have to amend the amendment to have any real hope of making a lasting change.
@captainsmartass @IngenieurStefan @LACanuck @rbreich This is one of the most foolish things I’ve read in days.
@captainsmartass @IngenieurStefan @LACanuck @rbreich I say that because I was an active and enthusiastic member of the right wing in the years when “the only way to stop abortion is a constitutional amendment, because the court has spoken” was an accepted constraint.
Needless to say, the anti abortion movement eventually gave up and pursued the opposite appproach — and that was the one that met with success.
@captainsmartass @IngenieurStefan @LACanuck @rbreich it’s strange to see advocates for change fall into the same self-defeating self-imposed constraints.
@eaton @captainsmartass @LACanuck @rbreich In the sixties people in the US were still able to force change as a society. Why has that stopped? We need Woodstock v3.0.
@IngenieurStefan @eaton @captainsmartass @rbreich Change in the 60s was possible because the political climate was not as toxic and bipartisan. You could have conversations and agreements with your opponents without risking your entire political career.
That is no longer the case. We could argue as to the timing when that started to happen, but at the moment political parties are considered enemy tribes. You don't consort with the enemy. Ever.
As a result, the parties have moved to the extremes, even though the majority of the American public are actually centrists. Until that issue gets addressed, major permanent societal change isn't going to happen.
And I include abortion in that. While the right has 'won' for the moment, eventually the pendulum will swing back.
@eaton @IngenieurStefan @LACanuck @rbreich the right wing doesn't view rule of law or the courts as anything other than a cudgel. They have no regard for stare decisis. That's why this court overturned RvW. Progressives do have respect for rule of law, so we should focus on changing the law, not the court's interpretation of it.
@captainsmartass @eaton @IngenieurStefan @rbreich I don't think it's quite that simple. There are plenty of judicial minds who, while they agree with the outcome, were opposed to the basis for RvW.
But your point about changing the law is quite valid. If you're looking to affect durable change, that's what needs to be done. That doesn't make it easy. It's not, especially in today's political climate. But passing legislation ensures buy-in from both sides of the political spectrum. And that's also a requirement for change.