SHAME: Americans are gunned down daily. Stop blaming Republicans for mass shootings. Some must look in the mirror. They did not vote themselves into office. We voted them in, knowing what they stood for undoubtedly.
Another eight Americans were gunned down in Allen, Texas. Texas State Representative Keith Self, whose district includes Allen, appeared on CNN. He said his prayers are with the victims, their families, and law enforcement officers investigating the shooting. CNN’s Paula Reid asked Self if, as a lawmaker, he could do better to prevent mass shootings. He said he was focused on the families and victims. When asked to respond to those who say prayers are not enough, his response was a bait and switch of the subject.
“Well, those people don’t believe in an almighty God who is absolutely in control of our lives,” Self said. “I’m a Christian. I believe that he is.”
Election after election, Republicans have told us with the policies they support and their vote that while they sell themselves as the guardians of the sanctity of life, their policies kill.
- Thousand of guns were unleashed on us in the Red States, where most killings occur. More guns did not make our lives safer. It created a world where the proximity to guns made them the solution to solve disputes where we could otherwise stop the killing in a more regulated environment. There is nothing pro-life about that.
- Just like Republicans refuse to do anything about guns, they refuse to accept the Medicaid Expansion to the Affordable Care Act. This is insurance Americans; Texans have already paid for many times over. Yet, for ideological reasons, Republicans let people die.
- The same applies to many other Republican policies or lack thereof; maternity care, child care, reproductive care, etc.
Mass Shootings in Texas
Prayers cannot solve the evil within those who maintain the status quo. The reality is that we should feel a particular shame in the aggregate. Senator Raphael Warnock says it best in this important statement on the Senate floor.
As Americans are being gunned down daily, it is time for us to stop blaming Republicans. We must all look into the mirror. Republicans did not elect themselves into office. We voted them into office knowing what they stood for, undoubtedly. We must choose life over ideology. We must choose life over party affiliation. If we believe in the sanctity of life as I do, we must unelect every politician that does not support life-saving gun control policies. We must elect politicians who value life over money, bribes, and inhumanity.
