We’ve had yet another school shooting. If they seem to be piling up, that’s because they are. If it seems depressing and dreary to go through these same emotions and arguments week after fucked up week, that’s because it is. So, there are two things that I want you to remember in the days and weeks ahead. Both will motivate you and sustain you through these difficult times.

The Most School Shootings in a Year

According the Washington Post’s database — they have to keep it themselves  since the federal government has seen fit not to keep such records lest they be used to justify limiting gun ownership — 2018 has tied 2014 for the most school shootings in one year at 16.

It’s May. In the first 19 weeks of 2018 we’ve had as many school shootings as there were in the entire 52 weeks of 2014. We’ve had almost one a week. 16 shootings in 19 weeks. At schools.

Contemplate that for a moment.

Now, go find your favorite pillow to scream into.

I recommend recalling this fun little stat the next time you hear a politician make an excuse for why we can’t regulate gun ownership and use more closely.

Lt Gov Dan Patrick’s “Wisdom”

Let’s practice. Here’s the infernal idiot, Lt. Governor of Texas, Dan Patrick, claiming that it’s the doors what are causing all the school shootings, and, garsh darn it, if we would just regulate those doors more closely, we’d have fewer shootings:

We pay have to look at the designs of our schools moving forward,’ he said. ‘And what I mean by that is there are too many entrances and too many exits to our over 8,000 campuses in Texas.

That’s some great insight there, pardner. Thanks for sharing!

Sen. Ted Cruz’s “Comforting” Words

Let’s try it while Ted The Punch Punch Punchiest Face, the Face that all the Mothers Love to Punch Cruz snivels at us. Let’s remember the worsening carnage in our schools as Cruz gives us these words of “comfort” in his high-pitched nasally whining wheedling voice.

And we thank the incredible heroes that we saw today. Those in law enforcement that rushed into ham’s way. Teachers, students–we know that we’re going to hear the bravery that manifested in the face of evil. Bravery that we know was done at least in some instances at great cost and great sacrifice, including sacrifice of people’s own lives. So we celebrate that bravery, that courage at the same time we grieve the horror of this mass murder.

I’m sure he means  they were sacrificed on the altar of the sacred second amendment and his NRA PAC money.

…Teachers, students–we know that we’re going to hear the bravery that manifested in the face of evil. Bravery that we know was done at least in some instances at great cost and great sacrifice, including sacrifice of people’s own lives.

— Ted Cruz on the Santa Fe School Shooting

You done real good in remembering that we’ve had 16 school shootings this year, nearly one per week, and as many as we had in the whole of 2014 the previous record setting year.

President Obama’s Insight & Inspiration

I’ve found remembering the words of President Obama incredibly helpful in getting me through these troubled times. Part of what will be so disturbing is the confounding and stupid argument that we should not talk about gun control after mass shootings because it is politicizing the event. Next time that happens, remember that the Second Amendment being about gun ownership makes it political. And, that the lack of effective gun regulation is a political choice. Remember the words of President Obama after the Umpqua Community College mass shooting:

 …this is something we should politicize. It is relevant to our common life together, to the body politic.. we have a Congress that explicitly blocks us from even collecting data on how we could potentially reduce gun deaths. How can that be? [NB: After the Parkland shooting legislation was passed allowing federal money to support studies of gun violence]

This is a political choice that we make to allow this to happen every few months in America. We collectively are answerable to those families who lose their loved ones because of our inaction. When Americans are killed in mine disasters, we work to make mines safer. When Americans are killed in floods and hurricanes, we make communities safer. When roads are unsafe, we fix them to reduce auto fatalities. We have seatbelt laws because we know it saves lives. So the notion that gun violence is somehow different, that our freedom and our Constitution prohibits any modest regulation of how we use a deadly weapon, when there are law-abiding gun owners all across the country who could hunt and protect their families and do everything they do under such regulations doesn’t make sense.

We will continue enduring school shootings, mass shootings, gun suicides, and gun violence until we make gun control and regulation as strong of a voting issue for the left as preventing regulation has been for the right. We have to vote single issue: gun reform and regulation.