It sounds like it should be a bad joke.
Unfortunately, this is not a joke, and it most certainly is not funny.
Just two weeks and change after the third worst school shooting in modern American history took place in Florida, the state senate there approved a ban on AR-15's for all of 15 minutes, before rescinding their own decision and giving up on the idea of the ban.
Indeed, even though the Florida state government rarely ever takes any sort of action on limitations on gun ownership, they did yesterday, as the Senate President announced that the proposed measure had passed.
Then, fifteen minutes later, the measure was defeated by a 21-17 vote. Only Republicans voted in favor of overturning the measure.
Are you shocked?
Yeah, neither am I.
It really is beginning to feel like a bad joke. I mean, the rest of the world really is looking at us, at what is going on here, and scratching their heads, unable to make sense of our collective attitude on things. Why are we the only industrialized nation in the world that fails to pass meaningful gun legislation? Why are we the only industrialized nation that makes healthcare unaffordable, as we have by far the highest prices in the world, including for the mentally unfit, which Republicans keep pointing to as the problem in terms of gun violence.
Now, there is a final vote on this measure on Monday, although with Republicans against standing united against common sense gun legislation, it hardly looks like it would be a sure bet that meaningful limitations on gun access will be passed in Florida. After all, in the past two years, this state has seen two major mass shootings that managed to jolt the country. First, the Orlando night club shooting, with 49 people killed, and then the Parkland shooting that killed 17.
Yet, no major gun control measures were passed.
So, the final vote will be held on Monday. But really, is anyone even shocked that the NRA has the Florida Senate in their pockets, and is paying them to do their bidding? This is an old story, and it has been played out now so many times, both on the state level (in numerous states) and the national level, that it is as predictable as it is nauseating. Just another reminder that the only thing that matters in the United States is power, usually in the form of money. Money talks, and in places like Florida, it seems to speak so loudly, that it drowns out even basic common sense laws that would keep Americans safer.
Of course, we also known that a lot of politically strange things seem to happen regularly in Florida, more than most other states. It is supposed to be a purple state, but we all remember the bizarre chain of events that led to George W. Bush "winning" the election based on what happened in Florida, where Bush's brother, Jeb, just happened to be overseeing everything, and was in charge of a "fair" review of the situation. No conflicts of interest there, right? They have a governor there who ignores the regular flooding issues in Miami and other parts of coastal Florida, and was the first to ban any terms hinting at global warming or climate change, well before Donald Trump was ever elected President (with the help of Florida, of course). And of course now, after two huge mass shootings in under a year, the NRA still clearly exerts more influence than the vast majority of citizens, who are in favor of common sense laws to keep guns out of the most dangerous hands. Florida, like Texas, is starting to look like one of the symbols of what is wrong with the United States right now.
Of course, we also known that a lot of politically strange things seem to happen regularly in Florida, more than most other states. It is supposed to be a purple state, but we all remember the bizarre chain of events that led to George W. Bush "winning" the election based on what happened in Florida, where Bush's brother, Jeb, just happened to be overseeing everything, and was in charge of a "fair" review of the situation. No conflicts of interest there, right? They have a governor there who ignores the regular flooding issues in Miami and other parts of coastal Florida, and was the first to ban any terms hinting at global warming or climate change, well before Donald Trump was ever elected President (with the help of Florida, of course). And of course now, after two huge mass shootings in under a year, the NRA still clearly exerts more influence than the vast majority of citizens, who are in favor of common sense laws to keep guns out of the most dangerous hands. Florida, like Texas, is starting to look like one of the symbols of what is wrong with the United States right now.
Frankly, if another huge mass shooting happens in Florida, like it did in 2016, and like it has in 2018 already, will anyone be surprised? It will indeed be nauseating, but unfortunately, it will also be all too predictable.
Florida senate approved AR-15 ban for 15 minutes before rescinding it by Josh Delk, 03/03/18:
http://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/376586-florida-senate-approved-ar-15-ban-for-15-minutes-before-rescinding-it
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