There was another mass school shooting a couple of days ago. This time, it happened in Nashville, Tennessee. Some disgruntled former student went into an elementary school and just went on a murderous rampage. Six people were killed as a result.
In the aftermath, there has once again been the familiar mixture of shock and heartbreak and outrage and calls for something to be done. And rather typically, there are those politicians who basically try and push off taking any action until the news cycle inevitably seems to shift from the mass shooting to other news stories. It is a tragic cycle, but it seems to have become the cycle that far too many Americans have grown used to.
Unfortunately, that not only includes politicians, it benefits many of them. Perhaps particularly those who proudly proclaim their love of guns and, in many cases, are in the pay of the National Rifle Association (NRA).
One such politician is a member of the House of Representatives from Tennessee, the state where this mass shooting just took place. His name is Tim Burchett, and he raised some eyebrows with his frankness in the wake of this latest tragedy.
Rep. Tim Burchett, a Republican, acknowledged that the school shooting was "a horrible, horrible situation." However, he does not feel that any real action to address these kinds of tragedies is required of Congress.
"We're not gonna fix it," he told reporters Tuesday. "Criminals are gonna be criminals."
Burchett expanded on this a bit:
"I don't think you're gonna stop the gun violence," Burchett said. "I think you gotta change people's hearts." When someone is determined to kill, there's not much that can stop them, he said.
Burchett recalled something that his father, a veteran of World War II, once told him. Burchett's father said that "if somebody wants to take you out and doesn't mind losing their life, there's not a whole heck of a lot you can do about it."
Indeed, that sounds like a good piece of advice when it comes to World War II, or war in general. But right now, the United States is supposed to be a peacetime country. Yet this kind of violence keeps popping up fairly regularly. The dates, the places, and the names change. But the story remains the same.
I wonder if Burchett's seeming indifference here would remain if his own kids were among the victims. Or perhaps, if it had been his wife, or his siblings or parents. Or perhaps, if it had been him, and he survived, but perhaps was injured in some very serious, life-altering way. No, I am not wishing for this. Frankly, however, I am tired of hearing these kinds of politicians expressing sentiments that reflect how far removed they clearly feel from these problems that the rest of us have to deal with.
The story will remain the same, so long as selfish and arrogant politicians like Burchett continue to be allowed to dictate our national response to such tragedies. Until Americans demand better - and the rest of the world is watching and wondering when, or if, this will actually happen - then indeed, these kinds of senseless mass shootings will indeed come to be regarded as the new normal.
Tennessee Republican Rep. Tim Burchett responds to school shooting: 'We're not gonna fix it' Candy Woodall USA TODAY, March 28, 2023:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2023/03/28/school-shootings-nashville-tennessee-republican/11557086002/
Republican Honestly States GOP Plan for School Shootings: ‘We’re Not Going to Fix It’ by Ryan Bort, March 28, 2023:
Gun-loving Tennessee Rep. Tim Burchett acknowledged the reality about children dying as long as Americans can own high-powered rifles
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/tim-burchett-gop-nashville-shooting-1234704788/
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