By now you have heard about the Waffle House shooting. Its tragedy will only be overshadowed by how the left tries to use the dead for political gain. If there can be said that there is a silver lining in all of this, it can only be that we might finally hear less about the “activist” children in Parkland. Well, here we go again.
Recap
Let’s set the stage. This horrific shooting happened last Sunday in Tennessee. An armed man took an AR-15 into a Waffle House and opened fire. A total of six people were shot, and in the process, an unarmed hero by the name of James Shaw Jr. rushed the attacker and disarmed him.
When all was said and done, four lives were tragically taken. If not for the extraordinary heroics of Mr. Shaw, that number could easily be higher. Once disarmed, the attacker fled the scene. After a multi-day manhunt, he was eventually caught and brought into custody.
That’s the outline of the story, but since this is the latest talking point for the gun-control debate, we’ll need to get into more detail. The left will use this as an excuse to further infringe on rights, but when you look at the history of this case, you’ll see that it undermines their goals.
Shooter’s History
While we’re going out of our way to avoid the shooter’s name right now, there’s a lot known about him. He is 29 years of age, and he has a well-documented history of mental and legal problems. Among his greatest hits are a pair of incidents that took place within the last two years. In 2016, he had a confrontation with police because he believed Taylor Swift was stalking him. This led to a belligerent encounter, but he ultimately didn’t commit any crimes meriting significant jail time.
A year later, he was arrested outside the White House for entering a secure zone and refusing to leave. He was released to Illinois police and was able to skip prison by completing a community service program. Between these incidents, there were several reports of erratic and potentially dangerous behavior.
Ultimately, the Illinois justice system went through the necessary steps and demanded that he relinquish his firearms. Once confiscated, the shooter’s father asked that he be able to hold the weapons on the promise that he would keep them from his son. Obviously, this proved to be a bad idea, but it is exactly what happened. The weapon used in the shooting has been confirmed as one of the four confiscated by police.
Due Process
Now, we can get into the arguments. All year, progressives have been complaining that Republicans made it easier for the mentally ill to get firearms. They’re jumping on this incident as their proof, but the whole story is based on two lies. First, Republicans never made it easier for anyone, as they have been accused. The actual legislation and accompanying orders simply ensured that due process is involved in any confiscation of firearms. What that means is that you need a court order to be reviewed by a judge before police start kicking in doors.
And, that’s exactly what happened here. A man with a long and obvious history of mental problems was deemed unfit. His weapons were confiscated, and due process was followed. That should have been the end of it. The problem is that the shooter had an accomplice. His father helped him illegally acquire firearms that were used in a mass murder.
Every component of this shooting is already outlawed. Putting more laws on the books wouldn’t change that. Any liberal with half a brain knows this, but it won’t stop them from trying to use this incident as an excuse to infringe on the rights of millions of Americans. It’s a classic tactic used by all of the great evils of the 20th century. Hitler, Stalin, Mao and the rest all used the same argument.
It gets exhausting. As a country, we go in endless circles on this topic. The end of the debates is always the same. Each of us has the God-given right to bear arms, and we will only relinquish it at the end of a long and bloody struggle. The left knows this. It is simply another opportunity for them to twist and pervert morality. They’ll claim that anyone who wants to carry a gun doesn’t care about the children. It’s disgusting, and it proves the real thought process behind leftism. They are dictators, one and all, and they will never stop attacking our freedom.
~ American Gun News
Not a Giun Control Failure, but a failure of the Supreme Court to follow the Constitution and misinterpreting a letter of a president intentionally. After the Supreme Court in 1963 made us a Secular Nation, unlawfully, crime and violence increased by 544%. Jefferson never intended their Danbury Baptist interpretation.
The Anglicans had fined, persecuted, jailed and even killed Christians who were not part of the state-established church, but Jefferson, a lifelong fervent advocate for the rights of religious liberty and religious conscience, had worked hard to protect and defend those Christians.
To hear that Jefferson was a zealous defender of the rights of Christians may seem unusual to those who know Jefferson only by today’s errant portrayal as being a secularist who desired “a separation of church and state.” Jefferson definitely was not a secularist, and furthermore, his definition of separation of church and state actually was to keep the state from becoming secular!
(Many of the remarkable beliefs held by Thomas Jefferson not only on religious liberty but also in many other surprising areas are set forth in the popular book The Jefferson Lies by David Barton.)
The rights of religious conscience that Jefferson and other Founders had contended for were subsequently enshrined at the federal level in the First Amendment of the Constitution. Jefferson made numerous bold declarations about these precious rights:
No provision in our Constitution ought to be dearer to man than that which protects the rights of conscience. Jefferson started church services in the capital in 1800 and even paid the Marine band to provide the music. He attended these services every Sunday he was president and these services lasted 60 years. The Supreme Court broke the law.
Religious Freedom Day is celebrated in America each year on January 16 — the date of the 1786 passage of Thomas Jefferson’s Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom. That measure ended the state-established church in Virginia, finally protecting religious rights for all denominations.
[O]ur rulers can have no authority over such natural rights only as we have submitted to them. The rights of conscience we never submitted.
[I]t is inconsistent with the spirit of our laws and Constitution to force tender consciences.
As a Cuban born U.S. citizen I can relate to what is was mentioned before. Fidel Castro, after taking power, said in one of those stinking speeches “ARMAS PARA QUE !!?? (Weapons for what) after forbidding civilians to own any firearms.
Im actually surprised that liberals haven’t started the argument that Mr Shaw didn’t need a gun to stop this, so why should anyone else. IMO that is the ultimate in Ignorance, but liberals are famous the world around for such idea’s.
One other thing that everyone keeps missing…The Waffle House Restaurants were in a big story a year or so ago about how they are a gun free zone. Guns are not allowed in their establishments…guess that didn’t work out so well either!
Shootings have taken place place in two waffle houses recently. People, can’t you see? It’s the waffles! I’m amazed that no Member of Congress has proposed to oulaw them.
I am letting you all know that I do not own a gun. I want to and have gone on to take the National Right to Carry exam [of which is “not” honored in Ma.] and have also gone to and have been signed of for the required Ma. safety course. I even own several bow and arrow tools as well as a slew of various knives and other defensive weapons but, for whatever reason, have not gone on to make a gun purchase. Yet. But I will soon, however, even any garden verity person can with out a second thought see and know what those anti’s are doing with out my even saying it
At any rate, I so strongly prey that those of us with even the smallest amount of common sense will fight to the death to keep and bear arms. Remember, guns are our protection and one of the most useful self defense tools we have.and I vote “NO” on question 1, no more freaking gun control! Read em and weep Libits!
Kevin M.