We talked about 11 mass shootings in the United States over the weekend, more than
300 total shootings. Those are the real numbers, 11 mass shootings, 300 total shootings and much.
Of what we got from the gun people, as I call them after the Allen, Texas shooting, left eight dead,
seven injured at a mall. Much of it was the same do nothing agit trash that we've been looking at
for decades. But we heard from an interesting guy, a witness of the mall shooting. His name
is Steven Spann. Our and one of the things that he said was, I'm an ex-cop. I'm an ex-military
officer. I'm a gun person. I love guns. He loves his guns. But he said it wasn't mental health
that killed these people. It was an automatic rifle with bullets. This guy presenting some
moral clarity on this as a gun lover. Okay, let's listen. I don't know what the young man's problem
was. I don't know his motive, but it wasn't mental health that killed those people. It was
an automatic rifle with bullets. That's why I'm a gun. I have guns. I'm a former police officer.
I'm a former Army officer. But these enforcers in a AR15, they've got to get off the streets
or this is going to keep happening. And we've got to stop that at some point. It could be you. It
can be your family member. I never imagined it would be me. I never imagined it would happen
in my community. But it did. And we got to stop this type of carnage and all the politicians on
the ground and make statements that will offer prayers and condolences and condolences won't
bring these people back. We need some action in our legislatures at the federal and state
level for better gun control. I'm saying that as somebody who loves guns, who can argue with
that. And you know what? This isn't that rare of a view among the progressive gun owners.
I know so many people my age old. There are younger progressives who own guns and have this
exact same view. And to be perfectly frank, much of their gun ownership. This guy loves
guns. Good for him. But he has the clarity to say we've got to do something about the guns.
I have some friends who love guns and collect and all of this stuff, and they are completely fine
saying it should be really strict. I'm willing to do whatever I need to do. I'll get the safe, I'll
get the insurance, I'll get the required, I'll get a mental health eval. Not that these things
are required, but they're willing to do them If everybody subjected them will do the mental health
eval, I'll do liability insurance relicensing I exam, but it's got to be at least as difficult as
getting and maintaining a car and a license on the road. But some of my progressive gun
owning friends just realize that they don't want only the right wingers having the guns and that
that becomes a race to the bottom. Arguably, even though I sympathize with that and I understand it.
So we need something to change that most of us would agree with, although there are some on the
right who actually say we don't need anything to change other than buying people buying more
guns. Okay, well, they're pretty sick. It's going to be hard to talk to them. But we have a list of
very low hanging fruit that the country, by and large, agrees with. We looked at the poll last
week. Background checks in all cases at the top of the list, waiting periods, banning some guns,
etc., etc.. We we know some of the things that the country agrees with,
but there's too much money raised. There's too much NRA blood money,
which is effectively what it is doled out to elected officials. And unfortunately, listen,
I don't want to say nothing will ever change that. That's a defeatist attitude. We've seen
just about every scenario teed up where you should be able to knock one out of
the park easily and achieve some change. After Sandy Hook comes to mind and yet
nothing or almost nothing happens. So good for Steve span our for saying what he said
gun lover. But it wasn't mental health. It was the guns that did this. Meanwhile,
there are still republicans saying all we need is thoughts and prayers. Let's look at that next.