To the GOP, The Gun Manufacturers Matter More Than 49 Lives

It isn't the slightest bit shocking to me, but it's just as repulsive as ever to know that the U.S. Senate doesn't give a damn about it's citizenry. When a madman mowed down a bunch of little children at Sandy Hook, we couldn't get them to vote to vote on universal background checks. I'm hardly shocked that another madman shooting up a night club didn't move them now.

Even so, 53 Senators voted last night against such things as preventing suspected terrorists from buying guns. They voted against preventing people who aren't allowed on an airplane, because they're a terrorist, from buying a gun. They would rather allow Omar Mateen to be able to buy a gun, or the next version of him, than protect the public. Let's be clear, this man was a known potential problem, but there was no legal way to stop him yet. Those 53 Senators voted against things like alerting the FBI that people like him bought guns. That's where we're at.

I'm sure that many of you who are repulsed will end up in an argument with a good ole' fashioned "gun nut" over whether or not these bills should have passed, and you'll probably tell yourself it's amazing that these people get their way. We're talking about people who think arming everyone will keep us safer, or that we can't have licensing and registry of guns because the "guvmint'" might come take them. Let me be clear though- the lunatic that argues with you that he needs an AK-47 in case he has to fight the government is not the kind of person that convinced those 53 Senators. Oh sure, those Senators will accept their support and take their credit, but they did not vote against gun safety measures because of your local "gun nut."

What happened on the Senate floor yesterday was clearly the work of the gun manufacturers' lobby, which is basically now the NRA. While the NRA pretends to represent their members, it's worth noting that most of their members support universal background checks and preventing terrorists and criminals from buying guns. The NRA does not really represent their membership though. They represent big companies that produce guns, and fund the NRA. They are nothing more than a lobbying arm for the gun manufacturers, as are the other groups like them. In this case, money talks.

And so it goes again- 49 dead humans are no match for the cold, hard cash of a gun manufacturer. Human life, the anguish of the families, and the sadness of a nation are all no match for those who fund the "Big Gun" machine in Washington. Take note America, one party voted at the behest of the NRA. The other one didn't. Recognize who runs one, but not the other. As long as the Republican Party runs the Senate, expect more of this. Expect the same in the House. When you say "they are all the same," this is just the latest example of why you are wrong.