We the People – Governed by Cowards

By Jill Chapin

June 22, 2016

According to Webster’s dictionary, the definition of a coward is one who shows ignoble fear or timidity, one with a lack of courage or resolution.

Know anyone on Capitol Hill who fits this description?  I do. That would be any senator from either party who, for whatever pretense of nobility they may have given, voted against four bills to reign in our deadly machine gun mentality.  We need their names splashed across every paper in the nation, and we all should make a note to not re-elect these spineless excuses for government officials who are supposed to represent and protect the citizens of the United States.

When Senator Mitch McConnell said “No one wants terrorists to be able to buy guns or explosives. No one,” I vehemently disagree.  He does.  Because as the laws currently stand, terrorists can indeed buy guns or explosives in less time than it would take you to purchase Sudafed at a pharmacy.   So he is either flat out lying or is in dangerous denial and either way, he should not be representing his constituents by pretending otherwise.

False arguments about the rights of those mistakenly put on a watch list are insulting to our intelligence.  So you’re erroneously on a watch list – do what needs to be done to get yourself off of it. My son-in-law had to do it because his name was identical to someone who legitimately needed to be on that list. Do our senators really believe that we can’t tolerate inconvenience in the interest of safety as we stoically remove shoes, coats, belts and jewelry at airport security screenings?

According to a CNN poll, nearly every American wants gun legislation to make it  more difficult for the mentally unstable, for those on the no-fly list, and for those on the terrorist watch list to just waltz into any gun store and purchase an automatic weapon.  That these gun bills were defeated seems like flat out lunacy but it’s something far more sinister.  Our government is not about serving the people they were sworn to protect; it’s about serving and protecting their own jobs and all the undeserving perks that go with them. The NRA has emasculated our Congress; they hold the power and the purse strings to keep our senators in lockstep with their truly incomprehensible, Orwellian logic that is really all about the almighty dollar.

Interestingly, a majority of NRA members support stricter and more comprehensive gun control laws.  And the numbers from that CNN poll are truly staggering, revealing that people from all walks of life want a change – now.

92% of Americans favor background checks

87% want to prevent convicted felons or those with mental health problems from owning a gun

85% want to prevent people on the terrorist watch list from owning guns.

Find out how your senators voted on these gun control bills and think twice before you give them your vote. Sometimes you have to give up on people, not because you don’t care, but because they don’t.

Jill Chapin

Jill Chapin has been a guest writer and columnist in several Los Angeles area papers for over fifteen years. She has written a bilingual parenting book titled, "If You Have Kids, Then Be a Parent!" and a children's book entitled, "My Magic Bubble."

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