It’s. The. Guns.

This post appeared this morning on the website Democratic Underground. It’s the work of a brilliant writer named TygrBright. I edited it just slightly for context, but the rest of it cannot be improved. It’s perfect.

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It’s. The. Guns.

Yes, it’s also a hate-filled culture in which homophobia is on the top ten list, certainly.

But no matter who that asshole hated, or how much, or why, it was THE GODDAMNED GUNS that allowed him to kill so many, so quickly, so horribly.

Please, do not use this thread to post all the arguments about how if the right person had had the right caliber weapon in the right place at the right time, this wouldn’t-a got so far and that’s why everybody should be packin’. Just… DON’T.

This OP is about THE FUCKING GUNS.

Or, as I shall call them henceforth, the DEATHTOOLS.

They are tools. Their purpose is to kill.

Deathtools.

What more will it take to convince lawmakers, and the deathtool oligarchs and NRA shills who terrorize them into collaboration, that a community cannot live in freedom from fear when every pathetically inadequate, criminally irresponsible asshole can get their hands on unlimited deathtools?

Can carry them anywhere, can make them shields against their own fear and inadequacy, and can use them with the willing collaboration of a ghoulish, profit-obsessed media and a violence-fueled network of subcultures that simply adore popular entertainment full of blood and explosions and revenge and ‘go ahead, make-my-day’ machismo?

WHAT MORE WILL IT TAKE?!

Answer me, dammit, you pusillanimous, greed-soaked tools, and the fearful, whiney, inadequate voters who keep electing you!

WHAT?!

Patton Oswalt about the Boston Marathon tragedy.

Image from baa.org

From Facebook. Direct quote:

Boston. Fucking horrible.

I remember, when 9/11 went down, my reaction was, “Well, I’ve had it with humanity.”

But I was wrong. I don’t know what’s going to be revealed to be behind all of this mayhem. One human insect or a poisonous mass of broken sociopaths.

But here’s what I DO know. If it’s one person or a HUNDRED people, that number is not even a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of a percent of the population on this planet. You watch the videos of the carnage and there are people running TOWARDS the destruction to help out. (Thanks FAKE Gallery founder and owner Paul Kozlowski for pointing this out to me). This is a giant planet and we’re lucky to live on it but there are prices and penalties incurred for the daily miracle of existence. One of them is, every once in awhile, the wiring of a tiny sliver of the species gets snarled and they’re pointed towards darkness.

But the vast majority stands against that darkness and, like white blood cells attacking a virus, they dilute and weaken and eventually wash away the evil doers and, more importantly, the damage they wreak. This is beyond religion or creed or nation. We would not be here if humanity were inherently evil. We’d have eaten ourselves alive long ago.

So when you spot violence, or bigotry, or intolerance or fear or just garden-variety misogyny, hatred or ignorance, just look it in the eye and think:

“The good outnumber you, and we always will.”

Another great one from William Pitt.

Image from twitter

I’ve cited him here several times, here and here and here. This is so powerful I will post it verbatim.

From TruthOut:

“An Armed Society Is A Polite Society..”

“If only one of the teachers had a gun…”

One did. She owned several, in fact. Her son used them to kill her, her colleagues, and 20 children.

…so you’ll pardon me if my respect for the “Responsible Gun Ownership” argument has taken a long walk off a short pier.

I know I know I know I know, you own an AK-47 or an AR-15 and the world didn’t end…because you’re responsible, right?

Is everyone you know responsible? Everyone with even fleeting access to your “Arsenal of Freedom”? Is everyone who might rob your home responsible?

…pssst…

You don’t need an assault weapon. You really really really don’t.

You’re going to defend yourself against a government that has nuclear weapons, stealth bombers, drones, SEALs and the United States fa-chrissakes Marine Corps with your piddly-ass AR-15? Good luck with that; send me a note from the front.

Grow up.

You don’t need it. You want it. End of file.

Your right to bear whatever fantastically lethal thing you set your cap to is infringing upon everyone else’s right not to die in another God damned bloodbath.

You don’t need it.

You want it.

There’s a difference.

And that’s the beginning of real reform, if you decide to accept it.

Make the very Christian decision that you will, in fact, be your brother’s and sister’s keeper.

You don’t need an AR-15 or an AK-47.

You just want it.

Other people want them, too. See: Newtown.

Exert a little self-control over your desires. Your ability to responsibly enjoy an AR-15 is NO LONGER argument enough to defend their wide, wild availability.

This is not rocket science. This is basic humanity, and enlightened self-interest.

The old saying goes, “An armed society is a polite society.”

Well, we’ve been an armed society – 300 million guns and counting – for a long while now.

I’m sure everyone will be very polite at the 20 funerals for those 20 kids.

Mission accomplished.

Reblog from The Onion: “Fuck Everything, Nation Reports: Just Fuck It All To Hell”

From The Onion:

WASHINGTON—Following the fatal shooting this morning at a Connecticut elementary school that left at least 27 dead, including 20 small children, sources across the nation shook their heads, stifled a sob in their voices, and reported fuck everything. Just fuck it all to hell.

All of it, sources added.

“I’m sorry, but fuck it, I can’t handle this—I just can’t handle it anymore,” said Deborah McEllis, who added that “no, no, no, no, no, this isn’t happening, this can’t be real.” “Seriously, what the hell is this? What’s even going on anymore? Why do things like this keep happening?”

Continued McEllis, before covering her face with her hands, “Why?”

Despairing sources confirmed that the gunman, armed with a semiautomatic assault rifle—a fucking combat rifle, Jesus—walked into a classroom full of goddamned children where his mother was a teacher and, good God, if this is what the world is becoming, then how about we just pack it in and fucking give up, because this is no way to live.

I mean, honestly, all 315 million Americans confirmed.

(more)

But no. We don’t have a gun problem in America.

Let’s don’t make any rash judgments. They’re just tools. Like hammers. Only criminals do bad things with guns. And with more guns there is less gun violence. The price of freedom and all that. Just let me pull a few more slogans out of my ….

God help us all.

Fueled by comments today at Democratic Underground.