Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback was one day late for his April Fool's gag. But I guess he thought he could get one in anyway. It's a killer. On April 2, 2015 Brownback signed a thigh-slapping piece of gun legislation.
Simply stated, the Personal and Family Protection Act allows anyone in Kansas over the age of 21 to carry a concealed firearm with no permit and zero training. Zero. A true perversion of the Second Amendment. Well, since April 2 a lot has happened.
Take the Kansas man carrying a concealed weapon into a movie theater. Did I mention he shot himself in the leg? While in the theater? With other audience members well within range?
And it's not much of a stretch to see that bullet going through his leg or missing his leg altogether and finding a new home in someone else's body.
Then there's the Kansas guy who was in the bathroom, with his trusty pistol in his pocket -- just to be clear we're talking an actual pistol here.
BAM! The man shot himself. Ended up in the hospital. I suppose the bright side of that tale is that in a hospital you have at least a reasonable expectation of walking out of there. As opposed to the morgue where leaving under your own power is pretty much not happening.
Another concealed carrying Kansan did something really spectacular. He managed to shoot another guy in the chest without even touching his gun. Seems the shooter, an upstanding citizen in Derby, Kansas kept his pistol concealed in his pocket. He reached into that pocket for something other than his gun -- maybe some gum (only one letter difference). The gun fell out of his pocket, hit the ground, fired itself and badda-BOOM! The gun had one less bullet. And the victim's body had one bullet too many. Magic? No, carelessness. Also preventable. Let's all give a cheer for these amazing events.
Hey, hey it's the Brownback way. With a little help from the NRA.
In an interesting twist, a 28-year old Kansas man, Kenneth Richards seemed to be fiddling with his gun while driving. He shot himself in the thigh. What's interesting about this is although the gunshot itself wasn't fatal, driving himself to hospital was. He crashed his car and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Captain David Mattingly, of the sheriff's department astutely commented, "It's not a good idea to handle a gun while driving. Fumbling with a gun while distracted can lead to unintended gunfire." Who'd a thunk it?
Hey, hey it's the Brownback way. With a little help from the NRA.
A frightening number of NRA-backed governmental officials, at the federal, state and local levels are all party to this madness. And not just in Kansas. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), Congresswoman Barbara Comstock (R-VA), Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA), Congressman Tom Cotton (R-AR). And the list is disturbingly long.
Each of these NRA bedfellows received anywhere from over $7,000 to nearly $10,000 in one election year to help insure they vote the way the NRA wants. How's that working out? Financially and job-wise it's great those members of Congress. For the rest of us not too well.
We've got nearly 17,000 gunshot injuries a year. And those are just the accidental ones. Then are the tens of thousands of murders and suicides.
According to a number of studies, you're now more likely to be killed by a gun than by a car. That becomes even more frightening when you realize a car is basically a mode of transportation. And gun is, well, designed for only one purpose: killing.
The NRA is not a god. Though so many treat it that way. It can be reined in. It should be reined in. For the lives of our kids, our life mates, our parents, our friends. And if our elected leaders won't do it, it's up to us. Call, write, tweet, post, show up in person. Become a real thorn in the side of your state or local government.
This insane gun machine needs to be stopped. Every day it keeps rolling more blood and body parts decorate our streets and homes. More people die. More families are devastated. It's time. In fact it's way past time.