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The only way to end the gun lobby's hold on Congress is to get money out of politics.

The horrific Uvalde massacre, and the Republican non-response, confirms what many of us have thought: the U.S. political process is broken. Not "strained" or "damaged" but rather "rent asunder." America's political process can't be repaired by applying duct tape. It needs reconstructive surgery. And that surgery is REAL campaign finance reform.

Corporate campaign contributions (i.e. bribes) has taken democracy captive. Republicans refuse to allow new gun-control legislation because they've sold out to the gun industry lobby and their money.

To take back our Congress from corporations and their lobbyists we must ban private campaign contributions. ALL federal elections must be publicly funded from general taxes. This will be a very modest expense, but yield huge results to the American people.

A major part of campaign finance reform is over-turning the Supreme Court's disastrous Citizen's United decision of 2010. This 5-4 decision absurdly declared that corporate bribes (campaign contributions) are a form of freedom of speech. Citizen's United started a flood of undisclosed black money into our Congress, and turned our elected representatives into the minions of deep-pocket special interests Our elected Reps are supposed to be serving ALL the people, NOT just billionaires and corporations!

If we can enact campaign finance reform we can break the hold of the gun industry, and other corporations, over our Congress.
The anti-gun lobby spends 17 times more than the gun lobby. Try again.
badminton · 61-69, MVIP
@BizSuitStacy No one is talking about repealing the 2nd Amendment. Which, BTW, starts with the words "A well-regulated militia". Sensible people want to enact sane gun control laws to prevent dangerous unfit people from having access to guns.

Republican politicians refuse to enact sane gun control laws because they take blood money from the gun industry.

Thousands of people in the U.S. are killed every year by guns in murders, suicides, and accidents. Mass shootings and the daily handgun murders are becoming more frequent. Too many lives lost. We are going to defeat the gun lobby.
@badminton
No one is talking about repealing the 2nd Amendment. Which, BTW, starts with the words "A well-regulated militia".
No one? 🐂💩 I see that sort of talk all the time. BTW...the 2A ends with the operative clause "the rights of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. This means it's an individual right, and not contingent upon membership in a militia. Something you gun control fetishists can't seem to get your head around. Why do you suppose former chief justice and king of the court's hoplophobes, John Stevens wanted to actually change the language of the 2A? Hint: he knew Scalia's 2A interpretation in the Heller v DC majority opinion was correct.

Of course, I've pointed this out to you before, but your brain cavity seems full of concrete.
Budwick · 70-79, M
@badminton
No one is talking about repealing the 2nd Amendment.

They ARE talking about a 1,000 % tax on guns. Cuz, you know, a ridiculously high tax isn't infringement or nuthin.
I'd love to see Citizens United overruled, but you're dealing with not just politicians who benefit from dark money, but also millions of Americans who don't believe that its an issue because Fox (and for the most part CNN and MSNBC) don't talk about it.


I get where you're going, but I think it's a hard sell, like actually funding mental health care, and while I think it's worthwhile, let's face it, it won't stop all gun violence overnight, and has its downsides.

To be clear, I think campaign financing reform should be pursued, but not pushed ahead of other measures, like restrictions on the open sale and carrying of deadly weapons.
I was listening to the news and something that came to mind that could help is to bring lawsuits against gun manufacturers for every shooting. Find the make and model and sue. It will eventually get to the point that you will need gun insurance to try and curb the lawsuits. Which would be prohibitively expensive. Reducing the people that could afford them and bypassing the government altogether. And the insurance could then be funneled back into compensating the victims.
whowasthatmaskedman · 70-79, M
@canusernamebemyusername Good idea. Except that the manufacturers have legislation to protrct them and teams of lawyers to grind any case into the ground. Only the lawyers win..😷
whowasthatmaskedman · 70-79, M
As good as these campaigns are in theory, you are dealing with peoples ingrained beliefs at this point. They bit the apple and there is no going back. There are too many guns out there and Society has bought the myth that you can treat people like $hyte and they wont bite back on the weakest ones. The time of organised, directed action is past. People will rebel because they dont trust each other or the government. So here are your options:
Do Nothing and nothing changes, and thats the path everyone is on.
Find a way to move out of a state with the worst gun laws to save your kids. If you love them enough. If not do nothing was your default. If you move, the sate loses your labor and your taxes and your spening. Over time if enough people do it, the state economy falter.. You new home state prospers. Economic reality brings change. People power in US politics is worth $h*t.😷
Budwick · 70-79, M
If we can enact campaign finance reform we can break the hold of the gun industry,

Give it a rest Bad Mittens. Dems are running into brick walls over the 2nd amendment because the 2nd amendment is a big deal. It's the one amendment that helps protect all the others. Dems have revealed their Marxist agenda. No one trusts them anymore.

Campaign finance reform might be an OK idea - but it's not the secret to getting rid of the 2nd amendment. There is no key for that.
badminton · 61-69, MVIP
@Budwick "A well-regulated miiitia" is what 2A says.

Millions of Americas are sick of the insane shooting gallery the U.S. has become. The gun industry in their greed have gone too far. We ARE going to break their hold on Congress.

BTW Calling Democrats in Congress Marxists is crackpot delusional fantasy. Look at some legitimate news media sites instead of conspiracy fantasy sites.
Budwick · 70-79, M
@badminton ' ...the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.'
firefall · 61-69, M
Yes. I dont see it happening, but it is the sine qua non for fixing SO many other issues in the USA
Quetzalcoatlus · 46-50, M
Citizens United case has ushered in tyranny and terror..
You’ll never get money out of politics.
Heartlander · 80-89, M
May I assume that you also favor taking union contributions out of politicians? And professional trade group contributions? And of course funds that come from within the poetical parties themselves ... distributed by the party to candidates?
badminton · 61-69, MVIP
@Heartlander Yes. Campaign finance reform would apply to all parties.

BTW I like the idea of poetical parties.
Heartlander · 80-89, M
@badminton

:) Yes. A poetical party is an absolute blast.
hippyjoe1955 · 61-69, M
The Uvalde shooting had nothing to do with the gun lobby. It had everything to do with government ineptitude/evil.
badminton · 61-69, MVIP
@hippyjoe1955 Wrong. Uvalde has everything to do with the easy availabily of guns. Gun companies market AR-15 type weapons because they make large profits from their sale. Strong gun control laws are the solution.
hippyjoe1955 · 61-69, M
@badminton Hey lets blame a fire stick. How droll. The fact is the government stood down and let the events unfold. The kid was managed by the government. His weapons and ammo were provided to him. He was a known threat. He was let in the school and was allowed to continue killing. If not a gun he could have used a bomb. Grow up and use your head for more than ear separation.
ProfessorPlum77 · 70-79, MVIP
Is this an original post or did you borrow it from another source?
👨‍💼
Bang5luts · M
One of the most thoughtful titles with a simple factual statement made in the title! I can't read the entire post right now but I'll bookmark it and read it this evening..
SW-User
Absolutely.
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badminton · 61-69, MVIP
@Ferise1 A person doesn't get courage from a gun.
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