“Another Shooting?”
By Jim Culp
May 25, 2022
It’s a cool
and rainy day here in Lee’s Summit. It’s been this way for the past few days,
and man it gets old quick. It’s akin to the weather we used to get in early
March. This morning, I read the news about the shooting in Uvalde, Texas. What
a tragedy. This was a multi-target shooting by a kid in his teens named Salvador
Ramos. Uvalde is over 78% Hispanic by demography, but that is common in the
border areas in that region. Shootings in Texas are fairly common; there have
been 27 incidents of shootings resulting in deaths since I was born in that
state in 1966. What I would like to point out now is that there have probably
been 2-300 shootings (resulting in deaths or not) during that time that simply
were never recorded or followed up on.
This incident
is tragic and horrible for the parents and relatives of the deceased. It’s also
tragic that any person is full of this much rage that he does something this
terrible. We could drone on about the mental side of this for days, but I am
not qualified to make a call on any of that, so I’ll move on.
First, let’s
look at a profile. When Ramos turned 18 sometime past, he purchased two AR-15 style sporting rifles legally from a gun store.
Ramos made the purchases using his grandmother’s address, and it is unknown if
he resided with her or not. It is
unknown how much ammunition that he carried to the shooting, but I am of the
belief that he had a full magazine in both weapons. The photo of the rifles
show two 30 round magazines. Another source claims that Ramos had one rifle,
and a handgun. This is unconfirmed. First, it is currently believed that Ramos shot his grandmother before
he headed to the school to perform the shootings. As of now, it is reported
that she is on her way to a hospital in San Antonio. Ramos wounded two sheriff's
deputies, but not fatally. It is believed now that he shot two sheriff’s
deputies, but not fatally. It is believed that he shot 19 children fatally in
the range of 2nd grade to 4th grade, and two teachers,
also fatally. My heart goes out to these victims, their families, and everyone
involved. This kind of carnage should never happen in a civilized society.
Now, let’s look
at some things. This kid bought these rifles at a local retailer nine days ago,
on his 18th birthday using his Grandmother’s address. That should
have sent up a red flag from the get go. At a minimum, the retailer should have
made a few phone calls. The kid was bullied and assaulted at school several
times, and ditched classes on various occasions. At a bare minimum, the retailer
should have a limit on how many guns one person can buy in a day. I know…the
Democrats reading this will say that he shouldn’t have been able to buy one
until he was 92 with 18 letters from Senators and Governors; and the Republicans
will say that he should be able to buy an Abrams tank with a full compliment of
ammunition if he wants. This is what is wrong with out country right now…but I
digress.
So the kids
lays down his greenbacks for two AR-15 style sporting rifles, and buys (or has
already obtained) magazines and ammunition for these, as well as a pistol;
which is illegal. There are certain situations where persons under 21 years of
age can purchase handguns, but they must do so through a legal process. I assume
that Mr. Ramos obtained this gun from someone, or stole it.
Now, let’s
talk about media hype concerning the riles. These rifles ARE NOT assault
rifles. They are called sporting rifles for a reason. They are semi-automatic
rifles that load and fire ONE SHOT per squeeze of the trigger. Can a trained
person fire round in semi-automatic mode quickly? Yes, absolutely. But they are
not assault rifles. Assault Rifles (like the M-16A1 that I used in Basic
Training and my tour of Korea) are capable of firing in full automatic mode…or,
you can select to fire one round at a time. The point here is, a modern assault
rifle (although not a machine gun) can fire rounds at a target at a rate of 20
rounds per second. I am not saying that a sporting rifle doesn’t do damage. It’s
a deadly weapon…but so is a black powder pistol, or a 30.30 Winchester Carbine,
or a chef’s knife.
“Ignorance is
bliss” is an old saying that I heard many times as a young Private in the Army.
At the time, I was ignorant (as many 18 year olds are) and acted upon
ignorance. But then I grew up. It took a minute, but I learned that there are
some things called research, and computer searches, and libraries full of books
and maps. Educate yourself. I fully agree that these shootings are horrible,
and should not happen. I will NEVER, EVER…support the infringement of life and
liberty on Law Abiding citizens because of IGNORANCE.
“A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to
the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms,
shall not be infringed.
Amendment
Two: The Bill of Rights
-Jim
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