{"id":13447,"date":"2021-03-27T13:23:51","date_gmt":"2021-03-27T19:23:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/barbadamslive.com\/?p=13447"},"modified":"2021-03-27T13:44:18","modified_gmt":"2021-03-27T19:44:18","slug":"march-27-2021-barb-adams-and-john-j-higgins-yet-another-mass-shooting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/barbadamslive.com\/?p=13447","title":{"rendered":"March 27, 2021 – Barb Adams and John J. Higgins, Another Mass Shooting… |"},"content":{"rendered":"

Once again there has been another mass shooting, this one more personal as I am a Coloradan and our state has a tragic and prolific history of mass shootings\u2014from Columbine to King Soopers in Boulder this past Monday.<\/p>\n

What will it take to rid ourselves once and for all of this darkness, for there can be no clearer example of darkness than the mass murdering of one another. Democracy is dying at the hands of this darkness.<\/p>\n

Many Americans risked their lives to have their voices heard and counted in this past 2020 legitimate election. The American people overwhelmingly sent a strong message: “We are tired of the darkness, the division, the violence, and the broken political system before us. We want unity, light, and love.”<\/p>\n

Although some incredible strides have been made since President Biden took office, there are fundamental issues we must face if we are to truly rid ourselves of this darkness and achieve the unity and solutions we seek. We are locked into a destructive cycle of \u201cus\u201d versus \u201cthem,\u201d which will lead to our collective demise. The foundation of this destructive cycle is a broken political system. At every level we are at \u201cwar\u201d with one another\u2014Republicans versus Democrats\u2014and this \u201cwar\u201d can be seen even with just this one issue\u00a0 regarding guns and gun control.<\/p>\n

Colorado has suffered through some of the most deadly mass shootings in American history, including the 1999 Columbine school shooting and the 2012 Aurora movie theater massacre. Monday\u2019s attack at a Boulder King Soopers grocery store comes less than a week after eight people were killed in a shooting spree at three Atlanta area spas.<\/p>\n

This latest mass shooting in Colorado occurred in spite of Colorado having universal background checks, a large-capacity magazine ban and state database background checks. So what’s missing?<\/p>\n

Colorado lacks assault weapons\u2019 restrictions, waiting periods, open carry regulations, and gun owner licensing.\u00a0 Nationally, our broken political system prevents even basic, common-sense gun control legislation while our relaxed policy approach and culture of guns means more guns are accessible, translating to more gun deaths. Assault weapons have no other purpose than to kill humans\u2014they put the \u201cmass\u201d in mass shootings.<\/p>\n

Gun violence is a human rights crisis, but in America it’s become a political issue–“us” versus “them,” Republicans versus Democrats.\u00a0 Here is the destructive cycle in action. Can you see it?<\/p>\n

So how do we begin to break the cycle? It starts by telling the truth and seeing reality clearly. It also means dealing with the root of the problem, not simply the symptoms or deflecting the issues with irrelevant rhetoric. It means holding elected officials and our political system accountable.<\/p>\n

For example, here are some truths about the Republican Party\u2019s actions which perpetuate this darkness, \u201cwar,\u201d and destruction:<\/p>\n