George Takei: How the LGBT Community Can Lead America to a Sane Gun Policy
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IT IS TIME 06.14.16 1:00 PM ET
George Takei: How the LGBT Community Can Lead America to a Sane Gun Policy
The longtime actor and LGBT activist writes about how, in the wake of the Orlando gay club massacre that left 49 people dead, the LGBT community can lead the charge on gun reform.
The terror attack in Orlando marks a rare nexus point in our politics. For the moment, the face of America’s tragedy is gay—and largely Latino—as we grimly identify those slain. And for the moment, the LGBT community, built on principles of acceptance and tolerance, grapples with the notion that this terrorist act was inspired by religious fanaticism.
No one on either side of the political divide is particularly comfortable with this narrative. But the moment does offer an uncanny opportunity, an alignment almost never seen, where elements on the farthest sides of the cultural spectrum suddenly find common cause.
After other recent mass shootings, solutions have proved elusive. The left blames guns; the right blames radical Islam, and we are back to where we began.
Or are we? It’s safe to assume none of us actually wants to see ISIS-inspired terrorists armed with semi-automatic rifles, able to attack at will within our own borders. But to prevent that, we must address a rather tricky question: How much liberty must we concede? This is often framed as a question of Second Amendment rights. But this particular attack in Orlando raises new questions, compelling a review of our values and priorities.
Continued at the Daily Beast
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