assault weapons are banned.

There's only, what, a week and a half left of school in Texas, and Uvalde school district has already announced that their school year is over. But it would still make a giant statement for all teachers to walk out. NOW.

newly purchased assault weapon at their local police department. There, they would be interviewed and evaluated by a specially trained police officer, preferably a detective from their Homicide Department. That's all. No fingerprinting (although that would be nice). No official registering of the assault weapon (although THAT would be nice). Just an interview by someone with the training and experience to spot a nut job who should absolutely, positively NOT be allowed to purchase an assault weapon.

There would be no gun show loopholes. All assault weapons sold at a gun show would have to be delivered to the local police station for the purchaser to pick up at a later date and to undergo an interview with a police officer. And the same police department could do stings to catch people selling assault weapons online and attempting to deliver the assault weapon directly to the purchaser.

I think just the prospect of having to go to the police department to pick up their new assault weapon would deter many people from buying one.

I would, of course, rather see all assault rifles banned and make it so that all other guns would require registration and gun owners would need to pass a gun safety class to receive a license to own a gun, just like owning and driving a car. If we Democrats ever get a super-majority, those things would be possible. But these actions, apparently, are not possible as long as Senate Democrats can be blocked by Senate Republicans (and Manchin and Sinema, let's not forget those two gems).

Anyway, just trying to think of something, ANYTHING, that might possibly be possible. I know Republicans everywhere would be ALL up in arms (figuratively and literally) at my proposal, which they would see as anything but modest.

Anyway, . . . may God bless those babies and their teachers who died in Uvalde yesterday (and at Sandy Hook, and at . . .) and their grieving moms and dads and the rest of their family members.

someone knocking doors and handing out literature for a Republican candidate running for a state House district office. I hadn't answered the door, so they stuck their flyer in the crack of the door where I'd be sure to find it.

I'm really glad I was unable to answer the door because I've been sort of seething with anger at all the Republican outrages of late and I don't know what I might have said to the person. I realize that erupting in anger and going off on that person would have accomplished nothing, except brand me as the crazy liberal Democrat who lives in that neighborhood. Plus, is that how I want to be treated when I go a door-knockin' for Democratic candidates?

Once I calmed down a bit, I realized that I wished that I had had my own literature to hand to the Republican door knocker. Just a list titled "The Top 10 Reasons Why I Do Not Vote Republican." This way, I could maybe, maybe have a teachable moment with the person, if they actually took the time to read it. And I wouldn't come off as a frothing-at-the-mouth crazy person. Plus, if I could be pleasant and "nice them to death" and dispel any illusions they have that Democrats are evil.

I've started my list for next time with a few recent items:

1. Republicans in the House of Representatives just voted against a bill that would provide money to ease the baby food formula crisis, while simultaneously supporting legislation to overturn Roe v. Wade, supposedly to protect the lives of unborn babies.

2. Republicans in the House of Representatives just voted against a bill that would prevent price gouging on gas during times of emergency.

3. Republicans such as Rick Scott of Florida want to "sunset" Social Security and Medicare so that these programs would be voted on every few years. They want to do this just so that these programs can be done away with.

4. Nine Black people were killed and others seriously injured in the Buffalo massacre, yet Republican senators and representatives refuse to enact commonsense gun control laws, including a law we used to have banning assault rifles like the one used in the Buffalo mass murder and other massacres.

There are really hundreds of horrible things the Repubes have done that I could add to my list (the insurrection, their support of twice-impeached, treasonous grifter Trump, their support of Russia instead of Ukraine), but I'm trying to stick to recent news items of which my Republican neighbors are likely ignorant, what with their getting all their news from Fox.

If anyone has any ideas of things I could add, that'd be great. Anyway, just thought I'd share.

At the very least, could we pass a law making it illegal to bring a weapon inside any public building?

And I know that white supremacists like the shooter in Buffalo would not read the sign and say, "Oh, crap! I guess I can't go in and slaughter innocent people like I wanted to. Guess I'll just go home!" so additional measures would have to be taken, like metal detectors, which, I know, expensive.

But if we can't get the Repubes to pass a bill banning assault weapons, maybe . . . okay, this is me throwing up my hands in despair because I know we could never get them to pass a law making it illegal to bring a weapon inside a public building.

The only solution is to get a super majority in Congress, pass an assault weapons ban, and then keep the super majority forever.

and across all media, just like they repeated the "Stop the Steal!" and "Tax and Spend Democrats" phrases until they stuck.