Gabrielle Giffords, April 17, 2013

[Indridc0ld]

43. The Senate Vote on Gun Safety

I can honestly say that I have never been so infuriated by our nation's government representatives as I am at this moment. When you consider that I have personally witnessed the numerous scandals and fo-paux of our all too human politicians over 50+ years, that is truly saying something. From Watergate, to Chappaquiddick, and from the Lewinsky affair, to water-boarding, I have seen how long and far even well-meaning men and women can fall from the ideals that one would hope brought them to public service. In some instances, temptation and personal weakness brought about the questionable or illegal behavior. In other cases, it was an over-inflated ego or sense of personal privilege rising even above the laws of our society that made transgression irresistible.

Today's senate vote was nothing of the kind. It went in total contradiction of the electorate's clear and stated desire to take back control from the "wild west" mentality of a small vocal minority of gun lobbyists. Even in the face of horrific tragedy that has resulted, at least in part, from the failure of our current laws to apply reasonable scrutiny to transactions involving fire arms, our elected representatives ignored the safety of the public they took an oath to serve. What are we to make of such action? Have the perks and prestige of elected office been allowed to grow so bloated and obscene, that no amount of negligence is too great if it serves the purpose of re-election? Are we as citizens, expected to simply endure blood spilling events that would utterly crush even the strongest amount us were we to directly experience them?

I ask in this public forum for an answer to this question. I wish to know what could so powerfully deter reasonable men and women from acting on behalf of the impassioned pleas from parents to take such tiny steps to deter the repetition of such events as Newtown, Columbine, and Virginia Tech. You owe us an answer.