TX GOP Lawmaker Brags About Not Doing Anything Useful to Stop Gun Violence

[Skwim]

"Add Texas State Rep. Matt Schaefer to the ever-growing list of Republicans who thinks more prayer is the solution to a problem that prayer has never solved.

After the mass shooting in Odessa yesterday, the Republican chimed in with a bonkers Twitter thread reiterating how, as a legislator, he refused to do anything useful. Instead, he would pray, pray, pray, tell fathers to stay home, demand discipline at home, and a whole bunch of other gibberish that most conservative Christians might adore but sensible people realize won’t change a damn thing.

Schaefer is no stranger to saying idiotic things. In 2015, he amended a bill to include a ban on abortion if the “fetus has a severe and irreversible abnormality.” In other words, even if a fetus had no chance of survival, Schaefer wanted to force women to give birth to dead babies.

He referenced the Bible back then, too, saying, “suffering is “part of the human condition, since sin entered the world.”

His amendment passed, but the bill (thankfully) did not.

To people who wonder why the United States has so many of these mass shootings and no ability to do anything to stop it, the blame rests entirely on Republicans like Schaefer who have the power to be useful, but are too busy telling the world they’re “pro-life” to prevent another baby from getting shot in the face by a guy who never should’ve been able to get his hands on a weapon.

It’s no joke about the pro-life bragging. Schaefer boasts a “112%” score from Texas Right to Life. Because these people understand math as well as they understand how to govern.
source​

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[Heyo]

the blame rests entirely on Republicans like Schaefer who have the power to be useful

I generally agree but it's not only republicans who take money from the NRA. If only the Republicans were bought, there would be sensible gun control laws on a federal level by now.

 

[metis]

93% of Americans in a recent poll say they want universal background checks before purchasing a gun, including the vast majority of people who call themselves "Republicans". The fact is that the NRA has bought them, and the congressional pubs afraid of getting "primaried".

And McConnell refuses to even allow a vote since the House passed a bill that creates background checks. IOW, the "Do Nothings" are just lounging in the Senate waiting for their next vacation and public's paycheck.

 

[Enoch07]

To people who wonder why the United States has so many of these mass shootings and no ability to do anything to stop it, the blame rests entirely on Republicans like Schaefer who have the power to be useful.

Could of sworn we just had 8 years with a Democratic President, for 2 of those years he had Democratic majority in Congress.

But Dems like always are guiltless when it comes to doing nothing. Its always somebody else's fault isn't it.


Lame

 

[Kangaroo Feathers]

 

[Salvador]

Please let's agree sometimes doing nothing is better than doing something that will do more harm than good; such would be the case if the government were to infringe upon our Constitutionally guaranteed Second Amendment rights.

In 2016, there were 71 persons killed in a mass-shooting, Mass Shooting Statistics - List By Year - Gun Sources

In this same year, across the nation there were 331 justifiable homicides involving a private citizen using a firearm reported to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program as detailed in its Supplementary Homicide Report (SHR)

Expanded Homicide

Statistics show there are hundreds of justifiable gun homicides annually compared to dozens of mass-shooting deaths; hence, somebody is ca. five times more likely to rightfully kill somebody with a gun than getting killed by a mass shooter. Hence, approximately five times as many people would be harmed than would benefit in a society where only criminals and the police state have weapons.

 

[Revoltingest]

Could of sworn we just had 8 years with a Democratic President, for 2 of those years he had Democratic majority in Congress.

But Dems like always are guiltless when it comes to doing nothing. Its always somebody else's fault isn't it.


Lame

There you go again...ruining a perfectly good partisan rant with information.
Btw, the thread title is horribly dishonest.

 

[ImmortalFlame]

Please let's agree sometimes doing nothing is better than doing something that will do more harm than good; such would be the case if the government were to infringe upon our Constitutionally guaranteed Second Amendment rights.

In 2016, there were 71 persons killed in a mass-shooting, Mass Shooting Statistics - List By Year - Gun Sources

In this same year, across the nation there were 331 justifiable homicides involving a private citizen using a firearm reported to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program as detailed in its Supplementary Homicide Report (SHR)

Expanded Homicide

Statistics show there are hundreds of justifiable gun homicides annually compared to dozens of mass-shooting deaths; hence, somebody is ca. five times more likely to rightfully kill somebody with a gun than getting killed by a mass shooter. Hence, approximately five times as many people would be harmed than would benefit in a society where only criminals and the police state have weapons.

Are you serious?

You seriously just compared justifiable homicides vs. mass shooting deaths, and tried to portray this as evidence that "approximately five times as many people would be harmed than would benefit in a society where only criminals and the police state have weapons"?

Simple question: Were all gun deaths and injuries in 2016 part of a "mass shooting" incident?

I'll wait.

 

[Aurelius]

@Skwim I'm surprised he stopped just short of saying yes to the right of students to carry guns to school.

Given NRA constituents are silently making that push now. Sad that conservatives can't see through all the political smokescreen that the gun lobby only cares about profiting off sales.

They'd care less if we all took those guns and destroyed one another after.

 

[Salvador]

Are you serious?

You seriously just compared justifiable homicides vs. mass shooting deaths, and tried to portray this as evidence that "approximately five times as many people would be harmed than would benefit in a society where only criminals and the police state have weapons"?

Simple question: Were all gun deaths and injuries in 2016 part of a "mass shooting" incident?

I'll wait.

The vast majority of gun shooting deaths happen by suicide. I reckon the number of well-armed civilians, who simply by brandishing a weapon without firing a shot, have saved their own lives or a loved one's life from a would-be murderer happens to be at least five times greater than the number of people who actually are murdered by guns. Millions of people have been slaughtered by genocide in societies where only the police, military, and criminals have been well-armed.

 

[ImmortalFlame]

The vast majority of gun shooting deaths happen by suicide.

And why do you think that's better?

I reckon the number of well-armed civilians, who simply by brandishing a weapon without firing a shot, have saved their own lives or a loved one's life from a would-be murderer happens to be at least five times greater than the number of people who actually are murdered by guns. Millions of people have been slaughtered by genocide in societies where only the police, military, and criminals have been well-armed.

Your own source completely blows that claim out of the water:
Expanded Homicide Data Table 4

From the source, total number of homicides by firearm in 2016: 11,004.

So where does your 331 justifiable homicides stack up against that, exactly? By your logic, this means you are more than 33 times more likely to be killed by guns than you are to use them to kill someone in self-defense.

How did you overlook this?

 

[shmogie]

"Add Texas State Rep. Matt Schaefer to the ever-growing list of Republicans who thinks more prayer is the solution to a problem that prayer has never solved.

After the mass shooting in Odessa yesterday, the Republican chimed in with a bonkers Twitter thread reiterating how, as a legislator, he refused to do anything useful. Instead, he would pray, pray, pray, tell fathers to stay home, demand discipline at home, and a whole bunch of other gibberish that most conservative Christians might adore but sensible people realize won’t change a damn thing.

View attachment 32529​

Schaefer is no stranger to saying idiotic things. In 2015, he amended a bill to include a ban on abortion if the “fetus has a severe and irreversible abnormality.” In other words, even if a fetus had no chance of survival, Schaefer wanted to force women to give birth to dead babies.

He referenced the Bible back then, too, saying, “suffering is “part of the human condition, since sin entered the world.”

His amendment passed, but the bill (thankfully) did not.

To people who wonder why the United States has so many of these mass shootings and no ability to do anything to stop it, the blame rests entirely on Republicans like Schaefer who have the power to be useful, but are too busy telling the world they’re “pro-life” to prevent another baby from getting shot in the face by a guy who never should’ve been able to get his hands on a weapon.

It’s no joke about the pro-life bragging. Schaefer boasts a “112%” score from Texas Right to Life. Because these people understand math as well as they understand how to govern.
source​

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Doing something useful is not the same as doing something to be doing something.

Though I support vigorous background checks, they may save some lives, yet they will do little in affecting the overall murder rate ( which went down significantly in the 90ś, and has continued at a slower rate).

Laws with little thought behind them will be passed as the previous ones fail.

The true, but difficult to correct problems behind gun violence will be ignored.

 

[ImmortalFlame]

The true, but difficult to correct problems behind gun violence will be ignored.

And what are those causes?

 

[shmogie]

@Skwim I'm surprised he stopped just short of saying yes to the right of students to carry guns to school.

Given NRA constituents are silently making that push now. Sad that conservatives can't see through all the political smokescreen that the gun lobby only cares about profiting off sales.

They'd care less if we all took those guns and destroyed one another after.

Hmmmm, I am an NRA member, and I know nothing about any push you allege is occurring.

"the gun lobby," you say that as if being a lobby is nefarious. Obviously then you are including the abortion lobby, the illegal alien lobby, the homosexual lobby, and all the other causes that legally lobby on your blacklist.

The NRA membership in general does not profit from sales, nor do those who hold the various volunteer offices in the association. If the paid employees are profiting, we members know nothing about it.

Because the NRA focuses on preserving every citizens rights under the 2nd amendment to the Constitution, and you and others want to erode or eliminate those rights, then we become the big bad bogeyman.

You probably have no clue as to what else the NRA does in other areas, like firearms safety, firearms training, the services they provide to target shooters or hunters or antique firearms collectors. they organize and administer competitions, they test firearms for performance and safety. However, you don´t really care why millions of us are members. We are all just crazy gun nutś, right ? Just a heartbeat away from mass murder.

I wonder how many of these mass murderers are NRA members, or murderers in general ? Care to speculate ?

 

[metis]

When the NRA stymies what 93% of American citizens have said they want to have, namely universal background checks, then I have to conclude that they are a subversive organization that puts $ and power ahead the country as a whole.

My own father, who belonged to the NRA for decades, got so mad after going to a gun-show near Miami that he took has NRA membership card, cut it into pieces, and then mailed it to the NRA and told them where they can stuff it-- literally.

The fact of the matter is that today's Republican Party has been bought and paid for by the NRA, the latter of which hasn't seen a gun that they don't adore.

 

[shmogie]

And what are those causes?

Disaffection of young males related to society. Mental problems ignored or not reported. Extremely poor communication between various government agencies regarding questionable people and their behavior. Failure to identify these people in a way that would be part of a firearms background check. Failure to address in any significant way the thriving black market in firearms. After massive amounts of money spent on ẗhe war on poverty¨, poverty is still rampant in big cities, as is drug use, as is constant gang violence, as are murders. Doing the same old things has proven to be totally ineffective in these neighborhoods, where people who illegally own firearms that they obtained illegally are constantly killing. Why not finally try some different approaches to curb this violence ?

 

[Revoltingest]

When the NRA stymies what 93% of American citizens have said they want to have, namely universal background checks, then I have to conclude that they are a subversive organization that puts $ and power ahead the country as a whole.

My own father, who belonged to the NRA for decades, got so mad after going to a gun-show near Miami that he took has NRA membership card, cut it into pieces, and then mailed it to the NRA and told them where they can stuff it-- literally.

The fact of the matter is that today's Republican Party has been bought and paid for by the NRA, the latter of which hasn't seen a gun that they don't adore.

Criminy, the NRA sounds like commies hiding under one's bed,
just waiting for a a chance to sneak out & kill puppies.
NRADS?
Instead, what we have is our (gun rights types) advocacy against
yours (curbing gun rights). Tis not good vs evil as you portray it.
I see merit on both sides, & room for improvement via compromise.

 

[shmogie]

Are you serious?

You seriously just compared justifiable homicides vs. mass shooting deaths, and tried to portray this as evidence that "approximately five times as many people would be harmed than would benefit in a society where only criminals and the police state have weapons"?

Simple question: Were all gun deaths and injuries in 2016 part of a "mass shooting" incident?

I'll wait.

71 people killed in mass shootings, out of a population of 320 plus million.

How many died by falling off of ladders ?

 

[We Never Know]

Hmmmm, I am an NRA member, and I know nothing about any push you allege is occurring.

"the gun lobby," you say that as if being a lobby is nefarious. Obviously then you are including the abortion lobby, the illegal alien lobby, the homosexual lobby, and all the other causes that legally lobby on your blacklist.

The NRA membership in general does not profit from sales, nor do those who hold the various volunteer offices in the association. If the paid employees are profiting, we members know nothing about it.

Because the NRA focuses on preserving every citizens rights under the 2nd amendment to the Constitution, and you and others want to erode or eliminate those rights, then we become the big bad bogeyman.

You probably have no clue as to what else the NRA does in other areas, like firearms safety, firearms training, the services they provide to target shooters or hunters or antique firearms collectors. they organize and administer competitions, they test firearms for performance and safety. However, you don´t really care why millions of us are members. We are all just crazy gun nutś, right ? Just a heartbeat away from mass murder.

I wonder how many of these mass murderers are NRA members, or murderers in general ? Care to speculate ?

In 2015, NRA contributions totaled $95 million. In that year, LaPierre received a $3.7 million deferred compensation distribution from his "employee funded deferred compensation plan", which was required by federal law, and according to the NRA raised his total annual compensation to $5,110,985.

IOW in 2015 5% of all the contributions to the NRA went to one person, the chief executive and executive vice president Wayne LaPierre.

 

[shmogie]

When the NRA stymies what 93% of American citizens have said they want to have, namely universal background checks, then I have to conclude that they are a subversive organization that puts $ and power ahead the country as a whole.

My own father, who belonged to the NRA for decades, got so mad after going to a gun-show near Miami that he took has NRA membership card, cut it into pieces, and then mailed it to the NRA and told them where they can stuff it-- literally.

The fact of the matter is that today's Republican Party has been bought and paid for by the NRA, the latter of which hasn't seen a gun that they don't adore.

And why did your father get so mad about a gun show ? Had he never attended one before ? You are implying that his anger was because of the so called gun show loophole, was it ? If he was a member, he should have known about this before he attended the show.

How many mass shootings are committed by guns bought at a gun show ?

A subversive organization, like planned parenthood you mean ?

The NRA is itś millions of members. I get no money and no power, by being a member, I wonder who does.

You are very factually wrong. The NRA tests firearms for safety and performance, and numbers of them have failed the testing, they weren´t liked.

The Republican party has been bought by the NRA ? Really ? So concurrent goals mean somebody has been bought. OK, by that standard we know the democrat party has been bought by planned parenthood, labor unions, the NAACP, all of the billionaire democrat donors, and the no borders, no immigration law enforcement lobby.

WHY does the NRA have problems with parts of some of the background check proposals ? Do you even know ?

You seem to be saying that the NRA just wants bad guys to get guns, that is asinine.