Proof That Democrats Exploit, Not Reduce, Gun Violence

The Christchurch, New Zealand mosque shootings were tragic for at least two big reasons. The violent deaths of innocent people are just one reason. The other is that, once again, it provoked impassioned, albeit hypocritical, rhetoric from Democrats on gun control.  

Democrats seem more interested in exploiting gun violence than reducing it. The ongoing mass killings, by assault weapons, fuel the Democrats ability to use these events for rallying their base of support to get votes and campaign contributions. People everywhere are genuinely saddened by these mass murders. Democratic politicians are quick to blame guns. However, the root causes of such violence go much deeper and are being ignored by Democrats.

222 people were killed in the U.S. by assault weapons over the last 20 years, starting with the Columbine High School killings

During that same 20 year period, based on a study published in Forensic Science International:

10,000 children in the U.S. have been murdered by their own parents!

One third of those children were age six or under!

90% of the child victims were not killed by guns, but by their parent’s own hands!

How many Democratic politicians, marchers, protesters and celebrities are demanding that parents stop murdering their own children? The math is simple – none! That is because they are unwilling to address the root causes of violence in our society. They are merely exploiting highly publicized gun violence for political gain.

My exposure to the Democrats’ exploitation of gun violence goes back over 20 years. In 1998, I was a third-party candidate for U.S. Senate in Colorado. One of my platform points was the need to reduce stress among high school students to prevent violence, which I’ve advocated for decades, starting in my own high school in 1971.

Five months after the election, the Columbine High School shootings in Colorado shocked America and the world. About five months after that, President Clinton held a summit on school violence. The summit attendees concluded that stress was the primary cause of violence in schools. That was not surprising, given that excess stress had long been known as the root cause of most mental, physical, emotional and behavioral disorders. However, the Clinton-appointed summit moderator kept trying to steer the discussion back to gun control.

In 2002, I proposed a ballot initiative ordinance based on pioneering research about reducing stress-related social indicators such as crime and violence. It was called the Safety through Peace initiative (officially Initiative 101) in Denver.  It explained how stress builds up in communities and causes a variety of societal problems, such as violence of all kinds, including suicide and child abuse. Back then, Denver was rated the most drunken city in the U.S., along with having the most stressed-out work force. The Safety through Peace initiative revealed scientifically proven ways to reduce societal stress and the wide range of problems is causes.

An impressive list of experts in societal violence, including terrorism, strongly endorsed Initiative 101. By contrast, the mostly Democratic Denver City Council was openly hostile toward the Safety through Peace initiative. Over the course of several mandatory meetings on the proposed initiative, they never allowed as much as one second or one word from proponents of the initiative to explain viable solutions to societal stress, or defend against councilmembers’ hostility, ridicule and insults.

I realized later that it was because Mayor John Hickenlooper and the city council wanted to convince Denver taxpayers to pay for a bigger container for criminals – a new jail. Therefore, they couldn’t afford to have violent crimes suddenly decrease, as my suggested solution would have achieved. They were eager for the new jail so that they would no longer need to walk the same halls as county jail residents going to and from the courtrooms. They put their own safety ahead of public safety.

Denver City Council members will typically get on their soapbox and decry horrible crimes that shake up a community. It did not matter that Denver was experiencing some of the worst summer violence in ten years.  Two weeks after the city council expressed such hostility toward the Safety through Peace initiative, one tragic day stood out.

As I recall, an estranged ex-boyfriend ran over his former girlfriend in a South Denver alley as her daughter watched. Then he drove around the block and down the alley again where he ran over her young daughter. The same day, but in North Denver, four people were tied up in the basement of a house and shot dead – gangland execution style.

Reducing crime and the jail population with cost-effective solutions would have caused concern about reduced funding and personnel cuts throughout law enforcement unions, which carry a lot of influence in elections. Politicians crave support of such political heavyweights.  So, their campaign promises usually include increasing funding and benefits for law enforcement, instead of reducing the root causes of crime.

The politicians got their new jail. As expected, it did not address the cause of violence and crime. Denver’s fancy new jail even became a national disgrace. The violent mistreatment of prisoners by law enforcement personnel resulted in the city council approving millions of dollars in settlements to victims. The money came from taxpayers, and the city council still gave themselves raises.

Democrats continue to milk the publicity of mass shootings by directly opposing Republicans and gun rights advocates. It happened with Columbine, Sandy Hook, Parkland, Las Vegas, Orlando and many other incidents. In a real way, Democrats are perpetuating gun violence by ignoring deeper problems in society and keeping their base of supporters distracted by ineffective gun control policies. Their message is “elect me and I’ll fight for a ban on assault weapons to end mass shootings.”

To reduce tragic violence of all kinds, there needs to be an honest discussion about how to reverse this downward spiral of society and disregard for human life. Politicians are the last ones that should be let into this discussion. It might be one area where science and religion can find some common ground and practical solutions. President Trump could become the champion of this issue and end the useless debate about gun control vs. gun rights.

Coming soon:

Democrats’ Universal Health-Scare Will Kill Us, Not Cure Us

Until next time, POWER UP!