A Florida state senator said that “thoughts and prayers” are the only thing that will stop mass shootings, before the legislature voted down part of a bill to ban assault weapons in the wake of last month’s mass shooting at a Florida high school.
Florida instead voted for a measure to arm teachers as part of Saturday’s vote on the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act, named after the school where 17 people were killed in a massacre February 14.
"When we say ‘thoughts and prayers,’ it’s frowned upon," said Republican state Senator Kelli Stargel during the vote debate Saturday. "And I take real offense at that because thoughts and prayers are really the only thing that’s gonna stop the evil from within the individual who is taking up their arms to do this kind of a massacre."
Florida was one of several states mulling a ban on selling assault weapons like the AR-15 used in the shooting.
“It’s not the weapon, it’s the evil from within,” said Stargel. “If I thought for one moment that if we banned assault weapons then all of these tragedies would end, you would have me, I would be with you.”
She likened banning assault weapons to banning “fertilizer, which is what they used in the Oklahoma bombing” or pressure cookers like those used in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing.
Florida lawmakers voted 20-17 against the amendment to the bill that would ban assault weapons. The bill is on track to pass the state’s Senate Monday and will then face a vote in Florida’s House.
A moment of “silence and reflection” for the Parkland victims was held after the vote by proclamation of Florida’s Republican Governor Rick Scott.
During the debate, however, Stargel also indicated that thoughts and prayers may not be enough to stop mass shootings and said that she supports raising the age to buy assault weapons from 18 to 21 so that the purchasers have “a little more maturity in their life.” She also supports mental health programs that could catch mass shooters early and “try to change the trajectory of their life.”
The National Rifle Association opposes provisions in the bill raising the age for assault weapon purchases and a three-day waiting period after purchases on all guns.
Many students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas have argued that thoughts and prayers from politicians are not enough in the wake of the shooting and have been pushing for an assault weapons ban. The students are organizing a “March for Our Lives” event in Washington, D.C. on March 24.
The high school’s junior class president Jaclyn Corin responded to the Florida vote and moment of silence on Twitter.
“A MOMENT OF SILENCE WILL NOT SAVE THE LIVES OF INNOCENT AMERICANS,” she wrote. The vote, she said, “breaks my heart, but we will NOT let this ruin our movement.”
"Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities." —Voltaire
"They want to take away your hamburgers. This is what Stalin dreamt about but never achieved." —Sebastian Gorka
A Florida state senator said that “thoughts and prayers” are the only thing that will stop mass shootings, before the legislature voted down part of a bill to ban assault weapons in the wake of last month’s mass shooting at a Florida high school.
...
Yeah. I pray that these morons will learning how to think...
Absolute faith corrupts as absolutely as absolute power - Eric Hoffer.
I have NO BELIEF in the existence of a God or gods. I do not have to offer proof nor do I have to determine absence of proof because I do not ASSERT that a God does or does not or gods do or do not exist.
Comedian Colbert is 'danger to this country', Nunes believes
Comedian Stephen Colbert is no laughing matter, according to House Intelligence Committee head Devin Nunes, who said his jokes are a "danger." He accused Democrats of using Hollywood to deflect evidence of their own wrongdoings.
Rep. Nunes (R-California) was the butt of jokes in an episode of the Late Show, which saw Colbert travel to Washington, DC to question congressmen about the alleged Trump-Russia collusion. Colbert handed out copies of a memo which read: "Devin Nunes is a [redacted]."
"This is the danger that we have in this country," Nunes said when asked about Colbert by Fox News' Neil Cavuto on Saturday. "The left controls not only the universities in this country, but they also control Hollywood in this country, and the mainstream media, so conservatives in this country are under attack, and I think this is a great example of it."...
..."I enjoy the attacks, if they want to continue to attack me, that’s fine," he added....
Yes, Colbert is a danger to the country, and Nunes loves it.
“When I was in college, I took a terrorism class. ... The thing that was interesting in the class was every time the professor said ‘Al Qaeda’ his shoulders went up, But you know, it is that you don’t say ‘America’ with an intensity, you don’t say ‘England’ with the intensity. You don’t say ‘the army’ with the intensity,” she continued. “... But you say these names [Al Qaeda] because you want that word to carry weight. You want it to be something.” - Ilhan Omar
“When I was in college, I took a terrorism class. ... The thing that was interesting in the class was every time the professor said ‘Al Qaeda’ his shoulders went up, But you know, it is that you don’t say ‘America’ with an intensity, you don’t say ‘England’ with the intensity. You don’t say ‘the army’ with the intensity,” she continued. “... But you say these names [Al Qaeda] because you want that word to carry weight. You want it to be something.” - Ilhan Omar
“When I was in college, I took a terrorism class. ... The thing that was interesting in the class was every time the professor said ‘Al Qaeda’ his shoulders went up, But you know, it is that you don’t say ‘America’ with an intensity, you don’t say ‘England’ with the intensity. You don’t say ‘the army’ with the intensity,” she continued. “... But you say these names [Al Qaeda] because you want that word to carry weight. You want it to be something.” - Ilhan Omar
Colbert is a national treasure. Nunes is a national embarrassment.
"Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities." —Voltaire
"They want to take away your hamburgers. This is what Stalin dreamt about but never achieved." —Sebastian Gorka
Forty Two wrote:And again, at London College - a debate between Yaron Brook and Carl Benjamin (aka youtube's Sargon of Akkad) is violently shut down by Antifa asshats. https://reason.com/blog/2018/03/05/anti ... ate-betwee
Leftists scumbags.
It is illegal (I think!) to wear masks or a motor cycle helmet in a bank, so why not make it so in public? The police should force these masked demonstrators to remove their masks.
Oh dear! I hear someone say. Does that also apply to the non-religious Burkha/Niqab?
Absolute faith corrupts as absolutely as absolute power - Eric Hoffer.
I have NO BELIEF in the existence of a God or gods. I do not have to offer proof nor do I have to determine absence of proof because I do not ASSERT that a God does or does not or gods do or do not exist.
Over the last months, I have spent several hours nearly every day moving in the public wearing a mask that covers everything but my eyes... It's called "not freezing to death while riding a bike in winter"
NineBerry wrote:Over the last months, I have spent several hours nearly every day moving in the public wearing a mask that covers everything but my eyes... It's called "not freezing to death while riding a bike in winter"
Of course. Essential if you are out riding somewhere in this weather. But if you are with a group of people walking about wearing masks when no one else around you is...
Absolute faith corrupts as absolutely as absolute power - Eric Hoffer.
I have NO BELIEF in the existence of a God or gods. I do not have to offer proof nor do I have to determine absence of proof because I do not ASSERT that a God does or does not or gods do or do not exist.
NineBerry wrote:Over the last months, I have spent several hours nearly every day moving in the public wearing a mask that covers everything but my eyes... It's called "not freezing to death while riding a bike in winter"
Yeah, but you'd take it off when you walk into a bank, right?
"Red pill", huh? Did you take the "red pill" Forty Two?
"Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities." —Voltaire
"They want to take away your hamburgers. This is what Stalin dreamt about but never achieved." —Sebastian Gorka