Thursday, March 28, 2024 -
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Marco Rubio, meet Hillel: ‘If not now, when?’

Following the deadly shooting in Parkland, Fla., Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida told Fox News that it was not the time to discuss gun control, “because people don’t know how this happened . . . I think it’s important to know all of that before you jump to conclusions that there’s some law we could have passed that could have prevented it. There may be, but shouldn’t we at least know the facts?”

Is a call for gun control in the face of a mass shooting “jumping to conclusions” — or a topic in desperate need of political attention?

It’s months since the Las Vegas shooting that killed 58. So why aren’t you talking about it, Sen. Rubio?

The discussion around mass shootings and gun control has become riddled with false dilemmas. For example: Is the solution to mass shootings increased gun control or increased attention to mental health?

Why not both? Although it must be noted that while all mass shootings involve weapons, not all involve mentally unstable perpetrators. On the flip side: Just like most mentally unstable people are not violent killers, neither are most gun owners.

Let’s add a much-needed third discussion point: the culture of violence that is permeating the minds and lives of so many Americans.

More illogic that plagues post-mass shooting discussions: “They want to take all of our guns away.” Regulation of gun ownership does not equate to a wholesale ban on firearms. There are other countries in the world where gun ownership is high, but mass shootings are virtually absent.

Why does this country seem unable to have a fact-based discussion about guns — where both sides discuss and exchange and compromise is reached. No one wants to see more innocent people killed, so it beggars belief that the likes of Marco Rubio want to see this issue keep getting pushed off.

Now is not the right time? When is? When the next shooting happens?

If America continues to ignore the cancer of mass shootings, we will one day be living in a country where every single public building is protected with metal detectors and security forces. Is that the kind of country we want to live in? Is this the “land of the free?” Is this what the Second Amendment envisioned?

Message from Hillel the Elder  to Congress: “If not now, when?”

People — children — are dying. Indeed, if not now, when?

Copyright © 2018 by the Intermountain Jewish News




One thought on “Marco Rubio, meet Hillel: ‘If not now, when?’

  1. Yaakov Watkins

    I would like to see a draft of a law that would have prevented the Florida shooting had it been passed a year ago either by Florida or Congress. Please do not assume that laws will be followed absent enforcement. I don’t believe that a constitutional law is possible.

    Reply

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