Flags in Southborough and across are flying at half staff until sunset on Thursday, August 8, 2019, in honor of the victims of the tragic shootings this past weekend. Below is the Presidential Proclamation:
HONORING THE VICTIMS OF THE TRAGEDIES IN EL PASO, TEXAS, AND DAYTON, OHIO
Our Nation mourns with those whose loved ones were murdered in the tragic shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, and we share in the pain and suffering of all those who were injured in these two senseless attacks. We condemn these hateful and cowardly acts. Through our grief, America stands united with the people of El Paso and Dayton. May God be with the victims of these two horrific crimes and bring aid and comfort to their families and friends.
As a mark of solemn respect for the victims of the terrible acts of violence perpetrated on August 3, 2019, in El Paso, Texas, and on August 4, 2019, in Dayton, Ohio, by the authority vested in me as President of the United States by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America,I hereby order that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions until sunset, August 8, 2019.
I also direct that the flag shall be flown at half-staff for the same length of time at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fourth day of August, in the year of our Lord two thousand nineteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America two hundred forty-fourth.
DONALD J. TRUMP
(photo from Susan Fitzgerald)
Each day in the U.S. approximately 100 people are are shot and killed.
Each and every day.
A gun is a tool. It can do nothing without someone to operate it. Other countries allow ownership of guns and do not experience the rate of homicide we see in the US.
So, we’ll now have yet another wave of hysteria over gun ownership. In Japan, where it’s extremely difficult to own a gun, a man used a knife (or knives) to murder several schoolgirls and a teacher waiting at a bus stop a few months ago. Should kitchen knives be outlawed? That’s the kind of response we’d see in the US, if such a thing happened here.
It’s people who are pulling the triggers. It’s people who need to be held accountable.
Let’s ask ourselves, “What is it about society in America that creates people who do things like mass shootings?”. Let’s think about the current environment and public rantings that seem to tell people that somehow it’s OK to go after people if they’re religion is different or their skin color is not the same as yours or they speak with an accent.
A message has been repeated over and over during recent years seeming to give permission to certain (“very fine”) individuals in this society that hate crime is OK.
It is not.
So much red herring…
Are you suggesting the number of deaths or number incidents is due to individuals not being held accountable? Is it really just “recent years”? How recent are we talking about? And how much accountability are we talking about? Just the people actually pulling the triggers or more broader than that?
People can kill with water so let’s outlaw water… I hope that sounds ridiculous to you because your example with knife completely ignores the everyday needs of people. For example, medicine can become “bad drugs” but we regulate that instead of outlawing them completely. Plus, I have not seen huge support of complete banning of guns in this country anyway.
Alot of everyday life tools can kill but which one can let you easily kill 10s or 100s of people? And single-handedly?
The way I see it, the 2nd amendment’s original intent of protecting against the state (the federal government — see 3rd amendment for example) has a lot less teeth with all the modern day weaponry and yet there isn’t outcry for more weaponry to the people. What’s a gun going to do against tanks, war plane, etc? By your reasoning, why not let people own tanks, grenades, rocket launchers, etc? Clearly, the has to be some limit and no one in the mainstream is talking about a complete ban on guns but I can not disagree more that there shouldn’t be a tightening of gun laws and other laws.