hat tip to earlg at democraticunderground

The following is a report on the Iowa GOP US Senate debate from Thursday night:

“Mrs. Ernst, a viewer wrote us saying in light of the shooting of Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, the shootings at the Aurora, Colo. theater, and most recently at the UC Santa Barbara campus, ‘we have a Joni Ernst in the television ad that is running continuously on all local television stations that contains violent imagery pointing a gun directly at the viewer and vowing to quote ‘shoot them down’ and hateful language directed toward their opponents. Is this really what politics has become in this country?'” the moderator said. “Mrs. Ernst, what do you say to this viewer?”

“Yes, I would say to this viewer that what happened in that shooting and that stabbing is an absolute tragedy,” Ernst said. “However, I remain firm in my commitment to the Second Amendment. I have been endorsed by the NRA in this race, and again, just because of a horrible, horrible tragedy, I don’t believe we should be infringing upon people’s Second Amendment rights.”

The moderator then asked Ernst if she would change the ad or its timing in light of the UCSB shooting.

“I would not — no. This unfortunate accident happened after the ad, but it does highlight that I want to get rid of, repeal, and replace Bruce Braley’s Obamacare,” Ernst replied, referring to a Democratic Senate candidate. “And it also shows that I am a strong supporter of the Second Amendment. That is a fundamental right.”

First, I would recommend that you and all the other enablers of gun death in our country read the damned amendment. It is a single sentence with a comma separating two clauses thus making the second clause (the right to keep and bear arms) dependent on the first clause ( “A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State,). Thus the second condition depends on the first being true. As far as I know, state militias are pretty well gone now.

Secondly, Ms. Ernst, what happened in Isla Vista was not an accident. Nor were the aforementioned Gabby Giffords assassination attempt, or the Aurora shootings. Nor was the Columbine attack and especially not the Newtown attack where children – yes innocent children were gunned down in a sacrifice to your misinterpretation of the second amendment. All these and the many, many more planned and executed mass murders in the United States “accidents.” Nor for that matter are the hundreds and thousands of domestic murders yearly where guns are at ready in case of some minor insult.

I hope you do not come to understand what is really at stake here after one of your loved ones becomes a victim. We now have time to stop the next mass murderer. Please be a responsible leader and admit that putting instruments of death into every citizen’s hands only multiplies the chances of an “accident.”

In other instances of tragedy such as hurricanes, fires, avalanches, mass pileups we usually band together to study the tragedy and recommend solutions to stop a recurrence. I n those situations I have never seen anyone call for more of the same as a solution. Usually we build barriers or enact laws that makes a recurrence less likely and less tragic. This is what we should be doing today.