In times of tragedy, it can be all too easy to look around for something to blame. Imposing any sort of pattern on top of seemingly random violence and tragedy can help us feel that it's easier to understand, and even to accept. But, sometimes, the fact is that the world is random and cruel, and the only thing to blame is lax gun laws.
But it seems that no one has explained this to Donald Trump. In the grand tradition of misassigning blame, he's gone for an absolute classic in terms of scapegoat: violent video games. And, after receiving immense backlash for such a comment, he is now trying to pry the pressure off himself by dragging Barack Obama's name into the mess, claiming that he got a "pass" on the mass shootings during his reign.
Want to know more about his bizarre blame game? Read on.
This weekend, the USA suffered not one, but two terrorist attacks.
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Mass shootings have always been a worry in the U.S, but, so far, in 2019, there have been a horrific 251 shootings in just 217 days. The numbers truly speak for themselves.On Saturday 3rd August, El Paso was the location to fall victim.
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There was another mass shooting in the Texas city, which ended up costing at least twenty people their lives - and with far more injured.The location of the attack was a local Walmart.
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And what makes the incident all the more tragic is that fact that the store was filled with families undertaking the classic task of the back-to-school shop.The shooter was identified as Patrick Crusius.
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Crusius is a white supremacist, and it's believed that he chose the location of his attack due to the high percentage of Hispanic population. He surrendered to the police and remains in custody.But, to make matters worse, this wasn't the only tragedy that struck this weekend.
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Just twelve hours later, in Dayton, Ohio, another mass shooting took place in a popular nightlife district.The shooting left nine people dead.
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This is in spite of the police managing to intervene under thirty seconds after the gunman fired his first shot. One of the victims was the gunman's own sister.The shooter was twenty-four-year-old Connor Betts.
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His motive currently remains unclear. While these two attacks were among the closest together in U.S history, there have actually been an unbelievable four mass shooting crimes in the past seven days, with an incident in Mississipi on Tuesday, and in California on July 28th.The death toll as a result of mass shooting this past week alone currently stands at thirty-four.
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To any rational mind, it seems clear that extreme legal reform is required to ensure the safety of civilians in America. And yet those in positions of power continue to shuffle their feet.In fact, the president has not offered any sort of useful solution.
Instead, he's relying on paltry words of blessing and encouragement - without ever taking steps to ensure that this can't happen again.This hasn't gone unnoticed.
News: "Mass shooting in El Paso, Texas." Dummies in Charge: #thoughtsandprayers *Less than 24 hours later* News… https://t.co/JlbzVC9Ozh— Chad D (@Chad D)1564920429.0
Although there do seem to be some that get it.
Gilroy, California. El Paso, Texas. Dayton, Ohio. Let’s speak truth: Gun violence is a national emergency in our country.— Kamala Harris (@Kamala Harris)1565012975.0
And Trump is still dancing around the issue.
Instead of offering any practical solution or helpful suggestions, he merely makes vague claims about his hopes for the future. But that's not all of the poor advice that he's offered ...Today, POTUS delivered a speech from the White House.
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In it, he attempted to address the shootings and come up with some causes - and, therefore, some solutions. But what he said has made some on the internet even more frustrated.What does he blame for the shootings?
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Not the terrifying availability of guns. Nope, Trump thinks that the reason behind these attacks is the "glorification of violence."It's not the regulation of guns and other deadly weapons that Trump is focusing on.
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In fact, he's got more of an offbeat (or, as some might say, useless) plan.The real reason for the attacks, according to Trump?
"The gruesome and grizzly video games that are now commonplace." Excuse us?He claims that pop culture can cause violent acts.
"It is too easy today for troubled youth to surround themselves with a culture that celebrates violence. We must stop or substantially reduce this and it has to begin immediately."But there's a little hole in Trump's logic.
Violent video games and movies exist in basically every country on earth - and yet it's the USA that has the pernicious issue with mass shootings. So, what's the difference between the USA and other countries?How about the fact that guns are far, far easier to acquire here?
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While a culture of violence may not be the best thing for troubled people to experience, the fact is, if they couldn't acquire a deadly weapon, they could never inflict such horrific terrorist acts.Instead of addressing the real issues at hand here, the president has pulled something else from his sleeve.
Grand Theft Auto didn't inspire the lynching of black folks. Call of Duty didn't incentivize the genocide of native… https://t.co/IA28fUWWuf— Clint Smith (@Clint Smith)1565098104.0
Donald Trump seems to be promoting the idea that Obama got a "pass" while he was in power.
He tweeted a quote from Brian Kilmeade from Fox & Friends, which only enraged the American people further.This seems to be in retaliation to comments made by Obama on Monday, condemning hate speech.
This is the same guy that laughed when someone said that the solution to the immigration crisis was to shoot immigrants.
Oh, you don't believe me? Here's the video. This is the president of our country, ladies and gentlemen.As opposed to offering further solutions to gun control, he keeps trying to send the spotlight elsewhere.
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The bottom line is that Obama tried to ban assault weapons during his reign, but his idea was rejected by the majority of Congress, so that immediately fell through.And yet it seems as if Trump isn't even willing to consider tightening laws any further.
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We can only say how sorry we are to anyone who's been affected by this sort of vile action - and hope that, in the future, these attacks start to be taken more seriously.