Our View The hate is real, it’s time for real action

In the sickening aftermath of the senseless mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, that left at least 31 innocent people dead, once again we have politicians, particularly the socialistic left-wing Democrats, calling the National Rifle Association a “killer organization”, calling for the ridiculous confiscation of guns, banning semi-automatic weapons, limiting magazines to only five rounds of ammunition and more.

While this political hysteria is being regurgitated by the liberal, leftist media is, once again, focusing on attacking guns and very little to nothing about exactly what is causing these horrific mass killings.

Any logical, intelligent individual knows that all the hundreds of gun laws that now exist none of them have been able to prevent determined and crazed individuals from carrying out these heinous crimes.

Once again, let’s look at Chicago, Baltimore, or even Memphis where gun violence runs rampant, violent gangs putting fear into law abiding citizens and illegal drugs being sold on street corners.

All this political rhetoric is political posturing and most of what is being spouted off is simply targeting law abiding citizens and failing to focus on the core issues in today’s society.

In just about every instance there is evidence these crazed individuals have left behind a trail of clues as to their mental disorders as well as their criminal intent.

School officials throughout the country can be blamed for not informing authorities as to the mental issues they encounter on a daily basis and there needs to be stricter rules and laws that can identify and restrain individuals that have demonstrated violent harmful behavior before they go so far as to carry out these mass killings.

There was a day when we had mental institutions, psychiatric hospitals, insane asylums and other places society put individuals with mental disorders.

Now we treat these individuals with drugs, have councilors to better understand their issues and allow them to blend back into society knowing that at any time they can do harm to themselves or others.

Targeting guns, as usual, is nothing more than political convenience when the fact is that all the laws we now have or plan to have won’t stop the bad people among us and only restrict the rights of the law-abiding citizens who strongly believe in the Second Amendment and the right to bear arms.

This is a people problem folks and not a gun problem and until these anti-gun liberals and self-serving politicians realize this fact that is steering them in the face we’ll continue to hear about all the violence whether it be from guns, knifes, Individual Explosive Devices (IEDs), airplanes or even a truck loaded down with explosive chemicals.

What’s going on in Arkansas politics regarding this issue is Gov. Asa Hutchinson saying he is now willing to discuss a law to take guns from people deemed at risk of committing violence, but added that he hasn’t read any legislation so far that he could support, and we commend him on saying that.

Far too often in these emotional times politicians are quick to pop off with ridiculous ideas and proposals that will do very little to nothing at effectively dealing with this serious situation.

In that Arkansas is one of only four states without a hate-crime law and the fact that we are continuing to deal with crazed individuals roaming among us it is time Arkansas lawmakers rationally and sensibly come up with a law that focuses on individuals bent on committing hate crimes.