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‘Continue the Massacres; Protect Our Reelections’ (Le Figaro, France)

“Democrats who blame the defeat of Al Gore in 2000 on his anti-gun position have learned their lesson: Talking about weapons does not pay off politically. Continue the massacres; protect our reelections. … There is little chance that we’ll hear Democrats or Republicans mention the word ‘firearms’ in their homilies. The slaughter can go on.”

By Jean-Sébastien Stehli

Translated By Francesca Iwandza

July 22, 2012

France - Le Figaro - Original Article (French)

When a tragedy occurs, you find out some funny things. Thus, we discover that members of the NRA (National Rifle Association) are readers of The New Yorker. No sooner had Adam Gopnik written some reflections on his blog inspired by the Aurora killings, than 207 comments appeared to defend the right to possess as many firearms as one may desire, even assault weapons.

So nothing will change - especially not the ritual that accompanied every such massacre.

The ritual is immutable (in fact, this is the essence of all rituals): we hear speeches filled with positive sentiment and compassion for the families, but absolutely not a word about the essential issue - firearms. The fact that the murderer could buy, among other things, 6,000 bullets, no one finds fault with. Campaigning in Florida, Obama requested a moment of silence for the victims and their families and cancelled the rest of his campaign events by asking that all flags be flown at half-mast - but nothing regarding the right to not only to possess a weapon, but an arsenal. Absolute silence. Democrats who blame the defeat of Al Gore in 2000 on his anti-gun position have learned their lesson: Talking about weapons does not pay off politically. Continue the massacres; protect our reelections.

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Romney, on the other hand, is a friend of the NRA. On April 13, he addressed members of the lobby to defend the right of anyone to own firearms. “We need a president who will stand up for the rights of hunters, and those seeking to protect their homes and their families.” President Obama has not done this. I will."

Yet in 2004 as Governor of Massachusetts, Romney passed a law banning assault weapons. Today he has a difficult time justifying this law to his voters (as he does with his health care legislations). Fifty five percent of Republican voters possess firearms, compared to 40 percent of Democrats. Forty seven percent of Americans own at least one firearm. More than 300 million guns are in circulation in the United States. But worse, for the past decade, Congress has abandoned any attempt to regulate the possession of firearms: the assault weapons ban expired in 2004 and elected officials have been careful not to renew it – and the waiting period for obtaining a firearm hasn’t changed. Forty four states have passed legislation permitting the carrying of a firearm outside the home.

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In a recent issue of American Rifleman, the NRA magazine, its new president, David Keene, explains to his four million members that the 2012 election will likely be, "the most crucial election of our lives for the defense of the Second Amendment." Nothing else need be said. So there is little chance that we’ll hear Democrats or Republicans mention the word "firearms" in their homilies. The slaughter can go on.

SEE ALSO ON THIS:
Elsevier, The Netherlands:How in the West and East, Mass Murderers are Bred
Liberation, France:America and Firearms: ‘How Many People Have to Die?’
Die Tageszeitung, Germany:The NRA: America's ‘Deadliest’ Lobby
Izvestia, Russia: Batman Shootings Elicit No Fear from Russia Film Execs
Khaleej Times, UAE: Colorado: ‘Big Brother’ U.S. Had Best Tend to its Own House
Saarbruecker Zeitung, Germany: Bloody Acts Like these ‘Cannot Be Prevented’
La Jornada, Mexico: 'Violence and Barbarism' in Retrograde United States
Berliner Morgenpost, Germany: Anders Breivik: Europe's Own Osama bin Laden
Le Quotidien d’Oran, Algeria: The Troubling Profile of a 'Bushian Terrorist'
DNA, France: Terrorism in Toulouse and the ‘Currency of Hate’
Sydsvenskan, Sweden: After September 11, We 'Lost What We Wanted to Defend'
Polityka, Poland: America in Anger's Clutches
Beijing Youth Daily, China: Making Sense of America's Right to Bear Arms
Frankfurter Rundschau, Germany: Virginia Tech One Year On: The 'Silent Scandal'
New Straits Times, Malaysia: Don't Just Blame Virginia Tech …
Kitabat, Iraq: 'Thank Allah the Virginia Killer Wasn't Muslim'
La Jornada, Mexico: Virginaa Tech: An American Tragedy
NRC Handlesblad, Netherlands: Americans Distrust State Monopoly on Violence
JoongAng Daily, South Korea: The Legacy of Cho Seung-hui: A Lesson to Koreans
The Korea Herald, South Korea: Koreans Feel Collective Guilt Over the Massacre
La Jornada, Mexico: Rejecting U.S. Drug War is Essential for Mexico's Survival
Xinjingbao, China: Information Society Triggered Massacre
China Daily, China: A Nation Cannot Be Tarred by a Single Killer
La Jornada, Mexico: The 'Paths of Death' Lead to Washington
La Jornada, Mexico: A Culture of Violence …
O Povo, Brazil: Virginia Tech: Sign of Our Wounded Civilization
Khaleej Times, UAE: Shooting Shows Something Ails America 'At its Core'

Al Watan Voice, Palestinian Territories: Fort Hood: 'Muslims Can't Be Trusted'

Dar Al Khaleej, UAE: America's 'Black Knights' and the Fort Hood Tragedy

Le Temps, Switzerland: 'Double Lesson' at Fort Hood

Khaleej Times, U.A.E. Fort Hood Shooting: 'Don't Pin It on Faith'

Hurriet, Turkey: Shooting at Fort Hood and the Role of Muslim Clerics

The Telegraph, U.K.: British Muslims Debate the Fort Hood Killer