Remember when Charlton Heston declared, “From my cold, dead hands!” Thanks to the group he led, there are now, sadly, more pairs of cold, dead hands in Jacksonville, Florida:
The authorities in Jacksonville, Fla., said there were “multiple fatalities” at a mass shooting on Sunday at a bar that was hosting a live gaming event during which 12 gunshots could be heard.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said on Twitter that “many” had been transported but additional details were not immediately available.
The office reported that one gunman was dead at the scene and it was unclear whether there was another. Officials said searches were continuing.
Ryan Aleman, who was at the bar, told CNN that he saw “at least six bodies on the floor” of people who had been shot.
Just before the shots were heard on the live stream, a red laser dot appeared on the chest of one of the players, who was wearing white headphones and a red sweatshirt. The video of the players then disappeared.
Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL) observed:
Another mass shooting – this time in Jacksonville.
First responders, doctors and nurses are acting heroically. We are deeply grateful to them.
Politicians offering only thoughts and prayers are acting cowardly. We must demand more from them. https://t.co/a1INVdV9jM
— Rep. Ted Deutch (@RepTedDeutch) August 26, 2018
Of course, the “politicians” he’s making reference to are almost always Republicans. We learned long ago that there is no such thing as a mass shooting bizarre or brutal enough to motivate the “Guns Over People” party to take action. If the dead bodies in Newtown or Las Vegas couldn’t prompt Republicans to take reasonable steps to curb gun violence, the dead bodies in Jacksonville won’t either.
Last year, John McCain spoke of returning to “regular order.” Unfortunately, thanks to his party’s fealty to the NRA, our country is in regular disorder.
