I’m taking a break from writing posts to debunk the myth that the republican party has a better track record for being better for the overall US economy. Yes, the republican party elected officials do represent the interests of big business, but this doesn’t always translate into acting in the best interests of American consumers, nor is it frequently consistent with what’s best for our US national security interests.
One example of the big business interests that’s anti-consumer and counter to the protection of US citizens is that of the gun industry. The gun industry pays millions of dollars to republican candidates’ coffers with the understanding that elected officials will obstruct and all legislative endeavors to pass sensible gun control measures that are supported by over 70% of voters. Their lobbying partner, the NRA National Rifle Association pays even more than the gun industry to block sensible gun control measures.
This explains why we hear GOP MAGA political candidates’ resorting to talking points like “school mass shootings are just a fact of life” as in the recent tragedy in a Georgia school mass shooting event by a 14-year-old troubled child. So, American voters and their children are expected to accept as a normal part of life, not being free from the very real fear of becoming victims of future mass shootings.
There are two major steps that should be on the table for review during this 2024 presidential election season to prevent/ reduce gun violence in our schools and elsewhere. The gun industry’s legislated special immunity from any viable, legitimate gun claims by consumers, needs to end and anti-bulling measures should be included as a major part of preventing harm to students, along with school mass shooting drills.
There’s a substantial and growing body of research correlating the connection between school mass shooting events and students experiencing extensive bullying.
I did ask my granddaughter who has just started middle school if her previous school had an anti-bullying policy. She responded that yes, there was an anti-bullying rule but that the teachers gave lip service to it and did virtually nothing to proactively address this issue when children and others complained. Yes, she saw it as a problem. She said she didn’t see a way to make anti-bullying campaigns, effective.
Bullying can exacerbate adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) by students from problematic households. As per Journal of Pediatric Healthcare, “ACEs include all types of child maltreatment (physical, sexual, psychological, neglect), mental illness of a household member, problematic drinking or alcoholism of a household member, illegal street or prescription drug use by a household member, divorce or separation of a parent, domestic violence toward a parent, and incarceration of a household member.”
So, my questions are, what if anti-bullying stances were tied to the prevention of school deaths by mass shooters like the current mass shooting drills? Is there a school that has effectively addressed this issue? Would increasing the number of qualified counselors at school help diminish this problem? It’s not unusual for there to be only one or no school counselors on staff within a school system. Is there a training program to teach students how to effectively interact with a bully? These are questions that I’d like to see addressed on the campaign trail by candidates vying for elected offices from both parties.
In a January 29, 2024 NPR Report “Exploring the connections between bullying and school shootings,“ the host of an interview A. Martinez asks a similar question:
“The high school in Perry, Iowa, is reopening this week after a deadly shooting there earlier this month. A student shot five other students and three staff members before taking his own life. One student died that day, the school’s principal 10 days later. There’s still no confirmed motive, but classmates told the Associated Press that the attacker had been bullied since elementary school. Now, it got me wondering if there’s a connection between bullying and school shootings. These tragedies often revive the debate around gun control. But what part does bullying play? Can a teen get pushed to such a dark place that it results in violence?”
As per a January 12, 2024 website by National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments, “Bullying Is Linked To School Shootings, What Do Schools Need To Do:”
Excerpts:
“Most attackers who target K-12 schools were bullied — sometimes persistently, according to a 2019 report by the U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center that analyzed 41 incidents of school violence at K-12 schools between 2008 and 2017.”
Page Alphabetical List of Citation.”
As per the Conversation by Allen Rostron, “Why do gun-makers get special economic protection?”:
Excerpts:
“The gun industry is one of very few industries to have congressionally backed immunity from liability.”
“As a result, it’s been largely shielded from responsibility for the deaths and injuries its products cause.”
Gun industry gets a protector
“The gun industry acquired its protective shield in 2005 after a wave of lawsuits by cities threatened gun companies’ survival.”
“New Orleans became the first government to file a lawsuit against gun manufacturers in 1998. More than 30 other cities and counties soon followed.”
“The suits, prompted by the growing epidemic of urban gun violence and patterned after claims brought by states against tobacco companies, initially succeeded by shining a spotlight on the industry. I was one of the lawyers at the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence who helped put these cases together. They uncovered evidence about how gun manufacturers could reduce risks by making changes in the way they design and distribute their products.”
“But then came the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, which gave gun-makers a special immunity from legal responsibilities and blocked most of the claims. While Congress has occasionally limited the liability of companies making other products, such as medical devices and small aircraft, the degree of protection given to the gun industry was unusual and didn’t create alternative ways to regulate the industry and compensate those injured, as it did with the makers of childhood vaccines.”
The gun lobby’s power
“Gun companies have made it clear they are willing to relocate their operations if the price is right, and state and local governments have thrown millions of dollars in subsidies and tax breaks at them in recent years. For example, Remington Arms shifted much of its manufacturing from NY to Alabama a few years ago, drawn by $68.9 million in government handouts, as well as displeasure with New York’s enactment of tougher gun laws.”
“And the industry has used this growth in wealth, employment and taxes to exercise its political muscles at the state and national levels. The trade association’s annual lobbying expenditures, soared after Sandy Hook to more than $3.3 million.”
“Its biggest political influence comes through its customers, who are a uniquely potent force. The National Rifle Association spends over 50 percent more on lobbying than the gun industry and nearly 10 times as much as any gun control group.”
“And while the industry’s interests are usually aligned with those of the NRA, even when a gun-maker wants to take a softer position on gun policy it’s extremely risky to do so. A case in point came in 2000, when Smith & Wesson tried to ease the burden of the lawsuits against it by agreeing to be more careful in how it designed and distributed its products as part of a settlement agreement. Its modest steps prompted boycotts by gun owners that nearly destroyed the company.”
Gronda Morin 
[…] Fix Gun Industries’ Immunity from Liability / Bullying in Schools Linked to Mass Shooters […]
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Hi Ned!
Thanks a million for the reblog and for your support.
Hugs, Gronda
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I am going to say “”No!” to your following suggestion, and then I will tell you why. “There are two major steps that should be on the table for review during this 2024 presidential election season.”
If you make this an election issue you are alerting the gun industry/NRA etc that you intend to do something about what they think is inviolable. They will fight tooth and claw to stop that from happening. And they will make sure they win!
My thinking comes from something that happened in a Canadian election many years ago. The Liberals, with a huge lead in the polls, and two weeks to go before the election, announced a plan curb big business when interest rates were in double digits and getting near to 20%. They knew the rank and file voters would go for that. What they did not expect, and what actually happened, ws big business fought bsck by throwing huge amounts of money to the Conservatives, but also they threatened the livelihoods of workers in msnufactuting and the extended automobile industry. They threatened unions and non-union workers alike, and in two weeks the tide was turned and the voters gave the onservatives a huge majority. And the new government went on a union-busting spree anyway to teach the voters that noone should even try to touch big business profits. That was in the 80s, with Reagan in charge in the States, and together the Republicans and the Conservstives started giving big busjness everything they wanted, and what they wanted was what we have today, not only in our nations but all around the globe. Inflationary prices, low wages, busted unions, and a wealth inequality that boogles the mind.
Similar things have happened all through history. Threaten the powers-that-be, and they will respond in disproportionate actions.
So, don’t say a word about the gun industry yet! Save it for after the election, after you own all 3 chambers, The House, the Senate, and the Presidency. When YOU HAVE THE POWER is the time to strke, and strike fast on tne gun industry, the NRA, and the Supreme Court too.
At least 70% of Americans want these things, and they want them sooner than later. They will be behind you all the way. DONOT WAKE UP THE SLEEPING WOLF until the cage is already built around it.The sheeples will thank you for it!
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And now that I am finished that rant, I have a couple of questions no one ever asks about bullying:
1. Where do bullies come from?
2. Where do the victims of bullies come from?
Until you address these issues, you will never get rid of bullies or stop bullying.
Whether my answers shock you or not will tell you what kind of childhood you had, because in at least 80% of cases, bullying and victimization BEGIN AT HOME!
In a home with two loving parents and no huge financial problems, you will get “more” stable children who do not bully or become victims. (This is not a hard and fast rule, but it is a good indicator.)
In families where one parent has more power than the other, children see either the powerful parent as a role model, or the weaker parent as someone who needs to be protected but they are too small to do the protecting — they end up being victims.
An unequal power situation can teach a child to take power even when there is no need for it. This is one way to create a bully. He or she sees that parent as a person that gets their way by force, and so they learn thst being powerful is a good thing to be, and when they get into social situations they make sure everyone knows they have the power,
But the reverse can also be true. If the powerful parent displays that power over a child, the child acts out by becoming a bully to those he or she sees as weaker. Or just out of fear of being bullied they will themselves become the bully as a form of self-protection.
In similar ways, children become victims, and if there is one thing I have learned in life, “bullies can spot victims as soon as they see them!” Parents cannot always see when their children display signs of becoming either bullies or victims, they have no reason to look for such things. Yet they are vital in what happens to a child.
In my own birth family, my sperm donor held almost all on the power. My mother died when I was 8, so that gave the man power over everyone. Of 9 children, 2 became bullies, and 7 became victims. All 3 of my sisters married wife beaters. The two males who were bullies became wife beaters. 4 brothers stayed victims all their lives, and married dominating women. Being the youngest I was able to watch what was happening to them, and while I was bullied all through my childhood i stopped being a victim in my late teens. I never became a bully.
I have to cut this short, lucky you, but we really do need to start when children are very young to prevent them from becoming either bullies or victims.
I would bet my life that Trump was bullied by his father, and became a bully because of it. He shows all the classic signs of being a bully who was once a victim. We can thank/blame his parents for who he is today: a coward of a bully!
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rawgod … you need to get back to blogging!
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Having health issues right now — resulting in very low energy. My partner had knee replacement surgery last Oct. which took the surgeons 3 hours longer thsn ecpected. She is still recovering, and everything fell on me till Spring. Not complaining, we do what we gotta do, but I burned out and now neither of us are in good shape. Just that time of our lives. But thank you for your concern.
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Dear Nan,
I totally agree!
Hugs, Gronda
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Hi again,
There’s no doubt in my mind that the GOP MAGA ex-president’s dad was a bully. The ex-president’s brother Fred decided against being in the family business and instead became a pilot for TWA. Both the dad and the ex-president made Fred’s life, hell because he wanted to chart his own course in life.
The harm that bullying parents impose on their families is incalculable. That’s why I’m so pro-anti-bullying programs in schools designed to help both victims and bullies. Both benefit by learning how to better handle conflict, being different and coming to appreciate differences.
In the State of Georgia, the mandate allows for 1 counselor for 450 students. It’s not possible to effectively help children who need it.
Hugs, Gronda
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Who the hell decided that? They want their children to have mental heslth issues? How crazy!
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Hi! I just saw your response to Nan. Getting older while going through tough times is not for the weak of heart. I hope you and your partner are recovering from this rough patch.
I’m just starting to blog after a year’s absence. Life has a way of throwing one off kilter. Last week I had scheduled joining events to encourage young people to register to vote in the upcoming elections. Then I had a bad fall, and I had to cancel. This gets depressing but that’s life. The good news is that during the week of September 16, over 150,000 young folks did register to vote.
Hugs, Gronda
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Yes, “the plans of mice and men go oft astray,” translating Robby Burns. But somehow we get through. I just found out I will be back in surgery to replace the bsttery for my pacemaker/defibbrilator. At least this time they should not have to break my ribs. (A long story!)
But thank you for caring. She is still slowly getting better. Me, improvement somewhere usually precedea sometning else falling apart. But as long as I am still alive, I am fignting for numanity. Trump too we shall overcome!
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Hi again! Good luck with your surgery. Your story is why I hate going to doctors because I’m always afraid that they’ll find something. But sometimes in order to save your life, you have no choice.
Hugs, Gronda
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Thanks, Gronda, and Hugs to you.
The pacemaker wad put in to make my heartbeat normal — as compared to everyone else. I lived my whole life having 5 beats per rather than 4 beats per. It was only as I got older it became a concern. Now I wonder if my heart doesn’t need that 5th beat. I don’t know it’s the cause, but my energy level went down after they “fixed” my heart. I need to talk to my heart doctors.
Old ageis apain, butit isbetter than the alternative. Even though I believe in afor of reincarnation, I’m not finished with this life yet. I still have things to learn. 🙂
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Hi!
You make a sound argument. Currently, the gun industry owns the republican party. There’ll not be sensible gun measures enacted into law unless Democrats win the White House and the majority of seats in the US Senate and the US House.
In the USA, even the vast majority of gun owners are in favor of sensible gun control measures. It’s the gun manufacturers, their lobbyists and the National Rifle Association leaders that are the opposition.
Hugs, Gronda
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