Another Day, Another Horrible Mass Shooting

Today there was yet another mass shooting, this time in California, killing at least 14 people.  It seems that mass shootings have become a daily occurrence in recent years--in the USA at least.  But the rest of the industrialized world doesn't really seem to have this kind of problem.  Why is that?  Well, there's always....

GUNS.

America is the land of 300 million guns, and combined with a culture that is crazier and more violent than most other "developed" countries, and much more extreme inequality, it is a very lethal combination indeed.  Of course, the biggest elephant in the room is the fact that at least 96% of mass shooters are MEN.  Thanks to the patriarchy and the sort of "toxic masculinity" that it creates, combined with the above factors, too many men end up resorting to violence.  Like the Iron Maiden song says, "a briefcase, a lunch, and a man on the edge".  With a gun. I mean, what could possibly go wrong, right?

The True Spirit of America Party would like to apologize for our heretofore rather lax stance on the gun issue.  Mea culpa indeed.  However, we do not believe that banning all guns for everyone, or adopting British or European-style gun laws, as the genie is already out of the bottle, and there is also that whole Constitution thingy as well.  Thus, the TSAP recommends that the following measures be taken:

1. Bring back an improved 1994 assault-weapons ban yesterday, this time with more teeth.  Include all magazines with more than ten rounds in the ban as well.  (The TSAP used to oppose this until recently)
2. Remove the 20-year ban on gun violence research, yesterday.  (We were unaware of this)
3. End the gun-show loophole and implement universal background checks.  (The TSAP always supported this)
4. Put a significant excise tax on all bullets/ammo, like Chris Rock recommended.  (The TSAP has always supported this)
5. Treat ammo sales the same as gun sales.
6. Pass a "one gun a month" law at the federal level. (The TSAP has supported this for some time now)
7. Require reporting of lost or stolen guns. (The TSAP has been neutral on this in the past)
8. Regulate firearms like other consumer products in terms of health and safety standards--currently such standards are nonexistent.  (The TSAP has been neutral on this in the past)
9. Improve enforcement of existing gun laws, which tend not to be enforced very well these days, and improve state reporting of prohibited persons to NICS.  Also, prohibit anyone on the terrorism watch list from buying any guns, period.  (The TSAP has generally supported this all along)
10. And last but not least, improve our woefully-inadequate mental healthcare system.  (The TSAP has always supported this)

Of course, to truly solve our gun violence problem would require a fundamental overhaul and transformation of our society, which the TSAP clearly supports.  We need to go from being what Riane Eisler calls a "dominator" society to more of a "partnership" society, as the latter kind is far less violent overall.  But in the meantime, the aforementioned recommendations would go a long way towards taking the dangerous edge off of the problem.

UPDATE I:  Since we posted this, we have since learned that one of the two now-deceased lone-wolf shooters involved was a woman (the other was her husband), and that this was an act of terrorism apparently inspired (but not conducted) by Daesh (ISIL).  But since 96-99% of mass shootings are committed by men, and most mass shootings in this country are done by white, non-Muslim wingnuts, weirdos, disgruntled employees, psychopaths, and other domestic terrorists, our general points about mass shootings still stand.  In fact, that shooting was one of two mass shootings on the very same day, and so far 2015 has literally seen more mass shootings than days.  Enough!

UPDATE II:  Since we posted the previous update, it seems that there are glaring inconsistencies between what eyewitnesses saw and what the mainstream media is reporting as fact.   Witnesses recall seeing three large, athletic white men dressed in tactical gear carrying assault rifles, NOT a Middle Eastern looking man his 90 pound wife like the official story claims.  False flag, anyone? Things that (should) make you go, hmmm.  Either way, enough is enough already!