Door control
By 
Republicans will propose anything to address the ludicrous levels of gun violence in America except anything that would actually address the problem:
According to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), the solution to school shootings is fewer doorways and more guns.
After 19 children and two teachers were killed at a Texas elementary school Tuesday by a man armed with an assault rifle, the state’s senator suggested that schools would be safer if there was only one way in or out.
“One of the things that everyone agreed is don’t have all of these unlocked back doors. Have one door into and out of the school and have … armed police officers at that door,” he told Fox News Wednesday.
Armed police officers were at the door quite quickly, thanks to several 911 calls. Those officers shot at the gunman and still did not prevent the deaths of those 21 victims.
“If that had happened,” Cruz said, “if those federal grants had gone to this school, when that psychopath arrived, the armed police officers could have taken him out. And we’d have 19 children and two teachers still alive.”
I mean…
Apparently the strategy to keep big groups of kids from being shot is having them congregate outside in close-packed groups waiting to get through the metal detector every single day.
Genius.— NotNOWMonkeypoxHat (@Popehat) May 26, 2022
It’s equally stupid whether he’s proposing a thousand Triangle Shirtwaist fires or proposing that schools do things they’re already doing and obviously would do nothing to prevent shootings. But of course it’s nothing but a bunch of words to say when you’re asked why you don’t want to do anything about school kids getting mowed down.
Less than 30 years ago, a national gun control measure passed by a voice vote in the Senate, and the Supreme Court — controlled by reactionaries for the vast majority of its history — had never suggested that the 2nd Amendment conferred an individual right to bear arms. The right-wing party in America becoming fanatically committed to the idea that everyone needs access to military grade weapons is not only a huge international outlier but a relatively recent development even in the U.S. Which won’t make it any easier to get rid off but should underscore its absurdity.
As a political scientist, I can intellectually understand why it’s so difficult to pass gun legislation. But as a human being, the moral vacancy is so appalling that it’s just difficult to comprehend.— Julia C. Morse (@JuliaCMorse) May 26, 2022
…brave, brave Sir Ted runs away:
As Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) attended a vigil Wednesday for the victims of the massacre in Uvalde, Tex., he stormed away from an interview after he was asked by a British journalist why mass shootings happen “only in America.”
Cruz joined Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) and other local and state leaders at a vigil for the 19 children and two adults killed in the Tuesday mass shooting at Robb Elementary School. Cruz, who is among the Republicans vehemently opposed to proposals from Democrats on expanding background checks on gun sales, has called for increased safety in schools and has condemned “political posturing” in the aftermath of the attack. He is also the lawmaker whose campaigns or political action committees have accepted the most money from the gun rights lobby, according to the nonprofit OpenSecrets.
During an interview with British Sky News reporter Mark Stone, Cruz, who was seen hugging and meeting with those at the vigil, was asked whether this was the moment to reform gun laws. Cruz responded by saying, “You know, it’s easy to go to politics.”
“But it’s important, it’s at the heart of the issue,” Stone replied, according to a video of the interview viewed more than 1 million times as of Thursday morning.