Last night’s massacre in Las Vegas has been dominating the news today. Support for the victims and their families has been pouring in from politicians, celebrities and foreign nations alike.
Chelsea Clinton made her own tribute to the victims today on Twitter, posting:
Las Vegas & all who lost loved ones in last night's horrifying attack are in my heart & prayers. Thank you to the courageous 1st responders.
— Chelsea Clinton (@ChelseaClinton) October 2, 2017
Clinton rightly thanked the first responders, who no doubt saved many lives last night.
But Clinton also decided to make a political point as well and re-tweeted a post by Nelba Marquez-Greene, a mother who lost her child during the Sandy Hook massacre.
After unimaginable grief, Nelba continues to work for children & against gun violence. Today what she has to say is painfully important: https://t.co/UTJoA06XNc
— Chelsea Clinton (@ChelseaClinton) October 2, 2017
Clinton also retweeted a man called Charles Clymer, who wrote a relevant Tweet about the wider issues behind this massacre, namely: gun control.
This is exactly the right time to talk about gun violence.
It is exactly the right time to talk about domestic terrorism and its link to our gun laws.#LasVegas
— Charles Clymer????️???? (@cmclymer) October 2, 2017
Nelba makes a valid point. Conservatives are quick to point out “black-on-black crime,” and love jumping to the conclusion that Muslims are more inclined towards religious extremism.
However, conservatives will never point out that the biggest ticking time-bomb in America right now is angry white men who have access to lots of high-quality firearms and ammunition.
There was probably a collective groan at the Fox News desk this morning when news broke that the shooter was a white man, and not Muslim or African American.
It makes things a lot harder to explain as well. Terrorist violence is easy to justify, and they’ll paint an African American as a career criminal who was bound to do something like this. But when it comes to white people, the go-to excuse is “mental illness.”
And the mainstream conservative media will also skirt around the elephant in the room: gun control.
Nevada has some of the nation’s least strict gun laws. The only thing you need a permit for in Nevada is concealed carry.
So even if Stephen Paddock was mentally ill, it wouldn’t have mattered. He was easily able to walk into any gun store and purchase the weapon he used last night.
How many more people have to die before legislators and conservatives realise that this is not normal?
Chelsea Clinton was right to use her considerable platform to highlight this issue. Right now we have to focus on supporting the victims, but soon it will be time to address the wider issues that facilitated this tragedy in the first place.
