In my July 21 article I asked “Are you a racist?” Of course I’m sure you are not.

I’ll tell you what a “determined racist” is: a white guy who drives 6 hours to a town where he thinks everyone is Mexican so he can shoot a bunch of ‘em in a Wal-Mart. He is alive to tell about it only because of the bravery of the El Paso police and his own cowardice.  The trial to find him guilty and define him as a “domestic terrorist” may cost a million. But perhaps we’ll get a hint as to why individuals lose all respect for human life and go on a killing rampage.

Meanwhile, in Dayton, Ohio, another young guy drove to a popular night spot with his sister and started shooting. He killed nine, including his sister! Police killed the shooter. Apparently there were many early “signs” that he was obsessed with killing.

The country is outraged by these and other mass murders in the last twenty years. Congress will pass another law banning certain weapons and ammunition. The President will sign it and everyone will celebrate the end of gun violence.

Until the next mass murder. I’m pretty sure we have a law against robbing a bank. But people still rob banks.

Is there a solution? Have you noticed that since Osama bin Laden killed 3000 on Sept.11, 2001, we have not had a major attack here by Islamic or other foreign terrorists? That’s because our FBI and other agencies track down prospective terrorists and stop them. Can we assign the same manpower against domestic terrorists as we do against foreign terrorism?

Another key: in almost every case, one or more people had to know, or suspect, the eventual killer. If it’s a head guy of a “Supremacist” group or website, throw them in jail also. I doubt if any of the mass murderers simply woke up one morning, looked in the mirror, and said, “I think this is a good day to kill fifty people.”

I know this is a sensitive issue, with strong opinions on both sides. One side says, “Ban all guns.” The other says, “The Second Amendment is sacred.”  And, kinda similar to the immigration issue, we have schemers who flout the law or the intent of the law, no matter how sensible the law is.

Historic quote by Will Rogers:

“(Contrasted to the Wild West days) the young man simply walks up with no mask, just an Automatic, which a baby can shot as well as Billy the Kid could. There is no possible way you can miss any part of anyone in the building. If there be one thing that has increased crime it’s been the Automatic Pistol. Give any young Egotist two shots of dope and an Automatic and he will hold up the Government Mint… Murder is about the same routine (as robbery), course it’s a little more expensive on account of having to use a little ammunition… Oh, we are living in progress. All of our boasted inventions, like the automobile, and the Automatic (pistol), and our increased ‘Dope’ output, terrible liquor, lost confidence in our Justice, Graft from top to bottom, all these have made it possible to commit anything you can think of.” WA #441, June 7, 1931 [Note: automatic weapons have been banned since 1986.]