One of the things I love the most about New Yorkers is that we can get angry. People expect us to be angry. For instance, you might thing that Mayor Bloomberg is a total dick, but you’re not surprised and horrified when starts yelling at the media about gun violence.
And thank God he does. He seems to be the only person in politics—or at least the only person they feature on NPR—who calls out the government for not taking immediate action. He’s not afraid to criticize the stately Obama, who has done a wonderful job consoling the nation, but not such a wonderful job laying out a plan of action to prevent violence in the future. Because he’s a grumpy New Yorker. And also the second richest man in America. He doesn’t have to give a shit, let’s be honest.
I can never figure out if Obama is just smarter than everyone, or if he doesn’t like to ruffle feathers. But if he’s not going to say that we need to screen weapons holders for criminal backgrounds, ban illegal weapons, and make gun trafficking a federal offense, I’m happy our cranky mayor will do it for him.
34 Americans died today from gun violence. 34 will die tomorrow. By the time Obama’s second term is over, 48,000 Americans will have died from gun violence. If that doesn’t sound insane to you, I hope to God you don’t own a gun.
In any case, Bloomberg has a “Mayors Against Illegal Guns” organization, which currently is posting a petition you can sign. Do it. Demand a plan. And move to New York so you can yell with us about it.