George Graham

Where Guns Rule

 

In the part of Florida where Sandra and I live, politics is quite simple. White people vote Republican, others vote Democrat.

I know it sounds crazy, but that’s what I’ve noticed in my 20 years here.

And since there are a lot more white people than others  in our neighborhood, our votes are just symbolic. Republicans rule.

So do guns. Florida is one of the NRA’s favorite states.

There are exceptions of course, but generally speaking, white people love guns. And old people love guns. Old, white people really, really love guns. Especially out here in the boondocks.

What are they afraid of? Marauding non-white hordes?

Our sheriff is floating a plan to turn local schoolteachers into sharpshooters (photo), and it looks like a winner. The Florida Senate just voted to arm teachers across the state.

At the same time, the Senate rejected a proposal to curb the sale of automatic firearms. And the House is sure to follow suit. It’s ruled by Republicans, too.

So here in the sunshine state, the stage is set for Wild West shootouts in the schools as crazies with AR-15s come up against teachers with hand guns.

I thank my lucky stars that Sandra is no longer teaching and we don’t have kids in a local school. It isn’t hard to imagine what could happen.

The Florida Senate’s gun vote

The sheriff’s plan

Who buys all those guns?

Racism and gun ownership

About the author

gwgraeme

I am a Jamaican-born writer who has lived and worked in Canada and the United States. I live in Lakeland, Florida with my wife, Sandra, our three cats and two dogs. I like to play golf and enjoy our garden, even though it's a lot of work. Since retiring from newspaper reporting I've written a few books. I also write a monthly column for Jamaicans.com