No, MAGA Mike. Now Is the Time.

And no, Stephen King. There are still plenty of things to say...and do.

In the aftermath of another tragic episode of endless mass shootings, like many of you, my anger was punctuated by a couple of things that stood out and evoked an even stronger determination to help end this scourge that plagues our country.

The first was a New York Times essay by author Stephen King titled "We're Out of Things to Say." He's right. How many times and in how many ways can we express our outrage that gun violence like this continues to happen? In the eight years since my daughter Alison was gunned down on live television (a high-profile murder that doesn't qualify for "mass" status because only 2 were killed), there have been so many mass shootings that it's almost impossible to keep track of them—and what a sad commentary that is.

King concludes his piece with:

"When rapid-fire guns are difficult to obtain, things improve, but I see no such improvement in the future. Americans love guns and appear willing to pay the price in blood."

The second thing that infuriated me was a quote from the new Speaker of the House, MAGA Mike Johnson. When asked to comment on the recent Maine mass shooting, he predictably fell into the usual NRA/GOP/Christian National response, suggesting we all turn to the Bible for guidance. Yeah, as if that'll solve everything. Let's just pray this problem away. He then followed up with the old reliable GOP line that I find even more repugnant:

"This is not the time to be talking legislation."

It’s yet another example of the tone-deafness and cowardice I've experienced from these politicians since the immediate aftermath of Alison's murder. Here are the statements from two Virginia state delegates the day after she was killed:

"Some will attempt to use this tragedy for politically motivated purposes. Such actions or discussions are inappropriate at this time."

— Delegate Poindexter

"IMHO, to politicize anything about this tragedy today or perhaps even this week is morally wrong. That time will come. Now is not that time."

— Delegate Head

They both knew me and represented Alison. Their statements infuriated me just as MAGA Mike's comment does today, eight years later. So for these politicians, afraid of their constituents, I will ask and answer the question for them:

Question: When will it be a good time for you to act? When it's a family member of yours that's been killed?

Answer: There will never be a good time. Ever.

We're never going to eliminate all the gun worshippers who believe the price of freedom demands an assault weapon for every man, woman, and child. This is why we must elect enough political leaders to remove this death grip on our country.

No, Mr. King, we simply cannot allow this to be our future. I made a promise to Alison that I would put up a fight to stop this madness. I’ll keep saying and doing, and I'll never give up.