If you believe Gun Control decreases violence - This does not happen on your watch.

Our government sponsored exporting of violence is reaching new heights.

The Nation reports record weapon sales by the Obama administration under Secretary of State Kerry and Clinton.

The US share has fluctuated between one-third and one-half of the global market for the past two decades, peaking at an almost monopolistic 70 percent of all weapons sold in 2011. And the gold rush continues. Vice Admiral Joe Rixey, who heads the Pentagon’s arms sales agency, euphemistically known as the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, estimates that arms deals facilitated by the Pentagon topped $46 billion in 2015, and are on track to hit $40 billion in 2016.

We are selling these weapons all over the world. The blow back will be not be restricted to the areas we export the weapons.

Though seldom thought of this way, the US political system is also a global arms distribution system of the first order. In this context, the Obama administration has proven itself a good friend to arms exporting firms. During President Obama’s first six years in office, Washington entered into agreements to sell more than $190 billion in weaponry worldwide—more, that is, than any US administration since World War II. In addition, Team Obama has loosened restrictions on arms exports, making it possible to send abroad a whole new range of weapons and weapons components—including Black Hawk and Huey helicopters and engines for C-17 transport planes—with far less scrutiny than was previously required.

A few legislators are attempting to make changes in arms sales. We need to have a more complete list to support.

Even now, small numbers of congressional representatives, including John Conyers, Chris Murphy, and Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, continue to try to halt the sale of cluster munitions, bombs, and missiles to Saudi Arabia.

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Sandy Hook was shameful and disgusting. It's bad enough she got away with it, but her idiot supporters who think she actually favors gun control are just beyond belief. It's a level of ignorance and stupidity that would be incredible if it weren't so common.

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hecate's picture

is consistent. As the Nation piece notes, he seeks to block overseas arm sales. He was also one of the principals in the recent Congressional filibuster and sit-in regarding domestic killng-machines.

Guns are filth. No evolved being would touch one. When people understand that, the guns will be gone.

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elenacarlena's picture

Repugs are no solution except for the few like Rand Paul (and I'm not sure there are any others like Rand Paul!).

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studentofearth's picture

If individual democrats or independents were identified we could provide them support.

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Still yourself, deep water can absorb many disturbances with minimal reaction.
--When the opening appears release yourself.

elenacarlena's picture

he's a small government guy except, of course, he wants to regulate my uterus. Since I think government has become too small (we need a much bigger and stronger social safety net, and environmental regulation is good), and I'd like control over my own body, overall I cannot support him. I'm in KY, he's my Senator, but I didn't and won't vote for him.

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studentofearth's picture

voting for him. (would not) His other positions are very anti-women and safety. When I was voting Republican my Oregon politicians were pro-choice. One of the reasons I left the party was they became as radical as the rest of the country.
I was surprised as young woman in the eighties how many states restricted property and personal rights if I moved out of Oregon.

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Still yourself, deep water can absorb many disturbances with minimal reaction.
--When the opening appears release yourself.

detroitmechworks's picture

whenever the cameras are running.

Until then, she's quite happy to sip martinis with the arms manufacturers and make sympathetic noises about how hard they have it.

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I do not pretend I know what I do not know.

Obama and Carter have been pushing hard for NATO members to increase their military budgets as percentage of their economies as required by NATO. Only something like five countries meet the goals. With the invocation of Putin's name, looks like there will be increased budgets which will mean increased arms sales. Sort of ironic that two of the most belligerent countries pushing invasion claims are Latvia and Lithuania who don't come close to meeting NATO military budget requirements. I think part of their fear mongering is financial to bring in money to these relatively poor countries. As I gather same dynamic and pressure on Asian countries to up the arms ante against mainland China.

I think with the hysteria over Putin/Russia we will see rapid good sized increased Pentagon budgets and arms sales. The Pentagon is increasing European defense against cartoon villains by about $3.7 billion. Putin is the market mover the MIC has been waiting for to justify increased defense budgets.

But just an observation on the exporting of violence that is neither here nor there. Obama profusely praised the Ukrainian Maiden take over which was very violent. The event that started the demonstrations was competing financial aid from Russia and IMF essentially. So we get official approval by the US government for the violent coupe over an economic aid package. You see the Ukrainians had aspirations and it was okay to start riots and kill Ukrainian cops. But such actions by African Americans are not allowed protesting the killing of black people. Black people are expected to meet any and all violence against them without retaliation. If the cop killers in Texas and LA were in the Ukraine, they would be hailed as freedom fighters by Obama and Clinton.

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studentofearth's picture

weaker knowledge areas.

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Still yourself, deep water can absorb many disturbances with minimal reaction.
--When the opening appears release yourself.

are always responsible gun users, so there's no problem with those sales. Right?

The mention of cluster bombs reminded me that Clinton voted against the ban on them. But I'm sure that was just part of her secret plan to reduce the civilian deaths from them.

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