John Lennon and the NRA--Four Decades Later By David Corn December 7, 2021

[kpete]

On the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, I made my first and only political speech. "We've just heard this song that says, 'After all this time, we must surely be learning," I began. "But are we? There are 10,000 handgun deaths a year. Are we learning how we can prevent that?" I noted that not only Lennon but important members of our community had been killed by guns recently and that efforts to enact restrictions on guns routinely fail. "Why?" I asked. "Because people who work there"—I pointed across the Reflecting Pool toward the Capitol—"listen too much to the people over there"—I pointed in the direction of the NRA building. But, I added, now was an appropriate time to show that other Americans had different views. I asked the people there to come to the rally. And I'm afraid I said something corny like, "Imagine if everyone who feels as you do today showed up." When I was done, the scrawny fellow gave me a hug; the people applauded. I darted off to start putting up the flyers.

https://link.motherjones.com/public/25949081

[Beatlelvr]

1. OMG I cried for days

And still do if I really start thinking about it. Here John was, in NYC, a place he loved and adopted as his home. But no, he couldn't live in peace in America, because as it is now and was then, there's too many fucking crazies with quick access to guns!!! Who obsess on some screwed up idea about whatever, get a gun, and go act on that obsession. I'm fucking sick of this overplayed scenario, over and over.

[MagickMuffin]

2. Nothing it seems can be done.

The gun nutz are too many to deal with.


I'd love to see less gun violence but until something drastic happens then nothing will change.

[electric_blue68]

3. In the late '50s, early '60s I used to walk past The Dakota....

after we got out of the subway where my parents were taking me to the dentist who was close to the other end of that block.

People said up in my (NYC) western Washington Hgts nabe that Lennon had a friend up there. I might have seen his silver Bentley once.

I was listening to one of my then favorite DJs who broke the news. The station at some point soon after opened their phones which went on for hours.

My sis, and I went to the Memorial in Central Park about 5+ days later.

It was a terrible time. I went Strawberry Fields at some point after it was completed.
Then when Harrison died, I went that eve, or the next to
SF.

I know for me his dying so relatively close to 9-11 made it even more painful.