We've begun the ritual: Tally the victims. Note the location—this time, Thousand Oaks, California. Search for answers about the (white, male) shooter. And then it's time for Republicans to explain that the most important thing, now, is to "protect the Second Amendment." That's the first thing Senator-Elect Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee said when asked about the newest outbreak of American mass murder in an appearance on Fox News this morning.

And remember, as she discusses the need for better mental health treatment, that Blackburn voted for Republicans' American Health Care Act—various versions of which would have cut Medicaid funding to the tune of up to $800 billion and stripped 23 million of their healthcare coverage. That coverage, of course, includes mental-health treatment.

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Senator-elect Marsha Blackburn gets asked about the Thousand Oaks mass shooting, and literally the first thing she says is "What we do is say how do make certain that we protect the 2nd Amendment." This is why the NRA spent over $1 million supporting her. pic.twitter.com/wF63m0QyG7 — Adam Best (@adamcbest) November 8, 2018

It's not about mental health.

It's not about safety.

It's about a culture of fear that sells more guns.

Jack Holmes Politics Editor Jack Holmes is the Politics Editor at Esquire, where he writes daily and edits the Politics Blog with Charles P Pierce.

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