Georgia House Democrats Friday urged a special session from Governor Brian Kemp (R - NRA) to address what they believe are needed legislative reforms in the aftermath of the Apalachee High School mass shooting.

They won't get one, because problem-solving isn't big on Kemp's "to do" list, but proposed legislation like Dr. Michelle Au's "Pediatric Health Safe Storage Act" deserve more than a "committee hearing" after a lack of "safe storage" by a reckless father from his clearly-unwell son contributed to the murders of four innocent people last week.

The usual reflex response from the right after a mass shootings relates to mental health, and yet there were already plenty of folks who knew of the boy's unsettled behavior, and on top of that, we've learned his mother tried to warn the school the morning of the shooting. Well, that didn't work, did it?

Another instant statement from the right: "now's not the time." Spoiler alert: it's never "the time" with them; but I have a theory as to why that's the knee-jerk retort. It turns out they're most vulnerable to doing something. Listen to the conservative pundits from Sunday's "The Georgia Gang" TV program for evidence.

Lastly, I'm really sad this even has to be brought up, but whispers in conservative media about Colt Gray having "gender issues" is sort of ... gross, and on so many levels. First, a rural Georgia teenage boy with shoulder length hair isn't all that unusual these days. Second, the subtle transphobia in suggesting even the possibility that that's the cause for Gray's murderous spree leaves out the most important aspect - who, but a bullied child (we do know he suffered from that) would go to such lengths and do we not need to address the bullying and not the "why he was being bullied?" if that is indeed why?

Also, isn't even just the speculating sort of a dogwhistle for other transphobic minds to do the same?

Like I said ... gross.