Guns don’t kill people. People kill people. That’s what the NRA callously insists when tragedy strikes.
A single sick individual, armed with a semiautomatic weapon modified with a $200 bump-fire stock to give it military-grade firing power, killed at least 59 innocent people and injured more than 500 in mere minutes from his Las Vegas hotel window on Oct. 1.
It is inconceivable that we allow such scenarios to take place again and again without addressing the issue in a meaningful way. Every member of Congress, no matter which political party, should be working together to control the number and type of guns and accessories available for civilian purchase, and to expand background checks so they are truly universal.
This does not impinge on the constitutionally guaranteed right to bear arms. American citizens may, in accordance with the laws of their state, possess firearms for their self-defense. They may purchase rifles for hunting animals, again in accordance with local regulations.
But no one needs a weapon capable of shooting 400 to 800 rounds per minute for either purpose. There is only one reason to possess such a firearm: the desire to kill as many people as possible, as quickly as possible. Who on earth would object to policies that could prevent it?
Now we add Las Vegas to the list of mass shootings that scar our modern history: Aurora, Columbine, Newtown, Orlando, San Bernadino, Charleston. There are more shootings that don’t make the headlines. According to Jewish Women International, which works to end violence against women and girls, 93 Americans die from gun violence every day.
The sale and manufacture of automatic weapons has been illegal in this country since 1986. But certain inexpensive and legal accessories can easily multiply a semiautomatic weapon’s rate of fire to that of an assault weapon.
On Oct. 4, California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a tireless supporter of stricter gun control, joined a number of other Democrats in introducing the Automatic Gun Fire Prevention Act, a bill that would close this loophole. The bill would ban the sale, transfer, importation, manufacture and possession of accessories that accelerate a semiautomatic weapon’s rate of fire, but would permit the lawful use of these devices by law enforcement and the government.
J. adds its voice to those urging passage of this bill. This should not be a partisan issue. Toughening measures requiring universal background checks, proper storage and regulations on silencers will make it harder to access or modify the kinds of weapons that caused the horrific carnage in Las Vegas this past weekend.
Will further regulations stop gun violence? Of course not. But slowing it down will save lives. And who could argue with that?
Completely agree. We will never sound the depths of the human psyche enough to know in advance who will commit such crimes and why, but we can curtail the ability of murderous individuals to act on their impulses by drastically restricting gun sales and enacting related controls.
We need communism control! The US troops (and the West coalition) need to live Middle Eastern countries! Does anyone care about the 10’s of thousands that have been killed over there!
People wanted to live in Canada at the thought of a Trump presidency and not many people did! Maybe anti gun, control freaks should live there or live in Mexico.
15 sick individuals killed 3 thousand people on 9/11. A sick individual killed scored in Nice. A sick individual killed more then 150 people in Oklahoma. A sick individual destroyed a plane full of people in New York.
By your logic we MUST forbid planes, trucks, fertilizers, explosives, …….
Disarming the public is a huge crime! (Just like mass immigration is.)
It’ boggles the mind why Ted Nugent apologized for saying that Jewish are behind gun control! Even Jews for the Preservation of Firearm Ownership agree!
The shooting took place in a gun-free zone! But don’t bring that up because it doesn’t match the control freak narrative!
And by the way… California (the state you represent) has some of the most strict gun laws in the country and it didn’t prevent the San Bernadino massacre. Gun crime hasn’t gone away at all!
http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/crime/article177540461.html
Doing nothing is always an option. Most times it’s the best option. Stepping back from a crisis and counting ten or a hundred or a thousand.
The level of stupid coming from today’s left and frankly the lefty Jewish community is stunning. Every approach the left has used to attack the gun lobby has been a stunning failure. In fact every time your shrill condescending holier than thou selves get worked up into a frenzy the gun lobby successfully does some sort of funky ju jitzu move and ends up in better shape. In the last couple decades they’ve successfully beat back every attack and managed to expand right to carry and concealed weapons laws to dozens of states.
Keep it up and they’ll get a law passed requiring everyone to carry a mac-10.
Maybe instead of using every gun crime committed by a nut as an excuse to vent your condescending dislike for people who like guns, forcing them to double down and once again beat you guys like red headed step children you might wanna take a breath.
Figure out why you keep loosing big on this issue and try a new approach.
Personally I think you should start by looking in the mirror.
It’s pretty clear that the author of this piece knows little to nothing about guns, or about the already very strict rules that govern their purchase.
Worse than sick individuals is a sick government. How many in Warsaw in 1943 wished the Jews were better armed?
JPFO has the right idea.
But of course it can’t happen here. Until it does.
“After a shooting spree, they always want to take guns from the people who didn’t do it.” -William S. Burroughs.
Americans won’t be safe until only criminals and outlaws have guns. sarc