I am embarrassed to have to say this, but I am the citizen
of a nation which could not pass watered down, basic, namby-pamby legislation
to require background checks for gun purchases.
Come on, Senators. You can do better than this.
Back in February I wrote to the Distinguished Gentleman from
Pennsylvania, my senator, asking for
more extensive legislation on gun control, and expected nothing to come of it,
because the few times I have written to politicians, that’s what I have gotten. I was pleasantly surprised (shocked is more
like it, actually) when he and Sen. Manchin from our neighboring state put
together at least something.
I am not against citizens lawfully owning guns. My son is
eager to go to a shooting range next weekend with his Scout troop, and I am
fine with that, even pleased with that. In many areas a gun is necessary for
self-protection, because law enforcement is too far away or too understaffed to
respond in a timely manner – I understand that.
But I do know that allowing people to buy a gun without checking out
whether they have a criminal record is just lunacy. For God’s sake, I practically have to fill
out a police report just to buy certain over-the-counter medicine. Yes, it’s true that rigamarole to buy pseudoephedrine
doesn’t prevent every single meth head from getting his hands on the stuff, but
it makes it a whole lot harder. Same
thing goes for background checks on gun purchasers.
The reason we have come to this ludicrous situation is because
gun manufacturers and their money have a stranglehold on our legislators. Fifty-four senators had the guts to vote
against that power. Forty-six were
cowards who voted based on fear-mongering and lies.
My thoughts are not primarily in response to the “crazed-guy-with-gun”
events that get so much newsplay. People
are being gunned down every day in cities around our country, with very little
outcry. I sadly suspect our citizenry’s
apathy is because both the perpetrators and victims of those crimes often have
dark skin. It’s true that I live far
away from that scene, so I don’t speak of it with personal experience, but over
time those crimes kill far more people than the events that spark news fury. Then there are gun suicides. Yeah, there are other ways to accomplish
that, but a gun in the house makes it more likely to happen if the inclination
is there.
For the citizens of our cities and the citizens with
suicidal depression, we need to make background checks the law of the nation. To do less is embarrassing.
Here’s a link and an address for those who are interested….
909 Third Avenue, 15th Floor
New York, NY 10022
3 comments:
I am so disappointed in our lawmakers. So disappointed.
So well-written. AND TRUE!
I think the one thing that enrages me was the response the pugnacious vice-president of the lobbiest group NRA, Wayne LaPierre, had after the New Hampshire school shootings. He proposed the solution was to have armed guards in schools. I am in agreement with your post today... but I'm just sickened by that response.
I spent way too much time reading about morally-void Washington lobbyists today, and have felt nauseated ever since. From a girl raised in a gun-lovin', shoot-anything-that-moves family, I think this is a great post.
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