Another mass killing: Let’s do something about responsible gun legislation

It’s been 10 days since I wrote about the last gun massacre. Eleven people were killed and six injured in a shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Squirrel Hill, a Pittsburgh neighborhood.

Now, it’s happened again. On Wednesday, 12 people, including a sheriff's sergeant, were killed at a bar in Thousand Oakes, California.

Ian David Long, 28, was dressed in black and wore a mask when he entered the Borderline Bar & Grill. Long threw smoke bombs and used a Glock 21 .45-caliber handgun, which had been modified with an extended magazine, law enforcement officials said.

The gunman, who served in the U.S. Marines, may have suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, Ventura County Sheriff Geoff Dean said in a Los Angeles Times article.

My heart goes out to the families whose loved ones died Wednesday. But, we need more than thoughts and prayers.

We need responsible gun legislation and mental illness programs. In addition, I think American leaders need to investigate hate mongering, violent images aimed at children, the lack of programs to help trouble youth, job related triggers, and other factors that may contribute to mass murders.

Where’s the blue ribbon panel on stopping mass killings?

If government officials won’t set one up, organizations and citizens need to take the lead then get officials to take action.

The majority of Americans say gun laws should be stricter, according to a Pew Research Poll.

Do research to which of the state legislators and members of Congress support responsible gun legislation. Vote for them and support their efforts.

In Washington state where I live, Initiative 1639 was on the ballot Nov. 6. It raises the age for the purchase of semi-automatic rifles to 21. It also broadens background checks for purchases of these weapons.

“307. So far this year, there have been 307 mass shootings,” said Gabby Giffords, former U.S. Representative from Arizona who was shot at a constituent meeting held in a supermarket parking lot. “Do we really want to raise our children in a country where mass shootings are a weekly occurrence? A country where every single day in America, more than 90 people are killed with guns?”

This level of gun violence doesn’t happen in any other high-income country, Giffords, co-founder of Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, said.

“I’m heartbroken, I’m angry, and I’m never going to accept this as normal,” she said.

Gifford said it’s time to come together and pass legislation that will start putting the country back on the right track, adding that legislation that will prevent guns from landing in the wrong hands will save lives.

Copyright 2018, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Comments

[TomatSightings]

Thanks for this post. We all need to put more pressure on our legislators ... I just don't understand how anyone could not follow Gabby Giffords on this issue

[Rita]

Hi Tom,

I agree. I decided that each time these mass killings occur, I'm going to write about them. Some states are passing responsible gun measures, such as the one approved in Washington state Nov. 6.

However, members of Congress are negligent in not stopping this terrible violence. Did you know that President Trump signed a bill that overturns a law passed under President Obama that made it illegal for mentally ill people to own guns? It's outrageous.

States, although making some progress, need to do much more. In Washington state, we have open carry. I've gone to our state capitol building several times and seen men with long guns at rallies. This has got to stop. As the Republicans took over more state legislatures, more and more laws like open carry were passed.

For this article, I used the clip about Initiative 1639 instead of a clip about the massacre at the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oakes, California. Next time, I going to use a news clip of the mass killing. It's horrible that I'm saying next time. The only question is how long before the next massacre occurs. It's terrible that I have to say this in America today.

Rita