Valentine’s Day, 2018, a day of love, brought death to 17 people and their families. It was the 18th school shooting in 2018 and we haven’t finished the month of February. According to Leonard Leonardt in the New York Times (February 15, 2018) “A study in the journal Health Affairs, the “˜United States is now the most dangerous of wealthy nations to be born into.’
“The United States suffers from an epidemic of shooting deaths which are nearly nonexistent elsewhere. The gun homicide rate in this country is 49 times higher than in other rich countries.”
Most of this year’s school shootings took place in places which most people haven’t heard of ““ Sierra Vista Ca, Marshall TX, Italy TX, Gentilly Louisiana. Some of the shootings took places that people have heard of ““ Seattle, Philadelphia, Bronx, Mobile, Winston-Salem.
I believed that after Columbine, on April 20, 1999 which killed 13 children and adults and wounded 20 others, Congress and the President would take some action. I was wrong.
After twenty-six babies (5 and 6-year olds) and six adults were killed at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton Connecticut surely Congress would take some action. Again, I was wrong!
Las Vegas Nevada (October 1, 2017) a gunman opened fire and left 58 dead and 851 injured. Surely that would wake up Congress and the President. Wrong again!!!
When one of their own was shot ““ Gabby Griffords, Democrat from Arizona and Steve Scalise, House Majority Whip nothing happened other than the lowering of the national flag and the bemoaning that the shootings took place. But no legislative action.
No child, no family, no school is safe as long as there isn’t Congressional legislative action. I am not recommending suing gun manufacturers and dealers. Congress has already protected them from suit. (The Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA) is a United States law which protects firearms manufacturers and dealers from being held liable when crimes have been committed with their products. However, both manufacturers and dealers can still be held liable for damages resulting from defective products, breach of contract, criminal misconduct, and other actions for which they are directly responsible in much the same manner that any U.S. based manufacturer of consumer products is held responsible. They may also be held liable for negligent entrustment when they have reason to know a gun is intended for use in a crime.)
I am not proposing the elimination of the Second Amendment. I am saying that automatic or semi-automatic weapons that can be purchased on the open market by 19-year-olds is wrong. That the one-time purchase of 500 rounds of ammunition is wrong. That magazine clips holding 20,30, 50 rounds is wrong. That armor piercing bullets is wrong.
Read the article written by my friend, Stephen Sroka, https://www.wholechildeducation.org/blog/school-safety-lessons-learned-from-cleveland-to-newtown for another perspective.
This is not a Democrat or Republican or liberal or conservative issue. It is an American issue.
How many more children have to be killed before Congress does something?