The image above is of the shooter (John Zawahri) in the latest mass shooting -- at Santa Monica College in California. The death toll this time was five -- but that is five too many, as the mass shootings seem to have no end these days. Zawahri was a mentally ill person who had somehow obtained a military-style assault weapon.It hasn't been that long ago that Congress (mainly Republicans), ignoring the deaths of the children & teachers in Connecticut and innocent people in many other places, refused to pass a reasonable law that would require background checks for anyone wanting to buy a gun (or re-instate a constitutional ban on military-style assault weapons). They did this in spite of the fact that early 9 out of 10 Americans supported the background checks for all gun buyers (and a smaller majority supported the banning of military-style assault weapons.
Republicans have also slashed funding for mental health -- both on the federal and state level. Here in Texas, that funding was drastically cut in 2011 (and has not been re-instated). The purpose was so the state might not have to raise taxes (especially on the richest citizens). But it's turning out that those few dollars saved are not just hurting those in need of psychological help, it's putting all Americans in danger.
There is probably no way to completely eliminate gun deaths, especially in a free society like ours -- and I do support the protection of our constitutional freedoms and rights. But there is no doubt that the gun deaths and mass shootings could be reduced significantly by passing some reasonable laws -- laws that would not violate our Second Amendment constitutional rights.
It is past the time when we should:
* Adequately fund mental health programs, so that anyone who needs help (regardless of income level) can get that help.
* Force anyone wanting to buy a firearm of any kind to be cleared with a background check (so that criminals and the dangerously mentally ill cannot legally buy a gun).
* Re-institute the ban on military-style assault weapons (and on ammunition clips holding more than 10 rounds).
No one is talking about creating a gun registry, or confiscating the weapons of law-abiding American citizens -- just doing our best to keep guns out of the hands of those who shouldn't have them. We must do what we can, within constitutional bounds, to save American lives.
