The other night, a homicidal nut bag went crazy in a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. More than 70 people shot, 12 fatally. Last year, another twisted fool shot a U.S. congresswoman, killing a bunch of people in the process. Thirty people were gunned down on a college campus before that. It's just insanity.
In the US, a dozen guns get sold ever minute of every day. There are over 300 million guns owned by American citizens. The gun murder rate in the US is staggering; almost 20 times the rate of the other 22 wealthiest nations put together. Of all the people around the world killed by guns, 80 percent are American. Of all the kids killed by guns, 87 percent are American kids.
I don't own a gun. I have no wish to own one. In principle, I'm not against responsible gun ownership. But why can't we have sensible regulation? Why does it have to be a free-for-all? Why is it easier to get a gun than it is to get a driver's license? Why does any private citizen need a military assault weapon or a cartridge clip that allows a pistol to fire thirty bullets before reloading? A line needs to be drawn somewhere. Right now, there is no line.
Polls suggest that the American public is evenly split on the subject of gun regulation. That gives the National Rifle Association enough clout to squelch any effort to talk sensibly about regulation.
Only four in ten households in the US have a gun. The vast majority of the privately owned guns in this country are in the hands of an even smaller percentage that has five, six, ten guns under one roof. These people are aggressively vocal about their 'gun freedoms'.
Guns are lethal weapons. A line needs to be drawn somewhere. Right now there is no line.
No comments:
Post a Comment