COMMENTARY Congress needs to act on gun control
How many more mass killings will we have to endure before Congress acts?
No private person needs, or should be allowed to have, an assault rifle or pistol. These weapons are only good for one thing, and that is killing other human beings. These firearms are not needed for hunting or even recreational target shooting.
The National Rifle Association and its members like to say that guns don’t kill people, people kill people. That is, at best, half true. They also cite the Second Amendment. They narrowly focus on the second part, where it states, “The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” They don’t talk about the first part, which discusses “a well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state.” In the modern era, organized militias are established only in a few states. The modern equivalent of the 18th century militia is the National Guard and United States military reserve establishments, and they receive regular training.
When the Second Amendment was written, the premier infantry weapon was a single shot muzzleloading rifle or smoothbore musket. A well-trained soldier could get off four shots per minute. The modern assault rifle can fire 600 to 900 rounds per minute, and if that rifle has been illegally modified, essentially making a machine gun, then 1,500 rounds per minute is possible. Why would anyone logically think that these firearms are good for anything but murder on a large scale?
These weapons should not be sold to the public. But the NRA and the gun manufacturers lobby will come up with any specious reason to thwart this idea, and the complicit members of Congress will go along.
During the 2016 election cycle, gun-rights groups donated $5.9 million to Republicans, while giving $106,000 to Democrats. In the wake of the recent Florida school shooting, U.S. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan made two remarks: “This is not the time to jump to some conclusions not knowing the full facts”; and “This is one of these moments when we just need to step back and count our blessings.”
What blessings does anyone think the families of the victims in Parkland, Fla., are counting?
The gun manufacturers lobby will whine that a ban on assault weapons will drive them out of business, and cost employees their jobs. I hate to be callous, but too bad.
Also, with their one-track minds and lack of historical perspective, these manufacturers are not looking at an alternative. There is an example based on my first tour of duty in Vietnam. As an adviser to the Vietnamese military, I was issued a World War II-era M2 Carbine. Stamped proudly on the weapon was the name of the manufacturer – General Motors. The company made automobiles before the war, but were able to gear up and make rifles for the war effort.
If GM could do this, can’t gun manufacturers redirect their efforts? In the interest of saving some lives, why can’t the federal government find some way to assist them? The government already throws more money away on useless ideas than it would take to help stop the sale of these murderous weapons.
Pistols also need to go away. The murder of several church members in South Carolina by a white supremacist in 2015 testifies to this. Handguns are not useful for hunting. They have only one purpose, and that is killing people. The gun lobby will say they are necessary to protect our homes. But the average homeowner who owns a pistol or assault rifle has never really practiced with it. Few of them have ever been faced with actually shooting someone, and if an intruder is also armed, a typical person will panic and probably not fire accurately.
Background checks need to be universal, more detailed and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act rules regarding mental illness need to be changed so that mentally ill people will be unable to purchase any firearm.
We also do not need constant news coverage after mass shootings. I’m not saying that news organizations should ignore them, but it is counterproductive to give them round-the-clock coverage while other important news events go unreported.
Finally, lest anyone think that I’m some bleeding heart, knee-jerk liberal Democrat, I’m a registered Independent, a 20-year veteran of the Marines, and served two combat tours in Vietnam. I also had a second career as a police officer.
I’ve seen enough killing. These mass murders need to stop. Congress and the president need to do their job and protect the American people.