The National Rifle Association accused the White House of having "an agenda to attack the Second Amendment" Thursday, after representatives of the group attended meetings on gun control hosted by Vice President Biden.
"We will not allow law-abiding gun owners to be blamed for the acts of criminals and madmen," the NRA said. "Instead, we will now take our commitment and meaningful contributions to members of Congress of both parties who are interested in having an honest conversation about what works - and what does not."
More than 48,000 Americans will be murdered with guns during the President Barack Obama’s next term. How can President Obama face that chilling fact without a strategy to end gun violence?
One troubling aspect of the public discourse on gun violence is the failure to acknowledge — and to solicit the opinions of — the group of Americans who are the vast majority of the victims of gun violence.
Even if you believe that guns don’t start out destined for use in crime, obviously that’s how many of them end up. After they roll off an assembly line and go to a Wal-Mart or local gun shop, how do they get into the hands of a criminal? Tracking the trajectory of those weapons is imperative.
The commerce in guns — perhaps trafficking is a better word — is shockingly unregulated in this country. Amassing an arsenal outside the scrutiny of the law is a prerogative gun enthusiasts have jealously guarded — and in so doing, they have extended it to criminals as well.
The typical NRA supporter — white and suburban or exurban — does not feel the consequences of this, and does not care to contemplate them. The people we need to listen to now are those who are trapped in the world the gun nuts have made.
“I have one question for our political leaders: When will you find the courage to stand up to the gun lobby?” asks Roxanna Green, whose 9-year-old daughter Christina was the youngest victim in the Tucson shootings two years ago in a commercial for Mayors Against Illegal Guns.
It’s time to demand a plan. That’s why Mayors Against Illegal Guns partnered with survivors of recent mass shootings -- including Aurora, Tuscon and Virginia Tech -- and the families of the victims to launch www.DemandAPlan.org.
Women have the power to change legislation of gun control. They did it with drinking and driving when they band together to form Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Let’s hope they do it again, this time for gun control.
Comments