Time is now for sensible gun laws
By Canton CitizenDear Editor:
The students of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School are the latest victims in what seems an unending string of school shootings. Because they were able to document events on their phones, we all had a small taste of the bone-chilling terror they experienced. I think if I had lived through that, I’d be in bed with the covers pulled over my head. Instead, these truly amazing young people organized a political campaign to once and for all do something about gun violence in this country. Can you imagine living through that and just days later speaking out passionately and eloquently on Meet the Press?
As they have pointed out, there can be no sensible gun legislation in this country as long as so many of our politicians are employees of the NRA.
In the 2016 election, the NRA spent $11,438,118 to support Donald Trump — and another $19,756,346 to oppose Hillary Clinton. That’s over $31 million spent on one presidential race.
Of course it doesn’t stop there. The deep pockets of the NRA have given millions to members of congress, including senators John McCain (R-AZ), $7.74M; Richard Burr (R-NC), $6.99M; Roy Blunt (R-MO), $4.55M; Thom Tillis (R-NC), $4.42M; Cory Gardner (R-CO), $3.88M; and representatives French Hill (R-AR), $1.09M; Ken Buck (R-CO), $800,544; David Young (R-IA), $707,662; Mike Simpson (R-ID), $385,731; and Greg Gianforte (R-MT), $344,630.
You get the idea. Is it any surprise that the first significant legislation passed after the 2016 election was to lift Obama era laws restricting access of the seriously mentally ill to guns? The NRA got what it paid for. What did the rest of us get?
These activist students have called for a march on Washington and across the country March 24. As I write this they are on their way to Tallahassee to lobby their state’s legislature. They have made it clear that they don’t intend to stop until we have sensible gun laws in this country. I hope we adults can muster the moral fortitude to support them.
Sue Harrington
Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=38323
Posted by Canton Citizen
on Mar 3 2018. Filed under From One Citizen to Another, Opinion.
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